<p>The pain is only being borne by the middle and lower classes. The unilateral stripping of collective bargaining rights is the main issue. Yeah the problem is opposing political philosophies. There are multiple ways to skin a cat.</p>
<p>I don’t know how any voter in Wisconsin couldn’t have known what was coming. But there was a lot of frustration with the economy and those in the middle wanted change. They got it.</p>
<p>Everyone wants a free ride, and teachers and union members got one, but now it’s time to pay the piper. </p>
<p>The private sector doesn’t get life long benefits that union members get. Private sector employees must plan for their retirement and if they don’t it’s their problem, as it should be. </p>
<p>Enough of the entitlements that are bankrupting the country. </p>
<p>It’s disheartening to hear so called educated adults calling Governor Walker names (very child like) because he has been put in the position of cleaning up the mess that was made by liberal policies and policy makers who thought that money grew on trees. </p>
<p>My husband and I grew up in Wisconsin, went to school in Madison, and all of our family still resides in Wisconsin so I can honestly tell you that fiscal conservatives are not angry with Walker, despite what the left would like people to believe. </p>
<p>If educators truly cared about their students they’d be in school today, not out protesting. The government should not and can not continue to pay out ridiculous benefits to public workers. If teachers won’t compromise they are at risk of ending up with nothing if the state goes belly up. Then what?</p>
<p>Analyze who’s paying the taxes in your state, and what percentages are coming from each income group. That’ll tell you who the tax payers and who the tax takers are. Keep in mind that corporations sometimes get tax breaks in exchange for locating within taxing districts and providing jobs.</p>
<p>When there are fewer tax payers, and therefore reduced tax revenue, there is no choice other than reducing the payout to the tax takers. It’s not political. The math doesn’t lie.</p>
<p>My hope is that it will be good for the Madison campus. It might be bumpy at times but it already is so that’s nothing new. Being able to speak and negotiate for itself without going through the System filter would be very helpful. 90% of the UW is involved in sciences, ag, and engineering that have little controversy. The actual controversial areas are very small–liberal social ideas that are pro-union and to some stem cells. If they have to close the School for Workers it would be unfortunate but not terminal to the overall workings. If they could just keep the tuition they raise and spend it with more flexibility it would take care of 95% os the issues. Same for more flexibility in using grant money to enhance pay. Right now pay is controlled no matter how much money they have on hand through grants and other sources.</p>
<p>Good points, barrons.</p>
<p>I do not agree with the bill because it may hurt the campus but I can understand it because something has to be cut. I just shake my head in sorrow when I see a man with two kids and a sign that says Scott Walbarak.</p>
<p>I think the best case scenario is for UW-Madison to be a part of the UW System, with everyone working together for the betterment of the state. But given the current situation, if it would be best for UW-Madison to split off from the system, then I’m all for it. The other UW schools certainly have some strengths in some areas, but overall they are not in the same league as UW-Madison.</p>
<p>Certainly less important, but perhaps having UW-Madison split off would solve the name issue too. UW-Madison would officially become the University of Wisconsin with no hyphen, and the other UW schools could transition to a naming system based on the city they are in. For example, UW-Oshkosh would be come Oshkosh State University. UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay already simply call their sports team by their city name, without the UW affixed.</p>
<p>They could revert back to the old WSU system of circa 1970. I remember when the Wisconsin State University sytem merged with UW. Of course, back then we never paid attention to the fact there were 3 other schools in the UW system before the merger. Guess that happens when you are at the big flagship U.</p>
<p>The most bothersome thing about the budget is the hurried up timeline Walker wants. I get the feeling he wants to push things through before people have a chance to evaluate all of the pros and cons. Months, not days/weeks should be used to examine issues. The economy took years to get where it is today (think of another Republican governor’s tenure).</p>
<p>So if the systems split does that mean UW Madison becomes a private school? Meaning the tuition would be something like that of Marquette’s tuition (30,000)?</p>
<p>[Campus</a> Connection: Key Republican will fight Walker’s UW plan](<a href=“http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_03a854e2-3b1e-11e0-8b18-001cc4c002e0.html]Campus”>http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_03a854e2-3b1e-11e0-8b18-001cc4c002e0.html)</p>
<p>One of our state legislators who has a love/hate relationship with the UW system will be trying to get UW-related policy measures out of the next budget bill.</p>
<p>Not a surprise the students are more mature than the UW hating boob Nass.</p>
<p>Barrons, despite being an alumnus you are an outsider on this issue. You certainly have the right to post your views but just recognize your focus in entirely on what’s good for the Madison campus and the students who will still be able to afford to go there and not what’s good for the taxpaying residents of Wisconsin as a whole. Your motivation appears to be the reflected prestige you feel from being an alumnus and you want to keep up the value of that.</p>
<p>They quoted students in megdog’s link but didn’t say if they are in-state or OOS, from Mequon or Cudahy. I can’t believe there is a Republican that I might well agree with on an issue. We’ll see how it develops from here and what the proposals actually are.</p>
<p>What’s good for Madison is good for the entire state. If you don’t get that connection you and the state are doomed to backwater declining relevance as well as shrinking income and all the rest. UW is NOT asking for more tax money–actually just the opposite–it will take less in exchange for the freedom to be great. I know people in Wisconsin are a little afraid of greatness and striving and all that. makes them uncomfortable to be anything more than just slightly above average. There’s a good reason Madison is the relatively booming city in the state while the rest are barely hanging on. Knowledge industries are where the growth is–not bending metal or making motor boats. If students want a life that is bigger than what they can find in Cudahy (Mequon kids can already afford most schools in the US if they want–see I know the difference) they need a place like UW Madison at its best.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in the budget, continue to keep an eye on Steve Nass. As indicated, he’s a key player on UW-related state budget issues, but he’s very hard to figure out. I probably shouldn’t have said he has a love/hate relationship with the university. It seems more to be that if the administrators want something (e.g., higher tuition), he doesn’t want it. Sometimes the results are student-friendly, sometimes not.</p>
<p>Yes, anything UW wants he is against. But he has always left off the key final budget writing joint finance group that actually makes final decisions. He’s more noise than power–but highly annoying. The day he actually has the UW or the students best interests at heart I’ll eat my badger hat. He’s a hack who thinks he has found an issue that gets him headlines. I have no idea why he has support in his district. Never heard a positive idea leave his lips.</p>
<p>One of the cities in Nass’s district is Whitewater, home of UW-Whitewater. There has been a lot of “town v. gown” ill-will over the years in Whitewater. The towners probably love Steve Nass.</p>
<p>barrons- “what is good for Madison…”. Not necessarily. You don’t live here and ONLY care about UW. Back off. You don’t know much about this state, except that which you glean from the news.</p>
<p>I would bet I know as much about the state as any current typical citizen. I spent a total of about 10 years there and you know what–reading the papers daily makes me more informed than half the people that live there and read nothing. I contribute more yearly to UW than the average resident pays in total income taxes to the state. Don’t try to tell me any such thing. My business is applied economics so I have more understanding of how the state can and does work than you do as a doctor. One group that is often quite clueless about such things.</p>
<p>As a Wisconsin Tax payer, I am also on the side of Barrons. Look folks, the reason why America is so great is because we want to be the best we can be. We open our arms to new and better ideas; we open our arms to the outside world. Dragging everyone down to the lowest common denominator wouldn’t help UW system as a whole. We should try to differentiate from the proven failed system like UC system. A stronger and more prestigious UW-Madison is in the best interest of our state. Speaking of higher tuition, on average, you are getting what you are paying for. I am fully support the idea of attracting the best and brightest faculty members from all over the country and from all over the world. Let’s face it, Wisconsin does not have the best weather for a lot of people. Let’s make it up by providing more attractive professional opportunities for the best and brightest professors. One or two academic superstars in each department is all that it required to build a great university.</p>
<p>The split will do UW Madison good. Dual University boards are common in several other states including Minnesota. The needs, long terms plans and pay scale for UW Whitewater and UW Eau Claire are similar. But needs, long terms plans and pay scale for UW Whitewater and UW Madison are very different. Most of the opposition to the split assumes anything form a Republican Governor is bad.</p>
<p>Question: Is there a lock step pay for staff positions across the current UW system? Would staff positions at the UW Eau Claire library be paid the same as UW Madison library? The number three person at UW Madison library would have more responsibility than the head of the UW Eau Claire library.</p>