Based on how I understand the facts, I offer my opinion about the recent tuition relief article (“State offers tuition relief with college scholarships,” April 12).

It’s bad enough that parents are easily manipulated to deplete their savings, their retirement accounts and the equity in their house to pay for their kid’s college, but now the state has jumped on the bandwagon requiring taxpayers to pay for some other kid’s college. This unconscionable propaganda perpetrated on weak-minded parents and legislators alike that it is their responsibility to pay for their kid’s college and now some other kid’s college is absolutely reprehensible and socialist.

By what right should the state define some arbitrary financial threshold so that taxpayers have to pay for four years of college tuition, fees and books, for a certain class of kids, but the rest of the kids are out of luck?

By what right does any child have to go to college? Is it in the U.S. Constitution? No. Is it in the Washington State Constitution? No. That’s because going to college is a privilege, not a right. And if it’s a privilege, then every citizen should do the program. Why should the state be able to blatantly discriminate against economic classes? Also, why won’t the state pay for trade school? Are the trades lower class skills that the state considers not worth pushing?

To top it all, the standard for kids to receive this taxpayer-paid gift is they have to be poor (by state standards), maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average and be good? Are you kidding me? Talk about the dumbing down of America. Could this standard be any more offensive? With this standard, the state trivializes and dishonors the hard-working students who strive for greatness in achieving A’s, who really try to earn scholarships, and who still may never get one. How many of these accomplished students who work hard and sacrifice their time and energy will be denied entry into colleges because of some state money set aside for one of these “well-behaved 2.0 students?”

Of course, this is all irrelevant.

This whole program of state-sponsored discrimination reeks to me with the stench of pandering and buying votes with taxpayer money. This program encourages a certain class of people to think they are entitled to someone else’s sacrifice, hard work and wealth.

And please, those of you who suck off the Washington State Social System, don’t whine to me how you are a special case. We all have a story. We all have obstacles to overcome. And you people with your haughty “I don’t suck off the system and I support this program,” then great! Then give your own money, but don’t use the power and force of the government to compel me to contribute to your charity. I like to contribute to my own choice of charities. If certain kids need tuition assistance, then they can look to the five pillars of a properly functioning society: Friends, family, churches, charities and the big one — themselves!

The temerity of this government to compel parents to involuntarily forfeit a portion of their children’s inheritance and involuntarily give that inheritance to some state-designated charity is absolutely despicable.

I have two children in college. They both pay their own way. One works one job and takes out loans, and the other works two jobs. Notice that their success is not dependent upon someone else paying their way, nor my income. My children are succeeding because of their character, their desire to sacrifice, to persevere, to work hard, and to overcome all adversity on their own accord. They understand that morally, it is wrong to take something that is not theirs from someone else. Amazingly, for the government with no God, this is rationalized as the redistribution of wealth, which is a good thing. But for the rest of us, this is called stealing, which is a bad thing. Isn’t it great to be able to define the terms?

Finally, does the education system in this state teach about the Boston Tea Party? Does the word “tyranny” ring a Liberty Bell anywhere in this socialist state?

Anyway, no one here will listen to me. You’re hell-bent to have the state put you in diapers and take care of you like helpless little babies, and that’s just fine with legislators. So just keep working to give your money to the state so it can redistribute your wealth, and continue to vote in legislators that are happy to take away your sovereignty. America, where have you gone?

Frank Comito is a Federal Way resident.