Every time voters face a ballot initiative of some sort that would raise their taxes, proponents of such measures will trot out any of the following components to champion the cause - school children, policemen, firemen or the release of criminals from jails.
But this time, the June 3 "NBC Nightly News" waited until after California voters denied passage of initiatives that would raise their taxes to say, "I told you so." NBC correspondent George Lewis followed up a dire, one-sided June 3 "Today Show" report with a "Nightly News" segment that blamed the budget cuts for one supposed hardship story - a California school district forced to cancel summer school, which in turn made it impossible for one child's mother to look for a job.
"Across California, 40 percent of school districts are either canceling or curtailing summer sessions because of the budget crunch. Diana Marietta, a fourth grader, says she's disappointed," Lewis said. "And because of that, Diana's mother, Yolanda, can't look for a job."
And in addition to circumstances like that, the budget woes are hurting teachers.
"With California $24 billion in the red, these are hard times for schools and for parents. Education faces a $6 billion cut," Lewis said. "And in Los Angeles that means 2,200 teaching jobs are being eliminated."
Lewis visited a neighborhood where residents were showing their disapproval in dramatic fashion: "After 47 of 65 teachers at this middle school in a low-income Latino neighborhood received layoff notices, they began a hunger strike, now in its eighth day," Lewis added. And in rural areas school bus service is being curtailed as transportation budgets are slashed."
What Lewis left out of his report are the areas of spending that could be cut to compensate for these education needs - like the $6 billion for stem-cell research or any of the money spent to subsidize the 2005 global warming initiatives, like the "hydrogen highways" program for hydrogen fueling stations or the "million solar roofs" program, which subsidizes the installation of solar power equipment for homes.
Instead, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is cutting back on education, something he hoped to make part of his "legacy."
"Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been telling legislators all day he's not bluffing about the budget cuts," Lewis said. "Now in his last term as governor, he had hoped to leave an education legacy. This is not what he had in mind."
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Well, guess what...
June 4, 2009 - 10:40 ET by NavyBuckeyethey didn't have summer sessions when I grew up, I grew up to go to college and now work hard everyday.
But then again, most of our parents did regard school as a day care facility. Maybe thats the real problem.
Also if we just cut the welfare program, the states would have a whole shit load of money freed up. But, then you would hear "What would those families do? What about the children? It's not fair!!!"
"You see Obama is going to tax those not payin taxes...those making
over 97,000 dollars ayear. Once you make that much you don't pay
taxes...he's going to make them pay. And I will finally get a break." -My mom who is on welfare and foodst
Hunger strike?
June 4, 2009 - 10:53 ET by KJ_sezI hope they starve to death - stupidity as profound as that should never have been allowed to procreate in the first place.
Still waiting to see a hungry Mexican in CA
June 4, 2009 - 15:38 ET by Joe BlogsI've lived in California for 15 years and never saw an underfed Latino. In fact, I never saw one who was wearing shabby cloths. Mostly, they drive late model trucks and SUVs while I chug along in my 10 year old Honda Civic. I guess if you're willing to hot bunk in a garage apartment with 10 other campesinos, you have lots of folding money from your day labor gigs for shopping trips to Walmart. And if you get the Latina in the Taco truck preggers, you can demand a share of her assistance unless she wants her bitch ass kicked around the Home Depot parking lot.
→ Bingo Blogs
June 4, 2009 - 15:44 ET by Cool ArrowAnd as an almost daily patron of a couple of Tex-Mex establishments, you don't find too many underfed Texans.
Unless you're mistaking the meth-heads for starved.
"The Rule of Law is the only thing that separates us from Democrats" - a Firefighter
I've lived in CA my entire
June 4, 2009 - 17:46 ET by KJ_sezI've lived in CA my entire life (missed our escape window with the housing market debacle), and I've never seen an underfed one, either. Sure have seen a lot of under-educated (and un-educated) ones, though - most of them schooled here...
There was no summer school
June 4, 2009 - 11:02 ET by PewahThere was no summer school in the elementary and middle schools when I was growing up. It's obvious that those programs in California were started up when they assumed that there was no end to funding for what they wanted. Now, they pay the price, but leave it to the MSM to paint it so ugly. Perhaps the parents of those kids could instead try something absolutely radical in the face this tragedy...have their kids read books and do math worksheets by themselves at home. Wow, now there's something the folks in California should/could have thought of by themselves!
BTW, did anybody notice the posters that were being displayed at the schools in protest of the closures were all written in Spanish?I wonder if the MSM will now report that apparently there are limits to how many illegals (and legals) our infrastructures can accomodate.
Pewah... You may be on to
June 4, 2009 - 11:11 ET by Clear thinkerPewah...
You may be on to something.
Here is a serious proposal for Ahnold to consider... Send a bill to the Mexican government for all the care given to illegals over just the last 5 years. But it has to be a bill that covers a wide range of services that the taxpayesr of California have had to pay. And in case anyone is wondering... No! We will NOT accept tons of Pot or Cocaine as payment.
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On The Same Page
June 4, 2009 - 14:32 ET by UtherpendI noticed that as well, 50% of the kids in the classes were Mexican, but I wonder how many were legal? Its like giving money to random people on the street, of course it makes you popular, but in the end you get nothing for it and you run out of money.
"For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security."
It's time to stop beating
June 4, 2009 - 11:30 ET by fitzfongIt's time to stop beating around the bush. It's fine to highlight wasteful government programs and commissions that "rob" from the Public "School" system, but that only defers recognition of the real problem to spare the feelings of the public school teachers. The California "Teachers" Association and associated "Teachers" Unions have had the same poisionous effect on the schools and on the state budget that the UAW thugs have had on the automobile industry. California public school teachers are, on average, the highest paid teachers in the country. They are paid disproportionately high salaries (even when adjusted for cost of living differences and inflation), yet they refuse to budge on their overly-generous compensation and benefits packages...even though enrollment keeps declining every year and the dropout rate is massive. Furthermore, the Union's "first in, first out" policy with regard to layoffs protects the jobs and bloated salaries of mediocre, indifferent teachers at the expense of young, motivated, more cost-effective teachers. Worse still is the fact that social promotion, self-esteem policies and trial lawyer interference have turned schools from learning facilities to indoctrination camps. You have schools who cannot and will not improve their standards of teaching the necessities, the very basics...math, reading, writing, etc...instead spreading their resources even thinner by taking on responsibilities they have neither the right nor the competence to administer...sociology, junk science, sex education, English as a 2nd language. It's time to stop putting unionized teachers in a protected class. While many parents are losing their jobs in the private sector due to the ever-expanding public sector leviathan, public school teachers have been acting as if their every wish must always be fulfilled. Sorry. Public schools are the problem, and their day of reckoning has come...not a moment too soon.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
My question is: why
June 4, 2009 - 11:46 ET by jdhawkMy question is: why wasn't every summer school program canceled? Why should we, the federal taxpayers, pay for their summer school programs? They get 9 months of school like the rest of the country. K-12 is not to be used as a day care center.
Regarding the "starving" latinos act, it appears to be a win-win. Firing teachers that aren't needed and saving government money on food stamps for people that broke the law to get into our country in the first place.
Regarding Swarzendufus' education legacy, what we learned is choose a conservative for the office of governor not some washed up actor that barely speaks English with a socialist Kennedy for a wife that claims to be a Republican.
Classic
June 4, 2009 - 12:15 ET by seven"Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been telling legislators all day he's not bluffing about the budget cuts," Lewis said. "Now in his last term as governor, he had hoped to leave an education legacy. This is not what he had in mind."
Arnie is getting an education. You can raise taxes for evah and spending and one day you get educated and find you ran out of money. Learn the hard way sucker!!!
This is a teaching moment for fat government spenders. Schwartzenagger is flunking school.
Thank you for pointing out
June 4, 2009 - 12:14 ET by maggieqpublicThank you for pointing out that NBC neglects coverage of other sectors of the California government in need of spending cuts.
Many of the State Agencies listed on this link could certainly use the scalpel:
http://www.ca.gov/About/Government/agencyindex.html
And let’s not forget the way-over-generous benefits packages of California’s government workers. This link to the list of retired California government employees currently receiving in excess of $100,000 annually provides evidence we are on an unsustainable path here in the Golden State. (And many of these workers are able to retire before their 60th birthday.) If/when Obama decides to bail out California, this is where your federal tax dollars will be going:
http://www.californiapensionreform.com/calpers/
Instead of investigating the real news story/scandal, NBC (and they are not alone) runs pieces based on Democratic Talking Points…. all designed to frighten voters with ‘feelings’.
Send the poor kids to work in the vegetable fields.
June 4, 2009 - 12:21 ET by sevenOh that would be child labor exploitation. Let them shine shoes like in tijuana?
No one of the problems they won't mention is environmentalists have cut off irrigation water to protect some fish species and that is just tough. So the parents and farmers don't work and send in money. I am not even touching the illegal immigrand welfarte. California has so many businesses operating with legal constrants and restrictions that employment suffers and business is choked.
In the 5 years
June 4, 2009 - 13:19 ET by IamTinmanIn the 5 years since the supposedly cost conscious "Arnie" was elected the budget has not been approved once on time and the cost of California government has increased over 70%. Don't even get me started about the dismal results from all this spending!
The legislators in Sacramento had plenty of money, they just spent it all and more!
Until there is some radical change in Sacramento this state is in for some major upheaval and I don't mean just the earthquakes.
Hunger strike?
June 4, 2009 - 13:46 ET by Army BratChlorine for the gene pool.
The people of California have finally noticed that they have been shooting themselves in one of their feet. Now NBC laments the fact that they refuse to begin picking the toes off of the other foot.
islam is a lie and Truth is killing it.
Nice YouTube Video Explaining
June 4, 2009 - 13:59 ET by dmambroseNice YouTube Video Explaining failure of the public education system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swl8frWSNEQ&feature=related
You are leaving the
June 5, 2009 - 12:00 ET by NonArabOmarYou are leaving the bureaucrats out of this. There are several levels of social welfare in society. You have them at the local, state, and federal level.
Social Welfare is also a socialist job program. The bureaucrats make a good living off giving away government money.
The biggest problem with social welfare is the middle men. To give a welfare cow her 8,000 dollars a year you have to run that money through the hands of government workers guaranteed lifetime employment and fat benefits. The money goes through many different hands and everyone takes a cut. Getting that welfare cow her 8000 dollars a year could easily cost 10000+ dollars.
It's the same problem with socialized medicine.
Even if you cut back on the amount you give out to the poor you still have to deal with the labor contracts you agreed to. You may cut back on the amount beneficiaries receive and how many receive them but that doesn't mean that the bureaucracy will get smaller. You'll just be cutting their workload. You have 1000 social workers with 10,000 cases. You cut their funding... they are not gonna fire those 1000 social workers... they are gonna trim those 10,000 checks and try to disqualify as many of those 10000 cases as they can. Bureaucracy looks after itself before that people they are meant to "service."
Just look at our post office. They'll raise postage rates and cut services before they'll layoff people.