Re. almost free in-state education, I remember writing my first check for a semester's full-time tuition and fees at U of I in September 1965: $85, and that was full pay, no scholarship support. A highly educated populace was considered a national security need back then, and public colleges and universities got a lot of money from the feds and more from the states. Then came Reagan and David Stockman, his economics minion, with a head full of Milton Friedman's neofascist theory. Federal aid to higher ed. was cut, starting a trend that's continued for decades. Reduction of federal income tax revenue meant less revenue sharing to the states, many legislatures, like that of the State of Ill, were full of cowards who were afraid to increase state taxes to compensate for the loss, so state college funding diminished along with other services. To those who believe others should pick themselves up by their own bootstraps: OK, but dammit, quit cutting the straps!