Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Proposition 30 Op-Ed *Final Polish*

Proposition 30
Californians have a common attitude of distrusting the lawmakers in Sacramento completely because we have been cheated by them way too many times, and we just don't know why. I personally have a hard time swallowing the political food that is forced down my throat by Sacramento. Proposition 30, however, isn't too hard to swallow, but it may be just a little too salty. I say 'too salty' because of the way Governor Jerry Brown has gone about advertising, it's like they're trying to make it look like a good idea by saying that it is the best option to help the children. They try to drive this point home making a No on Proposition 30 mean that you are in favor of a $6 billion dollar budget cut to the schools. Sacramento's budget plan for California has these 'trigger cuts', as Governor Brown refers to them, that need to be made because the state will not have money coming in through Proposition 30's tax increase which would help refund the education system, pay for Sacramento's plans for California, and reduce our incredible amount of debt. Lawmakers have already stacked budget cut after budget cut on the school system, a Yes on Proposition 30 will stop these budget cuts from happening, and keeping schools from losing three weeks from their school calendar you as well as increase to what is considered a normal sized class.  Proposition 30 is an income tax on California's richest as well as a quarter of a cent increase to the regular sales tax to raise money for the Education Protection Account to fund the education systems of California. The money originally earmarked for schools would overflow back into the General Fund to hopefully help eliminate some of our state's debt. Proposition 30 is what Sacramento needs to repair the terrible job they've done in these past few years, while saving the schools from the wrath of their budget cuts. It might be just what California needs to start us on the way out of our ocean of debt we've sunk into; but many fear that Sacramento lawmakers will just continue to drown us.
Proposition 30 is estimated to give California $6 billion annually, through an increase to the income tax on individuals whose incomes are more than $250,000. For California's wealthiest residents anyone making more than $500,000 would have an increase of 3% to their income tax, anyone above $300,000 a year will have a 2% income tax increase, and a 1% increase to the $250,000 and up bracket. That is not the only source of income coming through Proposition 30, it also has a separate sales tax increase effective on all Californians by an increase of .25% of every dollar spent, which will create almost $1.2 billion a year. Proposition 30 has advertised that it is a proposition for the schools and only for the schools, one would think that Proposition 30 would increase the amount of money received by the schools, but the bill itself does not give any extra revenue to the schools. However, the only increase to the amount of money received by the schools will happen through Proposition 98, the Official Voter Information Guide for the California General Election describes "The revenue generated by the
measure’s temporary tax increases would be included in the calculations of the Proposition 98 minimum guarantee (around fifty percent)—raising the guarantee by billions of dollars each year"
. Since the amount of money taken in by the state is going to increase, so will the amount of money the Education Protection Account, which is controlled by Sacramento, is able to fund California schools without need to use any of the money in the General Fund. Yes on Proposition 30 will mean a small sales tax increase, an income tax on the rich, the start of the Education Protection Account, and stopping the "trigger cuts" from taking effect.
Yes on Proposition 30 is a vote of trust in Sacramento, a vote that Californians will trust in the decisions of the lawmakers in Sacramento and that they will use any extra revenue generated from Proposition 30 in a way to better California as a whole. In my past few years as a student in the K-14 schooling system, I have become accustomed to  the schools becoming weaker and weaker as the years went by, the past four years has seen over $20 billion to California's school system. Teachers at my school took the blunt of the budget cuts having to buy their own materials to teach an effective lesson and having to worry if they're job the love doing is going to be there for them the next year. One of the teachers at my high school was cut from the schools pay-roll and officially fired, but he didn't want to leave his school and his students so he continues to work there, to this day, for free. The cuts that Sacramento was obviously making to the school systems during my time there has left me bitter, as I continue to endure the consequences of poorly funded aid  for the  Higher Education System.  Now, Sacramento is threatening the school systems with an enormous $6 billion dollar budget cut that will go into effect if Californians do not vote for Proposition 30. To have seen and experienced, first hand, how the schools have struggled through the last few budget cuts makes you realize how bad the schools would take a $6 billion dollar cut, when the past budget cuts have been much smaller than the one attached to a No on Proposition 30.  
Proposition 30's promoters, with their underhanded and vague advertizing, puts California voters in a position where they have to vote for either a tax measure that plays on peoples sympathies and drives for a better education system or cutting funds to the already struggling school system, a choice that could be considered an ultimatum to some. It's a crooked way to get a yes vote, that makes me have less trust in Sacramento's agenda and their bill.
This bill is a tax increase plain and simple, hidden behind a crusade for the schools agenda which is built on exaggerations of how helpful it will be for the California school systems. The money made through Proposition 30 will be funding the schools like the General Fund has done in the past, this will cause the General Fund to over-flow so Sacramento has more money to play their $50 billion dollar 'shell-game'. I'm hopeful, but skeptical about the positive impact that Proposition 30 will have on our education system. We might never know where the taxpayers money that over-flows from the General Fund will go if we trust Sacramento with more of our money.  
Proposition 38 mentions that around 30% of its $10 billion a year revenue would be put into effect to help get California out of its hole of debt, but these contributions would only last for a fraction of the 12 years that this proposition would be in place for. All other money raised is kept in its entirety for the schools and Early Care and Education, completely separate from the control of the government. With that said, if you really want your vote for a new tax measure to help the schools out as much as possible, and don't care to see what Sacramento has planned for California with Proposition 30, then a Yes vote on Proposition 38 would be a wise choice. That would mean a broad tax increase and that the "trigger cuts" would be activated from the No vote on Proposition 30, having the threat of budget cuts are scaring many people away from this possibility much to the benefit of Governor Jerry Brown and his proposition. Proposition 38 would make that amount back and more, according to the Official Voter Information Guide for the California General Election, Proposition 38 " increases personal income tax rates on annual earnings over $7,316 using sliding scale from .4% for the lowest individual earners to 2.2% for individuals earning over $2.5 million, for twelve years". Proposition 38 is a way to take the schools out from under the control of the government, saying "we don't trust you with our children's education anymore" and giving the power back to the schools in the most literal way possible.
According to the Los Angeles Times, "in 2011, the state budget was more than $25 billion in the red". Something needs to change in order to decrease that amount so we can start thinking of how to make California as a whole a better place instead of how we can pay off our huge pile of debt. You have two options for a new tax measure this November; Proposition 30, fixing the damage Sacramento previously caused the school system and an increase to the amount of money available in the general fund, or Proposition 38, which puts the schools ahead, even after a $6 billion dollar budget cut, by making them self-sustainable. This will separate school funds from Sacramento's budgeted agenda, allowing them 12 years of independent spending.
Governor Jerry Brown has stepped into his father's shoes, the question everyone is wondering is what he is going to do to fill them. Goldie Blumenstyk from The Chronicle of Higher Education tells us " Edmund G. (Pat) Brown was governor when the California Master Plan for Higher Education was enacted in 1960". Modeling after his father's footsteps, Gov. Brown is also the face of a crusade to help save the schools, but my worry is that he will not make a big enough impact on the schools in the long run with Proposition 30 and he will lose some of his credibility as well as tarnishing his father's name and his title as California's Governor. However, if he is able to change the direction that California is headed with this single proposition, then he will be a respected Governor for years to come for being the one who finally got our state above the water.

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