Friday, May 29, 1998
California’s maladies will destroy state
if we don’t act now
EDUCATION: Money won’t fix fundamental problems; public school
system must be reformed
By Daniel B. Rego
California is the most dynamic and diverse state in this country
and in the world. From the Mother Lode country to Death Valley,
from Los Angeles to the Central Valley, and from the Northern Coast
to the Sierra Nevada, this state embodies everything (as can be
seen from the fact that California was the birthplace of both the
Black Panthers and the John Birch Society). California is facing a
nexus where we must make changes in order to prosper. But we cannot
have a fix-all solution for every part of the state, because what
is good for one part of the state can be devastating to another
part. There are a few things which do affect us all, and we must
solve these problems before they grow out of hand and destroy
us.
The most pressing problem is that of K-12 education. Our school
system is a sick joke these days. We are living in a state where
the California Teachers Association (CTA) won’t even endorse the
current Superintendent of Public Instruction. The problem is that
we simply throw money at California’s children while failing to
actually teach them. The fundamental problem cannot just be solved
with money, but by changing the entire system. This means getting
back to the basics. We must focus on changing this fundamental
problem, for if we don’t, all the money in the world won’t solve
the problem.
We must also work on our colleges. California has a three-tiered
college system (community colleges, CSUs and the UCs). This works
out very well. It allows the state to have some of the best
colleges in the nation (e.g. UC Berkeley and UCLA) while giving
everyone the opportunity to get post-high school education (notably
at community colleges). What we must do is strengthen the community
colleges, especially in those areas where college admissions are
low. They serve as a place where people of all ages and stations in
life can learn and grow. Community colleges are very important to
this state and they have been overlooked for far too long. We must
also build more CSUs (and are doing so with the UCs, as the Merced
campus is being built). This will be necessary due to California’s
rapid rate of growth.
One of the most pressing problems is that of California’s
massive growth. Reasons include immigration from other countries
and states. This will have a major impact on the infrastructure of
this state. It raises such concerns as the need for water, energy
and space to build more housing. We cannot let California become a
huge megalopolis as in "Blade Runner." This is not a simple problem
to solve and will need a lot of work, if California is to
prosper.
Water is one of the main concerns. It is needed to supply our
growing agricultural sector in the Central Valley, as well as
supply water to the ever growing population. Aqueducts from the
Owens River and the Colorado are good to some degree, but we must
find alternatives. Ideas range from purification plants to more
massive reservoirs being built. Indeed, we must find a way to
quench California’s thirst.
Another problem is taxes. Due to Proposition 13, which passed in
the 1970s, property taxes are capped at a certain rate. But this
state has one of the highest income tax rates in the country, as
well as one of the highest sales tax rates, which gives us a
combination of taxes that is unmatched by any other state! For
families to be able to succeed and invest in the future, we must
let them keep more of their money by cutting these insane taxes!
This will come back to haunt us if do not act upon this
problem.
Another serious problem is the over-regulation of this state by
state agencies. A centralized state agency cannot control
everything without creating problems for some parts of the state
(if not most of it). California has taken the right step with the
de-regulation of the electric utilities, but problems still remain.
We have far too many rules governing what we can and cannot do.
These only serve to hurt small businesses and virtually kill those
businesses created in low income areas by persons of less-than-able
means. Small businesses are the key to our state’s economic future.
We must repeal many of these regulations which only serve to
strangle these businesses.
We must localize government since this state is so large; a
single centralized agency cannot handle it with efficiency. We need
local control over local matters. To do this, we must delegate
operations to counties (most of which are small and closer to the
people) and cities, as well as to give local control within cities
such as Los Angeles. Services would be more accountable to the
people this way, as compared to the bureaucrats in Sacramento.
California is changing. We must make sure that California has a
stable infrastructure. We must make sure that we have the
opportunity to succeed through low taxes, less governmental
regulation and a quality system of education that helps everyone
and rewards excellence. California is the Golden State. This is
more true than ever. The gold of California is not some yellow
metal, but the rolling hills and fields of Wild Mustard, and the
diverse climate and regions that make California unique. We must
all work to make our communities a better place. We must work for a
place where we can follow our dreams.Rego is a second-year
pre-political science student.