U.S. students can’t afford college, help them first

“Scholarship program raises hopes that may not be met” [page one, Jan. 11] talks about a push for free college tuition to illegal immigrants. Since when did paying someone else’s college tuition become my obligation?

We are a middle-class family. My husband worked his way through college. The government didn’t pay our three children’s college tuition either. They got part-time jobs at age 16 and worked summers to help pay for college. We worked and saved to pay the rest. Now you want me to help pay theirs too?

And since when was community college a bad option because that’s all his family could afford? That’s all most U.S. citizens can afford! In Washington state, you can already attend community college during your junior and senior year of high school through the Running Start Program, earning college credit and an associate degree all on government dollars.

I’m all for supporting all children — here legally or not — get a high-school education. But all kids need to learn that life isn’t one big handout; they need to work for what they want in life — that’s when you learn to appreciate all we have in America. And frankly, taxpayers are already stretched to the limit on all the “programs” our elected officials want us to support.

— Tracy Gibbs, Renton

This is sending the wrong message

Do we really want to reward those who deliberately break the law by entering the country illegally?

Awarding college scholarships to those young adults who keep their grades up is a noble gesture by our government but with that comes the responsibility of the student to make sure all the requirements are met.

Living in this country with all its benefits legally is one of the requirements that must be met. By the time students reach the age to graduate from high school, they must have become aware of all the requirements for the scholarship.

To overlook the need for a valid Social Security number should disqualify the student. Teaching young adults that there are laws in this country that must be followed is the responsibility of state government, but adhering to those laws is the responsibility of the student.

Bending the requirements to allow non-qualifying students to take part in the scholarship program is sending the wrong message to those students who have not yet completed their high school studies.

— Ed Anderson, Kirkland