Education and Sacrifice, Part 1 of ?

Warning, this will be a long, long, long post. But I hope that you will read it, as in it, I will address what I feel are the major pratfalls facing our society (Wisconsin in particular as that's the situation I know most about) and what I think needs to be done to fix it. This is a long time coming, but, given the recent front page article on CNN, concerning the alarming exodus of faculty from UW-Madison to not just Ivy League institutions, but now to universities traditionally below us on the totem poll, I feel the time is ripe for a frank assessment of the problems facing us, and what can be done.

The reason that UW-Madison, the state of Wisconsin, and the U.S. face problems ranging from sky-rocketing education costs, to inadequate and excessively expensive health care, to continued exacerbation of climate change in the face of irrefutable evidence is that our election system is fundamentally flawed. Too many of our 'elected' representatives are beholden no longer to the people but rather to those who finance their reelection. A bone may be tossed to the masses every once in a while, but it can not be argued that the best interests of the constituents, the state (or country), and humanity are not served in our current system. My thesis is that the public financing of all elections (given some small showing of actual community support for the candidates) will result in a lower overall tax burden while simultaneously resulting policies that result in actions that are in the best interests of society.

To achieve this, a short-term sacrifice is required of not only the people, but also those in power. They must put at risk the comfortable and safe position that they hold being financed by special interests. This 'sacrifice' must in most cases be imposed upon the politician by the people by a massive uprising demanding change. The question then arises, who shall rally the people in this massive call for change? That I do not know. Caution, and the inability to ask their constituents to sacrifice now for a greater reward for themselves and their progeny seem to be abilities that are gradually ground out of politicians. Perhaps here, a lesson may be learned from the earthly sacrifices asked of those of a religious persuasion with the promise of a greater reward in the next life. Regardless, each day that goes by without the people and their 'representatives' accepting a small level of short term hardship, the hardship that we all must endure in time grows greater and greater.

Allow me to use as an example the current situation at UW-Madison. These are the facts. Madison's in state undergraduate tuition is the 2nd lowest in the Big Ten. Madison's tenured faculty rank near or at the bottom in compensation in UW's peer group. A new fee, doubling the previous fee, has recently been introduced for the employment of graduate research and project assistants. Many faculty state that the outstanding graduate assistants is the major draw of UW-Madison. Fewer graduate assistants can now be hired due to the new fee. Graduate students teach around 30% of all undergraduate credit hours. State funding of UW-Madison is at the same dollar level (not adjusted for inflation) that it was 10 years ago. Undergraduates are exiting their college experience with the greatest debt burden ever. A diverse, educated populous is needed to attract businesses to the state. UW-Madison faculty are flocking to other universities at an unprecedented rate.

To me the solution is simple. The state must fund the university at a higher level to increase faculty salary, lower tuition (yes further lower from the 2nd lowest in the Big ten), invest in clean energy (for a little background on this, check out this article on the pollution spewing from the EPA complaints against one of the UW's power plants), and take the lead on issues such as a living wage for all employees, divestment from countries with abysmal labor and human rights records, and contracting only with companies that respect workers right.

To achieve these goals, I prescribe the following course of action. 1. A significant increase in state funding to the UW system - financed by an increase in taxes of high income households, closing corporate tax loopholes, and increased taxes on alcohol and tobacco. These increase can be gradual,, for instance to retain companies until the increased tax burden is offset by a more attractive pool of workers. Income tax increases can also be offset by further subsidies for the implementation of green energy policies. The fact is, the state must collect more taxes to provide not only this generation, but generations to come with an adequate quality of life. 2. The increase of faculty salaries, the lowering of tuition, and an increase in graduate assistant salaries to ensure that top researchers come to and stay at UW-Madison. This small investment will reap significant rewards in the form of federal research funding, tax revenue from start-up companies, and an increase in businesses in the state due to an improved workforce pool. 3. Reinvestment in the state and the country. UW must ensure that with this improved funding, they act as a steward for the state by investing in research that will improve the quality of life of the state's citizens. 4. Educate the populace about the positive repercussions of a world-class institution being located in the state (this also must really be done before point #1 to make it politically feasible in the current climate).

For this issue, and for so many more, we need leadership from our elected representatives, our community and business leaders, and the populace. We must, we must, step back from the ease in which we slip into apathy and stand together and demand that our interests and the interests of our children and our children's children are protected.

This course of action is akin to preventive medicine. We MUST take action now or face a much more dire situation in the future. This applies not only to the situation at UW-Madison, but also to healthcare, K-12 education, continuing education, energy and environmental policies, and a litany of other examples. The system is broken. Shall we continue taking water from the well in a bucket with a leak in the bottom to put out the fire, or shall we allow the flames to burn brighter for a short time knowing that the time we take to plug the holes will allow us to put the fire out rather than merely keep it in check?

I ask each and everyone of you to take leadership in this task. Wherever you live, the story is playing out the same way for your university, for your K-12 system, for your healthcare system, for your environment. Contact your representatives. Demand a change to public financing of elections. Demand that they protect our future by investing in renewable energies and taxing polluters. Demand that they provide health care for all and emphasize preventive medicine to avoid greater costs down the road. Demand that they invest in an education system that doesn't teach to a test, but rather teaches critical thinking, social skills, and a variety of subjects to ensure that our children are able to do more than recite facts and figures. Demand that they respond to you! You hold the power. Embrace it, use it, demand accountability, reject apathy, embrace a better tomorrow today.

Salzburg trip and an update on taxes

Thanks to Mike, and the wonderful software the Lucas is working on, I discovered FactCheck.org's excellent analysis of the "Fair Tax". This is relevant, as some of you may recall my posting on taxes last month (although I imagine most of you skipped that one). In it, I wrote about my desire for the U.S. to increase the sales tax, start taxing services (like lawyers and financial consultants) and to give further tax credits for renewable energy use, and stop subsidizing a lot of different areas. This would allow a decrease in the income tax rate, and by exempting basic consumables, would amount to a progressive tax. The "Fair Tax," often bandied about by conservatives, would eliminate income and social security taxes and attempt to collect all revenue from sales taxes. This approach would be egregiously regressive, as low income families spend a greater percentage of their income on consumables than do richer families. So, not fair at all, I suggest you check it out.


Last weekend I was in Salzburg, which I think has become the favorite city I've visited on this trip (oh and you can see all my pics from there on my web album. However, it will not hold that title for long, as I venture off to Barcelona in about two weeks, and then off to Rome in July.

It wasn't a perfect day in Salzburg, a bit overcast and some occasional sprinkles, but I was OK with that, it kept me nice and cool as I hiked up the mountain to the Festung Hohenzalzburg, the giant fortress in the pictures that construction began on in 1077. Many of the pictures in the album are either of the fortress or from it. Aside from the fortress, the wonderful architecture, being the birthplace of some dude named Mozart, and The Palace of Mirabel (where all the flower pics are from), Salzburg also gets a ton of tourists due to its prominent roll in The Sound of Music. There were a ton of tours offered to take one around to the sights from the movie. Having been scared at an early age by my mother's love (and what seemed like weekly consumption) of the film, I was unable to partake in the tour. I fear I may have ended up in a paroxysm of seizures. And yes, I have grown to appreciate the film a little bit over time (particularly Christopher Plummer's role), but I'm not ready to embrace it yet (I think that has to do with my loathing of Julie Andrews).

So, I just walked around the city, took lots of pictures, and had a nice time making fun of the other American tourists. As a solitary traveler sans fanny pack, I am not easily identifiable as an American or a tourist at all for that matter. In fact, my favorite part of the trip was when I went into a shop to buy some Mozart Balls (some kind of chocolate candy with pistachio in it), and I said in response to the shop keeper's queries that my German was not so good. She responded, "Ah, Italiano?" I then smiled, and sheepishly admitted that I was an English speaker. So, thank you Eastern European ancestors (that'd be you great-grandpa and great-grandma Zupancic) for allowing me to pass as Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Jewish - I love being a chameleon.

Not much else of interest to note. I went back to the hostel, was doing some reading, chatting a bit with some folks, when I was pulled into an enjoyable conversation on literature, philosophy and religion after one of the girls at the table was shocked to see that I was reading Ulysses for pleasure. Now, the quintessential description of James Joyce's Ulysses is that its a book that's more talked about than read. I quickly grew to understand the truth of that description, as it is a very difficult read. However, I knew that going in and chose it precisely for that reason. I knew I wouldn't have access to a library with books in English here, and I also know that especially when traveling, I zoom through novels. Case in point, I bought Bret Easton Ellis' latest Lunar Park, for the trip to Vienna - just a four hour train ride. But of course, with the train ride down there, and a little free time in Vienna, I was left with nothing to read for the return journey. So, I brought along Ulysses because its long, and I knew that its 'interesting' style would force me to read slowly and for short periods only. Now, bringing along something like The Brothers K or War and Peace would have given me something long to read. But I also would have been reading them compulsively - as I consider them spectacular and great fun to read. So, they would have lasted two weeks top. It all makes sense now, doesn't it?

So, that's my Salzburg trip. Next stop, Barcelona.