[ForStarters]

Rep. Genetski: Closing one or two state colleges ‘a very real possibility' - Crain's Detroit Business - Detroit News and Information

To me, this seems like a pretty drastic solution to balancing the budget.

I am sick of hearing that we don't have money for schools when our government spends billions on wasteful things here in Michigan and wastes trillions of dollars building schools and infrastructure in foreign lands. What is happening to us?

[Retroit]

Makes cents to me. Or better yet: privatize them. I could never understand why they are publicly funded in the first place. Why should tax money from people who can't afford college be used to subsidize people that can?

(I'm not in favor of building schools and infrastructure in foreign lands either though.)

[Coldjensens]

Does Michigan build schools in foreign lands?

I sure woudl like to see them tighten up the budget before they start closing schools. THere is always a certain amount of waste, graft and loss incporated into a government spending budget. Large companies have to do the same thing.

However between the scholarship cuts and the cutting of funding and restuling tuition increases, they are going to have a hard time getting students to fill the schools anyway.

[michigan83]

I am sick of hearing that we don't have money for schools when our government spends billions on wasteful things here in Michigan and wastes trillions of dollars building schools and infrastructure in foreign lands. What is happening to us?

What on earth are you talking about? I think you are confusing the national budget with the state budget.

[scolls]

Originally Posted by michigan83

What on earth are you talking about? I think you are confusing the national budget with the state budget.

Snyder said he was cutting funding to schools so apparently we don't have money for schools

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by scolls

Snyder said he was cutting funding to schools so apparently we don't have money for schools

Actually the article has very little to to with Snyder. The represetnative that was interviewed said that Snyder possibly did not cut enough and it may be necessary to close some state funded colleges to achieve further cost reduction. THe point he is making is not that Snyder cut too much from schools, but that he did nto cut enough fromthe budget. The interviewee says that closing some colleges may be necessary to achieve further reductions. It appears that he is referring to communicty colleges but for some reason did nto want to say so. THis is not a disaster. If they close a small community college, the students can simlpy drive a little further (or maybe drive less) and attend a different community college.

If certain community colleges require more state funding to stay afloat and others require less, it makes sense to close some and consolidate. We are not alone. The articale says that other states are closing some state colleges as well. Further, it does not say that the are closing colleges, it says that they may have to close colleges.

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by michigan83

What on earth are you talking about? I think you are confusing the national budget with the state budget.

I am acutely aware of the differences between the state and federal budget. However, it seems ludicrous to me that a state that pays so much into the coffers of both budgets would be in the position of closing educational institutions while the U.S. spends trillions abroad on infrastructure I'll never use in places that I'll never visit for people who I'll never meet.

So, again, I ask, what is happening to us?

If anything, we need better schools that offer more practical educations that are accessible to more students. If the State wants to streamline higher education, make it more efficient, etc. Fine. But, in a time when Michigan is suffering a brain drain and simultaneously needs to diversify its economy, colleges seems counterproductive to that goal.

If the State wants to privatize, that's fine by me so long as they deliver a quality education and are affordable. Most private colleges out way out of reach for the majority of citizens. Unless there is a conspiracy afoot to keep the masses uneducated and dependent, then it seems like higher education should be accessible, even if the curriculum adjusts with the demands of the times.

[scolls]

Originally Posted by Retroit

Makes cents to me. Or better yet: privatize them. I could never understand why they are publicly funded in the first place. Why should tax money from people who can't afford college be used to subsidize people that can?

(I'm not in favor of building schools and infrastructure in foreign lands either though.)

You're not in favor of building infrastructure here. Why should tax dollars pay for K-12 school?

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by scolls

You're not in favor of building infrastructure here. Why should tax dollars pay for K-12 school?

We can't actually expect parents to be responsible enough to pay for their own children's education, can we? Why not force childless people to help pay? This is a socialist country, isn't it?

[Retroit]

MSU opened a campus in Dubai recently. Maybe they can close that.