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CUNY and SUNY Budget Cuts Threaten a Viable Future for New York
Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:56:00
By Assembly Member José Peralta
The Federal government recently gave $700 billion dollars to bail out multibillion-dollar business empires after their head-in-the-sand chiefs arrogantly collected million-dollar bonuses for the poor decisions and oversights, to steer their businesses and the entire world into a freefall rollercoaster ride, which perilously put us all in financial oblivion. Soon after, Wall Street came begging for money, America’s Big Three automakers, Ford, GM and Chrysler, went to Washington, D.C., with hats in hand on a private jet, asking to be bailed out after decades of bad business decisions. America’s Big Three, once the reigning leaders of the automotive world, failed to properly protect their companies by being competitive, innovative and relevant. Long before oil prices skyrocketed to the obscene, America’s Big Three continued making poor-quality, gas-guzzling vehicles, while Japanese car makers built fuel-efficient cars that were built to last. America’s Big Three shipped jobs overseas and the Japanese brought their plants to North America, where they not only built fuel-efficient vehicles, built to last, but patriotically employed the same American work force abandoned by the Big Three.
Our current economic climate requires serious and drastic financial decisions that will require all Americans, including New Yorkers, to make sacrifices for the greater good. However, these sacrifices should not affect or be done by students or the parents of college-bound students. Students must be considered capital projects for the future of New York, and therefore must be properly funded.
The proposed CUNY and SUNY budget cuts are detrimental to the future of our country and New York. The city will not be a relevant player in world affairs if its citizens are uneducated and untrained for the future ahead. We cannot and should not support failed businesses at the sacrifice of our future, the future of an educated work force.
At the present moment, our educational institutions are suffering a fiscal crisis and experiencing service cutbacks unseen in decades. Superior New York institutions will have to cut back on their outstanding service; libraries, course offerings, capital improvements, prominent staff, recruiting and retaining practices will all be negatively affected and have serious current and future adverse effects, on our nation, our economy and our vitality as a world leader. New York colleges cannot afford budget cuts and service cuts, along with tuition increases and financial aid decreases, and continue being relevant to the future of New York.
What does it say us when we are willing to financially bail out poor business practices over a viable and educated future? Let’s get our priorities straight!
José Peralta is a Democrat representing parts of Queens in the Assembly.
The Federal government recently gave $700 billion dollars to bail out multibillion-dollar business empires after their head-in-the-sand chiefs arrogantly collected million-dollar bonuses for the poor decisions and oversights, to steer their businesses and the entire world into a freefall rollercoaster ride, which perilously put us all in financial oblivion. Soon after, Wall Street came begging for money, America’s Big Three automakers, Ford, GM and Chrysler, went to Washington, D.C., with hats in hand on a private jet, asking to be bailed out after decades of bad business decisions. America’s Big Three, once the reigning leaders of the automotive world, failed to properly protect their companies by being competitive, innovative and relevant. Long before oil prices skyrocketed to the obscene, America’s Big Three continued making poor-quality, gas-guzzling vehicles, while Japanese car makers built fuel-efficient cars that were built to last. America’s Big Three shipped jobs overseas and the Japanese brought their plants to North America, where they not only built fuel-efficient vehicles, built to last, but patriotically employed the same American work force abandoned by the Big Three.
Our current economic climate requires serious and drastic financial decisions that will require all Americans, including New Yorkers, to make sacrifices for the greater good. However, these sacrifices should not affect or be done by students or the parents of college-bound students. Students must be considered capital projects for the future of New York, and therefore must be properly funded.
The proposed CUNY and SUNY budget cuts are detrimental to the future of our country and New York. The city will not be a relevant player in world affairs if its citizens are uneducated and untrained for the future ahead. We cannot and should not support failed businesses at the sacrifice of our future, the future of an educated work force.
At the present moment, our educational institutions are suffering a fiscal crisis and experiencing service cutbacks unseen in decades. Superior New York institutions will have to cut back on their outstanding service; libraries, course offerings, capital improvements, prominent staff, recruiting and retaining practices will all be negatively affected and have serious current and future adverse effects, on our nation, our economy and our vitality as a world leader. New York colleges cannot afford budget cuts and service cuts, along with tuition increases and financial aid decreases, and continue being relevant to the future of New York.
What does it say us when we are willing to financially bail out poor business practices over a viable and educated future? Let’s get our priorities straight!
José Peralta is a Democrat representing parts of Queens in the Assembly.
