Why do we repeatedly punish those who do the right thing to reward those who did not? Whether it’s corporate bailouts, mortgage bailouts, or the anticipated need for a state bailout, these programs all reward bad behavior while punishing those who did the right thing.

Rewarding Bad Behavior

In the latest example of pandering and bribery out of Washington, Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wants the American people to pay off $1.6 Trillion worth of student loans.

“In a generation hard hit by the Wall Street crash of 2008, it forgives all student debt and ends the absurdity of sentencing an entire generation to a lifetime of debt for the ‘crime’ of getting a college education.”

https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/24/report-sanders-trillion-student-loan-debt-cancel-forgive/

There’s just one problem, Mr. Sanders. OK, maybe three problems. First, no one forced these students to take out student loans to pay for college, they did so voluntarily. What you call an absurd sentence, most people call the consequences of their decisions. If they did not consider a cost/benefit analysis of their student loans beforehand, then the problem is a lack of education, something the government has taken control of over the past 70 years. Second, a large part of the reason a college education has gotten so expensive can be laid at the feet of the very program you want to bail out. The cost of college has grown at six times the rate of inflation, starting around the time the government stuck its fingers into the student loan pie. A coincidence? Possibly, but not likely. And finally, the very act of the federal government inserting itself into the education finance industry is illegal. The Constitution does not grant the federal government any power to inject itself into the education of the American people, much less pay for it. So now that Washington has stuck its nose where it doesn’t belong and then made a royal mess of it, they want someone else to pay for it. And who does Mr. Sanders want to leave the bill with? The American people, of course.

Sure, Mr. Sanders says he will get Wall Street to pay for his plan through a financial transaction tax. However, anyone with a basic knowledge of commerce and economics knows that companies don’t ultimately pay taxes, they pass those costs on to the consumers. So who will pay for Mr. Sanders’ boondoggle? Everyone who owns stock, has a pension plan, or participates on a 401(k) retirement savings account. In short, just about everyone. If Mr. Sanders gets his way, every time your retirement system makes a transaction, you will pay a fee so he can get credit for forgiving student loan debts. Isn’t it nice, how he would get credit for the work you’ve done?

Punishing Good Behavior

And what about those students who were prudent and didn’t go into unreasonable debt to get their education? If Mr. Sanders gets his way, they will be forced to pay for the bad decisions of others. So, first they sacrifice, either by forgoing some education or by working to pay for it, then Mr. Sanders wants them to pay for those who fed at the trough of this federally subsidized program. After that there’s those of us who, rather than depending on the government, are making arrangements to pay for our own retirement. Is Mr. Sanders really asking us to pay for others’ bad decisions in this area, too? Is it any wonder why so many Americans make rash decisions? They expect the government to get someone else to pay for their mistakes. Its like playing roulette, except the house promises to pay off your loosing bets. Only in Washington the house is the American people.

Why does this keep happening?

Greed! Whether it’s the American people who want something for nothing or the politicians’ desire to get credit for something they didn’t do, all of this is driven by greed. Students want someone else to pay for their education. Those who have graduated want someone else to pay for the loan they agreed to. And, of course, politicians want credit for fixing a problem while someone else picks up the tab. All of this is summed up in the word “greed”. Why else would the American people accept the bribes Washington is peddling? Because they are greedy and want something for nothing. And why does Washington and our state capitals offer these bribes? Because the American people keep taking them. Our greed and our envy are destroying our republic. As Alexis de Tocqueville is quoted as saying:

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”

So how do we restore sanity and honor to Washington, our state houses, and the student loan program? First, we fire all those greedy people who try to bribe us with our own money. I don’t care how much you care about others or what policies you support, if it involves taking money from others to pay for what you want, then that greed needs to stop. Any candidate that promises you they will get someone else to pay for something for you should be considered an automatic failure and not get our vote. In fact, I hope someone puts together a voter guide showing just how many greedy, self-serving promises political candidate at all levels make. That would certainly narrow down the field for the honest voter.

Second, we should extend that automatic failure to all those in elected positions who violate their oath to support the Constitution. I don’t care if it’s a federal legislator pushing for free healthcare, the President promising disaster relief, or a state official bragging about bringing in federal money for roads and bridges. None of these expenditures are authorized by the Constitution, all of them are illegal, and all should be considered bribery.

Lastly, we must be prepared to take up the slack should we ever get governments under control. Whether it’s helping the homeless, the poor, or taking care of our infrastructure, we need to recognize that if and when we take these programs away from Washington they will most likely fall on our states and on charities. Don’t expect that by putting Washington back in its box, it will cut your taxes. Instead, it will probably transfer much of them from D.C. to your state capital. We should not only be prepared for this shift in burden, but to work with our state representatives to not only do it more efficiently, but to do it better as well.

So if you want to stop good people for being punished for the bad behavior of others, you can start by not accepting the bribes our political class offers. Until we ween ourselves from our addiction to other people’s money, we will remain susceptible to the siren song of politicians bribing us with our own money.