To the Streets: Reject State Budget Framework

Student demonstrations overtime received a bad name  Inevitably some students started to protest for the mere stake of protesting.  Movements were hijacked and used for aims quite different than those for which they were started.  Students where overly enamored with their own intelligence and wisdom when most where plagued by the ignorance and naivete common to their youth.  On top of this the FBI and even the CIA inflitrated such groups planting the seeds of desent and urging the groups on to their own demise 

But there are some times when normal political discourse has failed and people of good faith must pursue good and frustrate evil through other means.   The unique combination of procedural hurdles to the California budget process with a united and doctrinairian Republican party has allowed the budgeting process to be run not by the majority, but rathe a small minority who cares for nothing but its own interest.

The current budget framework is a disasster for the future of California.  It seems the heart of an agreement would limit the growth government to the growth in population and inflation.  But the reality is such a measure would result in unending reduction of government services.  As, most us have realised quite painfully the growth in the population has not been shared equally.  While a few have seen their incomes grow the majority have not and many have even seen their incomes actually fall.

The growth in population is therefore a very inaccurate view of ammount of wealth in California.  Since the majority of income growth goes to the minority at the top, growth in the ecconomy happens much much faster than growth in population.

The second measure is also badly skewed.  The over all inflation does not at all reflect the cost of government resources.   Though services requiring highly skilled workers such as healthcare, education, and consulting all cost much more than they did the past, these cost increases are in general inflation figures are mitigated by the falling wages for low skilled and unskilled labor as well as increased efficiancy gained through the progress of technology.

Unfortunately most of government services are performed by skilled professionals and union members whose pay does not decrease.  And as many government services involve person to person interactions, the efficiancy gained from technology in minimal.  Thus if the growth of government was based on inflation figures for the ecconomy as a whole which experiences inflation much smaller than that for government services the amount of services the government will be able to supply will decrease indefinitely.

So what is presented as a cap on growth of government is in fact a recipe for conious automatic cuts in the provision of government service.  But the current budget framework is not only dishonest it is grossly unfair and counterproductive.

The raises in taxes proposed are almost all regressive including car tag fees, sales tax, and gas tax.   Thus the great burdern of closing the budget gap through taxes will fall on the poor and middle class.  

But who will bear the brunt of cuts.  Surprisingly it will be same people.   There are huge cuts coming to the university systems.  This will mean even higher fees.  But even worse it will mean massive cuts in the classes offered, meaning that students will find it hard if not impossible to graduate in four years.  This will be at least one year maybe two where the students income will be reduced by their college schedual.   Also this year or years will also be years where the student will be earning less senority This will lead to a significant hit to the students life time earnings.

But it gets worse, much worse.  Because students now have to compete with graduates from China, India, Singapore, English speaking African nations such as Ghana and many more the value of a college education is declining.  So while the student is paying more in tuition and loss employement the value of the degree is steadily decreasing.

Add to this drastic cuts in community colleges as well as secondary and elementary schools and the effects are magnified still.  Students will arrive at college less prepared.  They will be able to skip fewer classes through advance placement exams.  They will have to pay for more remedial classes.  Instead of paying for cheap community college classes they will be forced to pay for much much more expensive courses at 4 year colleges.

This budget is unfair.  It is class warfare.  The poor and middle class pay more and lose more.  The wealthy don't care about the future of the state.  They can always important workers from states that do fund education.  Or they simply can invest their money in countries which do.  

But incredibly week retail climate does give students more power than they usually would have.  Students should pick individual members of the business comunity that supports this treacherous budget and demonstrate, legally, outside their business until they are forced to close.  Then move on to randomly selected other supporter of the budget.  We have truth and justice on our side.  We are the democratic majority.  We can't let the privledged minority ruin our state.

To the streets!!!!!!!! No stable business climate in Califoria till budget fairness.  This is our time when we can join together and save California from those would loot it. 

Justice, Democracy, Comunity!!!!!!!!