Getting It Right - The Dirty Games Colleges Have To Play 1/29/09

If colleges do not "play the political game" they will lose out on State grant funding.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
I want to begin by applauding our competitors, the Floridan, for having the courage it took to write their front page story of January 9, where they criticized the use of political influence by Chipola College through the strategy of employing existing and former State politicians in order to assure full participation as the State "crats" shovel out our tax monies in the form of grants. It is unpopular with many local alumni and supporters for Chipola to be criticized in any manner. However, right is right….and wrong is wrong.
This issue rose to the surface when our illustrious Speaker of the Florida House of Representative was placed under a Grand Jury investigation after he took an unadvertised job for $110,000 per year with North West Florida State College after he helped them obtain some $35,000,000 in construction funding….while he continues to draw his salary as a legislator.
This questionable situation has led to possible legal action being taken against this powerful politician. The grand jury is meeting on this case as I write this column.
For many in Jackson County this immediately turns the spotlight to our own Representative Marti Coley, and our past legislator, Robert Trammell. Coley has a $60,000 per year job, and Trammell has a $57,787 per year job. Coley’s job is supposedly a fund raiser for the Chipola Honors Program, and Trammell is supposedly the "Special Assistant for the Development of Alumni Affairs".
In my opinion, their real purpose and justification is to be sure Chipola has its hands in the State grants "Grab Bag" to be sure our college gets as much funding as their political clout can muster. Unfortunately, that is the system and that is the game colleges in our state are forced to play to succeed. It is a dirty, costly game.
Virtually every college is forced to bear the extra administrative expense of keeping past and present legislators on their payrolls in order to be sure their College is treated fairly by the State funding systems. Of course the legislators do not want to correct this way of doing business, since it creates a lucrative, no attendance required, no work duties, benefits laden job for them while they are in office and after they leave office. It a great perk for being one of the "chosen" of our society.
Do you think it has been by accident that Chipola has received funding for a new administrative building, a great swimming pool, a sports complex, a new fine arts center, and the many other great new buildings on campus…while student enrollment has grown at a much slower pace than capital expenditures? The system is certainly working for Chipola.
As I understand the situation this creates for Marti Coley (and many others across the state), she is now drawing two full salaries from the state, when she retires she will receive a legislative retirement check, a college professors retirement check, and if she wishes to enter the "DROP" program she can get a huge lump sum retirement payment, and then come back to work as a College Professor at full salary. Not bad, eh…how much will you be getting Mr. Common Taxpayer?
Rudiments – Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
♦ Hey Taxpayers! You had better quit cheating on your tax returns! We are about to have a new democratic selected as the Secretary of the Treasury (which includes being the boss of the IRS), Mr. Tim Geithner, who is an experienced tax evader. He knows all of the tricks, so watch out!
♦ I want to applaud the Marianna City Commission for the manner in which they are analyzing the possibility of the City purchasing their electrical system and becoming a municipal utility. They are taking it step by step in a cautious, professional manner.
♦ As I gathered information and conducted interviews for the front page story defending Dozier from the effects of previously printed bad press. Many were angry and wanted to tell the public the truth about operations at Dozier. Others were hesitant to speak publicly, but privately defended Dozier. I do not think they are "Getting It Right:".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.