You realize that state taxes go to education as well right? As a Texas taxpayer, I’m entitled to a subsidized rate compared to a random dude from California. If I wanted to go to California it would be expensive for me. The system works.
So your fine with college being free as long as you go in state? I mean, you have no issue with state taxes that go to state colleges, so why not make the entire thing free for in state residents?
Humans are inherently tribalistic and have been since the beginning of time. If you choose to be an independent, you die when push comes to shove.
It's not good to be tribalistic now, just like during the caveman days, you could be a racist, but now that is taboo because society changed. Similarly, society should change by getting rid of political parties and forcing every politician to run as an independent. Tribalism is bad; it prohibits free thought and it promotes group think. What does Affirmative action have to do with free college or vaccine mandates? On some of these issues I'm left and others I'm right wing. Why are pretty much all the loud anti Affirmitive action people anti free college and anti vacciene mandate (or vice versa)? The issues have nothing to do with each other, so your stance on one issue shouldn't impact your stance on the other.
And if tribalism was encouraged, there would be no way you could convince a democrat on ANY issue you believe in because to convince them on one issue (Affirmative action), you would have to simultaneously convince them on the 81 issues that democrats and republicans disagree on. It's impossible for one partisan to convince another partisan, but the independents are a different story, because they don't look at issues through a partisan lens.
It’s the remaining 5-10% that can decide in small margins.
This 5 to 10% is very useful in presidential elections.
But if we got rid of parties, then our politicians are thinking for themselves instead of just touting party talking points, which is useful in advancing the nation. Here's kinda something that you should think about:
With abortion, your probably pro life. If this was because it's what you really believe, I wouldn't have an issue with it. But if your pro life because it benefits the republican party, I would have an issue with it. How do you tell the difference?
Lets say the GOP said: "We believe in freedom and we don't want to pay for poor kids in foster care; that's socialist. If you want to abort your kid, even up until the moment of birth, it's better than implementing socialism" and lets say the democrats said, "We believe in EQUALITY for ALL. This is for people of color, undocumented immigrants, the homeless, the poor, and the unborn. Protect the unborn; ban abortion."
If the parties preached this, pretty much everyone in America is changing their minds on abortion (not because they actually believe something different, but because their party is advocating a different position). This already happened with American interventionism. Before Trump was in power, the people that were pro interventionist were republicans (they were pro Iraq war under Bush and the Neo Cons). Now, the interventionist people are on the left (they are pro Ukraine war under Biden).
If Trump was the first person to stand with Ukraine, virtually all the people that wanted to go to war with Russia would be Trump supporters and virtually all the people that would want America to stay out would be never Trumpers.
But since Trump is believed to be a Russian asset by the left and since the left hates Trump, the left are the ones that want to go to war with Russia.
All I'm saying is no matter what you believe on abortion or standing with Ukraine, it should be based on what YOU believe and not what the democrat or republican party tells you to believe.
This is why every politician should run as an independent, so they have to convince people to vote for them instead of just appealing to a base.
Since your a conservative, I think you have a vested interest in getting rid of political parties because right now for US president, more people are going to vote democrat than vote republican in pretty much every election (but the GOP wins because of the electoral college). But there will be a time in US politics when the GOP is unable to win even with the electoral college, so it would mean democrats consistently get elected to the presidency and then the democrats enact ALL of their policies onto the country. Getting rid of parties means that you can get a moderate into office and then they enact SOME things the GOP wants.
There are 81 issues I found where the democrats and republicans disagree. If you agree with the democrats or republicans on all 81 issues, your a hack.