Is college a dangerous vice?

It's like finding out you're the ugly duckling even though you've always believed you were one of the swans.

It wasn't the 7 percent tuition increase proposed by the state Senate yesterday that hurt. What cut deep was the fact that we, the future of the state, were grouped with boozers and smokers in an attempt to balance the budget.

Of course the state is going to have to impose "sin taxes" -- where else can they can find an additional $517 million in the next two years to bridge the $1.6 billion budget deficit without raising taxes?

Oh wait, that's where we come in.

Smokers and drinkers choose to pay the tax to access their drug of choice. A 20-cent-per-pack increase in cigarette tax, which will increase to 80 cents in two years, doesn't step on too many toes. Raising revenue by imposing a $1-per-liter tax on liquor may even seem noble for a "healthier Washington."

Last time we checked, higher education wasn't a vice. We thought we were helping the state by contributing to an educated work force, fueling giants like Boeing and Microsoft.

Going to class isn't the same as going to a bar, and studying for a final exam isn't equal to as lighting up. Not only will we see a tuition hike, enrollment numbers would increase and funding will decrease under the proposed budget.

Maybe lawmakers have just heard too much about Girls Gone Wild. Or maybe it's just because this state does not respect what a higher education does for it.