Letter to the editor:
Promised scholarship should be kept
Issue date: 11/23/09 Section: OpinioNation
As a former University of Michigan-Flint student, I’m writing to express my outrage at the Michigan Promise Scholarship being taken away, in response to Jennifer Profitt’s recent column. I actually got an opportunity to call out a state senator on this subject at the Durand Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Breakfast, Valde Garcia, wanting to know why the Promise Scholarship was taken away. Garcia, a Republican, told everyone in attendance he wanted to keep it because it was funded in part from the tobacco settlement. But when it came crunch time and the budget had to be passed, he said it came down to either submitting a budget, or sticking to his guns and supporting the scholarship. Of course, he changed his vote, in a classic, spineless example of flip-flopping. Sen. Garcia, if you truly stand for something, stand behind it! I have not been a fan of Gov. Jennifer Granholm since the last election, and her vetoes to education as a whole actually made the problem worse, because she vetoed money that was already approved, albeit for K-12 education, to try to pressure the legislature to pass a budget with higher taxes.
Sorry, everyone, but we are in a major economic recession - read, depression in Michigan, and we just cannot afford to continue feeding the government whenever they come to us with their hands out, unless they have come up with creative solutions to save money and reform the entire way government does business first.
I like Andy Dillon’s idea about pooling all government and education employees into one health care package, allowing them to get the same coverage for less money. Everybody needs to be on board for stuff like this, because students should come first,last and always. That savings, along with some other monies raised in similar fashion or some other creative fashion, could go a long ways to keep something as important as the Michigan Promise Scholarships going. I’m very proud of everything UM-Flint and Mott have done for me in helping me find sources of funding, and appreciate what places like Michigan State University and Lansing Community College have done for me as well. I would like none other than to see future students have the same opportunities I had.
Larry Launstein
UM-Flint graduate 2008
Sorry, everyone, but we are in a major economic recession - read, depression in Michigan, and we just cannot afford to continue feeding the government whenever they come to us with their hands out, unless they have come up with creative solutions to save money and reform the entire way government does business first.
I like Andy Dillon’s idea about pooling all government and education employees into one health care package, allowing them to get the same coverage for less money. Everybody needs to be on board for stuff like this, because students should come first,last and always. That savings, along with some other monies raised in similar fashion or some other creative fashion, could go a long ways to keep something as important as the Michigan Promise Scholarships going. I’m very proud of everything UM-Flint and Mott have done for me in helping me find sources of funding, and appreciate what places like Michigan State University and Lansing Community College have done for me as well. I would like none other than to see future students have the same opportunities I had.
Larry Launstein
UM-Flint graduate 2008
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