"I am...I said": Raghu Mathur points a finger at Democrats, produces a steaming pile of fatuous harrumphitude

     There is something terribly wrong with this fellow!

      Ever wonder what’s become of former Chancellor Raghu P. Mathur? Well, according to the OC Reg, he’s the Chair of the School of Education at Argosy University (in Orange).
     Yesterday, the OC Reg published an opinion piece by the fellow.
     His point seems to be that Democrats in Sacramento are lousy leaders because they don't "prioritize"; instead, they treat all programs as equally important.
     I.e., he's got nothin'. Why on Earth did they publish this?

Raghu Mathur: Time for Sacramento to put first things first (OC Reg)

     California government has become too large as it clearly demonstrates an endless appetite for increasing amounts of taxpayer dollars each year. Since Gov. Jerry Brown and the Republican legislators have ended their negotiations to settle the budget deficit of about $27 billion for 2011-12 fiscal years, the good news is that there will be no effort to sustain temporary tax increases for another five years through a ballot initiative in a special election this June.
     Now, Gov. Brown and the Democratic legislators have threatened to make huge and visibly painful cuts in schools, safety, and other vital public services to teach Californians a lesson so that they will ask for higher taxes for continuation of the services. They want to punish Californians through draconian cuts and dire consequences that will make their lives miserable. They want to punish Californians who are already suffering as the result of their past bad fiscal policies in addition to state unemployment rate of about 12 percent and with one of the highest home foreclosure rates in the nation. As if this wasn't enough, California families are reeling with rapidly rising gas and food prices.

"Disloyalty will not be tolerated!" —IVC Prez Raghu P. Mathur, 1997

     What we need from our elected leaders in Sacramento is leadership. Perhaps it's asking for too much? We need our leaders to provide leadership in making tough decisions through analytical and thoughtful prioritization of functions and expenditures in every aspect of the state government such that the Californians will have access to the most essential and efficiently delivered programs and services that will ensure future economic growth and prosperity, and do so with utmost commitment and self-discipline to live within our means. We need real prioritization with compassion and without gimmickry while we recognize that prioritization is an art. This can be done and must be done or the citizens must vote out of office leaders who don't understand this concept and thus stand in its way for the common good. Enough is enough!
     When the governor and the Democratic legislators ask for tax increases, they assume that all state programs and services are equal in weight and importance, and thus lack priority. This is neither planning nor strategic. Certainly such thinking reflects tremendous lack of leadership, and lack of respect for the intelligence of the taxpayers. Anyone can balance the state budget if we were to provide them more taxpayer dollars.

Occasionally, Mathur has
bitterness explosions

     As businesses know too well, the most likely source for needed resources for the most essential programs and services is through the reallocation of existing resources based on prioritization, and still balance the budget. This is exactly what we expect taxpayers to do with their home budgets, if they were to pay even more taxes and thus have less money to pay off all their bills. Why can't our leaders follow this golden rule in the first place, and then as role models demonstrate how it can indeed work at the state level in a constructive and responsible manner.
     While taxpayers prioritize their living expenses on a daily basis, our state programs and services seem to enjoy eternal life. There is s something terribly wrong with this picture!

     Dr. Raghu P. Mathur is the former president of Irvine Valley College, chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District, and president, Board of Trustees of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District in Orange County, CA. Currently he serves as the Chair, School of Education at Argosy University in Orange.