In regards to the DREAM Act, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan argues that “America is the only country [the children of illegal aliens] know…they deserve every opportunity to go further in life. Our country needs the benefits of their skills, their talent and their passion.”

What about the skills, talent and passion of the American citizen? This is a slap in the face to the law-abiding citizens of the U.S., including the immigrants who legally entered this country.

By definition, illegal aliens are breaking our country’s laws. So why are we helping unlawful people?

“I think the DREAM Act is another example of legislation aimed at rewarding people who are here in our country illegally,” said Austin Quick, senior political science major. “It would, in fact, show the world that, as far as immigration goes, we reward those who break our laws with an education and a job.”

According to a Nov. 7, 2007, USA Today article, “Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.”

In other words, the people who fight for this country’s freedoms are jobless while the “skillful illegals” are getting the jobs and the education. Shame on you, America.

One of the requirements in the proposed legislation that would eventually grant illegal aliens citizenship is that they must have “good moral character with no criminal record.” Who is in charge of judging the “good moral character” of these people?

“You can classify every single non-convict as a moral person, even though it’s obvious to all of us that you can be immoral without disrupting legality,” said freshman English major Dan Cozzi. “It should be apparent to all of us that morality cannot be measured by a legal document.”

Also, illegal aliens think that by getting their child into this country, the child will benefit from taxpayers’ wallets to attend school and get an education, allowing them to live the “American Dream” and eventually send for the rest of their family.

“The lesson of moral hazard is clear: Making exceptions to the rule of law for sympathetic law-breakers only creates more law-breaking and more injustice towards the law-abiding in the future,” said Heather Mac Donald in her article in the National Review. “Federal representatives should resist the emotional appeal of the DREAM Act’s beneficiaries and vote it down, until the border is demonstrably secure. It continues to send the message that the U.S. is not serious about its immigration laws, but will always eventually confer the same benefits on people who break the law entering the country as on those immigrants who respected American law.”

It is not the job of the federal government to provide educational benefits to foreign nationals.

Their job is to provide for Americans. The basis of the DREAM Act is flawed from the beginning because it is only applicable to people who operate, work, and live outside of the American system of government.

How can the government, in good conscience, devote resources, time and money to a program aimed at helping people who do not pay the taxes needed to keep that government running?

The DREAM Act would be fine if it were to be considered a charity program or funding for it was 100 percent voluntary by non-profit organizations. However, using American tax dollars to educate non-citizens is completely inappropriate.