State's dream of higher education gets a rude awakening

WHATEVER happened to the great California dream - the promise of a good, affordable education for every qualified, committed student? That dream was hammered into policy in 1960 in the California Master Plan for Higher Education.

[Haddit]

It's all good. Like a drug addict or alcoholic the state of California will have to hit bottom before it can look up.

You just can't import poor, illiterate, government dependent people into our state and expect the rest of us to support them. When the immigrants don't want to assimilate, when they want to hold onto their culture it will take generations for them to Americanize.

When we have a culture that has no pride, a culture that willingly accepts government handouts, a culture that demands government handouts, a culture that will deceive in order to get those handouts, it leads to a socialist life. It leads to an obese government and those government employees are in turn dependent on the government.

Their predecessors and many newcomers came to this country and held their heads up high. They came to a country of opportunity and strived to make something of their lives. They demanded their kids get top grades and go to college. They left their old country that stifled opportunity.

People would be fools to come to this state to support others with no pride.

This state with all of its natural resources sits on them. Industries can not survive with regulations stricter than everywhere else in the world.

I'm waiting for this state to hit bottom, when the freeloaders leave and the state sheds its bloated employees. I'm waiting for when our state invites opportunist to our once great state.

[get a life]

Hello? Anyone out there??? Hello???
Can anyone show me in black and white on paper where all the LOTTO money goes each and every week? Seems to me there should more than a couple of bucks in there for the schools as they used that to get this passed.

to Haddit : right on spot my friend. My family moved here when I was a child and I have logged in more than 55 years here. I can tell you that I'm not sure I can wait it out. I'm soon to retire and have given thoughts to early retirement just to sell my business and leave. There's just so much to go around and there are more hands reaching out for the free things this state give out, that we the hard working, tax paying, honest Americans are paying for. American Pride? That's a thing of the past. Sad, very sad. I think you're going see more and more true Americans leaving the big cites for small town USA, where being an American means something, where everyone stands, takes their hats off and shows respect to our flag when the National Anthem is played. Proud? Yes proud Americans!

[Nora Weber]

Higher education will go down because the State plans on housing the young people in prisons.

George Runner should be run out of office. He is costing this State a bloody fortune. He thinks he runs California.

The Federal Judges have an obligation to protect US Citizens from unconstitutional State activity,when the State laws are causing harm. California's State Prison System is broken beyond repair, and the Federal Courts have an obligation to make Court Orders to comply with US Constitutional Law.

I am proud of this Federal three Judge panel, Judges Henderson, Karlton and Reinhardt for forcing California to face the consequences of their poor legislative leadership.

[Nora Weber]

Higher education will go down because the State Legislators plan on housing them in prisons.

George Runner should be run out of office. He is costing this State a bloody fortune. He thinks he runs California.

The Federal Judges have an obligation to protect US Citizens from unconstitutional State activity,when the State laws are causing harm. California's State Prison System is broken beyond repair, and the Federal Courts have an obligation to make Court Orders to comply with US Constitutional Law.

I am proud of this Federal three Judge panel, Judges Henderson, Karlton and Reinhardt for forcing California to face the consequences of their poor legislative leadership.

[Eighthman]

California sucks. St. Carlos won't even allow a billboard with Palin's face on it. They are communists plain and simple. Remember,if Martin Luther King were alive today, he would be watching Fox News. So would his father. They were both republicans. So be careful when condemning republicans as you are simultaneously being hostile to Dr. King's memory.

[Tom Jefferson]

Eliminate gerrymandering.Why should politicians be immune to the market forces of evolving ideas?

[Bureaucratic Mess]

You've conveniently left out a critical factor in what's wrong with lower education and higher education in CA ... a bureaucratic civil service system filled with greedy labor union employees and a silly policy of tenure. You probably also inflated the positive effects of a government university system.

What cost-efficiencies has the CA college system implemented? Have they laid off any staff, administrators, etc? Have they worked to rid themselves of the albatross of labor unions? Have they reduced salaries?

Or, have they done like the rest of government in CA ... just raise fees and taxes on the citizens?

If the government is too expensive, incompetent and inefficient to run a college system, the private sector will steop in to fill the vacuum. We're already seeing that with the many private colleges and trade schools advertising for students.

Perhaps vouchers are the way to go with higher education in CA as well as grade schools. I believe in offering reasonable subsidies to those who can't afford to be educated, courtesy of the greater populous. But it must be done in a cost-effective way. That's not the case today.

[more_questions]

Why does the media fail to mention that while students throughout California see educational opportunities slashed and CDCR will slash education and rehabilitation for inmates, yet California will spend $7.7 billion dollars in bond money to expand its prison beds by 16,000? This money was authorized by the legislature in 2007 by AB900. For two years now the media has failed to question this outrageous spending at a time when we California citizens are suffering extreme cuts and rehabilitation for prisoners is being removed from programs that work to reduce recidivism. Who's running this capsizing ship?

[Frank Courser]

Some are trying to hide the fact the state will spend $7.7 billion on new prison beds while slashing education for our children. The logic could not be more backwards. Why is the media not speaking up? This bond money could be used to reduce prison growth through education and rehabilitation. Who profits? The prison guards union and the legislators that receive millions in campaign contributions. What happened to WE THE PEOPLE?

[Haddit]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Faile...
From Todays Washington Examiner:
snip
Today, California is a by-the-numbers state tragedy. Unemployment is higher than 12.2 percent as of September. Business costs are almost 23 percent higher than other states on average.

Migration out of the state is at an all time high. A map by United Van Lines shows a strong demand for moving trucks as residents leave California for other destinations, particularly Texas.

More Californians would leave if they could sell their houses, but the Golden State's real estate market has tanked as well. It has the fourth-highest foreclosure rate of any state.

All of these indicators are the product of a toxic mix of liberal Democratic government -- a steep progressive tax rate, an uncompromising regulatory regime, and budget-busting programs like MediCal (California's Medicare system), generous state welfare benefits, and extraordinarily costly pay and pensions for state employees.

The state's fiscal plight is so bad that earlier this year it had to resort to issuing IOUs when state coffers ran dry. According to the governor, California will have another budget deficit of as much as $7 billion through June, on top of the $7.5 billion deficit projected for the following year. That will create a shortfall of almost $14.5 billion.
snip

[Bureaucratic Mess]

Haddit wrote:

http://www.washingtonexaminer. com/local/Failed-states_-Calif ornia-is-overregulated_-overta xed_-and-just-plain-over-85236 04-69911447.html
From Todays Washington Examiner:
snip
Today, California is a by-the-numbers state tragedy. Unemployment is higher than 12.2 percent as of September. Business costs are almost 23 percent higher than other states on average.
Migration out of the state is at an all time high. A map by United Van Lines shows a strong demand for moving trucks as residents leave California for other destinations, particularly Texas.
More Californians would leave if they could sell their houses, but the Golden State's real estate market has tanked as well. It has the fourth-highest foreclosure rate of any state.
All of these indicators are the product of a toxic mix of liberal Democratic government -- a steep progressive tax rate, an uncompromising regulatory regime, and budget-busting programs like MediCal (California's Medicare system), generous state welfare benefits, and extraordinarily costly pay and pensions for state employees.
The state's fiscal plight is so bad that earlier this year it had to resort to issuing IOUs when state coffers ran dry. According to the governor, California will have another budget deficit of as much as $7 billion through June, on top of the $7.5 billion deficit projected for the following year. That will create a shortfall of almost $14.5 billion.
snip

Socialism fails again. And yet, the Dems aren't done yet ... this is now going to happen at a national level.

[kma]

Prisons are ahead of education not because of party loyalists but because of liberal Socialist judges. The aerospace industry did not leave the state - it was shut down by the anti-defense, pro-socialism philosohy of the leberal Dummycrats. Technical education is down because of so many liberal, undereducated illegals in the school system.

Yeah, redistriciting was a problem but mostly because it is now impossible to get the liberal Socialist Dummycrats out of office. My God, a state that can keep returning to Washington Pelosi, Feinstein and Boxer can't possibly survive much longer.

[Bureaucratic Mess]

Also from the story posted by Haddit:

"Campbell's proposal required significant state budget cuts and included a provision allowing the governor to reduce appropriations of employee compensation and state contracts. Unfortunately, the proposal was killed, 37 percent for, 62 percent against.

Public sector employees unions led the all-out campaign by the special interests in the legislature to kill Prop. 76, even though it would have led to a state budget surplus.

This was possible because the public sector unions don't have to raise money -- they merely have to pour member dues, fueled by tax dollars, into whatever cause they like.

There are also a lot of these dollars: Today, California's government work force is 57 percent unionized, nearly double the national average, and their compensation has increased faster than inflation and population growth.

Thanks to their obstruction, the government has continued to grow as the state borrows heavily while relying on accounting tricks to justify its existence. The state touted as a solution the early release of prisoners in August, which would result in $1 billion in savings.

WAKE UP CALIFORNIA!!!

[kma]

Bureaucratic Mess wrote:

You've conveniently left out a critical factor in what's wrong with lower education and higher education in CA ... a bureaucratic civil service system filled with greedy labor union employees and a silly policy of tenure. You probably also inflated the positive effects of a government university system.
What cost-efficiencies has the CA college system implemented? Have they laid off any staff, administrators, etc? Have they worked to rid themselves of the albatross of labor unions? Have they reduced salaries?
Or, have they done like the rest of government in CA ... just raise fees and taxes on the citizens?
If the government is too expensive, incompetent and inefficient to run a college system, the private sector will steop in to fill the vacuum. We're already seeing that with the many private colleges and trade schools advertising for students.
Perhaps vouchers are the way to go with higher education in CA as well as grade schools. I believe in offering reasonable subsidies to those who can't afford to be educated, courtesy of the greater populous. But it must be done in a cost-effective way. That's not the case today.

Two words: PERSONAL RESPONSIBLITY

We hear about how the state should pay for low income students. We hear about how parents are going to afford to put their kids thru college. We hear about how hard it is to have 30 kids in a class. TOUGH SHEET!

Get a damn job and put yourself through school. That how is so many of us did it when I was in college.

[Bureaucratic Mess]

kma wrote:

<quoted text>
Two words: PERSONAL RESPONSIBLITY
We hear about how the state should pay for low income students. We hear about how parents are going to afford to put their kids thru college. We hear about how hard it is to have 30 kids in a class. TOUGH SHEET!
Get a damn job and put yourself through school. That how is so many of us did it when I was in college.

Agreed. I'm all abour personal responsibility. But I admit that I was educated in public schools and in a state college. Thank goodness for that state college bargain because there was no way I could have afforded private college tuition. That said, I think that it can be overhauled, streamlined and improved in many reasonable ways. Or, simply scrap it. Sell the campuses, and only use public funds to finance and subsidize the college costs of people who need it and qualify for it.

[What Happened]

WHATEVER happened to the great California dream - the promise of a good, affordable education for every qualified, committed student?

They spent all the money educating illegals, who have no right to a free education supported by taxpayers. Any money left over, they spent on overpaying arrogant professors and lordly administrators. That's what happened!

[Julia]

The comments on here blaming "socialism" and unions are bull. California's REPUBLICAN governor cut education funding first thing, ahead of cutting funding to prisons. Also, realize that wealthy fatcats living in West LA pay hardly any property tax on their mansions, and corporations pay nearly nothing on their properties as well. Speaking of corporations, some of the wealthiest institutions received HUGE tax breaks all while public services were cut dramatically.

It's so sad to read the other comments on here saying we need to end public education. Don't you realize that the government is an institution you have the power to change and influence (think of the civil rights movement, the labor movement, etc.)? I highly doubt private companies would go out of their way for the people. The so-called "free market" only leads to the exploitation of the masses by the handful of the super wealthy. And yes, I agree that the state gov. of California is making horrible decisions, but you can't be so quick to blame "the government" without realizing why they give breaks to the ultra-wealthy while leaving the rest of us to scrap. Look at the investors who practically control these politicians and are able to make them create policies that benefit the few and harm the middle and working classes. It's far more complicated than just "do away with the government because the gov. is nothing but evil".

[Bureaucratic Mess]

Julia wrote:

The comments on here blaming "socialism" and unions are bull. California's REPUBLICAN governor cut education funding first thing, ahead of cutting funding to prisons. Also, realize that wealthy fatcats living in West LA pay hardly any property tax on their mansions, and corporations pay nearly nothing on their properties as well. Speaking of corporations, some of the wealthiest institutions received HUGE tax breaks all while public services were cut dramatically.
It's so sad to read the other comments on here saying we need to end public education. Don't you realize that the government is an institution you have the power to change and influence (think of the civil rights movement, the labor movement, etc.)? I highly doubt private companies would go out of their way for the people. The so-called "free market" only leads to the exploitation of the masses by the handful of the super wealthy. And yes, I agree that the state gov. of California is making horrible decisions, but you can't be so quick to blame "the government" without realizing why they give breaks to the ultra-wealthy while leaving the rest of us to scrap. Look at the investors who practically control these politicians and are able to make them create policies that benefit the few and harm the middle and working classes. It's far more complicated than just "do away with the government because the gov. is nothing but evil".

LMAO! Yeah sure, Karl Marx. Why aren't you living in one of your socialist utopias like China, Cuba or North Korea? You are completely brainwashed and clueless so I'm not going to bother to correct your propaganda.

[Haddit]

Pay attention to that first paragraph Julia. When the people with money move, you are left with nothing.

I think you may be in the wrong country Julia. Try Canada, the Soviet Union or China.

[DTS]

What Happened wrote:

WHATEVER happened to the great California dream - the promise of a good, affordable education for every qualified, committed student?
They spent all the money educating illegals, who have no right to a free education supported by taxpayers. Any money left over, they spent on overpaying arrogant professors and lordly administrators. That's what happened!

Umm... YES!