Perry on immigration

[wharvey]

There parents don’t pay taxes.

I wanna know where they shop and live, I wanna shop and live there too! No sales taxes, no property taxes, how do the other parents pay for school?

Sales Tax, Tax on Gas and other such taxes, yes they pay. Income Tax, property tax - (which is where the school tax is) , no they pay no taxes. Work for cash means lower pay rate but no record of earnings.

[philip964]

I have no problem with children of illegals getting in-state tuition. They are living here paying sales tax, which is our state income tax so to speak.

What hurts, is that since our society is some what grouped by where you live, many legal Texas citizens do not have quite the same opportunity as illegal immigrants to attend the top universities in Texas and must go out of state to attend a top university, where they pay out of state tuition.

Their only alternative is to attend Blinn College or Austin Community college for one semester, and then hope to be admitted second semester.

Many young legal Texas citizens with high college entrance test scores, feel slighted by rejection letters from Texas's better universities and chose to attend top schools in other states, where they are required to pay out of state tuition.

The letters notifying them that they have been accepted, second semester to one of Texas's top universities, often arrives before they start college, but after they have paid their out of state tuition elsewhere. This makes their frustration with the perceived discrimination and abandonment by their home state of birth only worse.

This occurs on Perry's watch.

Why are they not being accepted into the top universities? I am not from Texas and I don't understand why they would not have the same opportunities based upon where they live?

Glad you asked.

Students who graduate in the top 10% of their high school graduating class are guaranteed admission to Texas's top Universities regardless of how they tested on college entrance exams. Thus a student with low test scores (who would not normally be considered for admission to a top school), who applies at all the top universities in Texas, but who is in the top 10% of his or her graduating class has a place held for him or her at all of these schools. Those guaranteed spots, remove the opportunity for other legal Texas students with considerably higher test scores who did not graduate in the top 10% of their high school class from being accepted.

Not all high school graduating classes are created equal due to where people live. In some high schools in Texas, the valedictorians comprise the top 10% of the graduating class. In other high schools that is not the case.

Do to this program, a broad spectrum of students are now being accepted to the top Universities in Texas, some of whom I assume are undocumented immigrants who pay in state tuition. However, when one group gains, another group suffers. Those students in the other position accept invitations to tops schools in other states and pay out of state tuition. Many of these good people do not return to Texas. The students with low test scores, but high graduation position, many times do not do well at the top Texas Universities and do not graduate, leaving vacancies second semester for transferring students from Blinn College or Austin Community College.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have nothing against people wanting to come to this country. I want to know why I cannot get instate tuition but an illegal immigrant can? I currently live outside of Texas and want to go to UT Austin. I have to move to Texas and work for a year before I qualify for instate tuition. I do intend to stay in Texas after I graduate and I do not want to look back.

Well then, you have exactly the same access to in-state tuition as does someone who sneaks into the country and hides out for a year before coming up for air. So what's your complaint?

[Toorop]

I have no problem with children of illegals getting in-state tuition. They are living here paying sales tax, which is our state income tax so to speak.

What hurts, is that since our society is some what grouped by where you live, many legal Texas citizens do not have quite the same opportunity as illegal immigrants to attend the top universities in Texas and must go out of state to attend a top university, where they pay out of state tuition.

Their only alternative is to attend Blinn College or Austin Community college for one semester, and then hope to be admitted second semester.

Many young legal Texas citizens with high college entrance test scores, feel slighted by rejection letters from Texas's better universities and chose to attend top schools in other states, where they are required to pay out of state tuition.

The letters notifying them that they have been accepted, second semester to one of Texas's top universities, often arrives before they start college, but after they have paid their out of state tuition elsewhere. This makes their frustration with the perceived discrimination and abandonment by their home state of birth only worse.

This occurs on Perry's watch.

Why are they not being accepted into the top universities? I am not from Texas and I don't understand why they would not have the same opportunities based upon where they live?

Glad you asked.

Students who graduate in the top 10% of their high school graduating class are guaranteed admission to Texas's top Universities regardless of how they tested on college entrance exams. Thus a student with low test scores (who would not normally be considered for admission to a top school), who applies at all the top universities in Texas, but who is in the top 10% of his or her graduating class has a place held for him or her at all of these schools. Those guaranteed spots, remove the opportunity for other legal Texas students with considerably higher test scores who did not graduate in the top 10% of their high school class from being accepted.

Not all high school graduating classes are created equal due to where people live. In some high schools in Texas, the valedictorians comprise the top 10% of the graduating class. In other high schools that is not the case.

Do to this program, a broad spectrum of students are now being accepted to the top Universities in Texas, some of whom I assume are undocumented immigrants who pay in state tuition. However, when one group gains, another group suffers. Those students in the other position accept invitations to tops schools in other states and pay out of state tuition. Many of these good people do not return to Texas. The students with low test scores, but high graduation position, many times do not do well at the top Texas Universities and do not graduate, leaving vacancies second semester for transferring students from Blinn College or Austin Community College.

That is interesting. I was unaware Texas allowed the top 10% of their high school to automatically get tuition. It is a good idea, but if the problems are like those where I live then certain schools in poorer neighborhoods are under-equipping their students to make it in college. I can definitely see the problem. Perhaps it would be best to get rid of this program?

[Toorop]

I have nothing against people wanting to come to this country. I want to know why I cannot get instate tuition but an illegal immigrant can? I currently live outside of Texas and want to go to UT Austin. I have to move to Texas and work for a year before I qualify for instate tuition. I do intend to stay in Texas after I graduate and I do not want to look back.

Well then, you have exactly the same access to in-state tuition as does someone who sneaks into the country and hides out for a year before coming up for air. So what's your complaint?

Not necessarily. People who are in Texas illegally have a better tuition rate then I do simply because they have been in Texas longer then I have. However the truth is they should not be allowed in the first place and then it would not feel like criminal acts are being rewarded. Perhaps charging them out of state tuition would be a better idea?

[Bullwhip]

Think about that - an American citizen from Oklahoma, New York, Guam, Montana, wherever - who decided to attend U.T. is going to pay $91,000 more in tuition than an illegal alien who may have been breaking the law for a decade or more.

Those furriners from OK and NY never paid Texas taxes. The illegal did (or his family did, same as any other TX resident student).

[Bullwhip]

There parents don’t pay taxes.

I wanna know where they shop and live, I wanna shop and live there too! No sales taxes, no property taxes, how do the other parents pay for school?

Sales Tax, Tax on Gas and other such taxes, yes they pay. Income Tax, property tax - (which is where the school tax is) , no they pay no taxes. Work for cash means lower pay rate but no record of earnings.

No income tax in Texas. Everbody pays property tax no matter if they own or rent. Landlord don't pay it out of his own pocket just to for a favor to the renters you know.

Everbody who works a job pays income tax too, even if they use fake ID/SSN. That money don't pay for TX schools tho.

[Purplehood]

When I heard Perry's explanation of the in-state tuition deal I have to admit I agree with him. The current rule is that a child born here is a legal US citizen and entitled to in-state tuition. If we refuse this they'll potentially become a burden on society. 177 out of the 181 elected legislators agree. Article What I would like to see happen is that the children born to illegal aliens be classified as an illegal alien as well thus making them ineligible for in-state tuition.

To classify the children born here to illegal aliens as illegal aliens also, we will have to amend the US Constitution--Fourteenth Amendment, I believe. That is the one that says that anybody born in the US is a citizen.

Personally, I don't like the idea of laws penalizing children for their parents' bad choices. And, I would rather that those children go to college and become productive citizens than to become gang-bangers and criminals or, worst of all, community organizers.

Where do you think a certain somebody learned to be a radical and community-organizer? COLLEGE!

Yeah, and that applies to College Students with parents that are Natural-born citizens of the US too...

[HankB]

. . . I was unaware Texas allowed the top 10% of their high school to automatically get tuition.

They get admission, not tuition. There's a difference.

Those furriners from OK and NY never paid Texas taxes. The illegal did (or his family did, same as any other TX resident student).

It's not clear that illegals pay taxes . . . at least, not in excess of their burden on the taxpayers. And "furriners" DO pay - indirectly - to TX schools, thanks to things like Federal grants.

Everbody who works a job pays income tax too, even if they use fake ID/SSN. That money don't pay for TX schools tho.

Nope, not everybody - lots of illegals get paid in cash. No income taxes paid.

[SewTexas]

top 10% will get admission and typically some sort of small scholarship, but not full tuition it's going to take a whole lot more than top 10% to do that.

[wharvey]

No income tax in Texas. Everbody pays property tax no matter if they own or rent. Landlord don't pay it out of his own pocket just to for a favor to the renters you know.

Everbody who works a job pays income tax too, even if they use fake ID/SSN. That money don't pay for TX schools tho.

No income tax in Texas??? Yep, no state income tax but you still do pay Federal income taxes and social security and medicare and whatever else the feds decide, BUT not if you take short term jobs for cash. You are suppose to report it but do you really think illegals, or for the most part, anyone else reports cash income? Some people pay in cash to eliminate all the government paper work and save money on what they have to contribute.

Also as others mentioned, you may pay some property tax hidden in your rent, just like you pay taxes on everything whether it is taxable of not, (Wonder how much tax is actually on that loaf of bread? The bakeries don't just pay their taxes without passing it along.) The difference is in the amount. I may not be willing to live in one small apartment with 5 other families but many immigrants are. Thus they end up paying no where near their fair share.

[wharvey]

top 10% will get admission and typically some sort of small scholarship, but not full tuition it's going to take a whole lot more than top 10% to do that.

Unless things have changed the only students who automatically get a free ride through college are those who are valedictorians.

[Toorop]

. . . I was unaware Texas allowed the top 10% of their high school to automatically get tuition.

They get admission, not tuition. There's a difference.

I realize now I made a mistake. So they get instate tuition. It still is unfair to me as I am an American and here legally as I was born here. And I still subsidize their tuition through federal money going to the various states for grants and such.

[Toorop]

There parents don’t pay taxes.

I wanna know where they shop and live, I wanna shop and live there too! No sales taxes, no property taxes, how do the other parents pay for school?

Sales Tax, Tax on Gas and other such taxes, yes they pay. Income Tax, property tax - (which is where the school tax is) , no they pay no taxes. Work for cash means lower pay rate but no record of earnings.

No income tax in Texas. Everbody pays property tax no matter if they own or rent. Landlord don't pay it out of his own pocket just to for a favor to the renters you know.

Everbody who works a job pays income tax too, even if they use fake ID/SSN. That money don't pay for TX schools tho.

So Texas charges renters property tax or do you mean the landlord passes it on to the renters indirectly?

[Purplehood]

I would imagine that any astute Landlord would take into account his/her property taxes when fixing the amount of rents charged as a means of determining actual profit.