2/22/2007
Hintz and Wells: lessons on budgeting
“Your tuition went up because of Medicaid” is what Rep. Gordon Hintz (D – Oshkosh) answers when students ask him why tuition went up. The UW Oshkosh Advance-Titan quotes Rep. Hintz and UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Wells in an interesting account of a Friday visit by Governor Doyle to UW-Oshkosh.
Hintz and Wells attended an invitation-only meeting with the Governor and about 65 others, including Oshkosh Mayor Bill Castle and Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna. Hintz expanded on what he apparently explains to students who ask the ‘tuition question’ (Why did tuition go up?):
“Low-income seniors apparently out-trump students, and we’re one of five states that fully funds Medicaid. The decision was made where they weren’t going to cut poor people out of the budget, so they put (the expenses) on the backs of students.”
I guess that nails it pretty well. A budget is all about choices and establishing priorities.
Overall, newly-elected Rep. Hintz’s comments from the meeting seem to support the Governor’s budget, though he has this to say about the proposed $1.25/pack tax on cigarettes:
“My biggest reservation about (the cigarette tax) is that we’re dedicating revenue towards something that will decline in future years,” Hintz said. “And that’s how the state got itself in trouble in the ‘90s. What happens when you have a cigarette tax is you get additional revenue and a pretty accurate forecast for this year, and maybe it’ll stay for two to four years, but eventually it’ll decline if we invest some of that money into smoking cessation programs.”
Exactly. New revenues, new programs. Revenues decline, programs continue. We’ve been there, done that. Must not do it again.
Chancellor Wells expressed appreciation about several increases provided for in Doyle’s budget. Ultimately, Dr. Wells finds a way to turn some of the lemon slices into lemonade, to find a selling point for presumably budget-slashing Republicans:
“We have to make the case [for the UW budget] on a bipartisan basis,” Wells said. “We appreciate now having the opportunity to support financial aid. By having this funding available for more faculty, it’s going to enable the students to move through curriculum more quickly, which therefore reduces their debt.”
Well, that’s one way to look at it…..
Finance Plan a “little creative”
Chancellor Wells, at one point suggests we’ve all really just got to think through these new taxes and fees in the budget.
“The governor is trying to ask everyone to think about this budget carefully… On one hand, he’s trying to find tax relief for middle-income working people. On the other hand, he’s getting additional revenue to support public goods. His finance plan is a little creative, but also a little uneasy to people because they haven’t had the chance to really think that through.”
How about this for creative thinking? Go back to the brief Hintz prioritizing lesson above. Instead of “creative” new ways to fund this budget (actually to fund the deficits of previous budgets), how about digging in to the budget and finding programs that, by some agreed-upon criteria (granted, it's political...), are lower priority projects that can be phased out.
I know every program sounds essential when Governor Doyle is talking about it. And any program that hits you personally might not be a “lower priority program.” It isn’t easy. I know. Prioritizing and making the tough decisions is a huge project. (Some counties have successfully done it…. But that’s not the whole state, I know…) And our agencies and legislators are working away at it all the time. But gosh dang it, we are in deficit. It’s so oft-repeated that it’s become a cliché…but, isn’t prioritizing what we have to do with our budgets at home?
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