You can always count on Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey for a tone-deaf remark or two. Healey had a "let them eat cake" moment yesterday on the John DePetro Show on WRKO during a discussion about the bill that would allow the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates with Attorney General Tom Reilly. Healey apparently missed the point of the tuition breaks and said that if these immigrants wanted to go to college so bad, they should just go to private school instead. From the Globe:
"Let them go to private schools if they want to," Healey said on WRKO radio. Moments later, she repeated: "Let them go to private schools."In Healey's world, money is never an obstacle and people who can't afford the $18,400 for UMass can surely just cash in a few stock options and pay the $23,000 it costs for an average private school. Of course some scholarships may be available, but these particular students, whose immigration status is the fault of their parents -- not theirs, are not illegible for Federal aid.
While state Republican leaders may agree with Healey on the merits of her comment, one has to wonder if they're not getting nervous about her being anointed as Governor Romney's successor should he decline a run for reelection. If the big story after a radio debate with her likely 2006 competition is how out of touch she is, maybe it's time to start exploring other options.
As for the issue itself, one thing that's lost in this debate is how Massachusetts is really in no position to be turning away anyone -- we're the only state losing population. If letting the children of undocumented residents, particularly those who have graduated Massachusetts high schools and who would have to sign an affidavit affirming that they are applying for citizenship, pay in-state tuition keeps them here, maybe we can stem the loss of political and economic clout that comes with a declining population.
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