There definitely is a happy medium. I think the problem is, the current model is way out, where basically everyone (sometimes including editors, usually reviewe

There definitely is a happy medium. I think the problem is, the current model is way out, where basically everyone (sometimes including editors, usually reviewers) are unpaid, while the journal is expensive beyond reasonable bounds. This system only works because most/all academics are underwritten by the taxpayer, and are willing to put up with a pretty high level of exploitation. I think the logical solution would be just to formalize the fact that taxpayers foot the bill. Make journal access free, earmark funds for editors and staff at universities or research institutions, then just pay that directly out of taxes. It would cost a lot less than the current solution, where the taxpayer pays the wages of the contributors (so the journal doesn't have to), then pays the massively bloated subscription fee, then doesn't even get access in the end.