It’s tough to complain when free money shows up in your mailbox. But is it wrong to ask how or why it got there?

The recent MAP Plus grant signed by Gov. Blagojevich awards $500 to students whose families earned less than $200,000 in the previous tax year. And while $500 is a lot less than the Pell Grants middle class students received before cuts by the Bush administration, it more than covers the cost of books for a semester.

The MAP Plus Grant is being touted as a chance to help the middle class deal with a higher education price tag increasingly geared toward the wealthy. NIU’s financial aid office is calling the grant a one-time deal and students who already qualify for a MAP grant will not benefit from the bill.

The sale of the student-loan portfolios — valued at more than $34 million — hasn’t happened yet. And Blagojevich signed the bill back in July. So, is a one-time $500 grant a legitimate solution to a very expensive problem, or is this bill a Blagojevich ploy for the student vote?

Students shouldn’t be fooled by this election-year ploy, but that doesn’t mean we’re not thankful for at least some extra financial aid. But what about making more permanent plans to solve the problem?

The Illinois Lottery and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority come to mind. Blagojevich has mentioned the sale of both as a means to generate cash flow for current budgets. The strategy is a hallmark for a governor often criticized for balancing the budget with the money of future generations.

The MAP Plus grant falls in line with previous Blagojevich policies; It’s little more than a short-term solution to a long-term problem.