The cries are already coming in from the purist wing of the conservative movement as President Trump signs an executive order forgiving student loan debt for permanently disabled veterans. They’re saying this is a precursor to student loan forgiveness across the board. They say this opens the door for a future Democratic President to do the same thing, only so widespread it’ll damage not only the country but forever change the way education is handled in America.

But there’s one important caveat about forgiving student loan debt for permanently disabled veterans that reactionary conservatives missed. It was already done. This isn’t introducing a new stance on student loans. It’s expediting the process because as of now, about 1/5th of the eligible veterans are taking advantage of it.

This is a political move that will affect thousands of Americans at a relatively low cost, especially when compared to the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of loan forgiveness being proposed by many Democrats.

But the bigger reason nobody should be balking at this is because these are people who have served their country and are actually deserving of the “free stuff” offers being made to everyone by Democrats. And by “everyone,” I mean literally everyone. Democrats want free education for illegal immigrants, and some are balking because the President wants permanently disabled veterans to have their loans forgiven? Fiscal conservatives (of which I am one) need to find another battle to fight.

This is a smart move by the President and turns the chants of “free college for everyone” by Democrats on its head. Loan forgiveness for permanently disabled veterans is pittance compared to the sacrifices they’ve made for this country.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.

To all of you 68-year-old college freshmen out there, Bernie Sanders wants your vote. He feels your plight. He recognizes the crushing effect of the high cost of college and how it’s making your go bankrupt. All you want is a degree so you can get a job to pay for socialism in your golden years, and the system is against you. But not with Bernie. Bernie will save you.

Bernie saying seniors are going bankrupt over the high cost of college is the most Bernie thing I've seen all week. https://t.co/cygJpSZUI8

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) August 20, 2019

All snark aside, it’s true that seniors are going bankrupt, but it’s not because of pensions being cut (something that was essentially cured over a decade ago) or high cost of college. It’s true that healthcare costs are a driving force. Bernie got that one right. What he doesn’t indicate is how the five-fold increase in bankruptcies is a direct result of Obamacare’s cost-driving effects on health insurance and medical costs.

This is why the greatest lie the Democrats are seemingly being allowed to get away with is that their plan is what will fix the broken healthcare system. Medicare-for-All and the other proposals are all advancements on Obamacare. They take things further to the left. After seeing what a little progressive healthcare can do, why would Americans want to double down on it? Who wants twice the failure?

It’s hard to tell which is worse: That Bernie blames high college costs for senior citizens going bankrupt or that millions of Democrats are nodding their heads instead of scratching them.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.

Generation Z, ages 13 through 22 are genuinely confused. On one hand, many polls find they are quite conservative. The Hispanic Heritage Foundation found the majority of Gen Z voters identified as Republicans in a poll of 50,000 14-18-year-olds in 2016. Other measures show they are more fiscally and socially conservative than either Gen X or Millennials.

The Center for Generation Kinetics found Gen Z are avoiding student debt like mad. They plan to work through college and keep clear of personal debt. Twelve percent are already saving for retirement and 77% earn their own spending money. Their attitudes toward work, the American Dream and the fact that life is not fair, mirror their Gen X parents. A whopping 78% say the American Dream is alive and well. They also recognize that success is not always in direct proportion to how hard you work.

Yet in recent polling conducted by Young America’s Foundation and Eschelon Insights and given exclusively to Townhall, some strange trends occur. According to the article, a survey of 2004 students aged 13-22 found:

• 46% admit to self-censoring in the classroom, half of the time due to peer pressure
• Yet 74% feel their teachers encourage a variety of opinions during class discussion

It is unclear from the write-up what is driving self-censorship in the remainder of cases. However, nearly half of students in this age range say there are times they don’t share their views. One-quarter of respondents also feel that diverse views are not encouraged by those educating. Neither one of these outcomes leads to complete learning. As parents, we need to demand open learning environments and encourage our Gen Z’s to use their minds and their voice. Then be prepared to support our children if they experience negative consequences for sharing their ideas.

In terms of basic economics, the results really make very little sense. According to the poll:

• 80% have a favorable view of small business
• 73% view entrepreneurs in a positive light
• 61% have a favorable view of free markets
• Only 40% have a positive view of capitalism

It is as if they do not comprehend that capitalism is the free-market system that supports business ownership and entrepreneurial activities. It also allows for more income mobility than any other economic system which aligns with their belief in the American Dream.

Given Gen Z’s favorable view of elements of free-market capitalism, 40% of college students have a positive view of socialism. Overall 35% of participants held that view. However, they can’t define what socialism is. Twenty-seven percent who viewed it positively said they did not know or were unsure. Ten percent simply defined it as free stuff.

So my Gen X cohorts, it is time to get to work. It is imperative we contrast the oppression of socialism with the freedom to pursue the American Dream for these kids. We need to get comfortable speaking about the experience of our Cold War childhood. What it meant to us when we saw the Berlin Wall fall. The final symbol of the evils our grandfathers fought crumbling. The millions of young men that died defending their freedom to pursue their dreams and speak freely.

It is clear the school system is skipping over the sacrifices we have made as a nation to keep the authoritarians from our shores. They are also not accurately characterizing the oppression and inequality in socialist societies that are crumbling before our eyes. Cuba and Venezuela are full of modern-day horrors because of socialism. Protestors their age in Hong Kong risking their very lives trying to keep from coming under mainland China.

So as I have said before, it is up to Gen X to save the world. It’s time to bridge the gap in history our children are not being taught.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.