Freedom of College ?

Coming out of high school, I was fortunate enough to have earned a basketball scholarship meaning my schooling was paid for. Being as it wasn't necessarily hard, I instantly took it for granted and never realized the value of having school paid for; so I gave it up without a wince. This happened almost 4 years ago (if I would've stayed, I would be graduating this year with a bachelors) and now that I'm back in school, I realize how expensive it really is...and I'm only at a community college. Even the thought of paying for a university makes me quiver in my boots.
But, I can't imagine making college free a liable solution just because you'd have to ask "where would the money to run the school come from, if not from us"? And as much as I would LOVE to say "Our wonderful government of course", but in reality, we care more about beefing our military than all else. Therefore, I would say it's safe to say the government wouldn't really be a reliable safety net.
Bringing on option number 2, what if they took education taxes straight out of our checks like they do for medicare, and good ol' FICA? I, for one, wouldn't mind actually knowing where the money they seem to be hijacking every 2 weeks goes, especially if it's to something America desperately needs.
If all else fails, then please please please can we AT LEAST reduce the outrageous tuition schools demand? Long Island University, the school I used, is around $50,000 a semester and it's not even a large school, such as UT. If we can't achieve making education something tax dollars can contribute to, the least we can do is making it remotely affordable for us average Joe's just trying to earn higher and a rewarding education. After all, most of us didn't intend that after a whooping 12 years of general education, to be stopped short of receiving that shining degree we all have worked so hard to get.