Its comically frustrating just how incompetent the current administration and the Republican Party seems to be. Bill Gates once said that US research universiti

Its comically frustrating just how incompetent the current administration and the Republican Party seems to be. Bill Gates once said that US research universities are one of the best, and it would be very hard to fuck them up (I'm paraphrasing). This might just be one step in that direction. As a former Graduate Student: you live very much close to poverty. The University provides a small stipend which covers essential expenses. Basically, you put up with the low wages because you love your research and are basically engaged in research all the time (i.e. you generally do not have a life). This tax hike will likely reduce that stipend and make life even more difficult. I won't address whether there is a glut of graduate students; that is an interesting and separate issue. But the fact remains that US univ. have done a pretty great job of attracting the smartest people over the world to come here and engage in research.