Michigan: Give Me My Damn Money

I am really pissed off right now.

Back in Junior year of high school I took a test called the Michigan Merit Exam along with every other Junior in a public high school in Michigan.  And I did very well.  My scores qualified me for what is known as the Michigan Merit Scholarship, or the Michigan Promise Scholarship.  What this means is the state of Michigan gives me $1000 a year for the first two years of college and then, at the end of sophomore year, they give me another $2000 to put toward the rest of my education.

Well, this is the beginning of my first semester of Sophomore year.  They’ve given me $500 toward this semester’s tuition.  But something terrible has happened.

Michigan is breaking their promise.

Yes, the state of Michigan has the worst economy in the United States and in order to keep the state from going bankrupt, they’re doing away with the Michigan Promise Scholarship.  And not only am I not going to get the $500 for next semester, or the $2000 at the end of this year…

But I have to give BACK the money they already gave me this semester.

Yep.  I owe the state of Michigan $500.  And not only the $500 from the Michigan “Promise” Scholarship (isn’t that the most ironic name EVER?) but also the FAFSA money they gave me.  My financial aid money.

I can’t do this.  My parents paid my tuition and I pay them back in installments.  This weekend I plan to give them the final payment of this semester’s original tuition and then start saving up for next semester’s.  Well, now I owe them another $500.  I don’t have that kind of money.  I only work 11 hours a week.  I can barely pay the bills.  I’m seriously screwed over.

I don’t understand why Michigan thinks it’s a good idea to cut costs on education.  They obviously don’t want an educated workforce.  It’s not like we can quit school and go work in the factories because the damn state government gave companies subsidies to ship the factories overseas eliminating thousands of jobs.  We’re in a state of economic collapse and I really wish that someone would bail us out of it.

Bailout, you say?  Didn’t the government already spend 700 BILLION DOLLARS on a bailout last year?

Why, yes they did.  And who did they give it to?  The BIG CORPORATIONS.  That’s right.  Big corporations who use the money to save their asses so they can keep making shit that we all can’t afford because we DON’T HAVE MONEY.  Maybe if the government had given US the money instead of the big corporations then we could use that money to buy their products and restart the whole production/consumption cycle.  But no, that would be SOCIALISM.

Ugh.  I swear to God I am leaving this state as soon as I graduate.  I have to go find a place where I can live and get a steady job.  I don’t want to leave Michigan – my family is here – but really, when you look at it, what other options do I have?  I’ve got another two and a half years of school left.  I just hope I can afford it.

Here’s to you, Michigan.  Because of you, hundreds of college students in Michigan will likely drop out of school.  You’re really doing yourself a big favor.