I did get my Ph.D. and lived on the stipend and TAing until I received an RA position. Yes, there were even years when a professor took pity on me and bought me a winter coat. I know full well what it means to be a graduate student and I will tell you that it means less than you think out in the real world. The only ones I do feel for are the post-docs who deserve more.

The point is they are learning from the experience just as much and more than they are giving any student.

TA's are students and being a TA is part of the learning experience. What do you bring to the table? You are not an experienced lecturer or even have any real experience in your career field. Sorry, being a TA is a privilege and you grow from the experience. It allows you to go to grad school without any debt.

They need to talk about these quarters more. I can see cashiers telling me they are not real quarters. When we were in Ecuador, they tried to give us change they said was US currency that looked like quarters, but were not worth any value at all. Checked on the web and refused to take them.