AOC likes billionaires after all

Never one to let consistency be the hobgoblin of her little mind, New York congresscritter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seems to have done a 180 on the moral worth of billionaires.

Yesterday AOC noted on Twitter that "Every Morehouse Class of 2019 student is getting their student debt load paid off by their commencement speaker." For this kind of generosity, you'd think she could at least say his name: Robert F. Smith. Last year, according to Forbes, Smith became the richest African-American, surpassing Oprah. He made his money -- about five billion dollars worth of it -- in high-tech finance and private equity. Yesterday he added a new accolade to an already impressive list, by pledging to pay off the student loans of every 2019 Morehouse grad. AOC called it "the start of what’s known in Econ as a ‘natural experiment.’ Follow these students & compare their life choices w their peers over the next 10-15 years."

Indeed. Let's do that. While we're at it, maybe we should take a look at how college got so expensive in the first place. (Hint: Government tried to help make college more affordable, and unintended consequences ensued. Put government in charge of the Sahara desert, Milton Friedman noted, and you'll end up with a shortage of sand.)

That aside, AOC cheering the charitable efforts of someone who made their money in finance doesn't quite seem to square with something she said just a few months ago.