“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
Showing posts with label illegal immigrants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illegal immigrants. Show all posts
Most Cal Grants pay the cost of basic tuition, currently $12,192 at UC, and $5,472 at CSU. To be eligible for state aid to attend UC or CSU, an undocumented student must meet the following requirements:
-- Sign an affidavit saying they are in the process of requesting legal status
-- Have attended a California high school for at least three years
-- Have maintained at least a B average in high school if applying to CSU or UC, or a C average if applying to community college
For more information about Cal Grants:
links.sfgate.com/ZLDL.
Other Bills
In addition to the Dream Act, the governor also signed:
-- AB1112, by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, which raises fees on imported oil to pay for oil spill prevention.
-- AB438, by Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, which imposes restrictions on public libraries that seek to privatize. This bill was a priority for labor unions.
I guess we have to go totally broke for this insanity to stop.
I found this video, done by a cute young woman, who may have had a drink or two too many but worthy of a watch to listen to her rant. She turned off the imbed. Understandable. She would be an excellent patron at the EB.
Gov. Jerry Brown is now considering whether to sign landmark legislation that would extend state financial aid to illegal immigrants who are college students. And that makes Lewis anxious.
Will the law pit illegal immigrants against U.S. citizens at a time of skyrocketing demand for student aid? Can the state afford the largesse in this bleak economy?
"The issue is not students who are undocumented through no fault of their own wanting an education," said Lewis, president of the Berkeley College Republicans club. "The problem is that the public dollars are not there to meet the needs of even [legal] California residents."
Such questions have mounted, along with pressures on Brown from all sides, as he prepares to act on the bill. In July, Brown signed a companion measure giving undocumented students and others who qualify for reduced in-state tuition access to private scholarships. The package of legislation is known as the California Dream Act.
Despite the passions, many financial aid experts say they expect little displacement of legal students by illegal immigrants if Brown signs the bill. Many also argue that the costs will be relatively small, but the investment will reap substantial returns for state taxpayers — who already are legally required to pay for schooling through high school regardless of students' immigration status.
"These students have worked hard to get to college," Diana Fuentes Michel, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, said of undocumented students. "By not furthering their education, we're preventing them from realizing their full potential, which will reduce state revenues in the future that supports all of our citizens."
She said the Dream Act would not affect U.S. citizens or legal residents receiving funds from the state's biggest pot of college financial aid, the $1.3-billion Cal-Grant entitlement program. Those grants are unlimited and given to everyone who meets the academic and low-income requirements, she said. Last year, the aid commission made available an average $4,500 grant to all 372,565 eligible applicants — an increase of more than 145,000 students in three years.
The $127-million fund for Cal-Grant competitive awards, which are limited, will almost certainly not be available to illegal immigrants. That's because the bill prohibits undocumented students from receiving those grants before eligible U.S. citizens and legal residents are served, and at present there are 10 applicants for every award, Michel said.
A Senate committee analysis estimated the annual added cost to the Cal-Grant program at $13 million. But it is not actually known how many undocumented students will be eligible for the grants. One hurdle is the financial aid application process, which involves a federal form used for both state and federal awards that requires a Social Security or taxpayer identification number. Another potential issue for illegal immigrants is the requirement to produce evidence of income, such as tax returns. Michel said the state would need to come up with a different process for them.
