All the top schools are publicly funded because all the top schools were nationalized. And the rich have always been free to go to England, America, or elsewher

All the top schools are publicly funded because all the top schools were nationalized. And the rich have always been free to go to England, America, or elsewhere. Many of the premiere U.S. schools are also public, and in general I think it's implied that pay-to-play college admission proposals would be limited to private institutions. One reason the American university system is usually ranked so highly is because it's such a global destination for the world's rich. Not only does their tuition fund much of the system, but the demand drives the elite status, which in turn helps to attract real talent. And even smart people know that, all else being equal, it's better to sit in a classroom with the rich and elite. I don't think it's a coincidence that Stanford is a private university. Of the startups I've personally been involved with, directly or indirectly, I can't think of one that didn't successfully cash out where one of the founders didn't also have "connections", such as a rich uncle who made introductions. The fact that the rich and elite drive eduction in the U.S. creates problems of its own, but there's no getting around the inherent funding dilemmas. Especially in a culture like in the U.S. where t-a-x is a four-letter word (i.e. unspeakable), it's better to view these proposals as alternative taxation schemes.