With new leadership comes new opportunity. Virginians have resoundingly voiced their support for Republicans running for statewide offices, and it will be Governor-elect Bob McDonnell who leads us forward through what is going to be one of the more difficult fiscal crises of recent memory. We wish the newly elected leaders the best of luck and fortitude.
During his time in office, McDonnell needs first to reverse the trend of cutting funding for higher education; Virginia’s universities have already suffered enough. Since 2008, Richmond has reduced funds for the College of William and Mary’s operating budget by just about one-third. This cut rate is simply unsustainable if this state aims to continue to retain a top-tier education system.
While campaigning, McDonnell declared higher education essential to the “future of Virginia as a thriving community, a growing economy, and a place where people from diverse regions and backgrounds, with varied interests and abilities, can live fulfilling, prosperous lives.” It’s hard not to like the sound of that, but this was a campaign promise. Now that McDonnell will be in the Governor’s Mansion, he will have the opportunity to either realize or preclude the Virginia he describes here. For the sake of our future economic viability, let’s hope he chooses wisely.
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To the Don: Generally
To the Don: Generally speaking, the current generation of W&M students are probably likely to have greater career earnings than the average W&M graduate from 30 years ago. Isn’t it more wise for the college to not piss off the current generation so that when we can donate sizable amounts, we’ll be inclined to do so? If the administration allows the current 30-year alums (and Richmond Republicans) to take the school back to what it was like in your heyday, do you really think that most of today’s students will want to donate 30 years from now?
Sorry, you can get as pissed off as you want about W&M becoming a modern national university, but the fact of the matter is that subscribing to tradition can only go so far – should we go back to being the school that buys Confederate war bonds? How about the school that educates those savage Indians so they can become civilized people?
better language of
better language of expression please. it is not necessary to “piss off” neither generation. the wise one would respect and honor both. the current one only has potential. the past one got you where you are now. look around you. be grateful. where did all these facilities with names on them come from? Did you you give the money to build them?
you think the current students have more earning potential? why? because they start off at a higher base pay than 27 years ago? gas cost .50/gallon then. cost of living is relative. your future dollars will buy just as much or less than today’s dollar after rising taxes. Realize how dumb your “we’ll have made more than you have theory” was? apparently you are neither an ecomonics master nor a diplomat.
your problem is NOW not 30 years from now. the article was complaining about TODAY’S cuts. Who has the money TODAY? So you think that the current student body would be so “pissed off” at having a homecoming, not having a GLBT queen and having a gifted heirloom cross left where it was put by your predecessors that they would carry that weight to their grave and never contibute to the college? or just that they don’t like being told no? you deal in maybes but maybe I did when I was your age. go to the Alumni web page and notice the glaring lack of homecoming court coverage. why do you think that was? just an oversight? it is a harbinger of money not to come.
any debate on why the duel over the Wrenn cross went the way it did or why? proofs in the pudding; the pres. is gone and the cross is back. money talks when heads are butted whether you agree or like it or not. Don’t tweak the nose of those that feed you and pick your battles more wisely.
who said I was pissed off? i just stated a fact and expressed my disappointment with a of lack welcome for the alumni. Maybe you think homecoming is for the students to express their rebellion and psuedo independence. then next either change the name of the event or honor it’s intent and purpose. get me a better hot shot to debate with the next time i like competition. the “we will make more than you will” one was the best indicator of your unworthiness to joust. that is how gentlmen present an insult. less crude
yet more biting.
please answer after you get some coaching.
To Don the ’72 alumnus,
To Don the ’72 alumnus, he who is obsessed with crosses and an apparent fear of the current student body’s recognition of the value of diversity in its ranks, pick on somebody your own age. And by all means take a remedial class in “How to write the English language clearly while avoiding junior high school grammatical errors.”
If you loved William & Mary as an institution you would not be threatening students and young alumni about the coming “punishment” to the College by alums like yourself as they withhold future contributions over perceived slights and gloating in the firing of President Nichols, implicitly but falsely claiming that it was the will of the majority of alumni. No doubt when Nichols decided to move the placement of the cross in the Wren Chapel it created a real controversy, however it was my understanding that the crisis issued primarily from the withdrawal of a substantial gift by a major contributor to the Campaign for W&M. Like most alumni, I am uncertain of all the facts, but there were clearly some offended alumni. On the other hand, many others like myself found the controversy a positive sign of the college’s continued development and sophistication as a university, and I also agreed with Nichols.
It’s your right to be offended or unhappy by some things that happen at the college, but why not debate the issues without threats or stooping to demeaning students and young alumni? It’s their school too and the future is theirs. mc
I do not need any coaching
I do not need any coaching to say this: at least I can write my meaningless online comments with some sense of correct spelling and grammar.
“... lack of welcome for the alumni,” is a perplexing statement – were you at the same homecoming that I was at two weeks ago? I felt incredibly welcomed, and as an undergrad for the four years prior to that, I always noticed that the school focused on welcoming the alumni on that weekend. Did a Homecoming Queen who represents the LGBT community really offend you to the point of feeling unwelcome? If that is the case, then the College is probably better off without your money.
I won’t spend much time addressing your points, but think about this: you clearly care about the College, presumably because you loved the time you spent here. If you now have the money to demonstrate that love in the form of donations, thank you. However, I presume that you would not be so inclined to love the College if, when you were an undergrad there, you felt as though the administration constantly ignored your interests in favor of some alumni who hadn’t been students in quite some time. Don’t you see the long-term danger of alumni constantly using their checkbooks to influence university policy? Alumni should love the school for what it was in the past, and love it for what it is today (considering the last decade saw the College shoot up in the rankings). Be content to see the mark that today’s students will leave upon its halls, and welcome their opinions.
When alumni (and Richmond Republicans) try to influence college policy, you’ll be at odds with the school so long as it’s a nationally ranked liberal arts school. Don, if you can’t read between the lines, what I’m saying is this: it’s rather pathetic that some alumni such as yourself would rather try to relive the ole’ college days and turn back the clock on progress than actually listen to what the students want – because that’s what the College is supposed to be all about – the enrichment of students.
What happened? The Black
What happened?
The Black Eyed Peas and Three 6 Mafia weren’t around to campaign for Deeds?
It worked well last November.
sour grapes at the flat
sour grapes at the flat head. if you weren’t so biased and just tried a little to state your needs instead of your momentary convictions you’d have more credability. Alas , you won’t have to worry about where your fund cuts are coming from because you are doing a super job of alienating most of the financially secure and generous alumni. Who’s more likely to contribute significant money to the College, a grad of 1999 or a a grad of 1972 who has already made their money?
What do you mean, how have we alienated the alumni and what does what we do have to do with it? That is just what a shortsighted youthful naive undergraduate with a word processor might wonder.
Allow me to give you the education that won’t get in school but you will certainly learn the hard way in the real world. The only question is how long will it take you smug diverse sheltered students to get it because you certainly will eventually if you have payed attention in class. Firstly, you have mr. diversity ex-pres of the college play hide the cross in the chapel. the alumni vote with their money and he’s gone. He actually thought that more non- Christians supported the school than Christians. He was a dope. Then we have the flat head print an opinion essay on the obsolete nature of homecoming. Then we have mr. self proclaimed genderqueer nominated for homecoming queen based on his service to the GLBT minority. Not even serving the majority of students mind you.
.Here’s your wake up call. Homecoming tradition is not all about the students living away from home off of their parents and their cutesy diversity themes. It is supposed to be about the students and admin welcoming the alumni back home. That is why they call it Homecoming. So you don’t care what the alumni think because the world revolves around you. Then you certainly won’t mind the drought of money that follows your proclamation of independence. No one spends their money where they are not welcomed.
Ignore tradition and set youselves adrift. But at least you had it your way so why complain in your editorials?
The don 72, I am not sure
The don 72,
I am not sure I completely understand your rant, but I feel that I should comment.
You obviously have it wrong when you talk about “the alumni”. I think the alumni were evenyly split on the actions of President Nichols. I should note that many alumni that criticized President Nichol graduated in the 1970s (when the average SAT was less than 1,000).
As a graduate of W&M, I was shocked that we still had a homecoming queen. I thought that went out of fashion with the tipping of the beany caps. It is so Jim and Bobbi.
In short William and Mary is a much wordly and less provincial place than it was in 1972 and I am not certain that you can get your arms around that.
“Way to go Uncle Leo, sticking it to the man”
Today, Ranking Member of
Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”
Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:
“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]
– - – - – - – - – -“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]
– - – - – - – - – -“Criminal penalties
Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:
• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]
When confronted with this same issue during its consideration of a similar individual mandate tax, the Senate Finance Committee worked on a bipartisan basis to include language in its bill that shielded Americans from civil and criminal penalties. The Pelosi bill, however, contains no similar language protecting American citizens from civil and criminal tax penalties that could include a $250,000 fine and five years in jail.
“The Senate Finance Committee had the good sense to eliminate the extreme penalty of incarceration. Speaker Pelosi’s decision to leave in the jail time provision is a threat to every family who cannot afford the $15,000 premium her plan creates. Fortunately, Republicans have an alternative that will lower health insurance costs without raising taxes or cutting Medicare,” said Camp.
According to the Congressional Budget Office the lowest cost family non-group plan under the Speaker’s bill would cost $15,000 in 2016.
This is what you YOU IDIOTS VOTED FOR WHEN YOU VOTED FOR CHANGE. SEE YOU IN JAIL WHEN YOU DON’T PONY UP THE MONEY. YOU CALL THIS AAMERICA? WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN FORCE YOU TO BUY SOMETHING YOU DON’T NEED AND THEN THROW YOU IN JAIL WHEN YOU DON’T BUY IT? THIS IS LIBERALISM RUN AMUK.. THIS IS THE NANNY STATE ON STEROIDS. HOPE THEY HAVE THE MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO START BUILDING A LOT OF NEW PRISONS, BECAUSE I SUSPECT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY...I GUESS ALL OF YOU WEENIES WILL JUST ASK MOMMY AND DADDY TO PAY THIS BILL......I THINK IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU DID SOME JAIL TIME TO PAY FOR THE STUPIDITY OF YOUR VOTE FOR THIS SOCIALIST IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
I havent heard this much
I havent heard this much whining since we beat UVA in football. Turn off Fox Noise and join us in the real world. Its not as scary as you are being told.
Where were the you leftists
Where were the you leftists during Warner and Kaine’s reign of terror on Higher education. Outside of the Marxist regime of Doug “the Bolshevik” Wilder’s 4 year plan of centralized government, no one has raided higher education more than these two. What will a reactionary backsliding capitalist governor do? Hopefully cut government where it should be: fraud, abuse, waste, and other wasteful entitlement programs. The best government is the least government
... middle school, mining
... middle school, mining for nose nuggets to flick at girls and other such high-minded pursuits.
Now 8 years on, they know everything, but remember nothing.
Then again, perhaps I’m the one from the alternate universe. In the one I came from, Governor Warner managed to savage public services and education funding, yet somehow leave the office with his reputation more or less intact. Of course, Wilder was a pretty much a disaster, no matter what universe you lived in.
The new governor will only be able to make the best of a bad situation, so while I wish him well, for all our sakes, I’m not optimistic in the short run. The economy is balanced precariously on the edge, state tax revenues are certainly way down, and the Health Care Reform and Cap and Trade legislation might be just the things to push us all off a cliff. In the face of that, I’m not sure what I can expect the state government to do to make it all better.