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Vote yes on Proposition 38

October 30, 2012

OPINION By MARK BUCHMAN

Prop. 38’s Molly Munger

Proposition 38 sends money directly to local schools and local folks get a say in how it is spent – plain and simple.

Money cannot be hijacked by legislators. It cannot be used to increase salaries. It is used for students.

How much money will local schools get? Well, Paso Robles High School gets $2 million, Atascadero High School gets $1.4 million and Arroyo Grande High School gets $2.2 million.

Think of it this way, Prop 38 means local schools can put back programs we all took for granted when we were growing up.

In the past five years, $24 billion has been stripped from school budgets statewide.

Last year some students in this county only went to school three days a week. Without an investment in public schools this year as much as three weeks could be cut from the school year.

Is it a tax increase? Of course, but that is how we support public projects even roads. People are upset about potholes and there is not enough money to fix them. Tax dollars pay to fix potholes. We have turned schools into gaping potholes that need to be fixed.

Proposition 38 is sponsored by attorney Molly Munger. Mark Buchman is the president of the Twenty-Fourth District PTA Board.

 


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No on every measure that seeks to increase taxes for any reason, period. NO!


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Wow, are those unpopular with familiar posters here who are either on the left or the right. WOW, again, I say! I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so universally agreed upon (the choice of Capps and Moldinado come close).


ENOUGH taxes, start being more wise with our current dollars. They do that, and then I’ll look at paying more – but at some point, a money pit begins to look like a money pit no matter what “sacred cow” the government scribbles across it.


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Sorry, “those” meaning Prop. 30 and Prop. 38. NO, NO, NO!


But I am still torn on 37… hmmm…


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One point commonly missed; more taxes=more government. And more government=a police state.


Remember that, in effect, saying no to more taxes is saying no to more government. 99% of what government does is totally unnecessary. We can do those things for ourselves. We do not need a police state to tell us what to do!


Another common misconception; if the voters think that they can control/fine tune already out-ot-control government spending, they are crazy. You cannot tinker at the margins with this beast. It is all or nothing, something that you web loggers are definitely not prepared for.


My opinion is that voting will not solve this problem. We would do much better to stay away from the voting booths and simply refuse to pay these taxes. Period. If everybody does that, then there is nothing that the government can do about it.


The problem is not “money” (too little or too much); the problem is GOVERNMENT. The government sabotages and short circuits economic action and violates our civil rights. The more we enable them, the more they steal from us, intimidate us, and terrorize us.


The rise of the police state is, thus, no accident. Its rise has automatically accompanied the rise in big government.


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Prioritize our govt spending.

These are proprieties:

Schools

Police

Fire

Roads


These are not proprieties:

Free stuff for those that don’t want to work

Free stuff for those that have no legal right to be here

High Speed Train to nowhere

Ridiculous salaries and benefits for state employees


Get the picture?


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I think you may need to detail your priority list a bit.


Schools for supplies and items directly connected to students. Not for already bloated administrations


Police for crime prevention and street officers, again not for already bloated administration, reduce health care in jail and prision to basic care, not gold standard.


Fire sorry no high rise ladder trucks in a city with no high rises. No desk job for firemen that beat to near death and then run away, only to be given golden glove treatment by police and DA.


Roads include all infrastructure, but require the amount that must be spent on actual physical structures and no contract over budgets. A company bids on a job and that it, no extras, and if not done on time, deduct funds.


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Not all of us have ridiculous salaries.


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pension?


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benefits?


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Your picture is blurred with broad strokes…


The devil is in the details and your priorities soounds like more government workers union hyperbole.


…but you through the state employees under the bus as your scape goat…you get some points for that!


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How stupid do these guys think we are?


BTW, the money isn’t getting down into the classroom boys and girls… it’s inflating administrative positions and salaries.


just NO


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For every dollar Prop 38 would send to local schools, the state will likely reduce it’s regualr share by a dollars, just like witht he lottery, so in the end no additional money will go to the schools and the new taxes will increase the genral fund… We are taxed enough, No on any new taxes.


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“Money cannot be hijacked by legislators”. Wake up, how many times have we heard that one before. If you believe this you need to do some research on the history of California and how we have been robbed and duped before. Not this time around. Vote NO on any tax increase because ultimately it will not be used for it’s intended use but just to stuff the pockets of the politicians.


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Vote NO on Prop 38 and Prop 30.


There IS enough money to fix our schools (and potholes), Mr. Buchman. But our governor and legislature just takes all that money and spends it on other things–programs and services that we just can NOT afford.


Republican Gov. Arnold started the ball rolling by “borrowing” money from schools…then of course he never paid it back. Our current Democratic governor is doing the same thing–raiding school funds then demanding even MORE money from taxpayers.


Vote NO on Prop 38 and Prop 30. NO NEW TAXES for Californians!


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Absolutely, Vote NO on all tax increases. NO on Prop 30, NO on Prop 38. Our state education system has too many people, making way too high of salaries. Cut, cut, and more cut. Show the taxpayers some real serious cuts – not to lower level teachers, but to the top dogs.


Get back to basics.


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Finally, something we can agree on. Don’t forget to no on the city tax as well


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While there is no question schools benefit all of us (whether we have kids in them or not), somewhere around half the fams with school age kids have not state tax liability at all.


A family married with 2 children owes no tax if their HH income is below $52,389. California’s median household income in 2010 was $54,459.


If everyone paid a little bit, instead of some other guy paying more and more, we might find our way out of this deal.


(Note: I did not make up those numbers myself. The California Budget Project made them up for me. http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2012/120413_Who_Pays_Taxes.pdf )


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Everybody should pay some taxes period. A sliding scale,and if you don’t pay any taxes at all you shouldn’t get any tax return from the IRS like this –

Illegal immigrants could reap more than $7B in tax credits- http://goo.gl/el0nc


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Those of us who own property already pay school taxes, even if we have no children…

This ballot measure like all others, is not about money for the kids, it is all about money for more government and bureaucracy. What happened to the Loto money that was going to pour into our schools?

What abpout every other bond measure that comes up each election cycle, where do you think that money goes?

Vote NO on all these BS measures. The money is already there, it just does not make it to the students…


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easymoney correctly states “The money is already there, it just does not make it to the students.” We all need to remember those words every time the city, county, and state spendaholic leaders starting pushing more tax measures down our throats. Very well said, easymoney!


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