WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSAU) — A Wisconsin Congressman has weighed in on Governor Scott Walker’s proposed cuts to the University of Wisconsin system.
3rd District Democrat Ron Kind believes cutting 300-million dollars from the UW and freezing tuition is a huge mistake. When it comes to education and job creation, Kind believes the Republican Governor could learn from his Democratic colleague in Minnesota. “Governor Dayton there is sitting on a billion dollar surplus, and he’s talking about increasing investment in education programs including higher education, and they’re doing laps around us today when it comes to job growth and economic growth overall, so I think there’s a lesson to be learned here in regards to economic policies what’s working and what isn’t.”
The Governor’s initial plan is to freeze tuition until 2017 while making the funding cut, but the UW System would become autonomous and be able to manage most of its own affairs then.
Most political leaders from both parties like the concept of making the university more autonomous, but Democrats and a handful of Republicans oppose the cuts. Kind is one of them. “If we’re not careful, we’re going to wake up some fine day in Wisconsin and find out that we have an inferior higher education system to offer the next generation at the state because everyone has left, and the Governor has no vision for any of this.”
Governor Walker has said he is willing to negotiate on the amount of the cuts. The final proposal will be part of the Governor’s budget package.
On the Keystone XL Pipeline project, Kind says Congress is not taking environmental safety and landowner’s concerns into account.
3rd District Democrat Ron Kind voted against the bill, saying Congress should not have bypassed the process. “I didn’t think now is the time for Congress to intervene and cut off that review process, because there are some serious siting issues that need to be resolved. There are landowners in Nebraska, for instance, that are complaining about the siting and the aquifers that it could impact.”
Another fact Kind says is not well known to the American people is the lack of participation by the builder in an emergency clean-up fund. “One of the big complaints I have with this whole project is that the Canadian oil company that’s going to be shipping this oil through the heart of America does not have to contribute to the cleanup trust fund, like any other U.S. company is required to do, so if there is a failure and we do have a major oil spill, like one that’s happening in the Yellowstone River as we speak right now, this Canadian company doesn’t have to contribute.”
The Senate passed the bill last Thursday 62-36. The House had previously passed the legislation. President Obama has promised to veto the bill.
(You can hear our interview with Congressman Ron Kind on our website, here.)