The holidays are upon us and it seems a perfect time to reflect on the basic goodness of mankind.
But that pesky news cycle keeps getting in the way, reminding us that all too often the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions.
Consider the claim by the attorney representing some of the state workers alleged to have committed fraud in filing for federal assistance after Tropical Storm Irene. He says workers taking the application were so eager to help claimants that they were busily changing the forms to make sure people qualified for help.
Despite the snarky response from the governor’s chief counsel, that explanation is not beyond the realm of possibility. Recall we’ve already had Waterbury educators ‘helping’ students by changing their answers on state tests. In the heat of the moment, people in the helping professions really do want to help, even if it means losing sight of the larger issue of the interests of their employer.
That also seems a factor in Ben Barnes, the Malloy administration’s budget czar, hitting the brakes on the extension of state health insurance benefits to municipal governments and nonprofit agencies.
Generally, broadening the risk pool — and here we’re talking about tripling it — should be a good thing. But Barnes is suddenly talking about ‘adverse selection,’ the concept that once the state loses control of who’s in the pool, it may be buying some expensive cases.
So, reading between the lines, is Barnes suggesting that these new policyholders are largely obese, smokers with a raft of chronic conditions? Or is he being polite and trying not to say that at the intersection of small town politics and social service agencies, it’s not inconceivable that some nice but medically needy people will somehow find their way onto the rolls and blow the budget? In the spirit of the season, we’ll give everyone the benefit of the doubt until the new year.
But the overarching lesson here seems to be that when individual acts of human kindness stray outside the bounds of established rules, they no longer are truly good acts. In some cases, they may be criminal fraud, costing the person being ‘helped’ a job, a reputation or some time in jail.
It is, indeed, the time of year to be filled with the spirit of giving. But you can’t give what isn’t yours. And for all gifts, keep in mind, the bill will arrive soon enough.
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UConn and tuition
Speaking of gifts that keep on giving, look what UConn President Susan Herbst has under her tree.
In her first year at the helm of the state’s flagship university, she inherits a budget mess. Last year, school officials respected Governor Malloy’s call for restraint on tuition increases, but the modest 2.5 percent bump simply meant losing more ground.
Now Herbst is left asking for a 5.8 percent tuition hike that’s bound to produce howls.
Yet the case seems clear. Students can’t get into classes they need to graduate because there are not enough classes being taught. That’s a direct result of not having enough faculty. Herbst estimates the tuition hike will fund 70 new positions.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Over the past 15 years, enrollment has increased by 53 percent while UConn’s faculty has grown by 16 percent.
That’s a tough situation but before we just throw money at the problem, how about exploring some creative options. Would more online learning options help free up faculty? And how about taking a hard look at some of those majors that lead to skills not in demand in the marketplace.
The governor is correctly making the link between education and jobs a focus of the 2012 legislative session. UConn shouldn’t be immune to that same thinking.
The taxpayers deserve it and so do the students.
