California government is counter-productive and dysfunctional.
It has been over 100 days since Governor Schwarzenegger called a special session of the Legislature to fix the state budget, which came in 85 days late to begin with.
The budget they are working on is for fiscal year 2008-09, which ends on June 30. Over halfway through the fiscal year, California is without a “real” budget.
Because of all this, community colleges statewide have to “guess” how much money they will be short for the next few semesters, and are making cuts accordingly. The administrators use words like “speculate,” “project” and “anticipate,” but in reality, it’s anyone’s best guess how much the state will cut.
The budget may be the biggest and most obvious problem, but it isn’t the only one. As it stands, our state constitution contradicts itself and the federal government tries to tell the state what to do. A prison hospital is being proposed for Camarillo by the feds to be paid for with state money, and for those with a prescription (or an illegally-obtained legal card) marijuana is legal in California, but the Feds say it’s illegal everywhere.
Fixing the budget needs to get done now. What the legislature needs to do is turn the budget they are working on into a two-year budget, ending June 30, 2010. That way the state doesn’t start this process over again in three months when the Governor is due to revise the ‘09-10 budget and send it for approval in the state assembly and senate.
The newest fix proposes raising the gas tax $0.12, which is too high. When gas was $4 a gallon, people stopped driving. Gasoline in Ventura County is averaging $2.25 a gallon this week, and by the time this passes, we’ll be over $2.50 a gallon again with the new tax.
The GOP in Sacramento is saying they don’t want to raise taxes, but that doesn’t make much sense. We are beyond borrowing our way out of this. Raising taxes too much will drive people away from California, which won’t help things either.
Cutting community college funding is also the wrong thing to do. When people lose jobs, one thing they do is go back to school. The community college system is set up to be available to everyone, and those Californian’s that can’t afford it get their tuition covered.
Cutting teachers, classes, administrators and student news media (or student news media production for that matter) isn’t conducive to a positive learning experience.
As recent as Jan. 2007, fees were $26 per unit. The extra $6 per unit, times 1.7 million students registered in spring ’08, averaging nine units equals another $91.8 million, and since there are two semesters in a fiscal year, that would add $183 million to the state general fund.
The Student Voice does not endorse raising fees, but as a practical example, a $1 fee raise at community colleges, a couple cents on gas (not 12) a percent on sales, a percent on income, another few dollars on licenses and car taxes, and small cuts in vital services with more moderate cuts in less-vital systems is better than raising a few fees a lot and cutting a lot.
But the budget fix they’re working on is really a temporary fix to the biggest problem facing California, its own constitution.
Since it is the so-called, grandiloquent time for change, it is time for one in California.
The Student Voice is asking the state Legislature for a Constitutional Convention. The current constitution is convoluted, complex and contradictory, to say the least.
The new constitution should be short and to the point. It should layout only the few essential things a constitution needs: guidelines for executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, tax and budget rules, personal protections, and an amendment process.
California should do away with the bicameral (two house) legislature and go to a unicameral (one house) system. At the Federal level, the Senate represents the states, and the House represents the people. Why does California have houses of 40 and 80?
A single body of 100 representatives drawn in districts of equal population would provide better representation. Then require 55% approval for passing things, and if the legislature passes things the voters don’t like, at the end of their 3-year term, their constituents won’t reelect them.
The initiative process should remain, but judicial review should be required before it can be implemented. The equal protection clause should carry more weight, so items like Prop 8 won’t force the constitution to contradict itself.
A constitutional convention would take care of most of the state problems, but the problems California has with Uncle Sam will have to play out in the Supreme Court.
On the point about the prison facility, the VCCCD Board of Trustees this week issued a statement denouncing the proposed prison health-care facility, and the Student Voice agrees that Ventura County should not be home for the new prison hospital. Federal government should stay out of state affairs like prisons.
Time for the kairos: call your state representatives. They will notice.
