Usually when the party out of power in the legislature proposes taxing or spending policy, or a budget, they don’t have to worry about fancy stuff like basic math. It isn’t going to pass or be the basis of negotiations, so who cares? Then the party that was out of power gets some power, and they then have to propose realistic things. But I think the GOP have been out of power for too long, that now they control the Senate again, they’re proposing things, but not paying for them (h/t).
The Senate Majority Coalition rolled out a $300 million plan Tuesday that would partially reverse years of cuts in spending on colleges and universities and hold the line on fast-rising college tuition – but already the signs of conflict are apparent.
[…]
The coalition proposal increases higher education spending by roughly 10 percent, from the current $2.7 billion to $3 billion. Where that $300 million will come from, no one knows – that’s a matter for budget-writers to consider in the weeks ahead.
Seriously, that was the sort of thing you could do when you were the scrappy opposition. But now you have to find someone who can actually use a spreadsheet, or something.
It works that way in Congress, too. Only a guy who knows there’s zero chance of his budget being passed can write one that depends on tax revenues from a law he plans to repeal.
Since it’s only a proposal at this time, and since the Democrat proposal was even higher and also didn’t specify how it would be paid for, maybe wait a bit until the budget is framed, hmmmm?????
Where that $300 million will come from, no one knows – that’s a matter for budget-writers to consider in the weeks ahead. The key thing is that Senate Democrats early in this year’s session proposed an even bigger increase in higher education spending, enough to cover both school overhead costs and keep tuition increases at zero. Like the largely Republican Senate majority, the Democratic Caucus also did not name a funding source. But the general idea was that some sort of tax increase would be required. The Senate Majority Coalition says it can do the job without new taxes.
Sen. David Frockt, D-Seattle, said the Dems are waiting to see the final budget proposal. “We are not sure whether their numbers add up,” he said. “We need to flesh out the details.”
If you look at the subheadline:
Behind That $300 Million Proposal Lurks Conflict Over Faculty Salary Increases
you get a clue as to where cuts might be made to enable more spending on the students.
More here:
If it sounds like there’s a bit of mistrust involved, it might be laid at the doorstep of Western Washington University, which last year raised tuition 10 percent – and then awarded salary increases to its faculty, over howls from then-Gov. Christine Gregoire and the Legislature.
Clawback time.
Not unrelated:
At a lecture to board members of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta last Tuesday, The Higher Education Bubble author and University of Tennessee Professor Glenn Reynolds reminded them of Stein’s principle of economics which says, If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”
Since the price of tuition grows faster than personal income, it’s rapidly becoming unaffordable to average families without reliance on their retirement savings, an inheritance or loans.
However, loans are just a temporary solution because graduates often don’t earn enough to pay them back. He describes the situation as a slow-motion train wreck.
“You’re not doing families a favor by loaning them money when they can’t earn enough money to pay it back,” he said.
http://www.times-herald.com/lo.....Morris-MOS
The speaker, Glenn Reynolds, is the Instapundit dude. You know, that gun-loving, libertarian conservative.
The fact that he’s telling the members of one of The Fed’s branches that college costs are unsustainable shouldn’t be lost on anyone.
McDonald’s had a great billboard ad, recently. It showed a generic latte and the caption, “Four bucks is stupid.”
So is $100K for a PhD in Critical Dance Studies.
And discredited serial putz..
The solution is staring us right in the face..
Heh. I’d be surprised if Putz agrees with this.
@3 Conservatives never saw a budget that couldn’t be balanced by cutting someone else’s paycheck.
BRAVO for more higher ed money.
How to pay for it? Take it out of the pig’s asses. We spend way too much on law enforcement.