XPost: alt.survival, alt.politics.democrats.d, sac.general   
   XPost: alt.global-warming   
   From: cblasey@paloaltou.edu   
      
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   Liberal Democrats, too lazy and stupid to compete   
   scholastically.  This is the result of the present day inferior   
   California school system, once the envy of the entire free   
   world, after 40 years of Democrat control and parasitic   
   socialist union infestation.   
      
   TAGS: Cheat Lie Bribe Obama Ignorant Liberal Dumb Crime College   
   High School Sports USC Coach ACT Democrat LA Times, Washington   
   Post, NY Times Elite Hollywood TV Media Twitter youTube Scumbags   
   Kiss Your Job Goodbye   
      
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   I grew up in a blue-collar family and earned admission to an Ivy   
   League university based on good grades and high test scores. So   
   I was outraged to learn Tuesday of an alleged college admissions   
   scam under which rich parents are accused of paying a total of   
   about $25 million in bribes to fraudulently get their students   
   admitted to some of America’s top universities.   
      
   I’m sure that many people around the country who’ve worked hard   
   for what they have – including those who come from poor and blue-   
   collar backgrounds – are furious as well.   
      
   America is the land of opportunity, where regardless of your   
   background or economic standing you have the ability to create a   
   better life for yourself and your children. Like millions of   
   other Americans, I’m a product of that meritocracy.   
      
   My great-grandparents and one grandparent immigrated to America   
   to escape persecution in Eastern Europe. While they didn’t speak   
   any English upon arrival, they were willing to work hard.   
      
   My father built upon that work ethic and became an electrician.   
   Although he didn’t have a college degree, he instilled financial   
   and life lessons in his own children. That allowed me, in turn,   
   to put in my own hard work and get into an Ivy League school on   
   merit.   
      
   I can’t imagine being turned down for admission to the   
   university of my choice because someone who didn’t put in the   
   same work or effort that I did to do well in high school cheated   
   the system.   
      
   While my parents couldn’t afford to pay for my education, I paid   
   my way with the help of academic scholarships, by working while   
   studying, and by taking out loans. I was able to attend The   
   Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania as   
   an undergraduate, achieve good grades, become successful and   
   achieve the American Dream.   
      
   My story is not unusual. It is the story of many millions of   
   Americans and why our country is a magnet for immigrants from   
   around the world.   
      
   Unfortunately, there are people who like to look for shortcuts.   
   If true, the alleged college admissions scandal spelled out in   
   an indictment by federal prosecutors in Boston Tuesday is a   
   stunning example of this.   
      
   Thirty-three wealthy parents were indicted, along with the   
   founder of an admissions consulting company, over a dozen   
   college athletic coaches, two test administrators and a test   
   proctor.   
      
   Among the rich and famous parents charged in the alleged scam   
   were actresses Lori Laughlin and Felicity Huffman.   
      
   According to prosecutors, some coaches took bribes to falsely   
   say students who were not actually competitive athletes were   
   being recruited to join school sports teams. In other cases,   
   cheating was allegedly used to inflate student SAT and ACT test   
   scores – including using a skilled test-taker to pose as   
   students whose parents had paid for the fraud.   
      
   This admissions fraud fuels the fire of the debate of the “haves   
   vs. the have nots” in society. It creates the impression that –   
   while this admissions scandal is likely a rare practice – all   
   you need is to be born wealthy to buy your way into a better   
   life, while those not born into wealth are doomed to a life with   
   little or no economic mobility.   
      
   This abuse of the system took away spots at prestigious   
   universities from those who put in the effort to earn those   
   spots without using connections or money. This was a tremendous   
   injustice to these students.   
      
   I know how meaningful it was for me to be able to see the fruits   
   of my own efforts rewarded. I can’t imagine being turned down   
   for admission to the university of my choice because someone who   
   didn’t put in the same work or effort that I did to do well in   
   high school cheated the system.   
      
   Those who try to game the system also devalue the educations of   
   people who earned their admissions on merit – especially those   
   who come from more modest backgrounds. It sullies the value of   
   the education and creates a perception that we also must have   
   done something wrong or unsavory by having the same degree as   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)