Self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders takes pride in the fact that he is the only 2016 presidential candidate with the goal of bringing Socialism to the United States. Senator Sanders (D-Vermont) is a frequent critic of capitalism, Wall Street, and basically the entire idea of a republican Democracy.

Two key components of Sanders presidential bid are the implementation of universal healthcare and free tuition at public colleges. When pressed in a recent interview with Bill Maher on exactly how the Vermont Senator planned on paying for these programs, Sanders answered that “a tax on Wall Street” would cover all the costs. Even Maher, a member of the far-Left, confronted Sen. Sanders with the harsh reality: taxing Wall Street won’t pay for all of the programs he’s promising.

Nevertheless, Sanders has taken a few cues from the Obama playbook in how to win the Millennial vote. Like Obama in 2008 and again in 2012, Sanders is throwing out promises like candy at a parade and Millennials have quite a sweet-tooth.

Sanders’ spike in popularity among young voters isn’t surprising when you take into consideration the fact that what he’s offering to young people does sound rather appealing. More than any generation before, Millennials are drowning in student loan debt. Sanders is saying he’ll take that away, but not explaining how he’ll do it or what it’ll cost in the long run.

As a Senior in college, the idea of not having the $10,000 in student loans that I will have at graduation sounds fantastic, but for that to happen in Sanders world, hard-working people who have nothing to do with my choice to take out student loans would have to cover the cost. To me, that’s just wrong.

When I graduated high school at the age of 17, I made the tough decision of picking a college with affordability as my main priority. Although a lot of college students have financial assistance from their parents, I didn’t have that so I picked the school that gave me the best scholarships so that I would graduate with very minimal debt. A lot of students don’t consider this at such a young age, leading them to pick schools with high tuition rates without considering the amount of student debt they’ll be slammed with the second they receive their diploma.

Being conscience of debt has taught me a lot. I’ve had to work a part-time job while attending school full-time. I took a year off from school during the 2014-2015 academic year to work a full-time job to pay off a $4,000 bill. Having to work my way through college has been challenging at times and threw numerous wrenches in my master plan, but I wouldn’t change any of it. It has taught me the importance of strong work ethic, determination, and being financially responsible.

I believe Bernie Sanders proposal of free college is a horrible idea. Essentially, Mr. Sanders proposal teaches newly minted adults to make risky financial decisions and miss out on a chance to develop strong work ethic at the cost of someone else. “Free college” doesn’t mean free college. Nothing is free. Someone is paying for your college under Sanders’ proposal. It’s not right or fair for someone else to pay for the financial woes of an irresponsible teen.  

Until Millennials realize the hard truths of Socialism, Sanders will continue to rise in the polls. Who would want to pay for plain bread when Bernie’s giving away cake for free?