Run slowly, saunter maybe, for your lives:

To suggest that $10.6 billion in state funding next year represents the end of North Carolina education as we know it is a preposterous and cynical claim. If the budget targets from the House GOP end up in the final FY 2011-12 budget, here’s what will still be true:

• The University of North Carolina will still be one of the most generously funded state university systems in the United States. UNC tuitions will still be among the lowest in the country.

• North Carolina’s public schools will still not be among the most generously funded in the United States – but that only means that the more than $9,000 North Carolina will continue to spend per pupil in state, local, and federal dollars for operating and capital expenses is not as much as New Jersey or Illinois politicians are willing to spend. So what? That’s still a lot of money. North Carolina taxpayers want results, not bragging rights.

Now, to be consistent, I’m not going to claim that imposing $800 million in higher taxes to fund Perdue’s education budget rather than the Republican’s education budget would be “beyond devastating” to the state’s economy.

It would just be unwise. The scant educational benefits are not worth the economic costs. Let’s not do it.

And CMS has to find a way not to spend $100m.! All of about 8 percent of its budget!

Whatever can we do except raise taxes? Um, get an umbrella?