During elections in the early days of our country, less than honorable politicians would buy drinks at local taverns in exchange for votes at the polls (vote buying). This practice was largely eliminated in many states when bars, saloons and liquor stores were prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages while the polls were open.
Fast forward to the present, on August 24, 2022, with much fanfare, President Biden announced that he was forgiving up to $10,000 and $20,000 for certain occupations in student loan obligations for up to 43 million people totaling over $400 billion. As this giveaway was occurring roughly two months prior to the 2022 elections, it is reasonable to view this wholesale debt forgiveness as modern-day vote buying. After the election, on June 30, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that President Biden did not have the constitutional authority to unilaterally do this, effectively halting this action. Not to be deterred by the rule of law, the President on July 14, October 4, December 6, 2023, and January 12, 2024, announced new loan forgiveness programs for 992,000 borrowers that would total $57.8 billion. As the federal government presently is over $34 trillion in debt, where will these funds come from? More borrowing!
How are these actions remotely fair to the average taxpayer, to those who did not go to college, to those who worked and paid their way through college, or to those who paid off their student loans?
In the early days of our country, politicians used their own money to buy votes on election day. Present-day politicians use the U.S. Treasury to fund their vote-buying schemes.
GARY L. HEMRICK
Bluffton
