Brown signs California Dream Act

On October 8th, 2011 the Los Angeles Times reported that California governor Jerry Brown signed the California Dream Act into law. The legislation "granted illegal immigrants access to state financial aid at public universities and community colleges..." Why any state would enact such a law eludes me.


The usual criticism is that such financial incentives ignore federal law by encouraging and condoning illegal migration. Further, out of state U.S. citizens and legal resident still have to pay out of state tuition. Consequently, illegal immigrants enjoy benefits that some citizens and legal residents don't. Not to mention the fact that the state of California is running on a deficit budget. The question is why give freebies to individuals who don't deserve it in a time of scarcity?


The proponents of state's rights would say that California has the right to make such a concession to illegal immigrants. Fair enough. Just like the federal government, the government of California eludes the fact that reality always bites the deficit spender in the butt. Sooner or later the state would be broke and be forced to raise taxes and cut spending. I would imagine that the very individuals who benefited from the subsidization of illegal immigration would move to another state with the education they got thanks to the late great California.


According to the LA Times 'Brown downplayed the cost to taxpayers. He said the California Department of Finance estimates 2,500 additional students will qualify for Cal-Grants as a result of the Dream Act, at a cost of $14.5 million." Of course, all the estimates ignore the a potential increase in illegal immigrants to California. Additional students will qualify on top of the 2500 figure because there is an incentive for illegal immigrants to move to California. The problem of enumerating illegal immigrants (the college bound and other)remains despite Jerry Brown's estimates.