“We are in for some tough sledding,” Sen. Mark Schoesler said as he spoke to a room full of students and Pullman locals in the Honors College Lounge.
Washington state had increased its spending almost 34 percent and now the state is faced with a $9 billion deficit, said Schoesler. He said the state is at a point were there is a cost for inaction. He said the problem has been pushed to the side and now the longer we wait to address the problem the more expensive it will be.
Schoesler is the senate republican floor leader and is a self-employed farmer. He has been in office for 17 years. The senator was accompanied by Legislative District 9 reps. Joe Schmick and recently elected Susan Fagan. First term representative and Colfax business owner, Joe Schmick agreed with Schoesler that this is no new problem.
“We had the warning signs.” Schmick said, “Unfortunately we didn’t act.”
All speakers agreed that in order to address the deficit the state will have to watch spending, make budget cuts and stimulate the economy.
Many audience members in attendance voiced their concern of how the deficit will continue to affect higher education.
“Until the economy turns around higher education is always at risk,” Schoesler said.
Schmick explained that Washington state higher education costs are not as high as they seem. He said Washington state has one of the lowest rates of student debt in the country.
Audience member Maggie McKee was concerned with their comments. McKee, a WSU accounting major, said she doesn’t think higher education is being as valued as it should be. McKee said she doesn’t understand how the state can expect to have people for jobs when students can’t even afford the education they need. She believed the speakers didn’t focus on this concern as much as the audience would have liked. This is the topic that is really impacting students, she said.
The speakers emphasized the importance of a healthy economic climate. Schmick said the state has a lot of students who are earning great degrees but many of our businesses are leaving. He gave the example of Boeing and three local businesses that have left the state. Schmick emphasized the importance of these businesses on creating an effective economic climate. He said jobs allow people to spend money and the money people spend allows businesses to provide jobs. By losing these businesses we are losing tax payers, he said.
Audience members mirrored the senator’s and representatives’ concern with the business climate.
“We are losing businesses right through our fingers,” Nicholas Marshall, a WSU business administration major, said.
Marshall said he plans on becoming an entrepreneur but is afraid to enter the current business climate especially with the 7.6 percent increase of the labor industry worker’s compensation. He said this discourages people from starting their businesses in Washington. Fagan admits that it is a tough time to be a business owner and suggested making it cheaper for business owners to get health insurance to provide to their employees.
The speakers gave the audience a glimpse as to some of the possible solutions to the deficit. Schoesler said they are looking at all of the government funded programs to see what can and cannot be cut. Schmick agreed.
“I don‘t think you will see many stones unturned at the end of this year,” Schmick said.
Schmick thinks financial assistance programs need to be reevaluated. He said we need to reevaluate the standard of these programs to make sure only people who need the services are getting it. An example he gives of this is the General Assistance Unemployment program or the GAU. He explains that with the current state of the program it is harder for a single mother to get support than a capable single man. The speakers also talk about reevaluating the Department of Health and Social Services or DHSS but did not specify the changes that would be made.
The speakers also stated while tax increases are always a possibility they plan on avoiding income tax since they have found that the majority of the population is strongly apposed to the idea.
Questions to ask the speaker:
What was the objective of giving this speech?
Why are you informing students about this issue?
Why would attending this speech be beneficial to students?
What other places could budget cuts have been made other than higher education?
Do you believe the 13 percent cut was a justifiable amount? If not what would be?
Why did the state cut only 6 percent from community colleges and tech schools in comparison to four year colleges losing 13 percent?
What is the state doing to end the budget problem?
How can we avoid repeating this problem?
What are you doing to improve the budget problem?
What can students do to help?
Contact info:
Maggie McKee (Interviewed in person)
Phone: 509-723-3329
Email: Maggie McKee@mae.com
Nicholas Marshall (Interviewed in person)
Phone:435-876-2173
Senator Mark Schoesler
Phone: (360) 786-7620
Representative Joe Schmick
Phone: 360- 786-7844
Email: schmick.joe@leg.ws.gov
Representative Susan Fagan
Phone: 509-979-3083
Other Sources:
On the Issues. Susan Fagan for state representative. Nov. 30.
Rep. Joe Schmick. State Representative Joe Schmick. Nov. 30.
Senator Mark Schoesler Biography. Senate Republican Caucus. Nov. 30.
Outline
Intro. Speakers
- Senate Republican Floor Leader Mark Schoesler 17 years.
- 9th District State Representative Joe Schmick His first term Colfax business owner
- District State Representative Susan Fagan recently elected
Intro to budget crisis
- Cause: Over spending, lack of action
- What we need to do: watch spending, make cuts, stimulate the economy
budget cut and how it is affecting higher education
- Schoesler, high education is always at risk
- Schmick Wash. lowest rates of student debt.
-Susan is concerned about the middle student
- Maggie concerns: Higher education needs to be valued more cover more on the subject. How can we stimulate the economy when cant afford education need.
Affect on businesses
- Schick explains importance of businesses
- Concerns from Nickolas, “we are losing businesses right through our fingers”
Ideas to help the problem
- No rock unturned
-revaluating government support programs
- GAU
- DHSS department of health and social services, didn’t say how it would change
- income tax not supported so they wont implement it
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