Texas House Republicans Go After Low-Income Students with Ignorant Rhetoric
Brian Harrison’s war on free tuition—and logic.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/texas-house-republicans-go-after
Wednesday, the UT System announced it would expand free tuition to students whose household incomes are under $100,000. And without missing a beat, the GOP carnival barkers in the Texas House shrieked cries of “socialism.”
Yes, this is real life, and Brian Harrison (R-HD10) is entirely insufferable, but we need to dissect his statement because… wow.
First of all, can someone please get Harrison a dictionary? He used many words entirely out of context.
“Socialism” is a political and economic system in which the means of production, distribution, and exchange are owned or regulated collectively, often by the state.
The University of Texas System’s free tuition plan does not meet the definition of socialism because it is funded through endowments—private donations and investment income—not by taxing citizens or redistributing wealth through government intervention.
In policy terms, “regressive” measures, such as a flat tax, disproportionately burden lower-income individuals compared to higher-income ones. The UT tuition plan is the opposite of regressive—it benefits low-income and middle-income families by reducing their financial burden, making it progressive.
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