Democrats and liberals, particularly some of the more high profiles ones running for president, tend to like the word "free." Free tuition, courtesy of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Free health care, courtesy of Elizabeth Warren.
But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), as the young progressive firebrand she is, is instructing her colleagues and fellow Democrats to start using a new phrase to describe their lofty goals.
"It's not that we deserve it because it's a handout," Ocasio-Cortez explained at a town hall over the weekend. "People like to say, 'Oh, this is about free stuff.' This is not about free stuff."
Public education, libraries, & infrastructure policies (which we‘ve had before in America and elsewhere in the world!) are not “free stuff.”
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 25, 2019
They are PUBLIC GOODS.
And they are worth investing in, protecting, & advancing for all society and future generations.
Sincerely,
NY-14 https://t.co/LZdUPMfbpm
“These are public goods," she continued. "They’re public goods. So I never want to hear the word or the term ‘free stuff’ ever again ... because I’m tired of already hearing some of these neoliberal folks who are trying to, like, flip the script on us.”
As you can see, she lumps Medicare for All and free tuition into the same category as libraries and roads, suggesting they should each be easily accessible.
Free college, remember, will cost taxpayers a pretty penny. And Medicare for All, as its proponents have admitted, will kick millions of Americans off of their private insurance plans.
If that frustrates you, just remember these are public goods.