Community Chat

[lovesrecess]

The Department of Education is looking into a new scam some wealthy parents in the Chicago area are using to get their kids thousands in grants and scholarships for elite colleges. Probably not new, but now being made public. 

Parents turn guardianship of their own children over to co-workers or other relatives so the student can claim minimal income on their financial aid apps. When they are 18 they can claim independence...one reported only $4200 as his income from a summer job so he was able to get major Pell grants and/or scholarships.  They were just talking about this on FBC. Parents have homes worth millions of dollars...but don’t want to spend their money on college tuition. I hate these millionaire parents are taking this money away from truly needy students,Hope they have to pay every penny of this money back!

[chrystaltree]

 There are cheaters and thieves in everything.  People lie on resumes, they cheat to get their kids on teams and into schools and colleges.  They cheat on spouses and cheat on their taxes.  There are dishonest people in this world, that's a fact and it's certainly not new.  

[lovesrecess]

Such a terrible example for their kids...no wonder when they grow up they see no problem in cutting corners or gaming the system...especially if you are wealthy.

[beckyb1012]

When you think about it it really starts locally in our own towns in the lower grades.  Parents lie about where they live so a child can go to another grade school, middle school, or high school.  I remember kids doing it when I was jr. high back in the mid '70's and I knew parents who did in mid 2000's.  One couple wanted the better jr. high and high school but did not want to give up living on tons of land out in the country.  Grandparents address used instead.  But a lie and is a lie including lying just about a school district.

Parents just continue on from there I suppose.

[RetRN]

Sad to see so many parents being such poor role models. No wonder the rich get richer. I guess honesty and humility are no longer recognized by many.  And, there no longer seem to be any consequences for the liars and cheaters. 

[Cats3000]

@lovesrecessI haven't read about this.  However, if it is is true, this is what this country has come down to.  There are no moral codes, no boundaries, no "right and wrong"(can't judge others), no values and little foundation upon which each person rests his/her life.  It is self-aggrandizement above all else, first and foremost.  It is a decay and decline that is almost impossible to stop and reverse.

[Cats3000]

@RetRN   NO!!  The rich don't get richer because they are poor role models or because they lack honesty and humility.  People work hard for every dime they make and no one should begrudge their accomplishments or make nasty insinuations about how they accomplished what the did.

[dex]

j@lovesrecess @......sometimes I feel that more people could be better off if they managed their finances with a sharper pencil.We were careful with our finances and saved to help our son attend college..we rarely ate out,bought fewer clothes,I had no fancy cosmetics or bath products,had such old electronics that thieves didn’t want them and yet our son was able to play all of the sports he was interested in and we had our home paid off early and money saved for college.My dh was a police officer and I was a cashier at a grocery store.We built our home with help from my dad on our days off and used dh paycheck to buy materials.We lived on my paycheck which didn’t allow for much.We had no credit cards which I think now was probably a blessing.

        Anyhow I think it isn’t right to take something you don’t need away from those who do.When our son graduated college and couldn’t get work for the first six months he asked me if he should apply for assistance.We told him that he is our son to care for and he could move home until he found work.

Just as we posters have talked about in the past not everyone living in those mansions has the money to buy their own groceries..sometimes their lives are just an inch from going off the edge.

[lovesrecess]

When you raise your kids with a sense of entitlement, this can be the end result. They learn from what we do and what we say...even if we think they aren’t watching or listening....fuzzy paperwork and big checks greasing the palms of college administrators and coaches....don’t think for a moment the kids aren’t justifying it in their own minds....

[cactusgal]