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Georgia may have largely decimated its HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) scholarship program, which allowed most reasonably qualified high school students to attend college for free, but in at least one state, legislators are working on a new program to provide really inexpensive college for its students.
According to an Associated Press article in the Detroit Free Press:
Democrats in the Michigan Senate said Wednesday they’re developing a proposal that would allow Michigan high school graduates to get grants of up to roughly $9,500 a year for attending college by ending some business tax credits and other revenue changes.
The grants could be used to pay tuition or associated costs at public universities and community colleges in the state. The money would be raised by closing what Democrats call tax loopholes and ending some business tax credits, collecting sales tax from out-of-state Internet retailers and saving money on state contracts.
That $9,500 would essentially cover the cost of most state colleges.
It’s unclear if the college grant would be limited to students with certain GPAs or SAT scores (as most state scholarship plans are) or to students only below certain income levels (as the HOPE scholarship originally existed).
Those developing the plan say it would allow for free college “without tax increases for Michigan citizens.” Perhaps in some sense, yes, but “ending some business tax credits” does constitute new taxes businesses have to pay. As the article states, the bill is likely to face opposition from Republicans, who outnumber Democrats in the Michigan legislature.
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Greg on January 13, 2012 11:30 AM:
This will get vetoed by the crypto-fascist Rick Snyder even if the Dems can convince enough Republicans to go along. Such grants will likely be cast as creating more dependency on government and taxing "job creators."
Michigan needs nothing short of a political lobotomy to shed the Ayn Rand wet dream that now has the reins of power. The GOP has successfully convinced rural and white suburban voters that poor black people in the inner city and unions are the reason that jobs and wealth have poured out of the state for much of the last two generations.
Schools suck? It's because of all your tax dollars going to Detroit and teacher's unions.
Lost your job? The UAW ruined it for everybody.
Your kid can't get into the University of Michigan? They gave his slot to a less deserving minority.
Pot holes? Taxes wasted on "urban" neighborhoods and lazy union workers.
Gays? Teachers unions are recruiting your children.
Guns? Gotta have concealed carry to protect ourselves from "them."
There is no divisive subject in Michigan that has not been cast as an evil liberal plot to take your money and liberties and give them to "those" people.
Sadly this worthy proposal will see the same fate.