Please, oh, please, let’s cut $7.6 million for the Mississippi School of Fine Arts in Brookhaven and the Mississippi School for Math and Science in Columbus.

That’s the answer to our budget problems right there. That $7.6 million is going to put us over the top of a nearly billion-dollar budget deficit, for sure.

Of all the asinine things that have been discussed in relation to finding enough money to make our government run, this ranks right up there with a tobacco lobbyist-turned-governor fighting against an increase in the tobacco tax while a trusted poll shows an overwhelming majority of the state’s population supports such a tax to save Medicaid.

For the love of all things good, leave the schools alone.

It seems that we waste no time in acknowledging our blues heritage, in promoting artists such as Wyatt Waters, Morgan Freeman and Faith Hill, in pointing to the need for more engineering programs to help economic development, in talking about how education is the key to our young people’s futures-but when it comes down to cutting something, we’re going to put two state-of-the-art educational facilities on the line.

And if we keep them, another lawmaker says, we should do so at the expense of the individual parents. In other words, make them pay tuition. Never mind that this is a public institution, and never mind that a tuition will automatically disqualify poorer Mississippians, who already are at an educational disadvantage, from having the opportunity to excel.

Now then, all this harping aside, something is going to get cut during this session. The cuts will be deep, jobs will be lost and more than a few someones will have plenty to complain about.

Adding to this is the partisanship that has taken root in the Legislature, something we truly do not need at this point in time. Nevertheless, we’re going to get it. Republican Gov. Haley Barbour and Senate Republicans have set themselves at direct odds with House Democrats, led by Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, and the ever-vocal Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville. These two factions seemingly not only don’t get along, they simply don’t care much for one another.

Personalities aside, in the end, it’s going to take both of their ideas to get the job done and spare Mississippians some of the inevitable pain.

Barbour’s proposal to save money by removing certain state agencies from underneath the umbrella of the State Personnel Board is a proven method to shrink wasteful spending. Reducing each department by 5 percent is a fair way in which to cut spending that reduces the appearance of favoritism. And, believe it or not, education and Medicaid can and should be cut.

However, cutting the Mississippi Adequate Education Program without a definite outline as to how the state is still meeting necessary educational needs is just asking for a lawsuit. And I do believe we’ve covered what happens when you slice Medicaid recipients willy-nilly.

That means new money must be found, and robbing a dwindling Tobacco Trust Fund ranks right up there with the two schools and the tobacco lobbyist items. Instead, perhaps the House has it right when they propose fee increases and a tobacco tax hike.

By combining the Republicans’ tight budget plans and cut proposals with Democrats’ proposed spending measures and tax increases, Mississippi might just get the best of a two-party system, instead of the partisan posturing every other state enjoys.

Of course, if you believe some lawmakers, Mississippi doesn’t deserve anything worthwhile other states don’t already have themselves.

Sam R. Hall

can be reached by

e-mail to

shall@sctonline.net

.