Fairness? Send money

Letter date: 
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Letter publisher: 
democratherald.com
Letter author: 
John Robinson
Letter body: 

Mike McInally’s editorial on tuition equity (Dec. 13) should receive an F for failing common sense. Why are so many people caught up in trying to establish fairness? What is fairness and how can it ever be applied to every individual? Could you control the family you were born into? Could you control the country of your birth? How unfair.

Why do people think that taking sums of money from some individuals and giving it to others will make things fair? Really? Giving in-state tuition to an individual here illegally would make it fair? I don’t get it.

Everybody gets a free public education through high school. That sounds fair. Now not everybody is college material, nor should college be mandatory. So what is college for? I would say it is to receive specialized training for a specific career/job. So follow the logic: If you are in this country illegally and cannot legally work how does a college degree help? I don’t get it.

You may want to look at www.fairus.org for the actual costs of these undocumented immigrants. The cost to Oregon taxpayers for that free education through high school is $575 million a year. Overall, illegal immigrants cost Oregon $1 billion a year or $728 per household. Why should those of us here legally pay for those here illegally? I don’t get it.

There is a solution. Those of you that feel you must make things fair can establish a nonprofit and contribute money which you can then give to the undocumented immigrants to cover the difference between out of state and in-state tuition. And while you are feeling generous at solving all of this unfairness, please send me $728.

John Robinson

Albany (Dec. 15)