I watched the regents meeting today where they proposed ways to alleviate the current fiscal crisis. They used the stimulous money as a stop-gap last year to save jobs, probably at the behest of the National Education Association (a union). Great. I like my job, but putting a bandaid on an arterial laceration doesn't fix the problem, it just delays it for later. Now, they propose 20% salary cuts, 6 furlough days per month, and layoffs. This will mean less access to instructors for students and other interruptions in service.
Anything that we do that is only circuitously related at best to the primary function of the institution should be cut. I told the governor this last year with the knowledge that I stood the risk to lose my job. We got along without all the extra campuses, the deans, and other administrative functions for years. We are here to teach students, and whatever money the state spends that is not related to instruction ought to be cut off.
The business of a university is to train people for jobs. We have programs and course offerings that are duplicated by the cities and municipalities around us. While interesting, bellydancing classes, yoga, and the like do not prepare people in and of themselves for careers in the state, so if the townships wish to provide that instruction, let them do it. A huge amount of excess munition and manpower goes to the support of research. Research does not serve our customers. It serves our employees. We continue to make capital improvements and expansion when facilities have been adequate for 10-15 years. If facilities are adequate, updates will not serve our customers at sufficiently low enough cost-benefit ratio to justify them.
They will make of this an excuse to raise taxes. Nobody wants to cut teachers. Truth is, we can cut plenty of people who are not teachers, and many of the teachers are not the best people to act in that office. Just because some of the people are in teaching positions does not mean they are the best people for the job. We ought to find people who love to teach and who excel at it, the best people in fact who are willing to do it for the wage we offer. I don't care who you know or how long you've been here or anything else. We serve the customer, our students, and every time one of the faculty hampers their progress we delay their entry into the productive sector of the economy. If 50% of the state budget is for state wages and benefits, we have too many state employees.
Anyone who takes a job for the pay as primary or only reason takes a job for the wrong reason. Education is something you do because you love it and not because you love the paycheck. If money is your primary focus, go do something else. People pay us for information, and if we do a piss-poor job, they should take their money elsewhere. Government, however, has a virtual monopoly on education, and so they cannot go anywhere else; many of them can barely afford the community colleges now. I paid barely more than they charge to attend graduate school, and that was only five years ago. Costs continue to rise as quality of instruction declines.
I oppose any effort to raise taxes and expand government. Successful attempts to raise taxes result in only more power for politicians. They will stick it to everyone because there will be less money to creat wealth, opportunities, and jobs if they take your money from you as you earn it. As soon as government takes money from the private sector, it dies. When they come for your money, they will tell you that it means less police, fire, and school access. The firemen refuse to take a paycut, the police can still make overtime, and spending more on schools hasn't made them better, it has made them worse.
When I have extra money, I buy things I need. I wish I could give it back, but the university won't allow it. So, last year, in the budget crisis, we bought a dozen microscopes we didn't really need at $3000 apiece because I didn't spend all the money I could have spent. For that, we could have saved dozens of employees their paycut, but no, Biology can't give anything up. They want you to look out for them, but they are jealous of what they have. They want you to sacrifice, but they insist on using everything they have.
Government will earn more money if they free the economy. If they give companies and individuals money to spend and invest, it will generate economic activity. As economic activity rises, jobs will return. When jobs return, there will be more income to tax, more goods moved to tax, and more homes/properties built and occupied by people with means to care for them which will raise the property tax base. If you raise taxes at the front, you hurt everyone. If you cut them at the front, you will get more at the back. Under Reagan, it resulted in record revenues in the treasury. Tax 100 things at 90% and you get less than if you can tax thousands or tens of thousands, even at a much lower rate.
I know that my honest feelings on this matter will land me in hot water. I told a friend yesterday however that it is always the right time to do the right thing. I told the governor last year to lay off extemporaneous state employees with the knowledge that I might get laid off. I will die doing what is right. I know my place. It is time you found yours. I will find another job. I have had hard jobs before, but this time I'm in better shape.
Anything that we do that is only circuitously related at best to the primary function of the institution should be cut. I told the governor this last year with the knowledge that I stood the risk to lose my job. We got along without all the extra campuses, the deans, and other administrative functions for years. We are here to teach students, and whatever money the state spends that is not related to instruction ought to be cut off.
The business of a university is to train people for jobs. We have programs and course offerings that are duplicated by the cities and municipalities around us. While interesting, bellydancing classes, yoga, and the like do not prepare people in and of themselves for careers in the state, so if the townships wish to provide that instruction, let them do it. A huge amount of excess munition and manpower goes to the support of research. Research does not serve our customers. It serves our employees. We continue to make capital improvements and expansion when facilities have been adequate for 10-15 years. If facilities are adequate, updates will not serve our customers at sufficiently low enough cost-benefit ratio to justify them.
They will make of this an excuse to raise taxes. Nobody wants to cut teachers. Truth is, we can cut plenty of people who are not teachers, and many of the teachers are not the best people to act in that office. Just because some of the people are in teaching positions does not mean they are the best people for the job. We ought to find people who love to teach and who excel at it, the best people in fact who are willing to do it for the wage we offer. I don't care who you know or how long you've been here or anything else. We serve the customer, our students, and every time one of the faculty hampers their progress we delay their entry into the productive sector of the economy. If 50% of the state budget is for state wages and benefits, we have too many state employees.
Anyone who takes a job for the pay as primary or only reason takes a job for the wrong reason. Education is something you do because you love it and not because you love the paycheck. If money is your primary focus, go do something else. People pay us for information, and if we do a piss-poor job, they should take their money elsewhere. Government, however, has a virtual monopoly on education, and so they cannot go anywhere else; many of them can barely afford the community colleges now. I paid barely more than they charge to attend graduate school, and that was only five years ago. Costs continue to rise as quality of instruction declines.
I oppose any effort to raise taxes and expand government. Successful attempts to raise taxes result in only more power for politicians. They will stick it to everyone because there will be less money to creat wealth, opportunities, and jobs if they take your money from you as you earn it. As soon as government takes money from the private sector, it dies. When they come for your money, they will tell you that it means less police, fire, and school access. The firemen refuse to take a paycut, the police can still make overtime, and spending more on schools hasn't made them better, it has made them worse.
When I have extra money, I buy things I need. I wish I could give it back, but the university won't allow it. So, last year, in the budget crisis, we bought a dozen microscopes we didn't really need at $3000 apiece because I didn't spend all the money I could have spent. For that, we could have saved dozens of employees their paycut, but no, Biology can't give anything up. They want you to look out for them, but they are jealous of what they have. They want you to sacrifice, but they insist on using everything they have.
Government will earn more money if they free the economy. If they give companies and individuals money to spend and invest, it will generate economic activity. As economic activity rises, jobs will return. When jobs return, there will be more income to tax, more goods moved to tax, and more homes/properties built and occupied by people with means to care for them which will raise the property tax base. If you raise taxes at the front, you hurt everyone. If you cut them at the front, you will get more at the back. Under Reagan, it resulted in record revenues in the treasury. Tax 100 things at 90% and you get less than if you can tax thousands or tens of thousands, even at a much lower rate.
I know that my honest feelings on this matter will land me in hot water. I told a friend yesterday however that it is always the right time to do the right thing. I told the governor last year to lay off extemporaneous state employees with the knowledge that I might get laid off. I will die doing what is right. I know my place. It is time you found yours. I will find another job. I have had hard jobs before, but this time I'm in better shape.
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