FL GOP Spends YOUR Money to Fight Latino Resident Citizens from Claiming In-State Tuition!

Crossposted as a Rec'd diary on Dkos

Maybe your state fights for their citizens. Mine fights against our people... and then bills us for it. That is what happens when your state is completely run by the GOP.

The party that is currently screaming fiscal restraint is spending mad taxpayer money defending its hateful ideology. Millions have so far been spent fighting (and losing) to stop healthcare reform, the privatization of prisons, drug testing of welfare recipients, drug testing of all state workers (except legislators and Rick Scott), voter suppression laws, radical gun laws (Docs vs. Glocks), redistricting, and the shifting of pension costs onto state workers.

And this latest expensive failure just happened: Our tax dollars went to defend what the judge correctly described as a "blatantly unconstitutional" policy to deny American citizens the right to in-state tuition unless their parents could prove legal residency.

Naturally, we were the ONLY state that had this ridiculous requirement.

The US District Judge wasted no time shredding this idiotic policy:

The plaintiffs included four high school grads born and raised in Miami, one born in Los Angeles but raised in Palm Beach County. All had been denied in-state tuition. The effect, as Judge Moore noted, was that these young Florida citizens who happened to be children of undocumented immigrants were charged a state college tuition rate triple that paid by fellow state citizens. Judge Moore tossed the policy, telling the state what their lawyers already knew. That the Supreme Court applies “a form of heightened scrutiny when evaluating alleged violations of the Equal Protection Clause that arise from a state’s denial of a benefit to a child or creation of an additional obstacle to a child solely by virtue of the parent’s unlawful or immoral behavior.”

Keep in mind that was a GOP policy that had widespread, legislative GOP support. Nevermind that is was illegal and UNCONSTITUTIONAL. It was brown people we were talking about, so they didn't care. Hispanic Floridians should pay for the sins of thier parents. In this case, the sin being wanting a better life for your family and being exploited by an employer that brought you here. Regardless of that, these children were US CITIZENS and FLORIDA RESIDENTS.

But to the GOP, it's all about the parents.

Sort of like having me go to jail if my Dad was caught bribing a legislator.

Oh wait, that's not illegal in florida anymore. (Seriously, last year legislator bribery was FREAKING LEGALIZED!)

Couple of things before I get off my soapbox:

1. It is telling that the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights organization that normally takes on hate groups like the Klan, is now taking on Rick Scott's GOP regime in Florida.

2. It is also telling that the Courts consistently smack Rick Scott's GOP bullies down (which is why he is hellbent on going after our impartial Courts.)

3. It it telling the lengths the FL GOP will go to in order to hurt minorities. I am willing to bet any amount of money that they would have no trouble with these children if they were working back-breaking labor in our farms and orange groves.

4. It is not just telling, but appalling, that none of the handful of GOP Hispanic legislators supported repeal. Rubio? He was FL House Speaker when this nonsensical bigotry took effect in 2005. One guess as to where he stood on this.

5. Florida doesn't even have an immigration problem that needs solving. Our biggest problem with "illegals" are Europeans who overstay their visa.

6. If you think this legislative bigotry is isolated, think again. Rick Scott and the GOP wanted LEGAL IMMIGRANTS to carry their papers at all times to be checked... and get fined and jailed if they didn't have their papers with them!

7. Still not convinced? That bill I just mentioned for #6? There was an even more radical bill that Rick Scott promised to sign. It was similar to the Arizona law, but included a racial exemption for white people.

The GOP is going to begin a massive "Hispanic outreach" in the weeks prior to this election. Please, keep this in mind when they tout their diversity. Nice rhetoric doesn't make up for being attacked by actual legislation.