<p>And while we’re at it–pump the level of public support for state schools and community colleges back up. </p>
<p>^^^ Don’t forget trade schools as well. As I noted above, plumbers, electricians and those in related careers often make more than tens of thousands of students who went deep into debt to get a liberal arts degree from a dream school.</p>
<p>Uh-oh, I think we’re coming to the intersection of “what to do” and “except for me.”<br>
I’m not arguing, actually. I loved MisterK’s old posts about plumbing. </p>
<p>^^^ I do not know what you mean by that. I have tired to get at the fact that we need to acknowledge that everyone has a role in this issue and noone should say “except for me”. I have said this includes all parents and students (including me) and colleges and high schools. So I am not sure exactly what you mean by this.</p>
<p>Please don’t suggest military conscription as a loan payback scheme.</p>
<p>The military already offers loan payback for those people and jobs that the military needs. Physicians and other health care workers, lawyers, engineers, language specialists, etc. ROTC, HPSP and other scholarships are essentially loan payback plans. </p>
<p>The military, when it is not operating in crisis or war mode, does not want or need a ton of fine arts majors (or anyone else) who who don’t want to be there. Right now it is much more difficult to join as either an officer or enlisted person because the military is cutting back after 12 years of war. </p>