Greedy North Dakota Board of Higher Education Want to Spend Today; Oppose Measures 1 and 2!
BISMARCK — If North Dakota voters pass initiated measures No. 1 and No. 2, it would hurt the future of the state, not just North Dakota University System’s plans for holding tuition steady and granting faculty salary increases, members of the Board of Higher Education said Wednesday.
“We’d have to raise tuition 8 (percent) to 12 percent,” President Richie Smith of Wahpeton, N.D., said during the discussion.
Well first of all how irresponsible is this. The Board of Higher Education is encouraging the state to keep raiding the Permanent Oil Tax Trust Fund in order to keep pumping money to the University system so they can keep spending like drunken fools. And since when have they been trying to keep tuition steady. Last year the legislature gave them a shocking TWENTY-ONE PERCENT INCREASE in state funding. Did they cut tuition or even hold tuition constant. NO. Tuition at UND went up 5.8% in the first year of the biennium and 6.25 in the second year.
Let’s not forget that these are the same irresponsible folks that were planning to demand a 53% increase in funding from the legislature. So we know that their only priority is spending more, not responsibly managing the higher education system.
Measure one would protect the Permanent Oil Trust Fund from the big spenders in the legislature. In fact in the last two sessions Governor Hoeven and crew have raided nearly a quarter billion dollars from our trust fund. That fund is vital in order to cushion us from the vagaries of the cyclical oil industry. Today the price of oil dropped down below $80. Oil revenues are not a sure thing.
Some, given the cyclical nature of the industry, say it’s too risky to lower the tax rates. Risky as compared to what, spending increases. As we found in the last oil boom when the state government foolishly spends the money they don’t want to cut back spending. No all we get is tax increases piled on top of tax increases. Because according to the government unions and spendocrats they certainly shouldn’t be expected to suck in up in lean times, that’s for the regular folks.
They are also against measure two that would provide the citizens of North Dakota with vital income tax relief. Of course the big spenders in the governor’s mansion and the Board of Higher Education don’t want to see the general public benefit from the oil boom. No they think that this money belongs to them to parcel out to government employees and other special interests.
I’d like to ask them WHY they are so afraid to have the states taxpayers share in the good time?
The Board of Higher Education is appointed by the Governor. This entire mess can be laid at his feet. He’s let the oil money go to his head.
Kenny
realitybasedbob
Mark
robert108
Rodney Graves
goon
