NOTHING IS FREE EXCEPT AIR

No matter how many times politicians say something should be free (lately, it’s college education), it’s not going to be free.  When they say free, what they are actually describing is a setup where the user doesn’t pay, others pay.  
Does anyone actually think that public elementary and secondary education are free?  Of course not.  Everyone understands that teachers, books, and school buildings cost money.  
Do the people who are saying that college education should be free think that their audience doesn’t understand this?  Could it be that they just don’t want to acknowledge, and/or don’t want anyone to think about, the fact that while it’s free to the user, others are paying for it?
If making college education free to the user is a net good to society, fine, but don’t say it’s free.  It’s publicly financed.  It’s taxpayer funded.  It’s not free.