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runaway costs of college education. Over the last 20 years, escalation of the cost of college tuition and textbooks have been more than twice the national average inflation rate.

Universities are essentially being subsidized by government programs designed allegedly to help students get higher education.

But this massive loan forgiveness initiative is also an example of the crass political opportunism that inevitably follows from the accumulation of government power.

Can it possibly be accidental timing that Biden reached out to tens of millions with college loans, offering to wipe these loans out, just prior to elections when the outlook for his party was not looking encouraging and when his own polling has been poor?

A week before the elections, Biden made remarks at the White House saying that our democracy is “at risk … democracy is on the ballot this year.”

Now that the elections produced far better results for Democrats than anyone anticipated, the president called the elections “a good day for democracy.”

No one ever accused Biden of being a deep thinker. But it should concern every citizen that his assessment of the state of our democracy follows from the success at the polls of his own party.

In his remarks at the White House, the president stumbled onto the

truth. “We, the people, must decide whether the rule of law will prevail or whether we’ll allow the dark forces to thirst — that thirst for power put ahead of the principles (that) have long guided us.”

We saw similar improper and politically motivated behavior by Biden in the recent release of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As pointed out by John Hill, who was involved in the legislation that created the reserve, the reserve exists for national security in instances of “severe energy supply disruptions.” It’s not there to manipulate oil prices when politicians find this expedient.

Fortunately, as evidenced by these court decisions slamming the door on this abuse of power by our president, even conservatives and Republicans who are disappointed by the results of these elections can feel positive that we still have rule of law in our nation.

As Pittman wrote in his opinion, “In this country, we are not ruled by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a phone. Instead, we are ruled by a constitution that provides for three distinct and independent branches of government.”

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www. creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS. COM