Alas, the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. The semester is drawing to a close. The holiday season has arrived at last.
All around, Christmas ornaments are being hung, TSA agents are probing grandma’s rectal cavity for hidden explosives, prosthetic reindeer are waiting to be humped and lonely old pedophiles are throwing on funny costumes and inviting young children to sit on their laps.
The holiday season and New Years are always a great time for relaxation and fellowship. But they also mark a great time to peer back over the highlights and lowlights of the waning year while also setting resolutions for the upcoming year.
From the University’s point of view, the main storyline this past year remained the college-castrating budget cuts levied by our friendly state bureaucrats.
Taking the bulk of the heat for these cuts, of course, is part-time public servant and full time cross-country traveling enthusiast, Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Putting Jindal in our crosshairs and resting a tiny red laser beam on his tan forehead might seem like the most rational (albeit stereotypical) way to respond to a crisis.
But before we roast Jindal’s chestnuts on an open fire, let’s tap in to some of that generous holiday spirit and give the guy a little break.
The story of the budget cuts crisis isn’t the tale of an evil-hearted villain trying to dash the hopes and dreams of our up and coming generation. The storyline essentially boils down to this: Our higher education system was built on an unsustainable foundation of state funding.
The hardships students endure today aren’t exactly a direct assault from an unscrupulous governor with misplaced priorities. They’re the inevitable consequence of our University’s unsustainable dependence on public funds.
Sure, there’s probably some juicy fat that’d be easier to trim off on the state budget before higher education. But the fact remains higher education is an incredibly bloated sector — not just in Louisiana — but all over the country.
And what do most New Years resolutions involve? Cutting fat and losing weight.
Don’t blame Jindal alone for our fiscal woes. Blame the imbeciles who tied our entire generation’s education to the sinking ship of government funding.
Besides, the struggles our University faces today are just a microcosm of the financial struggles our entire nation will soon endure because of budgetary crises.
So before you hurl another stone toward Jindal, just ask yourself: “What should he do?”
Should he admit that he has made mistakes? Should he remind you he has done this before?
Should he tell you: “I am not a role model.”
Should he accept his role as a villain? Or should he be who you want him to be?
Scott Burns is a 21-year-old economics and history senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Sburns.
 
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Contact Scott Burns at [email protected]