Jorge Cruz
S. Knapp
English 2
October 7th, 2012
In these up and coming elections
taking place in November many big changes will be occurring nationwide, of
course, decided by the people. Many of these grand changes include the election
of a new president or the re-election of our current one, but there`s a hidden
one specifically for California which is Proposition 30. As for those who do
not know what the intentions of Prop 30 are, it is to increase sale taxes for
about a quarter of a cent and 1%-3% for income taxes for those who make
$250,000 or as a family make over $500,000 annually. Although increases in
taxes sound intimidating it is for the greater good, education, proposition 30 passing
will greatly benefit students from K-12th grade and those in
colleges and CSU`s.
Proposition
30 if passed, as I have mentioned, would increase sales tax by a quarter of a
cent for four years, it would also increase 1%-3% tax for those who make
$250,000 annually for seven years. The money gained from that will be split 89%
would go to K-12th grade and the remaining 11% for colleges. But
what would happen to the education system if Prop 30 doesn`t pass considering
it specifically benefits education? Taxes will remain the way they are but on
the other hand education will take a huge hit financially wise. As a result of
Prop 30 not passing there will be a $6 billion in budget cuts. Out of those $6
billion the majority of that money $5.5 billion will be cut from K-12th
grade, CSU`s get cut $250 million. While classes get cut from CSU`s, staff and
other employees get laid off. Let us not forget: tuition fees will increase. Over the last
decade tuition fees has increased dramatically by 300% and just 9% this last
fall continuously making it difficult for students to pay off tuition, classes
and for other school essentials.
As a current
student in Cabrillo College paying for school with money out of his own pocket,
I personally believe tuition fees are high enough as it is and honestly fear
facing what would happen if Prop 30 does not pass. For those who do not know
CSU students alone will have to pay up to $150 more in tuition than what they
are already paying to get in, but “[i]f
Proposition 30 passes, CSU and UC campuses will receive $125 million from the
state, and CSU trustees will rescind a 9-percent tuition increase that took
effect this fall.” (Abc) Community college students alone used to pay
$26 per unit in the spring of 2010, now in the fall of 2012 it has being raised
to $46 per unit. Prop 30 will keep these prices from rising any longer and
assures stability for CSU`s and colleges as well keeping three weeks of schools
being cut from the K-12th grade. As long as Pro 30 passes it
relieves stress from other students and I financially who are under the same
situation or relate to it.
Working part time during the school
year has begun to get more and more difficult as the classes I enroll in
requires more time spent on homework, studying the material for tests and yet
manage to get a good amount of sleep to show up to class well rested while
being a full-time student. When it comes to money most of what I make goes to
paying off tuition, the other majority covers the expenses of the essentials
such as books, school supplies and transportation. More importantly what
proposition 30 does for many students and I is keeping classes from being cut,
I have not experienced having a class that I require to take being cut, but for
those who have it must have been a huge setback. Devastating in fact because
there would be higher demand for a class that has now limited space for
students, I would not want to face that struggle. The way things are currently
is difficult for many students; with the failure of prop 30 passing it would
completely crush even my own will of continuing on with college because of the
prices rising, classes being cut, less space for students, programs being
eliminated, overall it is just the thought of having restrictions with what we
can do as students such as the amount of attempts we can have in repeating a
course.
As we all know taxes have been
increased for the past decade multiple times, it being raised again with
Proposition 30 may drive fear into people. Small business owners worry about how they
will be affected over the course of the next four years with the sales tax increase
and with the seven years the income tax increase will stay in place. Rest
assure though sales tax will only increase .25% although it doesn`t seem like
much being about a 25 cents for each $100. Then there is the “unfairness” going
on with California`s top 3%. Why should they, who make so much money, have to
pay more taxes? Even though they may be rich and pay for school for their own
children Prop 30 basically messages them that they would be paying for school
for the many other students out there because they earn over $250,000 annually.
There is that argument that because they are so successful, what makes it right
for them to pay more in taxes? In the online article The reactionary essence of
California`s Proposition 30 the author David Brown says “[t]he income tax on those making over $250,000 does
not ultimately change the character of Prop 30 as anti-working class. The
wealthiest layers of society have at their disposal countless loopholes and
ways of avoiding taxes. As noted by the California Budget Project, the poorest
fifth of California’s families pay 10.2 percent of their household income on
state and local taxes, while the top 1 percent pay only 7.4 percent of their
income.” If we speak of this being unfair for them the reality lies in
how the unfairness lies upon the middle and lower class paying more taxes than
the top 3%.
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