I attend MSU and am now in my Junior year. My parents didn't attend college because they didn't have the money and now my Dad makes enough money to support the family but can't fund three kids through college. On the FAFSA I am not eligible for need based anything because his income is so high but they don't take into consideration that my parents were never able to save money. My taxes and my parent's taxes are funding 2.5 low income students to come to college and fail. My 4.0 in high school and 3.57 in college has granted me no funding from the Michigan government, and now the only promise they made me is being cut as well. Wake up people! You are not talking about stupid rich kids stealing your money. This scholarship is one of the only scholarships out there that caters to a middle class white male.

My info on the tobacco settlements comes from the fact finder report followed by research on my own.

Every single high-schooler I have seen that has posted on this thread has a job. That argument is absolutely irrelevant and somewhat insulting. You act as if we just get by without having to do any work when in reality, nearly all of my friends balanced school, extracurriculars, a job, and a social life and still worked hard enough to qualify for this Michigan Merit scholarship. If you know of a summer job -- even a job that goes all year -- for high school and college age kids that will make us roughly $20,000 a year for tuition... you let me know. I'd like to tell you that I work 40 hours a week and worked every single night during the school year. It's still expensive no matter how you cut it. This isn't whining. This is the real, hard truth. College is more expensive now than ever and we are going to need help if we are going to stay educated.
Also, the argument to go to community college is a decent one... if you discount the fact that those also cost money to attend.
Taxes are taxes -- you are going to be paying them no matter what. If a few kids get to have a chance at an education based on a small percentage of your tax money (although I am still not convinced this is coming from taxpayer money entirely) big deal! Old people have been retiring off of it for years! And we aren't going to have social security waiting for us at the end of our line... and we have been taxpaying members of society since we picked up our first high-school job.

The college tuition checks are due in August. I can not make enough money at the ice cream shop I work at to make up this loss. we students have not been given enough warning for the fall. This was not a freebee we worked for it! A promise is a promise right? Michigan is a state with integrety right?

The point is that the current government officials will say one thing one day and another the next. They will make others sacrifice while they line their back pockets. These students did not come asking for handouts. They were actually promised that if they met certain standards and performed well on a series of tests they would receive a little scholarship help. They have now learned at a young age not to trust or believe anything politicians say. I say to vote in some regular Joe, non-politicos, and leave them in for only one term--then get different ones. We need people who actually care about regular citizens, who are themselves just regular folks. These lifetime politicians are starting to make me gag. And isn't it great that the federal stimulus plan is helping us out SO Much. Thanks Nobama!

Get real, why do I need to continue to subsidize your education? Kid's know they want to go to collage, they need to develop a plan to pay for it themselves. How about a job, how about attending a local community collage for the first two years. Take some personal responsibility for a change instead of looking to society to take care of your needs. Broken promise? for what, these kids have done nothing to earn this money. I served this country for 6 years in the military, when I enlisted I was promised a full collage education, the our fine leaders decided to bad and took away the GI benefits which had been promised to us. What did we do ? Suck it up, develop a new plan and move forward...

I would like to know how you know that all this money is coming from the tobacco settlement. How much is coming from our taxes to pay for this tuition. How far do you think that this settlement will go anyway? Just another brain wash from our Governor to you. I wish that people would understand that the money does run out and they have to subsidize it with something else. Do you have any dea what that something else is?

That's what happens when you trust the government.

We ALL know of promises the government has broken...but I can't figure out why many people still trust that the government will keep its promises.

Those of you saying that we just need to get over it don't really seem to understand how hard it is to pay for college in this day and age. This is not a question of partisan politics or whether or not YOU can afford college or are willing to pay loans("Too Bad"....that was for you)it is a problem involving the trust we can have in our government. We took this test and we got good grades and we were promised this money by our state officials. It's different than social security since we are already informed that we may not have that money waiting for us. Not having this money for those that were awarded it (those that took the MEAP test in 2008 and 2009)makes a sham of our government and a sham out of our hardwork. Now, I am not making this argument because I am going to use this money -- I am actually going to school in New Jersey in the fall. You know how much money I have to spend per year? With a $12,000 scholarship and some school grants? Let me tell you it is about the cost of a new car, boat, etc... only times that by four for each year it will take me to graduate with a Bachelors degree. I would've drooled over a scholarship like the Michigan Merit money. I was jealous of my friends that got to use it. Now, I feel bad for them because the money that they thought they could use, that they budgeted around, might disappear under their feet. It's the principle of the thing. A promise is a promise, it's that simple.

Also, before I end my post, I would like to remind all of you complaining about your taxes that most of us have jobs and are paying taxes to the state as well. This money doesn't even come from our taxes. It's from tobacco settlements. This is not at your misfortune. It's a benefit - we could fill our state with educated people and build up our chances at success.

I was reading the comments over and found one that said that we should be willing to support the giving away of money to help the kids and make Michigan great again. Well if a person would look at Texas and see what they are doing, NO Taxes and No problem with a defcit spending. What do you suppose they are doing and we are not doing here in Michigan. One other thing that is true about this money for the kids for college is that as soon as they get out of college they are gone from Michigan because there are NO jobs here and our Governor is not doing anything to get them here.I still feel that a kid should not reliy on the government to suppy him or her everything in life. It is about time people take responsibility for themsevles and not want someone else to take care of them.

WOW - do you people know how much it costs to go to college these days????

For those of you whining that these kids should pay for college themselves: the Promise Scholarship only pays $1,000 per year for the first two years, then $2000 in the third year. It costs approximately $20,000 per year to live on campus at most of Michigan's universities. WHERE DO YOU THINK THE OTHER $19,000 IS COMING FROM???? The Promise Scholarship pays a tiny part of the cost! The real issue is the timing of this decision. When you are trying to get all your financing in order and you don't know whether or not that $1,000 is coming or not, it's a bit unsettling.

Most kids know the world doesn't owe them anything, but they do have the right to be disappointed when something that was promised to them for working hard in school may now be taken away from them.

WOW - do you people know how much it costs to go to college these days????

For those of you whining that these kids should pay for college themselves: the Promise Scholarship only pays $1,000 per year for the first two years, then $2000 in the third year. It costs approximately $20,000 per year to live on campus at most of Michigan's universities. WHERE DO YOU THINK THE OTHER $19,000 IS COMING FROM???? The Promise Scholarship pays a tiny part of the cost! The real issue is the timing of this decision. When you are trying to get all your financing in order and you don't know whether or not that $1,000 is coming or not, it's a bit unsettling.

Most kids know the world doesn't owe them anything, but they do have the right to be disappointed when something that was promised to them for working hard in school may now be taken away from them.

Promises of scholarships is similar to Social Security. One does not know if it will be there when the need arises so it is best not to count on this. I am sad students cannot get assistance especially in this economic times. Perhaps the 'gov' could sell the 2nd home that is provided free to her, on Mackinaw Island and add it to the limited coffers. The almost 61,000 per year maintenance would be a small, but just as needed, savings as removing programs from children and the elderly. Everyone in Michigan should be making concessions and this includes elected officials.

This is a broken promise. The state is sinking because of the older and middle age population. We are educated, but somehow not creative enough to start an industry to sustain the state. We are looking for medicare, disability, retirement benefits; but have no concern with the future of the state. If we did, we'd be putting money towards the education and development of the youth and new business that will make our state great again. That's how other people in the world are taking the lead and we are being left in the dust. Instead many boomers run and hide in Florida and Arizona and complain about how things are. Wake Up Michigan we can be Great again!!!

Everybody thinks the state owes them everything. Thats my tax money not the state. You want that $4,000. Scholarship for college ask me not the state. and my answer will be NO. Get a job and pay for your own education and stop asking me for a free hand out.

Being months away from my first college payment myself I understand how important every sent is to a college bound student. My family is working on a way to pay for my education and finding out that some of the money we were counting maybe be gone right as we are about to use it is very disappointing.

The last comment mentioned that we shouldnt expect the money and ride on peoples backs-get loans instead! Well yeah fine, sure but its not that we are looking for it or want it becasue we are trying to take money from the government because we dont want to pay for college. It was something that was promised to us by our government and now we feel violated because it is getting ripped out from under us. And by the way... a lot of us will still have to pay loans, $4,000 doesnt pay the college bill anymore in case you were wondering. Do you really think that cutting off funding for the future generation is the only way we can help end our debt?? Come on!!!

First they increase tobacco tax and say it is for health care. Then they divert it for college both ok I suppose. Now they are taking it away, that revenue is still coming in so where will they imbezzle it now? Just like the lottery they run ads that they have surplus cash on hand and need it to go, meanwhile schools are struggling. I agree lawmakers should take pay cuts now and I also think you should do a fact finder on there pay scales and how much they actually work seems they get a lot of breaks or recesses for what they actually do!!!!!!!

All you people whining about "Promise Broken"....Too Bad. Guess what, my daughter will go to college in two years, has had a 3.88GPA while playing sports and being involved in the community, and I always expected to pay for college without my hand out for someone else to pay for it. Yes, we'll take out loans and actually have to pay for it for years. Oh my. Imagine that, me, paying for my own kids education instead of all of you. Put your hands back in your pockets. Why do you believe someone else should foot the bill for your son or daughter to get a good education, while someone else's kids have to take out loans. If the money is there, then great, you're lucky. If not, TOO BAD. The only problem in America these days is that everyone wants everything handed to them, and then cry when they don't.

I am sorry for her but I feel that if a person wants to go to college bad enough there are ways to do it other then state promises to pay for it. If you look at the government to do everything for you then you are putting other people in a hardship by paying more taxes and that is not right. You want the education then you should find ways to get the money for it. My son and his wife went to college and took out loans to pay for it and now are paying them back with there good jobs they got. That should be the way you do it or work while you are in school and pay for it that way. Don't put it on the backs of people that can not afford more taxes.

This has been funded with money that smokers should have gotten for their health. Primise the state will take the money and use it for what it was intended. Promise broken.

Promise to kids that hard work and keep your grades up you will get money for your higher education. Promise broken.

A listing of all that voted for this and possible reduction in the Michigan Tuition Grant which is also begin reduced should be poseted. We voted them in on what they said they were going to do. Don't let them make promises and break them.

With so many taxpayers losing their jobs and accepting wage cuts to do their part, shouldn't the government do their part and accept a wage cut immediately? Only government officials are lucky to get high pay for breaking promises.

OK, enough sad stories about all the people that will be affected by cuts in all the social programs our state will have to do!
We all will be affected in one way or another with the cuts. But what's the alternative? Let our state file bankruptcy? I don't think that's even possible. California started handing out IOU's today...Michigan is next!
Our state has lived off the prosperous auto industry for over 50 years. We all know the Southeast corner of this state runs the show. But now that the well (the auto industry) has dried up, we'll all have to suck it up for a while, let industry remake itself, get the government out of our backpocket and get to work to rebuild this state.
All the whining in the world isn't going to change our situation anytime soon.
What we have to do is be sure the cuts are spread evenly across all the social programs. That includes welfare recipients, government payroll, all education venues, and on and on.
So, every American should be watching and paying attention to what's being cut and that the cuts are being done fairly. And, watch your legislatures and see who's voting for what. If the legislatures are not voting fairly, they need to be voted out in 2010. That's how we change America and that's how we get fairness back. And, if you vote some of these idiots (Levin and Stabenow are at the top of that list and we just voted them in for another 4 yrs) back into office, then don't complain!
America needs and must wake-up to what's going on right now and we need to stop all this crazy spending and get this country and our state, in particular, back on track!!!
Hang on because I think we're in for a ride none of us have ever experienced in our livetime.

My son also received the Promise Scholarship for $1000 each year for all four years of college. Last year with his other scholarships and the Promise scholarship the cost was only $500 a year for a community college. Today he received a letter from the college saying that they were not going to honor the Promise Scholarship because the state can not make up their mind on its status. So we have to pay the bill and will be paid back if the state does come through with the money. Promise broken for sure, good grades and hard work out the window as far as the state is concerned.