This would save young Americans from going into crippling debt, but it would also make a university degree completely unaffordable for most. However, in the age of the Internet, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t get an education.
Consider the long term impact of this. There are a lot of different ways such a situation could go, for better and for worse.
That’s a good point, research would be affected. However it’s worth mentioning that the US government already subsidises research, which might cushion the impact.
I’m attending a small, rural state university. I’ve had to pay for many of the supplies for my undergraduate research myself. I also was unpaid for the entire length my pilot study. We’re applying for grants for my full study so I can pay people to help me, but AFAIK only one of them is from the government and it’s not guaranteed we’ll get it. So not all research is subsidized
Most of the money my school earns is from our sports teams, not from tuition, and they just built a $7 million football stadium to draw in more fans. It’s really painfully obvious that scientific research is not what’s valued here, especially considering we have broken equipment that is needed for my degree. I will have to intern at the larger university several hours away for that training.