“Public university tuition has increased by an alarming 343%.”

Recently, South Carolina’s own US Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-Columbia), part of the House of Representatives’ leadership team, introduced a bill canceling student loan debt for families making less than $100,000 and dramatically reducing debt for those making more.

Clyburn joins almost all Democrat Presidential candidates in proposing the elimination of student loan debt and/or making public colleges free to attend. Their plan to pay for this is to dramatically raise taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations – the very people tasked with hiring them upon graduation. Beyond the fact that they would have to hike corporate taxes to the point where there is no profit for these companies to be able to fund these programs, it is just plain immoral and wrong.

Congressman Jim Clyburn-D, has served as Congressman from the 6th Congressional District of SC for the past 28 years. In 2007, Clyburn was ranked by the National Journal as the 77th most liberal of all 435 US congressmen. Photo UPI

When a student agrees to conditions of a student loan, just like any other loan, it is a contract where they have fully acknowledged the consequences in advance. Just as a mortgage is not going to be forgiven, a student loan should not. Think of it as an early introduction to life, which is severely lacking on college campuses.

Now to the elephant in the room. You will notice that the far left and their constant harping on public college education that is free of cost, putting the onus on every taxpayer instead of the individuals and families who have made the decision to attend college. These same people (in leadership positions) never say a peep about outrageous skyrocketing tuition.

According to US News & World Report, since 1998, in-state public university tuition has increased by an alarming 343%. This is in addition to additional fees – which are also higher – and huge increases and amounts of funding by government.

One of the reasons for the increase is to pay for improved student housing, which is a somewhat logical reason. But how does this explain other costs like overly-increasing salaries for faculty and the amount of faculty. Public universities are also now in the business of non-education related economic development ventures.

Let’s zero in on faculty. Leftist politicians are more than aware that a college campus is the first and most prolific breeding ground for the next generation of a Marxist-leaning population. By hiring more faculty and paying them well, the ability to push an unbelievably politically correct and Marxist agenda compounds.

Just like any form of government, this effect compounds instead of shrinking and increases the magnitude of the problem. In many examples, retired elected officials and well-known bureaucrats are paid many hundreds of thousands of dollars to lecture for just a few hours or give speeches. This is example is more prevalent in private schools.

As you can see, politicians on the left not only have no reason to slow ever-increasing tuition, but by focusing on free tuition and student loan forgiveness, they are actively funding their agenda through every-day taxpayers.

The solutions: First, hold politicians and university administration accountable for out-of-control tuition and the things they are funding. Second, the citizenry must re-ignite the school choice movement, allowing universal choice for all K-12 parents and students to choose the best education for them while improving public schools with a greater focus than sending every single student to college.

Third, students and their families must make logical decisions. I would venture to say that if most college-aged people will go ahead and focus on a career in service, retail, trade, etc., this will put them on the way to a more lucrative career than piles of debt either from what they will continue to owe the government through irresponsible spending or through tuition. It is worth pointing out that South Carolina has recently passed somewhat nebulous tuition control policies and kudos to them for some effort.

In a country as large and diverse as the United States, our bureaucracies will never be able to finance huge, free government programs. It is simply an impossibility. It is time for us to work together and hold politicians accountable for both the wrong solutions and their lack of solutions.

Preston Baines is a political and policy consultant from Chapin, SC. He can be reached at prestonbaines@gmail.com.