I’ll admit it. I thought I was making a bit of stretch the other night when I told WCCB that the new state policy of mandating that undocumented students be admitted to community colleges would lead — in a year or two, I said — to calls for the illegals to receive the benefit of in-state tuition.

I was wrong.

The Uptown paper of record today rides to the rescue with a call for in-state tuition for all undocumented students:

The real issue is this: The state legislature needs to change the law so that kids brought to this country illegally through no fault of their own qualify for in-state tuition at North Carolina’s universities and community colleges. …

Besides, undocumented students and their parents here pay taxes on their earnings that help support North Carolina’s higher education systems. It makes sense that if students attend and graduate from these institutions, they’ll find work paying better wages — and pay more taxes.

This isn’t a question of rewarding lawbreakers. These young people are not responsible for their parents’ mistakes. It is a question of practicality. The state needs all the ambitious graduates our schools can produce.

Clarifying the admissions policy is helpful. But influential leaders such as University of North Carolina system President Erskine Bowles can do more. The state’s colleges and universities ought to lead the effort to convince state lawmakers that undocumented immigrants who graduate from North Carolina high schools should qualify for in-state tuition.

See, this is at least honest. The avowed state policy of trying of mandate out-of-state tuition while admitting undocumented students makes no sense on its face. On the one hand Raleigh is saying legal residency does not matter and then — whoops — yes it does.

Your basic Nanny State liberal has no such problems. The state should provide all things free — or as “free” as possible — to all comers, at all times. Tax the “rich” and then give stuff away. Problem solved.

Tax. Give. Elect. Tax. Give. Elect.

This has been your 2008 civics class for Charlotte, North Carolina.

Update: Here is Gov. Whatshisname still ducking the issue.

He refused to say whether or not he supported the new policy.

The 1997 advisory letter had nothing to do with illegal immigration, Easley told the Observer after speaking at the Charlotte Chamber. The letter, written by one of Easley’s deputies at the attorney general’s office, was responding to the question of whether a community college could prohibit admission to a convicted criminal who was under court order to attend school.

“It’s totally different than the facts of the letter they relied upon,” Easley said.

Well, damn Governor is that right or is that wrong? I know North Carolina’s chief executive is weak by design, didn’t think that also meant gutless.