Prop 30 Rough Draft

Payton Schwarz

English 2

A State in Crisis.  The Effects of Proposition 30 on California Residents

                Everyone can admit that the state of California is in trouble.  We have less money than ever before compared to our ever-rising population, and the education system is seeming to feel the brunt of recent cuts done to the state’s funding.  With classes becoming more crammed, waitlists getting longer, tuition rising, and the quality of education degrading- the state is running out of options other than drastic budget cuts in an attempt to save, or bring in more money to California.  With the rich getting richer than ever before, and the poor becoming poorer, the choice is quite clear.  Tax the rich.

                Proposition 30 is an attempt by Governor Jerry Brown to bring in much-needed revenue to the State by creating a new tax bracket for those who make $250,000+ annually, as well as raising sales tax by .25%.  These measures are temporary as the income tax hike will last for 7 years, and the sales tax hike for 4.  These measures are estimated to bring in roughly $6 billion annually to the state, which will divided amongst K-12 schools and community colleges.  With the state of California banking on Proposition 30 passing, there have been pre-determined “trigger cuts” of $4.8 billion that will take effect immediately if Proposition 30 is not passed, due to the fact that there will be a near $6 billion gap in the budget. 

                The effects of Proposition 30 not passing could be devastating.  These cuts to the education system could, and will, lead to a midyear tuition hike of 20% for students, a pay-cut for teachers, and classes being dropped.  These drastic measures are going to have to take place in order to try and make up for the lost funding that 30 would bring in.  The “logic” behind this, is that raising tuition and cutting funding will bring in revenue.  While technically this is true, it also has the potential to worsen the system as it will make college that much more unaffordable for the common household.  Speaking from experience, I have several friends currently in this predicament.  They want to enroll in school, but they don’t want to go into debt up to their eyeballs getting an education that could prove to not help them when they graduate.  Students are no longer guaranteed a job out of college, and will be in debt hundreds of thousands of dollars fresh out of college.  So as the rest of us, the 99% are suffering, the top 1% will see zero impact on their day-to-day lives.  Proposition 30 will ensure that the rich get taxed the appropriate amount, even though sales tax will rise by .25%.  So yes, a little shared sacrifice is necessary to get a bigger reward at the end, in form of a very lucrative fund known as the EPA, which is responsible for the expenditure of the Proposition 30 revenue.

               

            Another measure that needs to be addressed in regards to the rich becoming richer than ever before is Proposition 13, which was instated in 1978 to help cope with the ever-rising property tax values at the time.  But with corporations being the sneaky-weasels they are, they have managed to take advantage of this act.  With this in place, Property Taxes are only reevaluated when the property is sold to a new party.  What corporations are doing is that they “acquiring” the property rather than purchasing it. Because apparently the methods for monitoring transactions of property is lacking.  So again, the rich are remaining on top of the game with a rock-bottom tax rate while the rest of us are guaranteed to be purchasing real estate at a higher tax bracket than the generation before us.  This needs to end.  The monetary oppression the majority of the nation is feeling is stemming from a very select group of individuals that have the majority of the wealth in their pocket.  These individuals see capitalism as a game, and dollars are the game-pieces.  And they’re on a steady pace to owning all the pieces, leaving us to be wage-slave-gulag-workers, more so than we already are.

                The effects of Proposition 30 & 13 have affected me personally and those close to me.  School continues to get more and more expensive as my classes get more crammed than they already are. Plus having a family of realtors isn’t helping the situation.  Home prices are plummeting, but the property tax remains the same, even for those in the top 1%.  The eventual outcome of lack-there-of reform can, and will lead to the disappearance of the middle class, leaving individuals to be under-paid employees to those who are calling all the shots.  This cannot happen to a country whose primary foundation used to be personal freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  These oligarchic individuals are doing no favors to this nation and deserve to be taxed the appropriate amount.  Which will only total to a 1%-3% increase depending on income.

                Some say that the sales tax hike is unfair to those who are not making a six-figure paychecks, but unfortunately California desperately needs these revenue, and a .25% rise in sales tax will total out to 1 penny, for every 4 dollars spent.  Plus, the sales tax increase is only for four years, while the income tax hike will remain in effect for 7.  And with the fact that Prop 30 is temporary, if it turns out that this measure is bunk, it will automatically be repealed after its set time is expired.  But, if it reveals that this measure helps the state, as it should, there is the potential to make it permanent.  Also, addressing the critics that “the state cannot guarantee where the money is being spent”, this is plain false.  The newly created EPA group will, by law, distribute the funds 89% to K-12 education and 11% to community colleges.