40% Cuts prepared yet silence on EU costs!

A report issued by the Bruges Group and prepared by Gerard Batten MEP, linked here, showed that in 2008 the EU cost every British taxpayer two thousand one hundred and nineteen pounds. Annual costs will continue to rocket!

Yet the Coalition Government has no plans to curb our contributions to a club that is on the edge of disintegration. This is an outrage, yet even a poll today for the Local Government Association makes no apparent suggestion in this summary that the hugely costly EU be targeted ......... What is going on in that insane country where I was born? If people were not meant for shearing they would not have been born as sheople I guess can be the only answer to that. It is ASTOUNDING that such STUPIDITY can so quickly become apparently institutionalized.

It seems a bit like a playground bully taking 90p of your weekly one pound pocket money and then when you seek to make economies you only look at the 10p with which you have been left as a source of possible cuts. Is that dumb or what. Fight back England for heavens sake!

Direction of Anger?

Direction of anger?
I am watching the Joint Budget Committee of the California Assembly and Senate seeking to cut the California budget in response to the national and economic economic crisis. The cuts proposed by the Governor’s office and the response of the Legislative Analysts Office are extreme. For example the U.C. and the CSU would lose $1.4 this year and 583 million next year. In health care the state would eliminate care for Alzheimer’s patients, eliminate AIDS testing,
Cal Works, and health insurance for over 900,000 children. These are only the beginning.
Question, how do we try to direct the anger? Is the appropriate anger aimed at the Legislature, the voters, the non voters, the bureaucracy?
Reading the blogs you would think that teachers, police, firemen and state employees caused the crisis.
California's k-12 education system is in large part in crisis because it is underfunded. Contrary to the wishes of the voters, politicians continue to fail to adequately fund our schools. Legislators only have a 23% support in the public. When comparisons include cost of living, California ranks 47th out of the 50 states in per pupil expenditures. Our schools are suffering. This is unacceptable.

California, and most other states, have a budget crisis as a result of the national economic crisis – significantly a banking crisis. The robber barons of finance capital have stolen the money, they have looted the treasury and our pensions and now they want to return to business as usual without any significant reform of the economic system. Just give them more tax payer money to bail out the banks.


The severity of the national and international economic collapse has created budget shortfalls for state and local governments. Economist Dean Baker, says "Since many states are required by their charters or constitutions to balance their budgets, states will end up using federal stimulus dollars to offset these shortfalls." It currently looks as if much of the stimulus package will be used to back fill state budget shortages which sharply limits the potential success of the stimulus.

Students oppose education cuts

By Frank D. Russo

They came by the busloads to Sacramento from all across the length and breadth of the state of California and marched to the state Capitol for a rally. Not only were there numbers large—perhaps as large as 2000 in Sacramento in addition to those taking part in rallies in other locations—but they were loud and energized. Folks working inside their offices three blocks away could hear students chanting as could those inside the Capitol.

The Governor was out of town, but the message was clear. After the rally and throughout the day, students roamed the hallways of the legislature talking to their representatives. They represented 3.2 million students—who have registered to vote in record numbers—and will be looking closely to see what is done after the May Revise of the budget is available in about three weeks. There will be a huge backlash if the cuts go through.

In addressing the crowd, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, who by virtue of his office sits on the University of California Board of Regents and is a Trustee of the California State University system, said: “You are all here because you have a message for the legislature and for the Governor. And the message is simple: Kick us out and we’ll vote you out.” This brought out repeated chants from the students who had repeated “Kick us out and we’ll vote you out,” earlier as they marched from Raley Field up to the Capitol. Garamendi also asked the students to make a pledge that “This is the first day and not the last day.”

The message was not lost on those who gave up a day to come to Sacramento. Frank Fernandez, President of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, said that this coalition will continue their lobbying efforts and actions statewide until the Governor releases his revised budget in May and until the budget is passed. “We hope the May Revise budget reflects a reinvestment in higher education,” he noted.

The theme of higher education as an investment in California’s future was another point being driven home by students and others who spoke. Return on Investment: Educational Choices and Demographic Change in California,” a study by UC Berkeley professors, Henry Brady, Michael Hout, and John Stiles, shows that for every dollar California spends graduating students from college, there is a return on that investment of three dollars. That translates to $3 billion in additional tax revenues for each group of students over their lives. In addition, there are increased costs associated with incarceration and other losses to the state if a student’s education stops with high school and does not continue to completion of college.



Governor Schwarzenegger proposed cutting the Community College system by $418 million, the UC system by $332 million, and the CSU system by $313 million, totaling over $1 billion in proposed cuts for higher education in California. Students are concerned that these cuts could be translated into fee hikes for current students or cause the campuses to run out of space for all the students covered under California’s Master Plan.

Students see this not only as a problem with higher education, but also look at this in the context of $5 billion in proposed cuts to all levels of education. Dina Cervantes, California State Student Association Board Chair, said yesterday was “the day no student should be silent in the face of $5.3 billion in cuts to education. The proposed budget should increase investment in education from preschool to Ph.D., not the opposite.”

Cervantes continued, and stress that students across the state are already facing an affordability crisis.” These fee hikes force students to drop out of school or take on a 20 hour plus work week in addition to their classes,” she stated. “Even if we work and go to school, many of us still end up thousands of dollars in debt after we graduate.”

Louise Hendrickson, Board President of the University of California Student Association, said: “Our generation has yet to see another issue with the power to singlehandedly affect multitudes of Californians the way these budget cuts could. Now is the time to put aside differences, come together, and ensure a better, brighter future for all.”

Hendrickson noted that Students in both the CSU and UC systems have seen their fees almost double since 2001. “Fee hikes are back-door tax hikes on students and their families. I’s not acceptable for legislators to take revenue raising off the table for everyone else and continue to balance the state budget on the backs of students,” she said. Hendrickson has experienced the increased costs of education herself, owing over $120,000 in debt from school loans. Others spoke of working and struggling to stay in school—some with two jobs to make ends meet.

The students were joined in by legislators including , Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Senate President Pro Tem elect Darrell Steinberg (pictured at left), and the Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee Anthony Portantino, all of whom spoke out against the $1.1 billion in proposed cuts much to the delight and deafening roar from the crowd.

Garamendi framed the fee increases that will be necessary if the UC budget is cut further as a tax cut. He said: “There is no more important investment than the investment in students. We must stop taxing our young people, and we must once again invest in the intellectual infrastructure of our state.”

To boos from the crowd, he brought up the names of former Republican governors of California Ronald Reagan and Pete Wilson. After the boos quieted down, he then told the students that those two conservatives saw the value of investing in kids and raised taxes to fund education.

The budget cuts are also a threat to many graduating seniors. If the Governor’s proposed cuts are put in place, the community colleges and UC campuses will not be funded with enough money to increase the number of students eligible to enroll on their campuses in the fall. Next year’s high school seniors graduating class will be the largest ever seen in the Golden State. The California Master Plan should allow for the top 12% of high school students to attend a UC school, 50% to attend a CSU campus and all high school graduates to attend a Community College in California.

“The Community College System is supposed to be the most accessible to young people,” said Frank Fernandez. “Telling students that we don’t have enough money to give them an available chair in a classroom, is not an option,” he said. “It would break the promise of the California’s Master Plan for education.” The Master Plan, approved by the Legislature, guides all policies of higher education in the state.

The UC Regents recently agreed to absorb additional costs for increased enrollment this year, but if funding is not provided from the state it will cause the UC System to take on further internal cuts.

Expect to hear more about education—a red hot issue—in what is supposed to be the “year of education” in California.

Posted on April 22, 2008

From California Progress Report.

California School budget cuts

Dr. Francisco Reveles Is Keynote Speaker at Multicultural Education Conference

Dr. Francisco Reveles will be the keynote speaker at the annual Multicultural Education Conference sponsored by the department of Bilingual/Multicultural Education on Saturday, April 12, 2008, at Sacramento State University. The event will run from 8:30 Am -1:30 PM. in the University Union.

The conference is designed for teachers and future teachers to bring them new and interesting approaches to teaching. Dr. Reveles topic will be: “Closing the Achievement Gap: Building Networks to Success.”

Dr. Reveles is a Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and a graduate of bilingual programs at CSUS. Over 45 workshops will offer ideas on teaching strategies, test taking, the current crisis in education budgets, and more.

“According to Governor Schwarzenegger, 2008 was supposed to be the year of education,” said Reveles. “Given the massive and destructive budget cuts that are currently being considered across the board, one is forced to conclude that either the governor was woefully misinformed regarding the looming state fiscal crises or, more likely, purposefully and with calculating political foresight engaged in the kind of rhetoric that we have come to expect from our lawmakers.”

More to the point, the state’s current proposed budget cuts to education are still another example of simplistic political thinking that does nothing to address the needs of our growing diverse student population, according to Reveles.

“Tragically, we are now facing cuts of 4.1 billion in K-12 education and $386 million in the CSU system,” he said. “Public schools that have been working hard to make lasting gains in achievement and retain committed teachers and counselors will see their efforts further eroded. School administrators, already struggling with the unpredictability of year-to-year funding cycles will see an increase in class size along with teacher layoffs."

The CSU system will also suffer as unfunded mandates relating to teacher education are enforced and tuition increases are implemented. Clearly, we are at a crossroads in education, observes Reveles.

“Can we fiscally prioritize in a way that invests in California’s future through better schools and teacher training, or will we blindly accept the proposed cuts to education that the governor and the legislature are considering? As educators, it is our responsibility, indeed our charge, to critically examine and challenge any such cuts to education,” he concluded.

The Conference program is available at www.edweb.csus.edu, For more information, contact Maggie Beddow, Conference Chair, beddow@csus.edu.

Governor proposes cutting school funds

Governor: Slash school aid
He'll reportedly propose suspension of Prop. 98
By Judy Lin - jlin@sacbee.com
Published 12:16 am PST Thursday, January 10, 2008
In a politically charged move to help whittle down the state's $14 billion deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today will propose billions in cuts to public education and a suspension of schools' constitutional funding guarantee under Proposition 98.
Schwarzenegger will ask the Democratic-led Legislature to waive Proposition 98's minimum funding requirement for K-14 education programs when he releases his state spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and declares a fiscal emergency, according to three sources who have seen the proposal. The sources demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to speak.
The suspension, which requires a two-thirds vote of lawmakers, has been done only once before – during the fiscal crisis of 2004 – and ultimately left Schwarzenegger reeling from accusations that he broke a promise to restore education funding in subsequent years.
The Governor's Office declined to comment on a proposal certain to draw fierce opposition from teachers unions and other education advocacy groups.
"We would enlist all of labor to resist the cuts and to resist the suspension of Prop. 98," said Marty Hittelman, president of the California Federation of Teachers, which represents over 120,000 education employees. "We would consider it an assault on working families."
Hittelman said 90 percent of education funding is dedicated to salaries, much of which is protected by contracts. A 10 percent cut would leave no money for basic school operational needs such as water and electricity, he said.
"He's going to have a fight on his hands," said Kevin Gordon, a school funding expert and consultant. "Proposition 98 isn't some mechanism to try to get decent funding for public schools; it is a minimum level."
Proposition 98, passed in 1988, provides a minimum guarantee for K-12 school districts, community colleges and instructional activities at state agencies. Under a complex calculation established by the initiative, the state dedicates the lion's share of its general fund spending plan to supplement property taxes for education programs. This year, $41 billion of the state's $100 billion general fund budget goes to schools.
Schools also get smaller amounts of money from the federal budget and state lottery proceeds, neither of which is counted in the Proposition 98 calculation.
It's unclear how much the governor will seek in savings from education, although Schwarzenegger has indicated that he will seek an average of 10 percent cuts from all agencies.
For education, that could range from $4 billion to $6 billion, depending on the source of funding, Gordon said.
While labor leaders vowed to call on Democrats to oppose education reductions, many Republicans in the Legislature would responded favorably to the governor's proposal.
In recent weeks, the governor has met privately with school unions, and associations of administrators and school boards – known around the Capitol as the Education Coalition. Participants said Schwarzenegger has told them education cuts will have to be a part of closing the deficit.
The coalition and Schwarzenegger have a politically turbulent history:
When he first arrived in office, Schwarzenegger struck a deal with education leaders for a $2 billion reduction in school financing to deal with a fiscal crisis in the 2004-05 budget.
Coalition leaders said the governor made a verbal pledge to repay the money as state revenues improved, and ultimately they accused him of reneging on the deal.
The California Teachers Association and other groups spent more than $100 million to defeat Schwarzenegger's 2005 ballot measures, including one to change Proposition 98's minimum funding requirements.
CTA President David Sanchez said it was too early to speculate how teachers would respond to a suspension of Proposition 98.
"Our students are not the ones that created this budget crisis," Sanchez said. "Their education shouldn't be ransomed to solve it. If there has to be any kind of budget cut, it should be kept as far away from the classroom as possible."
Education advocates said the proposal, if passed, would create a bad precedent for school funding in the future. The last thing education advocates want is for the Legislature and governor to develop a habit of suspending Proposition 98, Gordon said.
Advocates grew more anxious after Schwarzenegger's State of the State address. In his speech, the governor did not say what they wanted to hear.
"No self-respecting politician would miss the opportunity to say I'm not raising taxes and preserving Prop. 98," Gordon said.