Paying a debt to the government

I've been reading and thinking about an article in today's Detroit Free Press about the federal government coming after people that have defaulted on their Student Loans. It seems like with all the people graduating college nowadays, many can't find work, and if they do, many don't make enough to pay back the Feds on their education. I've heard in the past few years about many of these collection agencies making harassing (and often untrue) phone calls to people who owe money on their loans. Many have told people that they were going to be arrested and thrown in jail if the money wasn't paid, many others told people that they'd be on the street if their money didn't come to the agency on time. Lots of people are just afraid to answer the phone or the door for fear of being served a lawsuit for a debt owed on a loan. If you owe on your college loans, what's the experience like for you?