>>but making one's children pay for their own education is hardly a cruelty (mind you, education in the US is still far too expensive) Just to unpack a few thi

>>but making one's children pay for their own education is hardly a cruelty (mind you, education in the US is still far too expensive) Just to unpack a few things here (baring in mind I'm a true "eat the rich, tear them from their ivory towers" type socialist). 1- College is WAY too damn expensive, and that's the majority of the conversation. We do a terrible job teaching finance to children and then we expect them to graduate high school and understand what they're undertaking when they sign on for student loans. 2- "Cruelty" is about intent. Rich people can be cruel to other rich people by inflicting financial difficulties on them. They can also be entirely reasonable and attempting to teach them a lesson about hard work and "earning your keep" and what not. It's entirely situational and too difficult to throw a broad statement that covers every situation. This is more about philosophy than anything objective.