Texas to Charge Cheaper "In State" College Tuition to Illegal Immigrants

chemisttree

I never thought I'd see the day...

http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news...rticle=2107491

chroot

Hey, if they're going to come here anyway, we might as well give them a way to better themselves. I'd rather have legions of immigrants coming here to get college educations than coming here to live off welfare programs.

- Warren

Cyrus

The question is, what happens after words? These people are coming here illegally, but the important point is that they are staying here. If they were getting an education and then bolting, that would be a bigger problem. But since they are staying, I dont take so much issue with that.

However, its still a big problem because they are taking away money from taxpayers and the like. Sure, the school is making them pay less, but now the school is losing money. They have to pay for teachers, electric bills, etc. When illegal students pay less tuition, more burdon now falls on the school and legal students (who might see a tuition increase). Personally, I would not be happy paying more tuition to support illegal students getting a college degree.

chemisttree

I feel sorry for legal citizens from other states who have to pay "out of state tuition". I'D RATHER GIVE THEM THE BREAK! So much for the argument, "They're only here to work... to do the work THAT AMERICANS WON'T DO!"

chemisttree

AMEN TO THAT!

SIGNED,

TEXAS TAXPAYER

chroot

Would you rather help subsidize four years of education, or 50+ years of welfare?

I think the crux of this program is the idea that investing a little money in immigrants' education today will save taxpayers a whole hell of a lot more money down the line. The argument sounds plausible, but whether or not it actually holds water has probably yet to be seen.

- Warren

Cyrus

Id rather shut down the boarders, which is what should be done. While its not a PC solution, it is the right thing to do.

Im all for helping others, but not at the expense of hurting myself.

When it comes to illegals and welfare, I have no mercy for them. They should be deported. Ill stay quiet if your illegal so long as your working. The instant you stop working your otta here.

MeJennifer

The laws should apply equally to everybody.

On the one end we have bright international students who have to go on a lottery to get an H1 visa to work in the US legally and on the other hand we have people who break the law by illegally crossing the borders and they get freebees.

No that is not justice, it is grave injustice!

chemisttree

I'd rather subsidize an efficient way to identify and deport them.

I already subsidize their education and welfare. If our politicians have their way I will also be subsidizing their retirement as well...

chroot

Let's say your taxes go up a buck a year (I assume you're in a quite low tax bracket to begin with) so someone else will get a chance to earn a college degree and make something of him/herself. The help-to-hurt ratio is far over one in this case. Where do you draw the line? Would you give a buck to help a poor family get out of poverty? Is that too much hurt for you to tolerate? What about ten bucks a year? Or fifteen?

(I'm not attacking you, I'm just playing devil's advocate.)

It's not a bad argument, and I understand it. The problem is a greater one than just the US, however. If we just throw these people back over the fence into Mexico, they're going to live in poverty and die young. It's not so much a matter of US vs. Mexico as it is a humanitarian issue. These people have no chance in Mexico. They cannot find work. They cannot feed their children. They didn't ask to be born in a country that cannot find work for its citizens any more than you asked to be born into relative prosperity.

I am generally on your side about welfare, though. If they can manage to feed their kids in Mexico, maybe they should just stay in Mexico. On the other hand, I'm of the opinion that education is one of the wisest investments a person (or a government) can ever make.

- Warren

chroot

That's an excellent point, but it's misguided. The people who get H1 visas are brilliant people -- who already have educations -- who have no trouble finding work in, e.g., India. They feed their families just fine over there, often working for the same companies they'd work for in the US. Offering subsidized state undergraduate education to people who have graduated with 98% marks in engineering from IIT doesn't make any sense.

They just don't get paid as much there, so they can't afford to buy houses made out of solid slabs of marble and pay a staff of ten people to drive their cars and make their food. Boo hoo.

The people crossing the border from Mexico are not geniuses with high-tech educations -- they are people who can't find any work, even cleaning bathrooms, to feed their kids.

- Warren

Cyrus

But in your hypothetical you need an important distinction. No, I would not give money to help feed illegal imigrants in this country. We already have something to do that, namely international aid. We send their country aid for that reason.

We can help as much as we can with that aid. But its not fair to ask us to now give more money because they are taking over our country. Its not just giving them a simple extra dollar. They are taking up seats in the university, taking up space in hospitals, burdening the police departments, bringing over gangs (like MS-13).

They really need to go. If they want to work, they should have a temp work visa and then be sent back.

Cyrus

Yes, but I did not ask to pay to feed the entire world either. These people need to stop having kids in their own country, and their country needs to get rid of their corruption and help its own people. Im not going to pay to help others because its own government cant do its job. Case in point, Iraq.

Its harsh because its necessary. If we allow this to happen, when does it stop. Before you know it, we will be paying the entire world money and become broke.

chemisttree

You couldn't be MORE WRONG! It costs a LOT OF MONEY TO GO TO SCHOOL IN TEXAS, even for residents. That kind of money goes a long way in Mexico!

When they are admited to Texas A&M or UT or Texas State or wherever, the classes are all in english. They have to speak english! Sound like the Mexican underclass to you?

These are NOT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CUTTING YOUR GRASS -- OR THEIR KIDS!

Their kids are already legal citizens for the most part. THESE ARE CAPABLE PEOPLE, TAKING SAT'S AND PASSING ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS! They are just here illegally! People in Mexico have plenty of opportunity, just not all the benefits and higher salaries that are found in the US.

The richest (or the second-richest) man in the world is a Mexican FCS!

chroot

An excellent point. Hopefully the aid we send to the governments of countries like Mexico actually makes it all the way to its citizens. I suspect it isn't that efficient a process, though.

I'm very much in support of the temporary worker visa program. I think it makes a lot of sense to allow them to live here as long as they're working and "putting in their fair share."

What about giving them temporary student visas? What about sending them back to Mexico as soon as they graduate? What about giving them a break on tuition, since even USD $1,200 a semester -- a trivial amount for the average US family -- is an intolerable financial hardship for the average Mexican family?

- Warren

chroot

We'll become broke by trying to beat them up, too. We've spent over a trillion dollars in the war in Iraq. That's $3,000 for every man, woman, and child in the entire country over the last couple of years. Isn't that a bigger waste of money than educating some Mexican kids?

- Warren

Cyrus

But what your proposing is to throw money at a problem rather than fix the problem. There will always be mexicans coming to this country and they will be using up our money more and more as time goes on.

The only way to fix the problem is to stop them from entering our boarders.