Monday Manifesto
To be honest, I only came up with idea today...after getting screaming/yelling/throw things mad at the news this morning. By way of an introduction, let me explain my premise...I, absolutely, positively, without question, end up in what I like to call, "The Land of Rant," at LEAST once a week...though once may be a bit of an understatement...I have frequent flyer miles to Soapbox like you wouldn't believe! Soooo...from now on...well, more ON than NOW as today is not so much a Monday...I will be bitching, sounding off, blustering, haranguing, and/or on a tirade about whatever it is in the world that has irritated me...or you...oh yes, I'll happily take requests...the most, each week.
Without further ado, I give you, the inaugural:
Monday Manifesto:
A Day Late and (California's) a Dollar Short
California passed the first part of the Dream Act yesterday. In a nutshell, this first part means that illegal immigrants attending public colleges are now eligible to receive private scholarships and financial aid. The second part is still to be voted on in Sacramento and would add public sources of financial aid to the monies that can be received by illegal immigrants to offset the cost of an education at a state school in California. These are the same scholarships for which legal, American students are competing...the same financial aid for which they are applying. How can this be? How can California, in essence, take scholarships and financial aid away from the citizens for whom it was intended??? Oh yes...and did I mention...PAY IN STATE TUITION?!?!?
Now, before anyone says word one about what I said just a few lines ago...competing...as a rule, let the best student win. Let me assure you, I agree completely! Winners and losers, no trophy for second place...and to quote a wise man, "If you're not first, you're last!" That's right, I went there! My blog, I can do that, remember? BUT...you have to follow the rules. Rules are good...rules are our friends...you should never go under the bus for any reason! (Choose your favourite commercial tag line about rules from your youth and insert here)
There are rules one must follow when:
Being a foreign citizen interested in attending a US college
Working in the US
Living in the US
Becoming a US citizen
Shall I go on or are we sort of getting a feel for where this is going? Ohhhh...that's right...one more thing to cover before we move on ...The New Colossus...I won't quote, you all know it...Yes...all our families immigrated to the United States at one point or another...the "Melting Pot" such as it is (damn, now I want fondue)...unless of course we choose to trace our lineage to, somewhere along the way 1/16th "Indigenous Persons to Northern America"...but we are not even going THERE right now! I am proud to be an American, as all of you well know, and I celebrate that everyday as the wife of a USAF Lt Col. I am also proud to have been born and raised in South Jersey...just ask any Cowboys fan that's ever had the misfortune of sitting next to me at Texas Stadium...or anyone who's ever met me! My parents are proud of their hometowns...my grandparents...greatgrandparents...their hometowns in whatever country they may be...as am I, because it is ALL a part of me. But every one of them immigrated here legally...just as when I move from state to state...and BELIEVE ME...giving up my NJ driver's license broke my heart...but GETTING a California one nearly killed me...I follow the LAW...even though it is a huge pain and not without expense...and become a resident of the state in which I live.
So as we go on...MAKE NO MISTAKE...I am not holding anyone to a standard than that to which I hold my family or myself.
Sweet Lord! Are we to the point yet???
YES!!! That was a lot of rant to get to the point...but I wanted to make sure we were clear...and I felt like ranting. So, I did. Five days a week I wake up early and watch (listen to) Good Day LA while I'm showering and getting ready for the gym. Often this spring, there were on location reports from various public colleges in California of what I can only describe as "sit-ins" by groups I will avoid calling "dirty hippies" because surely they have a more PC name...and I'm guessing it isn't "Prius driving, patchouli reeking, tree huggers" isn't it either...so I shall call them students...because their tuition was being raised. Clearly, I'm not a fan of civil disobedience or plug in cars, HOWEVER...one morning I noticed one of the students was WEARING PEARLS!!! It was at this point that I looked further into what they were...Ronnie forgive me...protesting. After a LONG talk with my pretty pink computer and the promise of online shopping following my research, I looked it up. One by one a majority...and that was this spring, it is likely more now...I did NOT check every public college before writing this blog post...were increasing their tuition an average of about 10%. Now...I can't lie, part of me thought...cost of doing business...part thought...that's what you get for even considering going to school off the East Coast...unless it's the Colorado School for Wayward Boys, you're Catholic, or you're a huge a college football fan! If you don't understand these exceptions, they do not apply to you. But...for arguement's sake...let's say I'm willing to consider that there is some perfectly valid reason for choosing a west coast school and there is this tuition hike. I have been accused, on occasion, of not knowing the value of a dollar. Here's what I know...even a valet doesn't want A dollar and no one carries cash...sorry Mother. I don't have kids...I'm not looking forward towards tuition...I have no clue what it should cost! I assume it's entitled people bitching because really...you draw on on what you know, right?
Here's what I learned...for the 2010-2011 year:
Out of state tuition and fees for UCLA: $33660
In state for UCLA: $10781
Colorado School for Wayward Boys: $0
Harvard: $35051
Clemson out of state: $26900
Rutgers out of state: $24433
Princeton: $36640
Notre Dame: $39919
Interesting spread, no? Not necessarily related to where each school is ranked by education or popularity...still...now, an illegal immigrant can pay IN STATE tuition for UCLA. Let's say that I wanted to go to UCLA to get my SJD. The tuition difference is $15102...
Well, well, well...I just get rolling and look at that...DH reaches out from Texas and "suggests" I might want to continue this tomorrow...
I do hate when he's right...but this is getting long...
And I feel bad...you're not used to me getting...and I use this term VERY loosely..."political"...as you all know where I stand and that I will not speak out against any of our elected officials. That said...I hope I haven't bored you...and I hope you'll be back tomorrow...where I can tell you everything about this tuition/education craziness...and I hope to have your feedback!!!
XOXO
~CAT
I totally agree. Why is it so easy for them to get assistance while those of us who are residents jump through hoops. And while we are at it why is it so hard to send their illegal butts home. I am tired of hearing they are law abiding citizens hello you can't be if you are here illegally.
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