Should Prop 98 Funding Be Suspended?

"The powerful California Teachers Association launched an offensive Monday against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to suspend the Proposition 98 school-funding measure to help bridge this year's budget gap."

Schwarzenegger is known for talking about legislators from both sides of the aisle refusing to come out of their ideological corners. One would think that with the growing problems in California coming from the government's budget problems (IOUs, furloughs, etc...) people would begin to rethink what the priorities really should be. But no! Instead, they are not only going further into those corners, they are digging in and setting up their mortars to lay into the other side.

If the people of California don't have enough money to buy their kids food, they aren't going to pay for gas to take them to school. If they can't afford gas they aren't going to be driving on the roads so infrastructure becomes a moot point. Already eating out has taken a nose dive because of the economy as has going on long trips in cars and on planes. I'm not saying that schools and roads don't matter... All I'm saying is that if we keep going in the direction we are going right now, we are going to wish that we had cut them sooner, before we were forced to.

The legislators aren't the only ones who need to get a grip. The people who are on the receiving end of welfare are going to have to realize the state doesn't have endless resources. We need to help each other and stop relying on the government to bail us out. Personal responsibility needs to experience a comeback if we expect to come out of this mess we're in.

More and higher taxes aren't the answer. People have already started to flee the state because of the high cost of living compared to other states. The legislature needs to start at square one. Cut welfare (70% of the general fund is spent on welfare). Deregulate business and let entrepreneurship thrive once again. Lower the taxes on individuals and on businesses. Cut taxes cut welfare. Ignore the special interest groups who are asking for handouts.