Our wise and fair Lt. Governor, Mark Taylor, was quoted in the AJC as saying one of the most stupid things I’ve heard come from him. The AJC article pointed out that tuition for Georgia’s higher education institutions will be rising over the coming year. Apparently, Taylor was among those who had something to say about that.

Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, who helped push the legislation creating HOPE through the Senate in the early 1990s, called the proposed tuition increases “an outrage.” Taylor said the University System should cut administrative costs further before raising tuition.

“I don’t feel the regents need to make ends meet on the backs of the families and students of Georgia,” Taylor said. “I am very concerned about the impact this will have on HOPE.”

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been watching Georgia State go through a whole series of budget cutbacks for the sake of maintaining a balanced state budget. Contrary to Taylor’s statements, GSU and other institutions have already been cutting back on administrative costs to the point that in some cases, the students have been hurt. Does Mark Taylor really think he, the Governor, and the Legislature can keep cutting state funds to USG without expecting a subsequent tuition increase? To me, that logic doesn’t add up.