Tell me what you think.

I am a divorced man, with an 18 year old son, going to engineering school at an excellent university in the west.
I also have another son who goes to a community college and I pay all costs. I make a good income, but under 100K. Ex-wife refuses to pay any costs for education.

My son's roommate was born in the US, but his parents have been illegal aliens for more than 18 years. His roommate's father is a migrant farm worker who makes very little. Mother doesn't work outside the home.

My son's roommate get a free paid university education from state grants while I can't even deduct one penny from my taxes for the money I pay for tuition.

Is the middle class getting screwed or what?

Let me see if I got this straight.

You KNEW when you had sex you could get the woman pregnant? And you didn't use any contraception?

I have no sympathy for people who voluntarily have children then whine about the costs. You knew the consequences of having sex without protection.

So answer this. You have two offspring now. You're a hobbyist I assume.

Have you had a vasectomy yet???????

If not, why not?

TET

The guy starts a thread on the cost of higher education and the impact on working families and you go for a personal attack on having kids?

Your screwed again pal!


Cheers!


Thank God for providers...at least with them...I don't mind getting SCREWED! Booiiinnnnggggg!

I believe the real issue is Illegal Aliens crossing the borders, dropping a kid and the kid getting special treatment.
Get used to it.
It is not politically correct to stop illegal aliens from crossing the borders.
Just might lose the minority vote if we come down on illegals.
Both political parties are guilty.
It is called political expediency.

Less than 100 years ago my maternal grandparents came through Ellis Island ... LEGALLY ... and learned the language, got citizenship
and paid taxes, raised a family and loved this country.

I am all for LEGAL immigration but do not think these illegals
should be booted out.

That said, my friend, I'm unaware of any instance where a child's college tuition is tax deductible for the parent. So, we're all in the same boat.
  There are a number of excellent schools, engineering schools included, which offer scholarships based upon financial need only. MIT, Cal Tech, Stanford, Duke and almost all of the Ivy League schools can offer a combination of scholarships, loans, grants and other forms of aid which will allow your child to attend one of these institutions at reduced cost or even with no out-of-pocket costs. If you live in CA, the Univ of California institutions offer an excellent education at a very reasonable rate. Have you investigated Pell Grants, state-sponsored tuition assistance programs and student loans??
  I am an alumnus of two (2) of the institutions noted above. Both of them have endowments that puts them in a position where any student who meets the requirements for admission can attend, regardless of financial standing.
  No matter where a child gets an education, it's the best investment you can make for them.

Pappy,

Your attitude is what perpetuates the problem...it's not the political parties, it's citizens.  I'm assuming that you vote.

Like it or not, President Bush just offered amnesty for illegal aliens/undocumented guest workers/whatever you want to call them...yet some folks remain undocumented by choice.

Your grandparents are to be commended for immigrating in a way they and their descendents could be proud of.  As hard as that was for them, I wonder what they would say about the double standard you espouse.

That said, there are all sorts of other options for financing college that the original poster might consider.  Scholarships, student loans, making the kid get a job, the military, VA benefits (CALVETS offers FREE tuition and books at UC schools to children of disabled veterans, and you'd be amazed at what qualifies as "disabled" for those benefits...that's right, my daughters could go to UCLA or UCSD for free), PEL grants...plenty of people work full time and go to school one or two nights a week for years to get a degree.  Keep lookin', Bruddah.

Yoda

Tally-Ho!

Illegal aliens do the jobs that no one here wants to do.

The cost to out State and eventually our country is a bill we the tax payer should not be forced to pay. I say a 50 cent bullit for each one of those bastards.

And I worked my ass off and paid and borrowed for *all* of my tuition. Sometimes I worked 3 jobs. My last year at university I worked as an exotic dancer in Vegas, flying in after class on Fri, and coming back on Mon am just in time for class. My last class in physics I showed up only 2 times: to take the midterm, and final. I'm not using my degrees now, other than being witty/irritating here, as my other job doesn't require them. I made my lifetime avocation my vocation. I loved college, and don't regret it. Your sons are lucky to have you helping them.

I'm right there with you. Went to school at a JC for 5 years at night while working during the day and saving to go to a U.C. Then when I got there worked on the days I didn't have classes and weekends til I graduated. Think I averaged 3.5 hours of sleep a night. It was the only time I wished I was a girl so I could work as a provider or dancer, would have paid a lot more than I was making, better hours and more fun! : ^)

Seldom

Of buying my books, I couldn't even lift my backpack. Thank God for that 24 hour return policy and public libraries. I have only been at the hobby for 8 mo., but I wouldn't reccommend it for a student. Maybe nude modelling, or web cam stuff from home.

Which is why the only way to control illegal immigration is to go after those that employ them. They come here for the work, if there wasn't so much illegal work for them they wouldn't come. They are often the victims of horrible economic hardship and are more than willing to risk a short lock-up and deportation to better their situation How can you blame them? I'd do the same. However if those that hired them were agressively prosecuted and heavy enough fines imposed on them to make it not financially worth while to hire illegals. The jobs would mostly dry up and illegal immigration would be drastically reduced. However we prefer to give employers of illegals a slap on the wrist. As long as the jobs are available they will come. If (as many complain) no American will do the work for the pay offered the market will drive the wage up. Isn't that the way a market economy is supposed to work?

-- Modified on 2/21/2004 7:58:17 PM

Maybe I'm reading too much between the lines but I think we're redirecting anger here. It's not that someone else is on a scholarship or grant (regardless of race or illegal status or whatever)- the problem is this guy is paying for both his sons' college. The telling comment I saw was that his "Ex-wife refuses to pay any costs for education." When people divorce, child support , alimony, and custody decisions have LOOOONG term effects on primarily the bread winner at the time of the divorce. I'm gonna guess that he made more money. And perhaps the judge felt she had been disadvantaged and could have gone to school and had a better career if not for her decision to raise a family (haven't we all heard that story before?). So as a part of the settlement I'll guess she got custody and yet he had to pay until they graduated college or some predetermined birthdate. The problem as I see it is without legal custody he can not claim a deduction for paying for education costs. And for not correcting that mistake his lawyer should be fired!

No,  the true underlying message is about racism and bigotry. Though cloaked in issues about paying for schoool costs, you can read between the lines of the original post and sense a seething hatred for non Americans. He is trying to blame "illegal aliens"  though the one person he mentions who is getting a grant is an American citizen. But the American citizen is from what he calls, "illegal aliens."  It isn't about not being able to support his kids, its that same old internal rage against ....."others not like me."

You know Ralph Steadman might pay you some money to figure model.

TANSTAAFL!

Yeah I noticed he blames everyone but himself for what he himself did. He made choices, he knew the consequences, yet now somehow it's the "illegal aliens" fault.

this seems to be getting pretty normal behavior for self called Americans. No responsibility, accountability or consequences need to be considered anymore.

TET