This is the tragedy of modern US politics. The republican party has become increasingly synonomous with this kind of rhetoric around profit, Merica, no spending, guns and god.

Which is a shame for those republicans who aren't some jacked up god Hitler in a suit spurting hate (i.e. the vast majority of republicans). Politics in the US has been fundamentally stripped of any real political content at the top level.

The likes of Trump would likely never survive as senators with their approach, they'd be marginalised in the republican party to the 'embrassing closet' like Thrugood et al.

Since WW2, only two presidents have been elected directly from the Senate - Kennedy and Obama.

Probably just as well, in Kennedy's case. Can you imagine Trump in the Cuban Missile crisis being the voice of calm that kept the 'war pigs' at bay.

Whilst I don't think a president should necessarily be someone who has served in public office or government, it does concern me why people would vote for someone who has no experience of politics.

Quite, its like electing to a medical diagnosis undertaken by someone on the basis of the PR, rather than a professional. There is no guarantee in either case, but the stats really favour the professional.

Its an investment in the future of the country. Its worth remembering that the debts accrued by students are generally cleared in their life time of working and paying tax (which the graduate will typically do at a higher level of income than a non-graduate).

I think you have to have a system in place, where by the 'best and brightest' are given every chance to exploit that ability, without then tying them to huge ridiculous debts, that force then into specific job options. I don't really think it even matters what area of academia it is either.

The one thing that university shouldn't be doing is constructing future employees for jobs. The US system and UK system consists of a large number of degrees, which really exists entirely towards filling corporate Graduate Programs.

Those companies get the benefit of the best education at absolutely no cost to those companies, with the costs being incurred by the taxpayer, and the student.

This has a consequent knock on, where in the debts accured by students, ends up robbing academia of the best available minds, because they have to pay back the 30-100k debt and this fundamentally undermines us culturally as a nation - when you have PhD students in sciences, taking jobs outside of research and academia, because they can't afford not to.