“Those without vision perish.” That is not the case for Arizona State Representative Frank Antenori, and his colleagues who had the vision and courage to penetrate decades of denial of benefits to disabled veterans that have been granted in many States for 40 years.
House Bill 2350: Tuition Waivers For Wounded Veterans, was signed by Governor Brewer on Friday. But with all the hoopla and circus of the Immigration Bill, the advocacy and diligence it took to get this fine piece of legislation pass the Board of Regents, has remained in the shade. Ironically that is often the way with Veterans Affairs. We give lip service to supporting veterans of war, but so seldom are there substantive results.
Antenori’s bill will mandate that Arizona community colleges and universities must provide tuition waiver scholarships to veterans whose wounds left them with a 50 percent disability rating, and a purple heart. These benefits could then be transfered to either ones spouse or children under the age of 30.
“These veterans are economically challenged with their disabilities, and their chances for working our going to be limited,” Antenori said.
For years, easily the past three decades, Arizona legislators, including the Board of Regents, and their administrative counterparts at all three major universities; Arizona State, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona have either blocked like kind legislation and or never allowed it to get out of committee. All of our fraternal organizations, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, AmVets, Disabled American Veterans, Marine Corps League, combined, have never been able to penetrate this veil of shame, even though all three of the universities take federal monies.
Three of the largest military installations in the United States are in Arizona, and we have not been able to take care of our vets the way this legislation proposes. Congratulations Antenori and company! This is the very reason we need more veterans in elected office.
And how did I learn of this bill that so many of my pals have worked to accomplish for most of their adult life? By an accidental conversation with a Vietnam Veteran who was recently elected as a vice president of the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America; Chapter #106. David Alegria, a Purple Heart recipient and the current President of the Purple Heart Association shared with myself and a couple of Iraq vets the exact modus operandi of getting this past the naysayers.
It is well known that the employees and their spouses get free tuition at our State Universities. Their dependents get a 75% discount on tuition. Juxtapose this with veterans who have signed over their life and soul for our country and it looks a bit silly to not grant the same perks. Especially when one proclaims they will publish a list of all those who get those benefits, including part time employees who are of great financial substance.
I know of these folks. One time while hobnobbing in the VIP room at a Football game, I meandered out to the terrace for a Pepsi. I was startled to see a very wealthy real estate developer working the booth. “What in the world are you doing here,” I asked. He stated with great pride of forethought that he took the job to get free tuition for his kids. I was floored! I later inquired about one of these jobs, anticipating the same financial foresight for my children, as this real estate maven had arranged. I soon discovered that this was a rather exclusive clan and that I would probably have to wait a very long time for one of those jeweled positions. Even a family President Club membership would not move me up in the ranks of the select.
To place this favored status on the table next to our veterans of war, who insure the very existence of higher education, was a stroke of genius on the part of Antenori and Alegria.
Too bad this never made the evening news. You all know that story.
Excellent piece, Mike. Well-said
Glad to see our wounded veterans getting some help. Also happy to see some ethical insight by reporter to show how skewed our values have become when immigration and part-time well-heeled donors can trump our veteran sons and daughters wherever there be benefits. We need more reporters like this too.
Why does Arizona politics seem to operate with the business model of I’m going to get mine and as soon as I’m going to be found out I’m willing to share. Where did the 77 million dollars go from Rio Nuevo?
The Vets have been denied for years because of simple selfishness and greed.
This is very painful to me, but I must give Mr. Antenori credit because in this case credit is due to him. It is my hope that he has had an epiphany of sorts that has led him to see the error of his ways and that this act of humanity towards veterans will now be representative of his behavior and rhetoric towards all others.
Leftfield, it is a shame you do not know the man, Antenori, because if you did, you would know that he is a principled individual with a great amount of humanity, which he demonstrates regularly. You may not agree with his politics, but that has nothing to do with his humanity.
On the contrary, it has everything to do with it. I’m sure that he is kind to animals and will take his mother out for a nice meal on Mother’s Day. Still, he voted for SB 1070 and that whole light bulb business was just stupid. I suspect his support of the veteran’s tuition waiver is undoubtedly more reflective of his support of extreme chauvanism and imperialism than any real concern about the individual humans involved. Nonetheless, I am willing to give him the benefit of the coubt in order to encourage more human-like behavior in the future.
Frank Antenori is one of the finest men I know, As a legislator he is a leader, as a friend, none better. I have disagreed with him on some issues and he has never shown me anything but respect and kindness.
He is also a veteran.
I support the veteran’s tuition waiver, but sadly I suspect that this is just more of a ideological gesture for the next election.
There is a lot of irony in the fact that Sen. Antenori voted against university and K-12 funding 100% of the time in 2009. 100%. While he has been very good about defending our US Constitutional arms rights, he has handily ignored our Arizona Constitutional mandates to our public K-12 schools and universities. As a fiscal conservative, I question how he can be advocating for bills that provide free tuition while undercutting hundreds of millions of dollars away from our state universities.
Glen Kerslake, President of the DM-50, Lawrence Portouw, President of the Fort Huachuca 50 and Steve Yamas, Executive Director of Fighter Country Partnership wrote a letter in May 2009 stating that they “strongly encourage (the state government) to resist calls for further cuts to education spending…” They remarked that “Holding the line on education spending is an investment in Arizona’s and America’s future”, and pointed out that Arizona’s low per-capita education spending statistics put our bases at risk for closure.
Since that letter was written, Arizona’s legislature cut millions more from our schools. These cuts impact all of the families currently serving on our Southern Arizona bases and to the soldiers already attending our universities. Ft. Huachuca also announced that Jan that 488 jobs will be eliminated there in 2010. Rumor has it that BRAC is considering further reductions in Southern Arizona, in part because of the difficulties they are having finding enough skilled, educated employees and the hesitation military families are showing due to the reputation of our schools and support for education.
I was supportive of Senator Antenori during the last election, but his words have not matched his actions when it comes to supporting the economy of our area. I can see where he is a great guy personally, but that doesn’t always equate to making good choices for the future of our state.
And finally — the article above implies that employees and their families get a ‘free ride’ at our state universities. I’m not sure if this was ever true before, but today I don’t believe that is factual. The University of Arizona has this link that clearly defines the discounted tuition rates for employees and their dependents.
Thanks for providing the link for the readers. It is indeed very clear that a part-time employee and their dependents qualify for tuition waivers, save a $25 fee. And a full-time wounded warrior qualified for nothing–until now.
I am 100% supportive of this measure however, your readers should know tha facts about Frank Antenori. This man has told the President of the University of Arizona that he wants to end all state funding for higher education in Arizona. If his plan became law, there would be no funds available for these important tuition waivers for vets. So when you vote, remeber to be informed. This senator is no friend of education.
Were one to want to dig up the past and all of the legislators that never allowed this proposal to get out of committee, I am sure the pattern and the people would be enlightening. But why rain on a positive parade of achievement that will benefit our men and women who served? The faster one gets through college, the faster they are a taxpayer. That is simply called “economic development,” and pales in the face of those who garner six figure salaries in the arena of economic development enterprises. Most of which are weak on performance.
How will the universities be able to offer tuition waivers when they’ve been pushed to the edge of bankruptcy by the cuts to education that Mr. Antenori has led? This bill is the height of hypocrisy – our vets deserve a promise that can actually be kept.
Can anyone tell us what Senator John McCain has done for Veterans in his 26 years as a Hero Senator?
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