I definitely don't support the idea of government doing more than it already does.
All it will succeed in doing is what has already happened: tuition costs rising disproportionate to the inflation rate.
http://www.finaid.org/savings/tuition-inflation.phtml
I think low-cost student loans are great. I think private scholarships are great. I think foundations for scholarships are wonderful. I give to my alumni fund for that very reason. The problems of education, musical or otherwise are attitudinal and cultural not financial. The problems of education are largely based in the lack of support from parents who send kids to school and hold teachers responsible for 100% of the education of their children and won't follow up what their children are taught. "That's the teacher's job, not mine" is a lousy attitude and doesn't help our teachers.
We have, as per my observation on this board, excellent teachers. Toots and Bandman are examples of caring teachers that I would trust with my children. I know there are others but they do the most writing about teaching and come to mind first. They would be excellent teachers irrespective of what you pay them. Their budgets determine the ease of their jobs. I've heard "Manny would sound good no matter what horn he plays". Therefore, I feel good about saying what I did about those two gentlemen. It's a question of what makes it easier for one to be effective.
I put the onus of funding education on local governments and the people in those communities and states. If the fed becomes continually more involved in sending people to school, the prices will continue to rise artificially for lack of incentive to be competitive.
Toots, I know you have strong feelings about this and I'm eager to hear your thoughts regarding the collegiate level funding as it is.
By the way, this post was written by someone who lost his foundation-based scholarship after his first year at Juilliard for not keeping up his grades. I had to pay tuition the hard way, took out a loan, and paid the loan off after I got my job in Seattle. Before that, I presented my dad with a check for $1,500 to say thank you for sending me to college. That was money I had earned freelancing while in school. I can still remember his face at my gesture to him and it was the proudest moment of my life. It still is.
ML