[Gráinne]

In some states, including Arkansas, there is a program by which most if not all of your expense incurred in becoming a teacher is waived if you agree to teach in some impoverished area, such as the Delta. I do agree with your idea, and think a program like this should be implemented nationwide, for many more majors.

I do agree with national standards, which would be the bar by which to measure success and failure in my hypothetical school system, and I think it should be a whole lot higher than it is now. Any other business with a 45% failure rate (that's the dropout rate in my school system, and a conservative guess) would be an abject failure. In fact, all states except Texas have adopted the "Common Core" program in which eighth grade in Wichita, Walla Walla and Worcester would be equivalent in subject matter, standards and skills taught, so we're going in that direction, however late. The major inequalities in school districts are not addressed, but I digress.

Besides that, I cannot think of a single area in which government has gotten involved (housing, education, health care, Amtrak) and costs have not ballooned along with beauracracy. The government is simply not efficient or cost-effective compared with privatization, so while I do say we need some regulation, it's government regulations passed on the banks that caused the high fees and shenanigans in the first place.