In-state tuition for Texans

In Texas, illegal immigrants who do well in high school, have lived in Texas for 3 years minimum , and who are willing to file for permanent residency are eligible for in-state tuition rates at Texas’s universities and colleges. In addition, they are also eligible to receive publicly funded grant to help them with their education.

The in-state tuition policy was passed and signed by Governor Rick Perry in 2005. The idea behind that policy is to help smart Texans kids that are willing to be U.S citizen with their school in order for them to help Texas later. Texas is did a great job by passing that policy.

The critics agrees that the grant programs for legal student have been deeply cut and the want to have the grant allowed to illegal students.

The only difference between legal student and illegal student is that one is U.S citizen or permanent resident and the other is not. That means the different is at the federal level. However, whether legal or illegal student, they are all Texans resident therefor they are all contributing in tax base. It will be silly to take people’s tax money and use it for the privilege of one group only. They should all benefit for the tax they paid and are paying.

The illegal students are not criminals. For many of them, they are people willing to live in the State and work for the State so why not give them that opportunity. According to the Texas Higher Education coordinating board, the total amount of aid that are actually granted to illegal students(smart high school kids willing to perform more) is not a significant percentage of the total amount allocated by the State.

Texas did (and is doing) a great job for Texans students (legal or illegal). Instead of blaming Governor Perry, we should all thank him and the people that actually though of the idea and process it.  

End of final feast

             In September 22/2011, the Texas tribune focuses on the announcement made by the executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Brad Livingston in response to the direct order made by the State Senator John Whitmire stipulating that, the death row inmate are no longer able to make a choice concerning their last meal before execution. Instead, the will be eating the meal of the day like any regular inmate in Texas prisons. The State senator is addressing the message to the public especially the inmate in death row.

             In his message, he clearly states that, that decision should be directly applicable and he will make sure that it is respected even if he has to use his position as a state senator to call for legislation assembly in order to make be a law in Texas. He claims that prisoners in death row have abuse of the tradition and it is time to end that privilege that was given to them for the past centuries. The decision is a result of the inmate Lawrence Brewer a white supremacist whom before his execution, ordered a giantesses amount of food and did not even touch it. Brewer’s action was judged as inadmissible by many people especially when they encountered the fact that somewhere in Texas a family cannot eat and a criminal is given the privilege to play with food. The public opinion is favorable to the Senator John Whitemire decision even people that do not agree with the death penalty.

            However, some people including myself agree that the tradition should continue but it has to be control and monitored to avoid a misuse by others criminal in death row. The reason behind that position is simply human because if anyone is given the date and the time the will die, we will all have a last thing that we will want to do before that given date arrives. For criminal waiting to be executed, the basic last thing the State can offered the is food however the menu and the quantity have to be set in advance to avoid what happen with Lawrence Brewer.