Posted on 09/28/2011 5:01:27 AM PDT by bobsunshine
With Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry under attack for supporting tuition breaks for children of illegal immigrants, former Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday offered some solidarity by calling a similar proposal in Florida “fair policy."
In 2001, Perry signed the first state law in the country that allowed the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates. Former Florida state Rep. Juan Zapata said the Texas law was "the model" for legislation that he repeatedly—but unsuccessfully—pushed in his state. Two of his key allies then are now among the GOP's most sought-after stars: Bush, the subject of perpetual draft movements to run for president, and his fellow Floridian, Sen. Marco Rubio, a sure bet for the GOP's vice presidential shortlist in 2012.
“I think that is a fair policy," Bush said in an e-mail to National Journal on Tuesday, adding that the students who benefit from the tuition breaks find themselves in the United States through “no fault of their own."
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
I will not vote for anyone who supports this.
I'm afraid we're going to get what we deserve.
Remember in TX there were 180 plus legislators that voted for it and only four votes against it.
There is no politician running for POTUS of either party who does not or will not support this.
Some conservatives may have preconditions or qualifiers, such as requiring that the student have attended in state high school or served in US military, parents have paid state taxes, limiting it to community college and requiring that the illegals register and get on a track to citizenship (all part of the Maryland “Dream Act”).
So good luck in staying home. The rest of us will choose your next POTUS for you.
Jeb Bush-—now THERE’s a surprise. The BUsh family can’t get enough illegal immigration.
Unfortunate that Rubio is a supporter.
State Actions
In June 2001, Texas (HB1403) was the first state to pass legislation allowing in-state tuition for immigrant students, followed by California (AB540), Utah (HB144), and New York (SB7784) in 2001-2002; Washington (HB1079), Oklahoma (SB596) and Illinois (HB60) in 2003; Kansas (HB2145) in 2004; New Mexico (SB582) in 2005; Nebraska (LB239) in 2006; Wisconsin (A75) in 2009; Maryland (S167/H470) and Connecticut (H6390) in 2011. The state laws permit these students to become eligible for in-state tuition if they graduate from state high schools, have two to three years residence in the state, and apply to a state college or university. The student may be required to sign an affidavit promising to seek legal immigration status. These requirements for unauthorized immigrant students are stricter than the residency requirements for out-of-state students to gain in-state tuition.
In 2008, Oklahoma passed HB 1804 which ended its in-state tuition benefit, including financial aid, for students without lawful presence in the United States. The Act allows the Oklahoma State Regents to enroll a student in higher education institutions permitted that they meet special requirements.
States that have barred unauthorized immigrant students from in-state tuition benefits include Arizona (Proposition 300, 2006), Colorado (HB 1023, 2006), Georgia (SB 492, 2008), South Carolina (HB4400, 2008), and Indiana (H 1402, 2011).
But here’s what Yankees like Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum don’t get. Texas is not the only state that has done this. New Mexico and California have as well. Not surprisingly, Arizona is the only state with an actual border with Mexico that hasn’t. In addition to Arizona, only three other states prohibit in-state tuition for children with undocumented immigration status. However, in addition to Texas, New Mexico, and California, eight other states specifically allow it. These include Kansas (passed with a Republican supermajority in both houses), Nebraska (non-partisan, but with a supermajority of members who were otherwise Republicans), and Utah (again, with a dual supermajority of Republicans), New York (split control), Oklahoma (Republican House and even split in the Senate), as well as Illinois, Washington, and Wisconsin (Democratic simple majority in both houses).
Now you may be thinking to yourself, if only four states have prohibited state universities from considering undocumented students as residents, and eight have specifically permitted it, what about the other thirty-eight? They have not legislated on the matter at all. What is not prohibited is allowed.
“They have take the attention off the economy and moved it...”
We are constanly told “it’s the economy, stupid”, but aren’t issues like these economic in nature? Isn’t the underlying issue the state taking money from some to benefit others?
Remember in TX there were 180 plus legislators that voted for it and only four votes against it.
Close but there are only 181 Legislators in the Texas Legislature, 31 Senators and 150 in House.
Perry is a GOP “Star”???
You have got to be kidding!
Jeb's wife is Mexican---so it's a no-brainer for him to support this.
He'd be in deep doo-doo at home if he didn't.
And he didn't say those who disagreed with him are "heartless racists."
If you have full employment in your state, and everything is just ducky then I can understand the focus on this issue, otherwise, you are being led around by the nose.
I think illegal aliens should be given tuition breaks. Then investigate and deport anyone applying for it.
What you both said. (is true)
Conservatives resent the demagoguery by the supporters of the dream acts; the accusations, the appeal to emotion the supporters of the initiative uses to get their way. “if you don’t support my position you are “heartless”. It’s for the “children” brought here through no fault of their own. This kind of politics has to stop.
This "no fault of their own" BS is nothing more than concentrated horse pucky from politicians who are seeking a permanent crowd of support by buying the most number of illegal supporters.
Bush 43 was too stupid to realize that it wasn't working for him and the illegals AND their illegal spawn all detested him.
As for Perry, his Democratic roots still come out and trip him up, periodically, and Texas politics is littered with some of his worst liberal ideas. At the end of the day, he talks a good story, but he walks a different line. Hopefully, Perry and Romney will both deliver each other's knockout punch and open the field up to someone else like Cain, or Sarah if she decides to enter the fray.
“I can understand the focus on this issue, otherwise, you are being led around by the nose.”
I don’t think so. At least some of us can evaluate and see the connection between two or more seemingly unrelated issues. In other words we CAN walk and chew gum at the same time.
“No they are NOT.”
That is no refutation of my point that the underlying issue is economic in nature. To just blurt out “no they are Not” adds nothing to the discussion.
You are absolutely right - we are being played by the Republican elites. When will we stop falling for this crap?
and what will you do when Palin offers up the same program, maybe in different words?
She has mentioned registering illegals, not deporting them
When she is pinned to the wall she will mutter the same ideas. Educate and assimilate, not deport.
Cain is a businessman and one of the heaviest lobbies in Perry’s state of Texas supporting this stuff is the business community, looking for (cheap) pools of educated labor. Not that Cain will head up the national ticket. Ever.
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