No One’s Getting Fat Except Government

"The way academic life should be" source.

National unemployment is now at about 10% and there are over 9 million people “involuntarily” working part time. source.

But not everyone is suffering. The 2008-2009 budget of the University of Arizona was $1,737,100,000. or about $1.7 billion. About 50% of this comes from state and federal taxpayers, about 20% from student tuition, and the other 30% from all other sources. source.

We shouldn't just talk about the University of Arizona receiving $50% of their funds directly from state and federal taxpayers that is comparable to its tax exemption subsidy. Suppose this institution was taxed like a working taxpayer or a tax paying corporation. The U of A’s land, buildings, and sophisticated machinery, equipment, and facilities are worth $billions. Supposed they paid state and federal income tax, state, and county property taxes, capital gains taxes, etc. etc. The taxes could easily run up to half its annual income or some $870 million per year, and this goes on forever. The tax exemptions plus the direct taxpayer funding of about $870 million is some $1.7 billion per year.

So given this incredible pubic largess and its huge burden how does the University spend its money. The answer is, not well. They have gone too far.

There are taxpayer funded academic junkets every year to luxury hotels in places such as Hawaii, California, and Arizona. Here is a link to the site advertising one of its annual conferences. source.

Notice the nude woman and the caption "The way academic life should be". Then, scroll down and read about their past junkets, wine tasting parties, and conferences bacchanalian enough to make even our Congress jealous.

It is time for real and significant tax cuts and significant shrinkage of government at all levels. These people living on the backs of taxpayers have gone too far.

Finally, remember that there are thousands of colleges and universities in the US and they all live off public funding, even the private ones. Many are like the University of Arizona and they have a duty to be frugal and careful in the way they spend the public’s money. They are putting selfishness and bacchanalianism before duty.