Ryan Taylor’s letter about President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness programme makes many unfortunate assumptions (Letters, August 30).

Taylor writes that he worked hard in college and minimised his debt, and he undoubtedly made many sacrifices to achieve his current success. His work ethic and character are admirable, and he should be commended for it. At the same time, he must acknowledge that no one can ever take that away from him, and no one is trying to.

Taylor complains that luxuriating students who once took it easy are now being “rewarded” for their excess and irresponsibility. It is true. There will be a few such cases. Any big government programme will have some measure of waste.

But the forgiveness programme will help many desperately struggling debtors — people like Wande Ogun, who, as she tells the FT (Report, August 30), has $60,000 in student debt, no career, no money and no prospects.

Let us set aside this notion that tax dollars are being used either as a “reward” or else as a “punishment,” as if we were all selfish players in a zero-sum game. It is strange that Taylor, a Pell-grant recipient, should begrudge that some of his own taxes may be used to support struggling families who don’t make very much money.

I myself won’t read every book in the public library, but I recognise that libraries are important to my society, and I approve of taxes used for programmes that may not benefit me directly but could help many needy people.

Nathaniel Norman
New York, NY, US