Some legislators just saying no to tuition waivers
Each year, every member of the Illinois General Assembly, all 177 House and Senate members, get to give away a total of 8 years of free tuition at any state college. (divided up as two 4 yr waivers, four 2yr waivers, or eight 1 yr waivers.) The state does not reimburse the colleges for these give-a-ways, so it amounts to 1,416 YEARS of tuition that the state college system has to eat every year.
That's a pretty sweet perk, and in better times, this would be a laudable program. But the state is currently facing it's most severe budget crisis in decades. Legislation has been proposed to do away with the system in light of the state's financial situation, but it's never passed out of the House. Several lawmakers are now simply declining to award the waivers, feeling to do so is irresponsible when the state is in such dire straits.
The Dope was not aware of this legislative perk and wonders if local legislators are still handing out these free tuitions at the expense of the state college system, and by extention, the taxpayers of Illinois.
Any chance Pat, the two Mikes, or someone on their staffs might let us know if they're still awarding these waivers or plan to do so in the future?
posted by The Inside Dope @ 3/14/2005
3 comments
3 Comments:
But there is another big fat taxpayer-financed perk that needs to be put under a strong microscope: township government.
Do the taxpayers of this county know that we are voting on a position of ROAD COMMISSIONER that pays someone something like $25,000 a year to maintain 6.5 miles of roads? Yes, you hear that right. The position ought to be abolished ASAP.
Check it out -- it's in South Moline Township.
What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????
The Road Commissioner is in charge of 6.5 miles of road? Why on earth isn't that a job for the city or the county? What a colossal waste. I think I'm going to serve that township with a Freedom of Information Act Request to see how those dollars are spent.
Don't tell me they have a fleet of trucks and snow removal machines?
Who is minding the store?
Or, for that matter, does anyone care?
People love to talk about welfare spending for the very poor who can't afford nutritional food or health care of heat in the winter, but then we pay a full-time salary to someone to watch 6 miles of roads.
Is this the Twilight Zone?
No, it's Township Government at its worst.
I know there are good people and good services in township gov't.
But this one gives them a black eye!!!
An activist named Richardson spearheaded a huge effort several years ago to put the issue of whether the township layer of government should be eliminated altogether before the voters. Of course, the entrenched people put up a hell of a fight, and it never made it onto the ballot.
This is certainly one of the first places the people of the area should look to eliminate needless expense.
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