CU tuition hike a betrayal of taxpayers
As a fiscal conservative, one of the most difficult issues I have ever voted for was Referendum C. The voters of Colorado were promised that, if passed, one-third of the additional revenue would go to higher education to reduce steep tuition increases. I didn’t want to vote for it but did so for my kids, all three now in college. Now the University of Colorado Regents have approved an outrageous tuition increase of 14.6 percent (“Reluctant CU regents OK steep tuition hike,” June 29). While a small increase of, say, 3 percent would be reasonable, this is not.
This issue, like many others, proves that most politicians and elected officials cannot be trusted. They have in fact, lied to and double-crossed the hard-working people of Colorado who make tremendous sacrifices so that their children can attend college. Instead of our Referendum C money going to higher education, it is being siphoned off to fund a variety of other “programs” passed by the legislature, and signed by Gov. Bill Ritter.
Jeff Dark, Centennial
Can't trust the government?
DUH!
Yea I did too.
Reluctantly so.
Shame on who?
hey they have to pay for the quality professors like ward.
any time the elected say they are going to take more money from us tax payers for anything to pull your heart strings, you can bet they are going to use it to pay for their special social programs.
remember how they trashed Tabor? gee now they can steal as much as they want and smile while doing it.
Com'on you know they need the money. Ward has to be paid along with his legal fees by every one other then himself. The money has to help pay for the free education to illegals who get preferential treatment over our legal youth. They need the money to promote thier leftist adgenda.
I voted no on C. Anyone with common sense should have voted no. All the bleeding hearts played thier cards "its for the children". Just because it feels good does not mean it is good. Ever hear of a little touogh love. Instead of buying all this computer crap. How about having the students learn to figure things out in their head or with paper and pencil. Instead of typing an essay paper what is wrong with penmanship. Have them write it long hand.
Instead of paying for lieing, plagerising propagandist proffesors, and giving them absurd wages so they can drive new cars and live high on the hog. How about having them earn a living wage like the resty of us. Does the regencts really need such a large salary when they do nothing.
Oh yeah, and did you note the fact that they are reaping greater revenues than originally anticipated from Referendum C??
We are right back to where we were before the TABOR amendment. Both Democrats and our own former Governor Bill Owens fooled the majority of voters.
While I can say that I did not vote for Referendum C, it really doesn't matter as I must now suffer along with all the people who did.
To all the people who did vote for this pig, I would suggest that you develop a long term memory. There was a reason Doug Bruce pushed the TABOR Amendment and there was a reason it passed....the people we elect to represent us in Denver seem to lose self control once in office.
This is why I voted No to Ref C. I did not trust the politicians to do the right thing and they proved me right. There was no language in Ref C that would ensure the money would go to the three programs targeted, in addition to the already budgeted amounts. Now the Pols are using the excuse of other regulatory language preempting Ref C. That is so much garbage that it is useless to say more.
Posted by Kelsy on July 17, 2007 08:04 AMThe hikes in college tuition has out-paced inflation for several years now. The result is or will be that the middle class is placed in enormous debt. The rich can afford it and the poor are provided many grants (and so are illegals in NM). I wonder if gutting the middle class is a method to mold them into being receptive to socialism. Colleges have become the mecca for this agenda. Also they have to support athletics. We pay for an Audi and get a Yugo. Voting money for eduacation is flushing it down the privy. The antedeluviant school districting is very effective at wasting money ( 7 support workers for every teacher) and putting out a poor product. Perhaps if education were held accountable for monies spent, we would see positive change.
Posted by Tom on July 17, 2007 08:31 AMhey our elected officials, both state and federal do not lie, they just put SPIN on their remarks. hahaha,
all we can do as voters is to vote against imcumbents....
Posted by not here on July 17, 2007 09:42 AMThe political rhetoric behind referendum C was just that, rhetoric. They painted beautiful pictures as to how money was needed for all kinds of great but endangered programs; how we had to raise the quality of education, etc. But specific language detailing the actual use of ALL monies raised was not included. And like ANN 05:00AM pointed out, they used the deal clinching "it's for the children" to wring out the last of the opposition. Referendum C was just a way around Tabor, sponsored and backed by big business in order to get more money into the state coffers that could then be doled out in contracts.
Go back and look at the biggest supporters of the bill. You'll find both in state and out of state major road and infrastructure contractors on the list. Now the surpluses raised via ref C are flowing into their bank accounts as the the contracts are being/will be awarded. While "we the people" will benefit to some degree by the work done, "we the people" are not the major beneficiaries of ref C.
Posted by darfor on July 17, 2007 09:42 AMI suggest you all read Diane Carman's 7/14 column, "Ref. C gets a "D" in disclosure" at http://www.denverpost.com/carman/ci_6373124. The overview is that the Bird-Arveschoug Amendment, which was passed in 1992, limits increases in the general fund to 6 percent a year. Any money above 6 percent goes into the capital construction budget. So - while we passed Ref C to help take care of education funding, and Ref D went down (which was to cover highway construction), the money is going to highway contruction not to education.
Contact your representatives & demand that this be fixed.
Posted by Mary on July 17, 2007 09:46 AMDummy. And you probably voted for Salazar too.
Posted by on July 17, 2007 11:10 AMDon't say you all weren't warned. It was just the same-old same-old, and anyone with ten minutes experience in the real world knew it.
Posted by clyde on July 17, 2007 11:58 AMAnd the lefties can't figure out why I don't trust
the government to secure the borders before
giving amnesty to millions of illegals, if it's
not specifically required for them to do so.
This is your government, people; lie, lie, lie,
lie, lie, lie ,lie ,lie ,lie............
This tuition hike is indeed an outrage, and yet another squeeze on the middle class. I think it's time the people demanded tuition freezes. It's the only we will get these colleges to reign in their spending.
Posted by mytwosense on July 17, 2007 02:19 PMEXACTLY
It's like an out-of-control mini government.
Posted by RickyLee on July 19, 2007 10:00 AM