Forgive me for being a cynic, but with tuition bills at about $40k per year, ground getting broken on $X0 ~ $Y00 million construction projects yearly, and endowments which rival hedge funds (Cornell's is relatively modest at a mere $4.3 billion dollars), I have to wonder why $4,000 a year for a journal sparks moral outrage and why the solution isn't "Alright, screw it, this is so easy we'll just do it ourselves."

It's like California getting worked up about the number of free donuts they give state employees. I mean, OK, I get it: high symbolism, makes for a good headline. But come on, one look at salaries, pensions, or health care shows where the actual problems are.

Similarly, if one wanted to look at the influence of money on the scientific community, it is highly nonobvious to me that academic journals are where the money is uniquely concentrating.