Because Texas Is Too Damn Smart As It Is
Let’s all hear it for Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. He wants to eliminate In-State tuition for Texas colleges and universities, making higher education out of the reach of 97% of Texans.
It started as an effort to deny in-state tuition to Dreamers – kids brought to this country through no fault of their own, have played by the rules and gained competitive entry into state institutions. But, what they hell, Dan Patrick has decided to extend it to everydamnbody by moving it to the Senate calendar.
Moments ago, SB 1819, the legislation that would repeal in-state tuition for Texans regardless of status, was added to the Senate Intent Calendar. That means that the bill could come up for a vote before the full Senate as early as tomorrow.
And people say that elections don’t matter.
Thanks to Jane for the heads up.
I hate the Repiggery, I really do.
1So we’re to assume Texans will have to pay out-of-state tuition instead? Boy howdy, when the GOP screws up, it’s an orgy of stupidity!
By the way, my guess the remaining 3% of Texans who can afford to go after this will send their kids to the Ivy League instead.
2It won’t fly. Can’t. Maybe it will wake some people up as to the real agenda of Texas Republicans.
3I am pretty sure that college, in general, isn’t of much concern to the cretins that vote in the GOP. They don’t put much stock in that book learnin’ anyway.
4So I guess that means my smart nieces will be looking outside of Texas for colleges soon. They are talented, beautiful, and great students. One of them should get some offers for her track abilities. I will be happy to see them outside of the grasp of the Texas educational system, that is, IF they graduate knowing enough to pass their SATs.
5Is anyone in the Texas lege that is “pro” anything except hurting those less fortunate than themselves?
6Cutting off their noses to spite their faces. Nice move. Nothing insures the future of your state like encouraging your ambitious young people to go elsewhere.
7Democrats and Republicans are all the same …. oh wait. Democrats are formulating plans to make college more affordable, reduce student debt, etc., while Republicans are busily dismantling education K through graduate school.
Democrats hit the streets registering people to vote, while Republicans institute obstacles to disenfranchise people.
I could go on with comparisons that demonstrate there has never been a greater difference between the two parties than exists today. Or, I could use the line that the last decent Republican was Ike, but I won’t. Saying anything nice about Ike would send grandfather into complete soapbox commando cowboy at the next family barbecue.
Learned a little about Eisenhower from history books, but according to Grand Daddy I ain’t learned ____.
8Just like Bobby Jindal in LA, I expect Abbott to declare himself the “education” governor in 3… 2… 1…
9So he hates immigrants so much he is willing to make anyone in the state who wants an education suffer economic troubles??? I believe he gets the UnAmerican title.
10Gee, a Republican prefers an uneducated electorate? I am shocked, shocked!
11So Dannie Scott Goeb* wants all Texas college students to have to pay a top dollar tuition rate just to spite a minority?
As a damned yankee from Baltimore, MD first-gen college grad ‘English’ major himself, perhaps someone back East could look into Dannie’s own higher education attainment, like how did he or his parents pay for it?
Not a chance of any ‘special’ deals, eh?
Any special state or federal grants or tuition breaks for little Dannie-boy’s college expenses in the late 1960’s, early 1970’s?
Maybe check his draft status in that era?
A super-patriot like Dannie couldn’t have been taking advantage of a student deferment, could he?
I mean even Dickus Cheney…oh..wait…chickenhawks of a feather…
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Patrick_%28politician%29
“Background
Patrick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 4, 1950. He was reared in a blue-collar neighborhood in East Baltimore.[3] He is the only child of the former Vilma Jean Marshall and Charles Anthony Goeb (1926–2002), who worked at the Baltimore Sun for thirty-one years as a newspaper vendor,[5] before he retired in 1984. In later life, he legally changed his surname from Goeb to Patrick.[6]
Patrick graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; he is the first member of his family to graduate from college.[2][3][7]”
Anybody wonder how a miserable lying vicious batcrap insane RWNJ like Dan ‘Patrick’ can become the most powerful Texas politician today? (eat your vile heart out, Tommie DeLay)
Look no further than the millions of NON-VOTING lazyass Democrats, and those who would be a natural Democratic base voter with suitable motivation, who can’t be bothered to turn out on election day.
Let alone the millions of stone-blind brain-dead working class stiffs who consistently screw themselves by reflexively voting for the Rethugs.
I’m glad I’m on my way outta here in a year or two (becoming a floating expat), and I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like for my grandkids (four of my kids are TX uni grads).
12I wonder if even this will stir the TX middle class electorate into voting.
I am not optimistic.
13What the Firetruck?!?
This is one of those situation where you have to ask, “cui bono?”
Is private school tuition so expensive that they can’t compete with public universities? Is this a form of eff you to liberal educators? Is this a way to jack up tuition to balance the state budget? Is this just an attempt to dumbify people even more?
College is the place where you have to sit next to people not like yourself. It’s the first place a lot of these people come out of their ISD cocoon and see what the world is really like. It’s a leveller, and an education. Heck, it might be the first and only time they learn the difference between evolution and fairy tales.
Is that what he’s trying to prevent?
14Polite Kool Marxist @#8
rAmen, bro.
15My dad, a solid Democrat, couldn’t stand Ike (the R politician, you had to respect (most of) his military service, although he wasn’t quite as good as believed).
His sister and mom were solid Republicans, FDR ‘dislikers’, Gen. MacArthur and McCarthy supporters. So much so that my grandmom (his mom) divorced her Dem husband (or something, never did get the whole story, way too late now).
I believe that “regardless of status” refers to undocumented students. I hope that you misunderstood this. Even Dan Patrick isn’t this crazy, and the bill was just taken off the intent calendar for the Senate.
16daChipster @#13,
“Is private school tuition so expensive that they can’t compete with public universities? Is this a form of eff you to liberal educators? Is this a way to jack up tuition to balance the state budget? Is this just an attempt to dumbify people even more?”
The Permanent Fund is swimming in fresh frakked oil money, has been for a few years now.
So ‘all of the above’, I guess.
“ISD cocoon”, I like it! Fits so many.
17My kids were eager to fly away from our rural hardshell ISD by their Junior years; got out, did a few ‘Summa cum Laudes’ and grad degrees, and have hardly looked back.
Well, upon reading the actual text of the bill under consideration, it aims to bar undocumented residents from obtaining in-state tuition status. Undocumented residents that are already paying in-state tuition will no longer be able to pay in-state rates.
There will be some negative short/long term unintended consequences to this but most of the GOPers can think beyond the point of their nose.
18About 10 or so years ago a student at Klein High school wanted to start an after school club kinda like PFLAG. The school board and a group of folks were ready to stop all after school clubs if they had to allow the GLTB club. They had the will to take it to the supremes if needed. The foreign superintendent from NC prevailed. The kid got her club. The superintendent was replaced.
just saying, these RWNJ will throw out the baby with the bath water. They can afford whatever the tuition is. To hell with those who cannot.
19The Repubs want to kill anything with the word “public” in front of it because they think it’s a euphemism for “atheistic communistic.”
20Cathy Criss, what does that mean, it was removed from the intent calendar? Do we still need to call our friends about this or not?
21Our house guest was wondering how anyone could elect Dan Patrick. I said i worked the polls the day he won the primary and most of the voters had that DETERMINED LOOK about them and lots had small children with them and they were i the GOP line. Not enough sensible folks GO VOTE. Regardless of how many get registered, if they don’t vote it doesn’t help much. I have been told by local Dem activists that when folks who hadn’t been voting were asked to vote for a certain person, most of them went and voted. So let’s make it a personal job to ask our friends to vote for good candidates. How about some funky T shirts or hats saying VOTE FOR ….whoever. or I VOTED FOR whoever, HOW ABOUT YOU? I was astounded to learn that my new doctor campaigned for Wendy Davis. That was exciting! Ask your drs. and nurses.
22Private university tuitions are so far out of sight that you can’t even imagine them. I’m not talking Ivy League. I’m talking like private universities in Texas. The difference is, Dan Patrick believes and many of his followers believe that public universities are evil places. Many students at private universities have always gone to private school, kindergarten on up. I am not condemning them. I’m just saying not everyone can afford private universities which depend heavily on donations from rich old ladies. Keeping the rich old ladies happy is crucial in the fund-raising department. Call your senators all over Texas.
23Proof that electing “Dumb Politicians” will create “Dumb Citizens.”
I’m sorry Texas…
Your only hope is GOTV and send these “TeaBagged Ones” packing…
The sooner the better!
24According to the following tweet it has been removed!!!
https://twitter.com/TexasHB1403/statuses/601015987895402496
25Two things I like about Republicans: If you give them a microphone they will say something stupid. If you give them enough rope they will hang themselves.
If I were in the lege I would introduce a bill calling for a tax holiday on rope and microphones.
26Well, now. All those folks who were about to move to TX with their children in tow are now frozen in place – along with their bank accounts. Nice going, Dannie Dumb-Dumb!
27I was hoping this would be shoved off the table PDQ. Good way to alienate Texas teenagers, Texas parents, and Texas public universities.
But they don’t want kids going to college and getting smart and losing their lockstep religion. They might even have to associate with people who aren’t exactly like them, shock horror.
28About gave me a heart attack when I first read this. It’s not like public universities in TX are exactly dirt cheap; with in-state tuition we are paying at least $20k per year for tuition & room & board. U-T is very stingy with merit scholarships too; since so many of the top high school grads want to go there, they can make them pay full freight. My kids got full ride offers to go to Oklahoma (Natl Merit scholarships), but U-T offered zip. Couldn’t bring myself to make them go to Oklahoma, though…..
29Fascinating discussion. Thanks for updating us on status of bill.
30Just a thought. Didn’t somewhere in TX somebody freeze marriage licenses for everybody rather than allow same sex marriage? If so, Dannie Dumb Dumb is a copycat!
31maggie, I think that was Alabama or thereabouts, but I’m not saying Texas didn’t do it too, or at least think about it.
32Au contraire about the smarts. See next post above for details.
33My eyes started bleeding at “Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.” I can’t get my head around that, even in Texas.
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