May 11, 2005

Tuition Breaks for Illegal Aliens

It appears that a law in Kansas allows tuition breaks to illegals who have attended a Kansas high school for at least three years or who have earned their GED in Kansas.

And, Kansas isn't the only state with this kind of law--California, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington all have similar laws on their books.

The law is being challenged in Kansas, however, by a group of students who don't think it's fair to give such tuition credits to people who are already breaking the law by sneaking into the country in the first place.

Of course, those who support the law say it would be a hardship to "punish" those students by taking away the monetary gains. "It's almost a knee-capping, a destruction, of the life chances of these kids," said [attorney Peter] Roos.

Boo hoo.

The point that these supporters seem to be missing, however, is that these students and their families are in the country ILLEGALLY, hence the term "illegal alien." Why should taxpayers in Kansas and other states pay for these kids to go to school when their own parents don't pay taxes? And on top of that, they get money off their higher education tuition?

America is not the world's welfare state. We do not exist to give free rides to those who won't play by the rules. Immigrants who jump through all of the hoops to get here have a right to be angry when those who sneak in get privileges that aren't their due. Natural citizens have a right to be angry as well, as it is their taxes that pay for education, health care, and other benefits for illegals.

This administration, for all of the good things it does, has really dropped the ball on the issue of illegal immigrants. President Bush needs to stop worrying about the Hispanic vote and start doing something about it now. He famously says he doesn't pay attention to polls, but does what he thinks is right. It appears, however, that this policy doesn't count when it comes to the immigration problem.

If we're going to have immigration laws, we need to start enforcing them: beginning at the borders and ending with the deportation of people who got in but shouldn't be here. Not only is it a drain on our healthcare and educational systems, but a problem of national security.

Secure the borders now.

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