The words “free education” have been thrown around lately as if they are meaningless or something. Free education is not an issue to be taken lightly.

Certainly everyone reading these words will find it to be a serious issue. It has been offered in several other countries that we consider ourselves equal with, if not superior to, such as France, Malta, Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Here in America we have gotten used to thinking that we should pay for everything like our basic services.

Health care and education are as basic as road maintenance and defense against foreign attack.

If our taxes do not pay for these things then what exactly are we paying for?

Our constitution does not allow for the federal government to tax us at all. So if we are tolerating taxation from our government, should we not be expecting it to provide all of these basic services?

I say yes! I believe that my government owes me a fair chance to make my own living no matter my race, background, or financial capabilities.

Bernie Sanders claims to have it in hand to provide these things but what if he does not get elected? He is too old to run again. Do we therefore just throw out the baby with the bathwater?

There should be more of a cry from our own public to demand these kinds of things be taken seriously. Certainly student debt is at an all time high.

The average student graduating today with a serious degree, like a master’s, is facing more than ten years of debt before they are able to live for themselves. If medical expenses like a new baby or a dying parent should interfere with their ability to repay that loan without incurring more debt they will spend even more time working to repay something which a foreign competitor never had to overcome at all. There is also the matter of who is taking our money. Why should anyone be profiting from this kind of malarkey?

Therefore, it is a basic necessity that higher education is provided for free so that the resulting young professionals will be in a position to provide the most contribution to their society possible.

The fact that very little movement has happened on this issue should make you very angry because, fair student, it is a direct assault against your future. It also forces people like me and you to go over to the SGA and participate in programs like the Renegade Pantry (which provides free food to students who are willing to say they need it).

Education is the most important thing for a young person to be concerned with. I cannot understand why it is not a more prevalent conversation in our modern pop culture.

Perhaps when the debt has finally risen to the point that children are growing up while their parents still have not paid there student debt off someone will take action.