So its been a while since we have updated this thing so here goes. After a year of working towards BYU-I it has become a reality and I will start school back up there in January. It is a relief, I had to deal with all the b.s. that SUU threw at me (I won't go into the details but they screwed me). So we go forward, we have left our home in Chehalis WA to work and spend some time in St. George. We got here last sunday night. Its been great to see our friends here, we have missed them quite a bit. We had been here 2 days and my awesome wife already had a job at a local dentists office. I am working on getting my CDL so I can drive cement trucks for my dad for a couple months.
It was a little strange leaving Chehalis. It will always be home to both of us. The ward there, though struggling, is awesome. We have made several friends there and are thankfull for the things we learned from them. I have left home so many times that its not too hard for me. Some might think I am heartless but most understand that there is not a whole lot going on in Chehalis these days and it is difficult at best to make a living there. Everyday we were there we heard of people we knew losing their jobs that they had been at for years. Companies are moving out and shutting down left and right. We made the right choice by moving and we know it.
I am thankfull for the power of prayer and a heavenly father that listens. We are excited about the next chapter in our lives. Rexburg is a tiny town in the middle of no where, it will take some getting used to, but who doesn't like the challenge of a new town? Kari is nervous about the winters but she will do fine. Thats about it for now. We will try and be better with this thing... no promises.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Mysterious Ways...
My day started the same as any other Sunday, wake up, hit snooze, wake up again. Everything was on schedule until the phone rang... It was the stake executive secratary telling me that President Jorgenson (1st counselor in our stake presidency) wanted to meet with me before church. Never a good thing... J/K... maybe.
I was called as the 1st counselor in our Elders quarum, me... do they know me? I have to admit that it is a bit overwhelming, I am excited to jump in and figure it out, but holy crap. Kari was called as the ward humanitarian specialist, to add to her other enrichment chair calling. I guess you could say that they are putting us to work here in Chehalis. It is good for us, it will help us be better people. Thought some of you would get a kick out of it. Hope your testimonies are still intact, the Church is true!
I was called as the 1st counselor in our Elders quarum, me... do they know me? I have to admit that it is a bit overwhelming, I am excited to jump in and figure it out, but holy crap. Kari was called as the ward humanitarian specialist, to add to her other enrichment chair calling. I guess you could say that they are putting us to work here in Chehalis. It is good for us, it will help us be better people. Thought some of you would get a kick out of it. Hope your testimonies are still intact, the Church is true!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Latino Sniper!!!!
Today was my little sister Hannah's 13th birthday. We went to Plaza Jalisco for dinner and they sang to her and then BAM, outta no where a little brown ninja comes and it was the funniest thing I have seen in a while! Happy bday sis!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tution Saga Continued...
Today I received an email from SUU as a response to my on going query into their tuition for Illegal aliens. She completly missed my point. My point is this, I am a US citizen, and while I was attending SUU I was resident enough to pay their state employment tax. Here is a quote from her email:
"Part of the reason for the Governor's decision to waive part of undocumented immigrants tuition is that they consider Utah their home and have continuously for a number of years. Whether you or any one else agree with this decision, it is law and we all must abide by the law."
This stikes me as funny since the "undocumented immigrants" she speaks of are more appropriatly called illegal aliens. If we followed the law they wouldn't be here. I found the letter one big contradiction. Does this not anger anyone else? The state I live in is one that extends these "waivers" (as if calling it something different than it is makes it acceptable) and is trying to balance a $9 billion budget deficit, they plan to raise tuition in this state by as much as 22%... The logical step to me is to stop paying for criminal non-producers, their answer is to fire a couple teachers and to build a tunnel under Seattle. Politicians are idiots!
Here is the whole email:
Devin,
Trudy Smith forwarded your email to me because I work with residency for tuition purposes at SUU. First of all let me explain that undocumented immigrants are considered non-residents for tuition purposes for their entire attendance at SUU. The previous Governor provided waivers for some of these students who meet strict criteria: graduate from a Utah high school after attending for a minimum of three years; attend immediately after high school graduation; remain in the state for the duration of their attendance; and sign an affidavit that they will apply for citizenship or a visa as soon as possible. These students are living in the United States because they are minors who were brought to the US by their parents and have no say in where they live.
In trying to understand your position I have reviewed your time of attendance at SUU. I see that you attended SUU for two semesters - Fall Semester, 2000, and Spring Semester, 2001. There was then a five year gap and you returned for Spring Semester, 2006. You met with Luann Abbott in the Admissions Office on July 25, 2000, to ask about residency and were told that because you had moved to Utah two months prior you would not qualify for residency. At that time, as it is now, the requirement is twelve continuous months immediately preceding the term you would like to be considered a resident. When you returned in 2006, you were considered a non-resident for tuition purposes. This was because you indicated in your letter to the Academic Standards Committee that you had lived Las Vegas working for Sorensen Construction.
Since it does not appear that you lived in Utah for twelve continuous months other than possibly your first year, or that you continued to live in Utah, or considered Utah your home, the law would not consider you a resident for tuition purposes. All students must meet the minimum requirements for residency based on their circumstances. If you would care to read the law found at http://utahsbr.edu/policy/r512.htm, you will see that there are several areas in which a student may apply for resident classification.
Part of the reason for the Governor's decision to waive part of undocumented immigrants tuition is that they consider Utah their home and have continuously for a number of years. Whether you or any one else agree with this decision, it is law and we all must abide by the law.
If you are planning to return to SUU and have been living in Utah, it is possible that you may be considered a resident for tuition purposes at this time.
Hopefully this answers your questions. If not, let me know.
Christine Proctor
Associate Director
Admissions Office
Southern Utah University
Here is my response to her:
Christine,
I guess my point is this, I was resident enough to pay Utah state income tax, which may have been used to pay for these "waivers". What these people are called doesn't matter, I paid 2 or 3 times the tuition they did. I am a LEGAL U.S. citizen, you mentioned following the law, it seems a big contradiction to me to give these benefits to someone that is in this country illegally. They do not pay taxes, their parents do not pay taxes, and yet they get an education because they "consider Utah their home". The whole thing seems backwards to me, I will fight to get this law changed.
Here is her 2nd reply:
Devin,
Nobody's taxes paid for these waivers as they were not money. Please feel free to fight this as much as you like. The best contacts are the state legislators and Governor's Office. You may find their contact information online at www.utah.gov.
Christine Proctor
Associate Director
Admissions Office
Southern Utah University
Really? No one paid for it? Does anyone believe this?... Here is my reply:
Mrs. Proctor,
As I understand it, it costs the same amount to put a resident through school as a non resident, the difference is made up with subsidies. These subsidies are paid for by the state who gets their money from taxpayers. There is no free lunch, everything has a cost associated with it. Beyond that the fact that we are giving people incentives to come to the U.S. illegally is what concerns me. Thank you for your help on this.
Devin Sorensen
I am in awe at the ignorance of some people, how does this not enrage everyone, how is this okay.
"Part of the reason for the Governor's decision to waive part of undocumented immigrants tuition is that they consider Utah their home and have continuously for a number of years. Whether you or any one else agree with this decision, it is law and we all must abide by the law."
This stikes me as funny since the "undocumented immigrants" she speaks of are more appropriatly called illegal aliens. If we followed the law they wouldn't be here. I found the letter one big contradiction. Does this not anger anyone else? The state I live in is one that extends these "waivers" (as if calling it something different than it is makes it acceptable) and is trying to balance a $9 billion budget deficit, they plan to raise tuition in this state by as much as 22%... The logical step to me is to stop paying for criminal non-producers, their answer is to fire a couple teachers and to build a tunnel under Seattle. Politicians are idiots!
Here is the whole email:
Devin,
Trudy Smith forwarded your email to me because I work with residency for tuition purposes at SUU. First of all let me explain that undocumented immigrants are considered non-residents for tuition purposes for their entire attendance at SUU. The previous Governor provided waivers for some of these students who meet strict criteria: graduate from a Utah high school after attending for a minimum of three years; attend immediately after high school graduation; remain in the state for the duration of their attendance; and sign an affidavit that they will apply for citizenship or a visa as soon as possible. These students are living in the United States because they are minors who were brought to the US by their parents and have no say in where they live.
In trying to understand your position I have reviewed your time of attendance at SUU. I see that you attended SUU for two semesters - Fall Semester, 2000, and Spring Semester, 2001. There was then a five year gap and you returned for Spring Semester, 2006. You met with Luann Abbott in the Admissions Office on July 25, 2000, to ask about residency and were told that because you had moved to Utah two months prior you would not qualify for residency. At that time, as it is now, the requirement is twelve continuous months immediately preceding the term you would like to be considered a resident. When you returned in 2006, you were considered a non-resident for tuition purposes. This was because you indicated in your letter to the Academic Standards Committee that you had lived Las Vegas working for Sorensen Construction.
Since it does not appear that you lived in Utah for twelve continuous months other than possibly your first year, or that you continued to live in Utah, or considered Utah your home, the law would not consider you a resident for tuition purposes. All students must meet the minimum requirements for residency based on their circumstances. If you would care to read the law found at http://utahsbr.edu/policy/r512.htm, you will see that there are several areas in which a student may apply for resident classification.
Part of the reason for the Governor's decision to waive part of undocumented immigrants tuition is that they consider Utah their home and have continuously for a number of years. Whether you or any one else agree with this decision, it is law and we all must abide by the law.
If you are planning to return to SUU and have been living in Utah, it is possible that you may be considered a resident for tuition purposes at this time.
Hopefully this answers your questions. If not, let me know.
Christine Proctor
Associate Director
Admissions Office
Southern Utah University
Here is my response to her:
Christine,
I guess my point is this, I was resident enough to pay Utah state income tax, which may have been used to pay for these "waivers". What these people are called doesn't matter, I paid 2 or 3 times the tuition they did. I am a LEGAL U.S. citizen, you mentioned following the law, it seems a big contradiction to me to give these benefits to someone that is in this country illegally. They do not pay taxes, their parents do not pay taxes, and yet they get an education because they "consider Utah their home". The whole thing seems backwards to me, I will fight to get this law changed.
Here is her 2nd reply:
Devin,
Nobody's taxes paid for these waivers as they were not money. Please feel free to fight this as much as you like. The best contacts are the state legislators and Governor's Office. You may find their contact information online at www.utah.gov.
Christine Proctor
Associate Director
Admissions Office
Southern Utah University
Really? No one paid for it? Does anyone believe this?... Here is my reply:
Mrs. Proctor,
As I understand it, it costs the same amount to put a resident through school as a non resident, the difference is made up with subsidies. These subsidies are paid for by the state who gets their money from taxpayers. There is no free lunch, everything has a cost associated with it. Beyond that the fact that we are giving people incentives to come to the U.S. illegally is what concerns me. Thank you for your help on this.
Devin Sorensen
I am in awe at the ignorance of some people, how does this not enrage everyone, how is this okay.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Update
I made some phone calls about the illegal alien in-state tuition law that I found out about. Turns out that it is the truth, at least in Utah. (I haven't got any answers from other states yet.) I was assured that there were stipulations involved with this law, here they are:
1. They must attend high school in the state for at least 3 years consecutively;
2. They must enter college immediately after graduation, and;
3. They must stay in the same school for consecutive years until they achieve there degree.
That said, who cares! I have done quite a bit of research on financial aid, scholarships, and grants and correct me if I am wrong, if you are Hispanic and want to go to school you can damn near expect a free ride. As a white kid that grew up primarily in a single parent home, I have met much resistance in my quest for a degree. I can get financial aid, but everyone for the most part can get financial aid. I feel there is an imbalance when it comes to this. In our countries quest to eliminate racism and bigotry we have turned the tables. Now it is okay for for minorities to be racist, I give you Jessie Jackson, and Al Sharpton.
I can tolerate people bitching because they were enslaved, but last time I checked the last slaves in this country died a couple years ago... over 100 give or take a couple decades. GET OVER IT! I think we have rolled over too much for these "minority" groups. If we are all equal then it's time for them to start acting like it. I am tired of struggling to pay for things that "undocumented citizens" get handed for free. Our government screwed up on this one, they got it wrong. I have tried to talk to people about this and for the most part I am way more fired up about it than they are. This is a big deal, we are paying for criminals to get a cheap education. They do not pay taxes, they do not contribute, but we still give them freebies. For a semester at S.U.U. it cost me $5,000 just for tuition, a resident paid less than $2,000, that leaves $3,000 per student in subsidies that the tax payers cover. That adds up to a pretty penny and I don't think we should be giving it to people who are in this country illegally. To those of you who are thinking its not the kids fault, that is true but we cannot pick and choose what laws to enforce, they can apply for citizenship and then I have no problem with them. This is getting long and Kari just rolled here eyes at me, so I'll stop. Tell me what you think.
1. They must attend high school in the state for at least 3 years consecutively;
2. They must enter college immediately after graduation, and;
3. They must stay in the same school for consecutive years until they achieve there degree.
That said, who cares! I have done quite a bit of research on financial aid, scholarships, and grants and correct me if I am wrong, if you are Hispanic and want to go to school you can damn near expect a free ride. As a white kid that grew up primarily in a single parent home, I have met much resistance in my quest for a degree. I can get financial aid, but everyone for the most part can get financial aid. I feel there is an imbalance when it comes to this. In our countries quest to eliminate racism and bigotry we have turned the tables. Now it is okay for for minorities to be racist, I give you Jessie Jackson, and Al Sharpton.
I can tolerate people bitching because they were enslaved, but last time I checked the last slaves in this country died a couple years ago... over 100 give or take a couple decades. GET OVER IT! I think we have rolled over too much for these "minority" groups. If we are all equal then it's time for them to start acting like it. I am tired of struggling to pay for things that "undocumented citizens" get handed for free. Our government screwed up on this one, they got it wrong. I have tried to talk to people about this and for the most part I am way more fired up about it than they are. This is a big deal, we are paying for criminals to get a cheap education. They do not pay taxes, they do not contribute, but we still give them freebies. For a semester at S.U.U. it cost me $5,000 just for tuition, a resident paid less than $2,000, that leaves $3,000 per student in subsidies that the tax payers cover. That adds up to a pretty penny and I don't think we should be giving it to people who are in this country illegally. To those of you who are thinking its not the kids fault, that is true but we cannot pick and choose what laws to enforce, they can apply for citizenship and then I have no problem with them. This is getting long and Kari just rolled here eyes at me, so I'll stop. Tell me what you think.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Fixed!
Okay, after deleting the old messed up blog and transfering all the posts to the new one, you should be able to leave comments. This took quite abit of time so someone better leave some freakin comments.
Today
From Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Today I found out something that pissed me off. I found out that Utah, along with 3 or 4 other states (Wa, Or, and Az, I think.), offers resident tuition to illegal aliens. While I was living off of $20 every two weeks because I had to pay the $5,000 out-of-state tuition plus housing, Jose and Roserita were enjoying only having to pay $1,200 (not to mention the scholarships they can get because of their ethnicity). I was told that I fell through all the cracks for eligibility and that it was gong to take close to 3 years for me to gain residency.
Today I learned that the Obama administration is considering making this a nationwide policy to expedite the citizenship process. I wonder what the dollar amount in subsidies this has cost taxpayers. Someone please explain the rationale for this. I am a life long U.S. citizen and if I legally cross state lines for an education I get stuck paying 300% more than someone from that state, yet if Paco crosses into this country illegally he can choose from many schools and is counted as a resident of those states. Please tell me how this is change I can believe in.
Do we realize yet that the rights that people have bled for are being taken away everyday under a banner of change. This is only one instance, America as we know it is being taken away bit by bit. Does anyone see a similarity here with what happened in Book of Mormon times? Men with silver tongues lead the people to destruction. Tell me I am wrong, tell me why I am wrong, and tell me you don't see that we are headed down a slippery slope. Revolutions have started over less than what we are accepting day by day. Today I found out I was ripped off; today was a bad day.
Today I found out something that pissed me off. I found out that Utah, along with 3 or 4 other states (Wa, Or, and Az, I think.), offers resident tuition to illegal aliens. While I was living off of $20 every two weeks because I had to pay the $5,000 out-of-state tuition plus housing, Jose and Roserita were enjoying only having to pay $1,200 (not to mention the scholarships they can get because of their ethnicity). I was told that I fell through all the cracks for eligibility and that it was gong to take close to 3 years for me to gain residency.
Today I learned that the Obama administration is considering making this a nationwide policy to expedite the citizenship process. I wonder what the dollar amount in subsidies this has cost taxpayers. Someone please explain the rationale for this. I am a life long U.S. citizen and if I legally cross state lines for an education I get stuck paying 300% more than someone from that state, yet if Paco crosses into this country illegally he can choose from many schools and is counted as a resident of those states. Please tell me how this is change I can believe in.
Do we realize yet that the rights that people have bled for are being taken away everyday under a banner of change. This is only one instance, America as we know it is being taken away bit by bit. Does anyone see a similarity here with what happened in Book of Mormon times? Men with silver tongues lead the people to destruction. Tell me I am wrong, tell me why I am wrong, and tell me you don't see that we are headed down a slippery slope. Revolutions have started over less than what we are accepting day by day. Today I found out I was ripped off; today was a bad day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
