Thursday, April 10, 2008

Why children should be seen and not heard

Six UW system student governments cried, "Gimmee, gimmee, gimmee!" They want taxpayers to:
-- Increase pay and improve retention for UW faculty and staff using strictly state funds.

-- Increase funding for the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant, the Advanced Opportunity Program and the Lawton Undergraduate Retention Grant program.

-- Support a veterans' tuition remission program funded completely through state funds.

-- Cap tuition increases so they don't exceed the rate of inflation.

-- Provide funding for domestic partner benefits for all UW employees.

-- Provide funding for mental health counseling at all UW institutions.

-- Make sure state law ensures that the average tuition increase is matched dollar-for-dollar with the average Wisconsin Higher Education Grant award.

I'm surprised they didn't ask for free massages and pedicures every Friday. Sadly, if this shows anything it's that students should be required to take more economics courses. They might learn money doesn't grow on trees.

I should note, too, that one of the student governments belongs to UW-Milwaukee, touted by WTMJ's Charlie Sykes as an indicator student governments can be run by conservatives. If these are the conservatives, we can shudder at what passes for today's radicals.

I offer the same advice I have offered to students ever since my days at UW-Milwaukee: abolish student government. It isn't representative. It isn't responsible. It's inherently corrupt and it just costs money. Kick the kids back to the classrooms where they belong.