Two state legislators discussed state taxes, university spending and the UW System Board of Regents pay scale increase at a packed College Republicans meeting Tuesday night.
Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, and Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, addressed the Grainger Hall gathering as part of the College Republicans kickoff meeting.
Grothman said one of the major differences between Democrats and Republicans in Wisconsin was over taxes and spending. He added that while one of the Democrats' top priorities was increasing spending for the UW System, the Republicans did not see it the same way.
\You may have heard that there were draconian cutbacks here at the university ... they aren't being squeezed very tightly in this overwhelming tight budget,"" Grothman said, adding UW had added positions despite the 40 percent budget cut.
Suder said he agreed with Grothman, adding, ""We have a memo in our office that shows [the system created] 821 full-time-equivalent positions, all state-financed. And at the same time they come to the Legislature and tell us, 'You are cutting us to the bone. You are destroying the university system, the gem of Wisconsin.'""
Suder said he was disappointed that the Republicans were being blamed for the university cuts.
""We simply passed exactly what the governor had proposed: $250 million in cuts,"" he said. ""They're cutting programs by $100 million for you guys and they're raising your tuition. This is the governor's plan, which we agreed to. But who do they blame in the media? Republicans. Never once have I seen a press release from the UW System or Katherine Lyall or the administration saying anything negative about Jim Doyle ... at the very least there should be equal blame.""
Suder said one of the main problems with the university system was illustrated in the recent argument over a closed-door pay scale raise for top UW System personnel.
""The UW System is playing a very dangerous political game, and they're playing it with your tax dollars,"" he said. ""They have lost all credibility with the Legislature.""
Suder has proposed a bill, which will be discussed in a hearing next Tuesday, to make the Board of Regents accountable to the state Legislature for their spending increases.
