Lobbyists lobby politicians so they won’t make changes that hurt their business. Politicians in turn engage in brainwashing so the population agrees with them even if it actually goes against their best interests.
Trust me, nobody likes paying thousands for college tuition. But colleges lobbied politicians so now politicians won’t do a damn thing about it, and the politicians that won’t do a thing are now actively telling their base lies about how it’s a good thing that they have to pay more than rent on tuition.