Mustang Daily Staff
md@mustangdaily.net
There is a gun pointed directly at the California State University (CSU) system and it has a name: Proposition 30.
Its bullet could cripple the CSU to the tune of a $250 million budget cut if the proposition doesn’t pass, and the triggerman is none other than Gov. Jerry Brown. The cut would be a blow to an already reeling public university system and could shake the educational landscape so badly that the effects would take more than just a few dollars to overturn.
Proposition 30 is not a permanent solution for the CSU, that is clear. But it’s a temporary fix, and looking down the barrel of the gun, there’s nothing else we can do. That’s why we’re saying yes to Proposition 30.
Though what Gov. Jerry Brown is asking us to do through Proposition 30 is not a long-term fix to California’s struggling higher education, its solution is at least a modest one — temporarily raise income tax on those earning more than $250,000 and increase the sales tax by one-quarter of a percent.
Critics say taxes are already high on Californians, and voting for Proposition 30 would bring yet another tax to an upper class that doesn’t need it. But looking at the current income tax structure, there is only one tax bracket for those making between $48,000 and $1 million. What Proposition 30 would do is divide that huge span of incomes into different tax brackets, while also raising the income tax on the ultra-wealthy, or those making more than $1 million.
This will change it so someone earning $48,000 is not in the same tax bracket as someone making $999,000. Though some argue this progressive income tax is unfair to the wealthiest Californians, the state needs more money to save its public schools. This can happen one of two ways: raise taxes on the wealthy, or pass an across-the-board tax increase that hurts the already ailing middle class.
We vote for the first.
But despite our support of these new tax brackets and the sales tax increase, we recognize that Proposition 30 is not the fast track to stability for California’s education. In fact, the only money it brings to the CSU will be limited to helping offset a partial tuition refund from Fall 2012. The main revenue Proposition 30 brings in will go toward K-12 and community college education — not the CSU. But, by a complicated budgeting process, it could shift other money to contribute to the state’s general fund. Until the state decides to prioritize higher education in this general fund, the future of its economy is at risk.
Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong, who has endorsed Proposition 30, sees an investment in education as an obvious solution for the state’s budget problems.
“California needs Cal Poly grads,” he said in a September interview. “We have no problem with placements of our students. We can grow, that can also help mitigate some of the issues. Growth is a good thing.”
While the proposition will ultimately help California, the way Brown presented Proposition 30 to his residents takes an unnecessary gamble with the state’s future. If Proposition 30 fails next month, Brown has promised a $250 million “trigger cut” to both the CSU and University of California systems, as well as a reduction of more than $5.3 billion in spending to schools and community colleges.
By threatening nearly $6 billion in “trigger cuts” to education, Brown is risking the state’s future livelihood for his own political advantage. This risky move has the potential to hurt the state much worse than Proposition 30’s failure, since the proposition itself would not bring any cuts; those come straight from the governor’s office.
For this reason, Brown needs to reconsider his cuts and find other ways to slim down government spending. The CSU alone has already taken $750 million in state cuts during the past fiscal year and has put several tuition hikes on the table, including a guaranteed $100 per quarter increase if the governor pulls the trigger on his cuts. Last year marked the first time in history that CSU students funded their universities more than the state did.
Education, an extremely important and already underfunded priority, simply cannot afford more cuts.
But those “trigger cuts,” the governor said in a recent interview with the Sacramento ABC news affiliate, are not up for debate.
“I’m not going down that road,” Brown said. “There’s only, ‘Yes, we get the money,’ or, ‘No, we have the trigger cuts.’ It’s that simple.”
For California’s students, however, it is not that simple. Voting “Yes” on Proposition 30 means biding more time. And though it’s not the fix of all the state’s budget problems, there’s no other choice.
As a Cal Poly alum, I will not throw my own principles out the window for the sole reason that the politicians in Sacramento cannot (will not) balance their own check book. Don’t kid yourself, they put education on the chopping block to get emotional support from a general public that feels there is no other way out of this mess.
This is nothing more than political extortion, we need to just call it what it is and then vote on it.
It is unfortunate to see an attitude of just throwing in the towel and bow to Sacramento. We elected them, we should hold them accountable to do the job we sent them there to do, not just add dollars to their checking account and call it a day.
Steve (Civil ’82)
Vote all those Tax and Spend politicians in Sacramento out this Nov. 6th.
And that expletive, expletive, expletive in the White House too!
“raise taxes on the wealthy, or pass an across-the-board tax increase that hurts the already ailing middle class.
We vote for the first.”
Spoken like a true liberal who isn’t willing to put their money where their mouth is. Lets just tax the wealthy because it doesn’t hurt me.
“Brown needs to reconsider his cuts and find other ways to slim down government spending.”
This is exactly the other choice we have. Vote no and tell Sacramento to cut somewhere else or be cut out of a job! Contrary to popular belief dumping more money into the system doesn’t always solve the problem.
California spends TWICE the national average per student. The myth that California ranks near the bottom on per pupil spending is achieved by EXCLUDING from school spending funds spent from bond proceeds. LAUSD, for example, actually spent $29,780 per pupil in 2008 and the superintendent recently said that he planned to buy electronic tablets for every student and teacher in the district! In other words, unlike you or me, the schools have falsely rigged the numbers by not counting expenditures put on the state’s credit card as spending on schools.
While everyone except State employees are suffering in California, the arrogant politicians and public unions continue to believe that they should receive even more. My kids go to private school, the tuition at which is a third of what California spends per pupil, and they are three grades ahead of their public school peers.
Sure, vote yes on 30. Everyone who draws a State of California paycheck (President Armstrong!) wants you to vote yes on Prop 30. Tax the people making more than middle class incomes and they will pack up their business, all the jobs that go with it, and those paychecks that feed those of us that don’t draw a State of California check and take the whole kit and caboodle somewhere where they are wanted, somewhere outside of California. Trust me; people all over the world are begging them to bring their business to a much better climate. Look around, the jobs that pay for our middle class lifestyle have been moving out of California for the last 50 years. Paychecks that will let you buy a house, raise a family and, yes, send your kids to a good school are moving out of a neighborhood near you. They are tired of paying to support the lifestyle of those folks who draw a State of California paycheck.
@ Paul, Armstrong’s salary means that prop 30 would raise his taxes. He is willing to put his personal money towards education in this state. @ Ryan G, And there are plenty of rich liberals who will do the same, and plenty of poor republicans that will be voting for prop 30 as well. You can act like this a partisan issue but it is a class issue.
Soon to be Cal Poly grads take note: Be prepared to look outside of California for your next job. @Invest in Education, If Prop 30 was earmarked exclusively for the classroom/lab we would all be on board, but it’s not. Prop 30 taxes get dumped into the general fund. Guess what that means. The folks who draw a State of California paycheck are not just looking at their current pay stub, nope; they are looking forward to that gravy boat pension check. Go ahead, vote yes on 30, and while you are at it you can go down to the station and wave goodbye to more jobs because that train is leaving California.
I vote NO on 30, I don’t trust Jerry Brown Jr. “I’m the Gov and I have the solution,” ya right.
The students of Cal Poly voted last year to support the student success fee. We value our education and we’re willing to pay for it. We aren’t willing to raise taxes so that Jerry can avoid the real issues. We aren’t willing to accept a “temporary” solution that will only become precedent for future tax hikes. I hope the rest of California sides with my esteemed peers at the polls today; it’s time to force Sacramento to find a solution other than throwing money at our problems.
The students of Cal Poly voted last year to support the student success fee. We value our education and we’re willing to pay for it. We aren’t willing to raise taxes so that Jerry can avoid the real issues. We aren’t willing to accept a "temporary" solution that will only become precedent for future tax hikes. I hope the rest of California sides with my esteemed peers at the polls today; it’s time to force Sacramento to find a solution other than throwing money at our problems.
It was Prop 38 that should have been passed. This tax IS unfair to those with the highest earnings. The Cal gov needs to get our finances in order. A temporary solution isn’t going to cut it. I would have gladly paid the tax w/ everyone else. As a state, we are all responsible to do our part for educating or youth- our future. I’m sorry, but we’ve just allowed for a handful of citizens to be robbed, so the rest could duck-out of our responsibilities to our children. Then of course everyone votes yes on 40. What a waste of time.
It was Prop 38 that should have been passed. This tax IS unfair to those with the highest earnings. The Cal gov needs to get our finances in order. A temporary solution isn’t going to cut it. I would have gladly paid the tax w/ everyone else. As a state, we are all responsible to do our part for educating or youth- our future. I’m sorry, but we’ve just allowed for a handful of citizens to be robbed, so the rest could duck-out of our responsibilities to our children. Then of course everyone votes yes on 40. What a waste of time.