Times have changed. My parents made more than 27k, however I received a decent amount of assistance including maximum allowable Pell Grants each year (the vast majority of my tuition came from scholarship though). I would wager if you're not receiving anything when your parents have such a low income (12k for a single man is poverty level, 21, 200 for a family of 4) then the school you're attending must be very, very affordable.

I'd wager from your description you're attending a small university or community college with a sub 5k tuition.

If your grades and testing were over the top, you'd have received a full ride so I'd guess you're average (no shame in that, hard work can make up for more IQ pts then you'd think).

With the above assumptions, I can clearly line up your advantage for you:

• If not for socialized/subsidized education and government programs you wouldn't even have this opportunity. The college you attend would likely not be in operation and your level of academic excellence would not have gained you admittance into education systems still available. Your advantage is that you even have the opportunity to break your forefather's patterns of low income/large families through access to a public education.

Enjoy!

oh, and I'm not saying your being dishonest don't interpret it that way. But if you haven't found any assistance at that income level you may wish to dig deeper. Also, if you can demonstrate that you are independent from your parent's income you can apply as an individual for aid. I did this myself due to my parents having a gross income which through financial mismanagement and debt was of no assistance to myself. A family of 4 @ 27k is only a hair above full on poverty level. If someone tells you that's not enough for aid, they're yanking your chain or your going to a 2k per year school (shit, you can make 2k at burger king let alone at a real job).

You contradict your own premise.

Life is not meant to be fair, live with it.

There are three tiers to a successful nation:

• A healthy national economy
• A healthy and skilled labor force
• A healthy military

Extreme right view points ignore the need for a healthy and skilled labor force and its impact on the other two. You protest that no one person has "the right" to be compensated for a disadvantage. However, the entire notion of society is built upon just this right. The right for a collaborative of individuals to work toward a common end despite relatively minor inconveniences to an individual.

So you ask, why should I have to pay out of pocket to send some poor kid to school who could not otherwise afford it? Why should I spend money to improve education and decrease negative social pressures in low income neighborhoods when I live in a nice suburb seemingly unconnected?

The response is simple, it costs more to imprison a man then to educate him. . . and the education also benefits society by producing a skilled member of the worked force. Society receives a net gain when it assists an out of work man in finding employment then if it ignores his plight.

If you don't like the system, then so be it. Walden it up if you wish, but be a man of principle and shirk all the social welfare you enjoy on a daily basis such as socalized military, socialized police, socialized road and transport, subsidized agriculture, subsidized economies. And when you take off to the hills for a life of solitude unburdened by the unfair demands for good health, equal opportunities, and pursuit of a decent life of your fellow man please don't drive on our roads, our airways, or purchase any of our subsidized foods on your way out.

I get this, and variations of it, so commonly it nigh drives me insane.

The file mentioned is invariably an input file the user had to designate, such as "someprog --input /foo/bar/bah". So I pause, waiting for the glow of realization to descend upon them .....when it never comes.

Another pause.

This happens so often I have to count to 10 in my head and focus on not letting the irritation enter my voice. Did I mention that the majority of people I support are 2 and 3rd year Neuroscience PhD students and PhD researchers/professors?

When you are pretty much describing to a T, a classic, ancient, and oft disproven logical fallacy....you might want to consider rethinking your argument.
Continuum Fallacy