Last week, I got excited when I heard there was going to be a protest at the state capitol in Des Moines. At first, it sounded like a good idea to protest the evil Republicans who wanted to slash the innocent budget of our fair college. After reading more, the protest started to sound more like a good excuse to skip class.

In the aftermath of the protest before the “legislture” on the steps of the “capital,” the issue of college “affordibility” became a moot point.

The actions of the protesters have amply demonstrated that Iowa State needs no more funding.

If you’re in college, you should be able to spell two out of those three words correctly and know the difference between two homonyms.

If there is excess money floating in the budget, it should go to the elementary schools, where those skills are taught, and not to illiterate adults who supposedly passed 12 years of prior education.

I see no reason why the state legislature should provide additional funding for the university’s strategic goals. Given the dismal state of affairs the university is in, the legislature should withhold the money until Jischke and his lackeys prove they can manage it responsibly. Since I’ve been here, it hasn’t happened.

Every year, tuition increases outpace inflation, and last year was no different. But this year, Jischke has requested $21.5 million from the Board of Regents. They slashed his request in half, and then the lawmakers in Des Moines slashed that even more.

The first problem with the situation is with placing blame. Most of the ignorant masses blame the politicians in the capitol who have turned down our additional funding requests.

This view has been echoed by Jischke, who said students should contact their legislators to express their concerns over the revised budget.

Many of you will learn that when and if you graduate, you must demonstrate tangible benefits when defending your annual budget. Obviously, Jischke failed to do that when he met with the Board of Regents. And it appears his case was not strong enough to withstand the scrutiny of state legislators.

The burden of proof was on Jischke, and he failed. Miserably. And before anybody rushes to his defense, consider your entrenched view of our politicians. Many of you consider them evil bureaucrats who are in the pocket of special interests. You and I both know they never met a pork barrel project they didn’t like. If they can hand out more money for their constituents, they will.

But they turned down throwing money at their favorite university. Maybe they realized they won’t get anything for their money. Maybe they realized tuition and fees go up every year and students still complain. Can it be the senile fat cats in Des Moines have a better memory than our student protesters? Or were they simply unswayed by Jischke’s plea to help Iowa State become “the best”?

Even if Jischke had been able to demonstrate a real need for the additional money, he was requesting an additional 9 percent. That goes far beyond the realm of “inflation and mandatory cost increases in utilities and materials.” As far as budget increases go, that is a lot. Until anyone can pin down where that money is going to be spent, we should be skeptical of requests for more.

The federal government has learned after many years that blank checks get spent imprudently.

Consider that Randy Alexander spent millions on Maple Hall only to run over budget and behind deadline. Or that Mr. “demolish-the-residence-halls” can’t make up his mind whether he wants suites everywhere (the Master Plan) or whether we should start putting offices and dorm rooms side by side.

Would I trust him with more money? No. In fact, I would not trust him with the change I find on the ground.

As far as having a proven track record, Jischke and his underlings have established that they can spend whatever money they receive and still ask for more.

This is illustrated by the record fund-raising efforts undertaken in the past few years that have netted millions of dollars, and yet we have endured constant hikes in tuition to support our educational goals.

Some of the money Jischke requested was supposed to go toward the operating costs of new buildings such as Howe Hall and the Design Auditorium. I would have thought that would have been considered when they were constructed. Even a college student looking for an apartment realizes you have to factor in utilities. Surely, a man of Jischke’s intelligence would have considered that before breaking ground.

Jischke went looking for a lot more money and couldn’t make a good case for it. The politicians didn’t have the money or the inclination to give it to a university that has not demonstrated any fiscal responsibility. Why should they throw good money after bad?

In this instance, Jischke has manipulated students. He has had protesters arrested before, but this time said “the students have every right to speak out on these issues” and encouraged us to get involved. Like unquestioning sheep, we followed him.

But what else do I expect from people who can’t spell?

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Aaron Woell is a senior in political science from Bolingbrook, Ill.