bravo 411A, well said.
The reality is (thankfully) that in any open society economically you have the right to 'manage' your money and/or investments as you so choose. This silly crusade to ban something is what politicians do when scared that someone or something is getting close to the truth (aka New Labour
). However as students or qualified professionals we have the legal and ethical right to get the type rating.
If the chap down our street can't afford to send his daughter to one of the better engineering universities then should all engineering faculities (spelling) stop taking students. There is in my eyes no such thing as being poor all the time, you may have a couple of low points in your life but once you get up and going again you'll get the income and with some sacrifices save some money too. In this manner you can facilitate further study or training, if nothing else it makes you a better person!
Employers of all industries have constantly complained about how their bottom line was eroded due to garduates from training organisations, institutes, universities, etc are sub standard and require further training when in the work place. It's not unique to aviation other than this industry having been too insulated for far too many years. In those days the BAs of this world could what they wanted, whenever they chose. But look at the detriment of that situation where 99.9% of wannabes didn't even get a chance compared to todays system where everyone has a crack at the whip.
There is no perfect system and banning things are done in the school confines by the headmaster and not by French style silliness and snobbery.
The money I pay is hard earned and I know that when I have little or nothing left but I am responsible for my own actions and I'm a big boy that can take it. Maybe that's the true fear here of people wanting assurances before they go ahead, this is no fairy tale.