There are two ways to look at everything. You don't think kids should be "punished" for having poor parents...I don't think kids should rewarded for having poor parents.
If you want the money for school, earn it. Do your time serving in some capacity.
And just to be clear, I don't look down on kids that take .gov grants. They're looking out for #1. I just don't think it should be an option.
I think you missed my point entirely. The Pell grant is not a reward, it is an investment by the government. They are not stoopid on this one, they know they will see that money back.
As far as earning money for school...I would argue that the majority of college students are not paying for their school out of something they earned.
They are either attending on the dime their parents earned, or on a bet by the loan/credit companies on the money they will earn in the future (how I went) or on a scholarship provided for services they will render in the future (educators/military). They will have their education before they have earned anything. That goes for the ROTC/Academy/BDCP guys as well. When you graduate from the school, you haven't earned anything yet...but you are expected to pay it back by your service over the next 4-10 years (kind of like a loan, isn't it?)
I hate to say it midn09, but you have yet to earn anything yet that you have received...you are still in school (according to your profile) That means my taxes are paying your scholarship right now, and as an investor I am betting that you don't Shrute it up by getting a DUI in primary or getting NPQ'd in a waterskiing accident or attrited for poor performance. Unfortunately guys do that here almost every week...and many of them don't have to pay back their scholarship. Sometimes I lose that bet.