I hope there are some good jobs in my field next year

I have already been ranting on FB about this budget's destruction of public education and explicit move to privatize education. So I won't rant about that here.

Other nice features:

-- No capital gains taxes for those who invest in business. (Because THAT'LL fix the budget hole. Oh wait.)

-- Eliminates our college financial aid promise to middle school kids who get good grades. (Screw you, poor kids)

-- Provides money for highways (I guess we need those since he refused the federal stimulus money for high-speed rail and GAVE IT BACK)

-- Enacts changes that'll keep people in prison longer (Because THAT'LL save money...oh wait)

-- Reduces regulations to control pollution

-- Eliminates our recycling programs (WTF?!?)

-- Cuts at least 1200 jobs

Oh, but he does include raises for one group of state workers: prosecutors. Now, prosecutors do important work and I'm sure they deserve raises. I don't begrudge it. But honestly, could these pieces of the bill make it any clearer that this is NOT about fixing our budget and is instead simply about enacting super conservative policies?

There are 26 institutions in our state university system and the Governor's budget enacts a 250 million cut in funding to the universities, split 50/50 between our flagship campus (my institution) and the other 25. Our flagship gets 125 million in cuts, the other 25 shares the remaining 125 million in cuts.

Seem a little out of whack?

An attempt to destroy the flagship?

Education is dangerous. We must be doing something right for the conservatives to be so intent on destroying it. Education provides people with options and opportunities. Education is an incredible threat to the existing power structure that endlessly privileges the wealthy. I can understand why our Governor is intent on destroying public education at the K-12 level as well as our state flagship, one of only 4 public universities in the nation that are in the top 20 for quality and research output. Such an institution is incredibly dangerous to conservative values.

This budget makes a lot of sense.