When virtually most of the other nations who we are competing with subsidize higher education, how will we compete with them when we make people take out massive loans or take 6+ years to work and go at the same time whilst having your education suffer? An educated populace only HELPS the entire tax system. Typically leads to more economic value creation and higher payer jobs that result in more taxes paid. I am first general college, was a plumber for 6 years while going to community college and then finished my degree on an academic scholarship and am now finishing my master's at 31. It should not be that hard to make this happen when most of the world makes it more attainable. Half of my friends, who are incredibly smart, are stuck in dead-end jobs they hate because they had no support system of means to do what I did. It isn't fair to them and I am the exception and not the rule. All our system does is make it harder for poorer people to get a good education. But hey if you're into that then cool