Gov. Jon Corzine and the Democrats in Trenton reduced the support for Rutgers University by $80 million in the current budget. This reduction forced the university administration to make budget reductions at all levels.
The vast majority of the reductions were in academics. Athletics was included in the reductions, and there are plans to eliminate six Olympic sports.
Recently, the Democrats, headed by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-18) of South Plainfield, held a hearing to chastise Rutgers for not spending enough money on athletics.
Assemblyman Diegnan needs a lesson in Economics 101, which he would have learned if he had matriculated at Rutgers. The lesson is that you cannot spend what you do not have.
This hearing was cheap political pandering at its worst. It was nice of him to endorse more spending on athletics, but why did he not endorse more spending on academics?
The purpose of Rutgers University is to educate, not to be a source of cheap headlines for politicians. The students and their parents who attended the hearing actually think that Diegnan will do something, other than endorse a resolution asking Rutgers to spend what it does not have.
However, I would like to offer Assemblyman Diegnan a solution for the problem that he and his Democrats caused.
The Democrats raise the sales tax 18 percent, with the hope of raising an additional $1 billion in revenue. The Democrats then appropriated $350 million of the $1 billion for their own Christmas tree items.
With Christmas approaching, I would suggest that Rutgers should get some presents under its tree.
Assemblyman Diegnan needs to ask his fellow Demo-crats to transfer 1 percent ($3.5 million) of the $350 million to Rutgers – 50 percent for athletics and 50 percent for general use, as directed by Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick.
Harold V. Kane
Monroe Township