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Anyone have a different opinion?

Or is it everyone?* Doug

Don't think so! Your editorial board is correct on this one......Do you see mobs of concern citizens lining up with pitchforks and rope at the State Capital on this issue. Nope! Just another Conservative-Republican, Democrat-Liberal Paradigm to divide this nation.

Sure do round them up send them home.They are breaking the law.

Does your liberal editorial board , approve of breaking into homes? ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL!

Why should law-abiding taxpayers be expected to subsidize illegal immigrants? Government spending is a zero-sum game - every dollar spent in one area is one less dollar that can be spent elsewhere.

And Richard Moore is absolutely right - it's hard to get around the "illegal" part. These people shouldn't be rewarded for breaking the law.

Furthermore, illegal immigrants shouldn't be allowed to attend K-12 public schools. That may sound harsh, but millions of dollars are spent educating illegal immigrants that could be spent educating American children.

You better believe I have a different opinion!

Lancaster says they pay tuition exceeding the cost of their education.

The K-12 issue was addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court. If that ruling had gone the other way, our opinion about community college education might be different. My thinking now is, if you have to provide K-12, why stop there?

I'll acknowledge this is a close call. The government has a right to detain and deport these people. I wouldn't want to see an adult sneak into the country and immediately enroll at GTCC. The person I have in mind would have been brought to this country as a small child, attended public schools for years and done well enough to qualify for college. With an education, he could become a valuable member of our society, especially if he could get on a path to citizenship.

What about the hard working NC parents, when their child can not get into college because it is filled with illegals? If I live in Va. and have worked all my life it would cost me a ton of money to seen my child to UNC, A illegal can go for pennies on the dollar. Wonder if Lancaster would not take taxpayers money, if they are paying more than their cost no need to accept taxpayers money. Lancaster goal is simple, buy votes for the liberals. Next week the NR should run a story, why is ok to break into your neighbors house. ILLEGAL MEANS BREAKING THE LAW.

Illegal immigrants don't attend UNC for pennies on the dollar. They pay out-of-state tuition rates, which is roughly the full cost, and they aren't eligible for financial aid.

See, I'm a bit skeptical of the idea that out-of-state tuition is equivalent to the full cost of admission. Community colleges are heavily subsidized by the state, moreso than four-year state-supported colleges like A&T and UNCG.

Does Lancaster's "full cost" include things like infrastructure, administrative costs and campus maintenance? Or does it just include the professor's salary and other direct classroom costs? It's an important distinction. I suspect that the taxpayers still are subsidizing illegal immigrants to attend community college - and that's not right.

Doug, I saw in today's Raleigh News & Observer that UNC System president Erskine Bowles wants to allow illegal immigrants to attend UNC system colleges at in-state tution rates.

"The last thing in the world we want to do is create another permanent underclass," Bowles says.

It used to be that if you broke the law, you were considered a criminal and punished. Now, if you break the law, you are considered part of a "permanent underclass" and given special treatment.

Doug, don't you see how allowing illegal immigrants into community colleges creates the proverbial "slippery slope"? If they are allowed to enroll, I guarantee in a couple of years someone like Bowles will be calling for them to get in-state tutition using the same argument ("Well, they're already here....")

I recognize your argument and think Bowles has made a serious political error in raising this issue. He's just invited every North Carolina politician to campaign on this issue next year, and the legislature likely will pass a bill prohibiting tuition breaks for illegal immigrants.

Martin Lancaster's statement in favor of admitting illegal immigrants to the community college system emphasized the fact that they pay full cost. He was still out on a limb politically, but Bowles just leaped a lot farther out on the same limb.

I do think there's a strong case for admission, primarily because the Supreme Court has backed K-12 enrollment, so public higher education enrollment follows logically and maybe legally. I would note, however, that the court decision came by a 5-4 vote of a more liberal court in 1982 when there were a lot fewer illegals in the country. Today's court might render a different opinion.

I can't imagine any legal requirement to provide in-state tuition, but who knows?

Thanks for the reply. I certainly hope North Carolina politicians will campaign on this issue because it's a terrible idea. If I was a state legislator, I'd propose a bill banning in-state tutition breaks for illegal immigrants as quickly as I could.

Think about it this way: UNC students from, say, Indiana, Texas or South Carolina - American citizens, mind you - pay $10,000 to $20,000 a year, depending on the school. But under Bowles' plan, someone who sneaks into this country from Mexico - in violation of this nation's laws - would pay $1,700 to $3,500 a year.

Does that seem right or fair? How can Bowles justify giving illegal immigrants advantages over our fellow U.S. citizens?

Valid point. One could argue though that even illegal aliens are paying state taxes; furthermore that, as UNC graduates, they would contribute more to the state's economy than they would as dishwashers or lawnmowers.

On the other hand, would the promise a low-cost higher education draw more illegals to North Carolina, particularly if such generous benefits aren't available in other states? Definitely.

How does Lancaster know who illegal and who is not legal. Mr.Clark , how about the seats these criminals take from hard working folks. Do you liberals need votes so bad you screw anyone? Illegals means against the law , even in NC. I bet you very few pay any NC taxes. $7.00 hour equals no taxes. Much free health care.

How does Lancaster know who illegal and who is not legal. Mr.Clark , how about the seats these criminals take from hard working folks. Do you liberals need votes so bad you screw anyone? Illegals means against the law , even in NC. I bet you very few pay any NC taxes. $7.00 hour equals no taxes. Much free health care.