From an early age, my parents told me that life without a degree was not an option. Where that degree came from did not matter, but they stressed that my future would be bleak as I would spend the rest of my days in what they convinced me to be the unbearable hellscape of mediocrity.

So here I sit, nearly two decades later as a soon-to-be college graduate, writing this paragraph in pursuit one of the most valuable pieces of paper I will ever be fortunate enough to own. Granted, I will benefit greatly in job searches and arguing my opinions in friendly debates, but I know many people much smarter and more talented than I’ll ever be who did not go to college. Surely their parents pushed them to succeed as well, right? With this in mind, I once asked a very close friend from high school — one of the most talented artists I know — why they did not hone their craft in art school. With a shrug they gave me a single, resounding answer — “I couldn’t afford it.”

It pains me to see such talent, such passion and enthusiasm for their gifts, remaining inert for years as they work a modest yet uninspiring office job close to home. Moreover, it infuriates me that many Americans justify the intellectual stagnation of my friend, as well as millions of others who cannot reach their potential, due to an inability to pay. Over and over, I hear the same slogans ad nauseum: “we don’t do handouts,” “there’s no way that’s coming out of my taxes,” “that sounds like socialism to me.”

I can’t help but find it hypocritical, though, that the self-proclaimed flagship Western democracy manages to burn through trillions of dollars every year without taking the steps necessary to educate its citizens. Working thirty-five to forty hours per week while in school full-time just to make rent does not seem like the future my parents said would lead me to success. I pay taxes just the same as those who don’t agree that college should be subsidized. So where, then, lies the source of this scarcity of funds? Look no further than the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.

This plane, often dubbed “The World’s Most Expensive Weapon,” will likely cost the United States government nearly 1.5 trillion dollars from now until its completion (yes, trillion, with a capital T). For those concerned with issues relates to terrorism or national defense, the figure may seem irrelevant when it comes to protecting innocent American lives at home and abroad. The safety of our citizens certainly seems to be a priority to the U.S. government — at least that is how they justify an ever-growing defense budget currently in excess of $800 billion. The figures themselves are staggering, but the rationale behind the F-35’s hefty price tag is truly terrifying. Current data shows that the entire project is three years behind schedule and upwards of $200 billion over its original budget. The helmet alone costs forty thousand dollars to build. And worst of all... it's completely redundant.

Back in 1997, the very same company developing the F-35 Lightning II already developed the most advanced fighter jet ever built, the F-22 Raptor. Lockheed Martin built hundreds of these planes at the request and expense of the U.S. government, only to have them sit in hangers, fly in training exercises and routine missions, or perform at air shows. The Raptor did not see actual combat until 2014 in a strike over Syria. Seventeen years passed until this fearsome fighter fulfilled its intended purpose, likely as marketed in Lockheed’s sales pitch to the Department of Defense. This begs the question as to how the government defends its decision to buy a brand new toy before it got a chance to play with the old one. The answer is clear – in the simplest terms, the F-35 Lightning II is a boondoggle. It is the epitome of waste.

I cannot help but imagine the life my friend could lead if they could afford art school, how productive and happy they would be, what new heights they could reach if they had the tools to refine their craft. The dread of impending debt looms over me as I prepare to pursue my Master’s degree in Literature. Millions of Americans sit and wonder how different their lives could be if they were not forced to invest in a system designed to exploit their labor and transfer unprecedented amounts of wealth into the upper strata of society. The argument that the state that wastes billions on asinine redundancies cannot pay to secure its intellectual future is ridiculous. Call me cynical. Say that I’m crazy for wanting better for those who survive when they could thrive. But do not dare tell me that we need more warplanes in flight while the next generation of our brightest citizens remain grounded in their poverty.