Stop higher education cuts

Dear Editor:
What are New Jersey’s plans for the future of its citizens? Unemployment is more than eight per cent and yet Governor Corzine and our elected officials have chosen to inflict more drastic cuts to higher education. The logic is unclear to me. How can our unemployed citizens prepare for new careers if they can’t afford to go back to school? Public higher education has never been more important. It is an answer to our economic recovery. Learning is an investment in our future that provides economic survival as well as societal benefits. How does Governor Corzine feel we will compete globally if our citizens are only able to afford to achieve a high school diploma?
N.J. officials are cutting off their noses to spite their faces by cutting higher education. Instead, they should be using stimulus money to invest in our future – how can people get good jobs if they are not educated? Do we want unemployment to climb even higher? Do we want our unemployed to remain unemployed?
The blame is not all Corzine’s. New Jersey governors have been slashing higher education for the last seven years. New Jersey’s taxes are extremely high, yet we are not investing in our future. New Jersey is a rich state, but for how long? How much have we invested in the infrastructure of our public colleges and universities? The answer is a big fat ZERO since 1988. That is unbelievable!
Governor Corzine – you’re a financial wizard – can’t you see that investing in higher education will yield the greatest return for our state and our citizens?

Virginia Morrar

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