We need prisons, certainly. And those prisons must be funded adequately to assure they operate properly and safely. In that regard, lawmakers are doing the right thing. And as the Rolling Stones put it, you can't always get what you want. Community colleges are just one realm of state government that will not see its budget dreams realized.
Many good programs are underfunded.
But it does provide a forum to question governmental priorities. Community colleges have been notoriously underfunded for years by the same lawmakers who whine about a shortage of skilled workers and courageously demand that welfare recipients must go to work - then shortchange the institutions that are doing the heavy lifting. People who have jobs and an education are less likely to go to prison. As a practical matter, it costs far less to educate than to incarcerate. Community colleges are fighting the good fight and should be rewarded.