What about math and theoretical physics?
Well a buddy of mine was into theo. nuclear and I did wonder if he'd ever find a job. Went academic. I guess other than working for the gov't, that's about the only place he could go...
Those, too. :) Even though we like to imagine that those are very important fields that gosh, we can't do without government subsidizing. Many scientists were inspired by science fiction writers with English degrees. If we take it to the nth degree of separation, I'm sure we would be governmentally subsidizing the real estate brokers who sold the land to the parents of the teachers who taught the English to the writers who inspired the mathematicians and theoretical physics professors who developed the A-bomb. Hell, we probably DO subsidize the real estate brokers who sold the land to the parents of the teachers who taught the English to the writers who inspired the mathematicians and theoretical physics professors who developed the A-bomb.
But government shouldn't be in the education business, period. If it makes sense to educate people in a field, banks and businesses will provide. Government funding has done nothing but turn out whopper-floppers with the ability to discuss Marx and Sartre.
I'm sure there will be those who argue that government funding did x or y, and it's important to do x or y, but would x or y have happened WITHOUT that funding? If the market wanted it, if enough of the American people wanted it, yeah!