It’s funny that we have a similar story and have ended up with different political ideologies.

I went into the Navy, had them pay for my undergrad and now my job is paying for my MBA. Still plan on going back to school for something more interesting than business since I have some of my GI Bill left.

The government has quite literally handed me my success, same for you, though we earned it.

But the liberal part of me wonders why that isn’t just part of the social contract anymore. I’m not opposed to people having to work for their benefits, but the stark contrast in the value of remuneration in the past to now isn’t justified in any way.

It was possible for grandparents to work at an ice cream shop and pay their way through college. That’s literally impossible now. Manufacturing jobs used to be able to support whole families on a single income. Also impossible.

So I don’t disagree that people should have to earn their opportunities. I disagree that they should have to work so hard for so little these days just to survive, let alone thrive. Opportunities seem fewer and further between and there’s far more competition for them. And there’s no real justification for the the disparity between now and then.