For far too long we have watched our tuition skyrocket, our classes get cut and the American Dream slip out of reach for California’s working and middle-class families.
But now a real step on the path towards solving our state’s higher education crisis has been taken, and California’s young people stand to benefit.
The Middle Class Scholarship Act, recently proposed by California State Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, is a step in the right direction for California’s future. The proposed legislation will ensure that all of our state’s college students and graduates and their families will stay out of debt by cutting college fees by two-thirds.
Under this plan, all University of California and California State University students with family incomes less than $150,000 who do not already have their fees covered will receive a scholarship that cuts their fees by two-thirds, turning the American Dream into a reality. Additionally, California’s community colleges will receive $150 million to expand their affordability efforts and every local community college district will be allowed to disperse the funds in the best way to serve their individual district’s needs.
Better yet, this legislation is paid for, in full, by closing a wasteful out-of-state corporate loophole, so it is economically feasible even though California’s economy is still in recovery mode.
The road toward higher education reform has been disheartening, disappointing and frustrating. Often times, we lose ourselves in the world of political fantasy, transfixed with long-term policy reform, but are unable to put together a tangible solution that will provide immediate relief. The Middle Class Scholarship Act is politically obtainable, but we must make sure that two-thirds of our Legislature signs on. We encourage you to contact your state legislators and ask them to join Speaker Pérez in his fight to reform our higher education system.
It is our belief that UC, CSU and California Community College students must organize together in support of Speaker Pérez’s innovative and immeasurably important piece of legislation. We know that we are together in this struggle. And together, we can do anything.
Vishalli Loomba is the president of the ASUC. Paul Murre is the president of the California College Democrats.
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Isn’t it strange how a regressive policy can be portrayed as
progressive!
-This is an UPPER middle class tax cut, for people who DON’T QUALIFY on
the basis of need, people making 75k to 150k, in the upper 1/4 of the
income distribution.
-It does nothing for the UC education system, they get exactly the same
tuition dollars. It takes tax dollars and puts it directly into the
pockets of upper middle class students. Need-blind admisstions — full
scholarships to those who NEED it — is the responsible, PROGRESSIVE
policy. Oh, for whiney entitled upper middle class kids who think
scholarship kids are stupid (see below)? “Need blind” means the
admissions office is straight quality, scholarship office is straight
need.
-If the Legislature wants to send more tax dollars to higher education,
let them spend it as *new* dollars, on buildings or teachers or
endowments to recruit top faculty away from the East Coast, or anything
else that benefits *all* students, rather than just the upper middle
class.
-Since this is regressive policy disguised as progressive, how can we
explain the support of liberal democrats? Perhaps it is just straight
old-fashioned vote buying, since it certainly isn’t progressive in any
way.
-Higher education in general (not including community college) and
especially at the UC’s, is a “private good,” meaning that the investment
in education has a DIRECT PAYBACK to the individual. The salary
differential pays back the investment and more. So for people who DO
NOT QUALIFY for need based aid, loans are a good investment, and the
return to that investment goes right into their pocket.
-A holiday on loan payments for the unemployed or for those giving back
their time in public service to the poor is reasonable public policy.
Subsidizing the upper 1/4 so that they can make more money is NOT.
-Anyone supporting this policy, especially progressives, needs to
explain why they would support a bill that will subsidize the upper
middle class, those who, by definition, DO NOT QUALIFY FOR AID ON NEED.
Just in case anyone thinks I’m rich or poor, I would directly and
personally benefit from this policy. But it’s not right. Romney has it
wrong, it’s not the lower 47 who are entitled, it’s these whiney upper
middle class people begging for taxpayer dollars for themselves rather
than student loans, so they can go out and get jobs that will keep them
in the upper quarter. No.
“Better yet, this legislation is paid for, in full, by closing a wasteful
out-of-state corporate loophole, so it is economically feasible even
though California’s economy is still in recovery mode.”
You mean, what will happen is that California will lose businesses that haven’t yet moved out and you’ll still have no money to pay for this idiocy.
Absolutely no understanding of economics.
On an unrelated note, I was at a party at a certain frat on Bancroft a few years back and this chick drunkenly starts hitting on me. Great legs. And it wasn’t even election season.
Proposal will Fail since Cali has no dinero.
Read the Cali stats:
LA TIMES
1. 40% of all workers in L. A. County ( L. A. County has 10.2 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This is because they are predominantly illegal aliens working without a green card.
2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
3. 75% of people on the most-wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
4. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal, whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
5. Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
9. 21 radio stations in L. A. are Spanish speaking.
10. In L. A. County 5.1 million people speak English, 3.9 million speak Spanish. (There are 10.2 million people in L. A. County .)
(All 10 of the above statements are from the Los Angeles Times)
Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29% are on welfare
While the Issue regarding Illegal Immigration should be dealt with, because people should respect the Law. The information you just posted is wrong, do a better job with you research, instead of being emotive.
Check these links out:
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/07/local/me-tobar7
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/taxes.asp
Both your references confirm many of the statistics. Differences exist because some of the studies were done years ago.
The fact remains, illegals place a net burden on social services and hence negatively impact Ca. Resources.
“Both your references confirm many of the statistics.” Yep many of the statistics, agreed, lets not forget that Statistics itself can be a manipulative tool a times. And yes the information you found was done many years ago.
“The fact remains, illegals place a net burden on social services and hence negatively impact Ca. Resource.”
Partially agree, Illegals make a burden, but what I found a bit disconcerting was the method of this chain letter, which pretty much scapegoats all of the problems into a common denominator. Illegals are part of the of the problem not all, there are other types of Illegality and over-litigious policies like over regulation on Businesses that are messing up our Economic system.
Agree
>”The Middle Class Scholarship Act, recently proposed by California State
Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, is a step in the right direction for
California’s future. The proposed legislation will ensure that all of
our state’s college students and graduates and their families will stay
out of debt by cutting college fees by two-thirds.”
Cutting fees won’t solve the issue of where the money is going to come from to balance the UC budget. How about cutting unnecessary spending, like consolidation of redundant and excess academic departments, and the bloated staff that come with them? How about the state refusing to provide funding to people who aren’t even in this country legally? How about re-examining the salaries and benefits at those higher in the UC food chain to see if they can’t be brought more in line with economic reality? Once again, the political hacks are too scared to deal with the real issue.
The article used the wrong word when it used “cutting college fees by two-thirds,” college fees wont be cut they will be subsidized. The fees are not going any where. I agree with you on the topic of examining the higher ups of the UC system. $150,000+ pay checks shouldn’t be allowed in this economy, especially when the tax payers are flipping the bill for them.
check out my blog I just wrote on the submerged welfare state.
http://from-le-fringe.blogspot.com/2012/03/submerged-state-of-politics.html