A nagging irritation from yesterday's Granite Oath PAC event - Granite Grok

A nagging irritation from yesterday’s Granite Oath PAC event

Like the questioner said, "This troubles me greatly"

During the Q & A session of yesterday’s Granite Oath PAC, a retired US Marine officer asked this question (3:49-8:25):

This last week, your own Lt. Governor said that your support for in-state Tuition for illegal aliens was wrong and inappropriate.  Why do you continue to support it?"

Well, Gov. Perry launched confidently into his answer and went on to talk at length on his policies and efforts on denying illegals driving licenses, to have voter ID, anti-sanctuary city legislation, and securing the border (and the fault of the Feds in not doing so).

Fine and dandy. 

Perry points out that due to Federal Law, that Texas (and NH) is required to take care of illegal aliens children K-12 educationally and healthcare-wise. And then asks the question:

"We also had to decide what are we going to do with young people that have come into our state by no fault of their own and find themselves going to our public schools, doing the work, and then being prepared to go to college.  These young people, we decided, as a state…those young people who are not being subsidized in any form or fashion, they are paying full state tuition to go to those state Universities in the state of Texas, but here was our choices. We either kick them to the curb and pick up the cost of whatever thats going to be later down the road and we analyzed as they were going to cost more money if we did not allow them to be educated and become part of the workforce in the state of Texas.  That was the right thing for Texas to do.    

But like the questioner said, "This troubles me greatly".

First off, let me say this for full disclosure: Friday night, the last night of the quarter, I sent in a donation to Herman Cain.  Thus, I am favorably disposed towards him thought not as yet willing to formally and loudly endorse him.  That said, I have some bones to pick with his 9/9/9 plan ("er, giving the chuckleheads in DC aNOTHER revenue source when they have proven they cannot frugally manage what we have given them already??").

I am a double Blue Star Dad – the Eldest served in the Marines and did a tour in Iraq with the 2nd Marine Wing and the Youngest just returned from Afghanistan with the Army’s 101st Airborne.  Both are still college aged and I do get torqued up that these two, who have risked their lives for our country, have to pay more tuition than an illegal immigrant.

But that is not what troubles me the most about Perry’s answer.

In this whole discussion of illegal alien children who  "have come into our state by no fault of their own".  Such a solipsism and such a disregard of the role of their parents.  Absolutely missing in his argument, other than by securing the border, is the harm that the illegal alien childrens’ parents have put them into and the absolute lack of any effort to hold those parents responsible for what they have done.  In fact, those parents have just been rewarded, for IF they are good parents (at least with respect to their childrens’ future if not our laws), they will have succeeded in getting a better future for their kids – America, a diploma, and a degree. 

But that is not what troubles me the most about Perry’s answer.

His rationale was that if they did not allow this illegal alien children slots in their University system (and Perry is correct in that this is a State’s Rights issue, not that it makes the overall issue right), they would cost Texas more.

Maybe.

If they get the degree and then move out of state (like to here in NH), they become some other State’s headache. That is the best outcome for Texas. Either way, be it Texas or elsewhere, they still are a problem.  For someone.

Why?  This is what troubles me the most about Perry’s answer – Part 1.  At the moment the illegals get their degrees, what are they going to do with them?

It is illegal to employ an illegal alien here in the United States. 

And I do not buy the argument that since they are paying full boat that it makes it right no more than when someone employs illegals and can then offer lower prices to their customers.

This is what troubles me the most about Perry’s answer – Part 2.

What does it say, philosophically or morally, about The Rule of Law (one of the pillars of American Exceptionalism).

 

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