For the past few days teachers, staff, and students throughout the University of California system and beyond have been protesting the move to raise student fees and cut from the budget next semester.
At UC Berkeley, many teachers and faculty have been on strike since Wednesday. Students have also joined in the effort, though in significantly smaller numbers than back in September when another demonstration was held.
When I was awoken this morning around 6 by helicopters overhead I knew there’d be some interesting news later when I actually got up. Sure enough, I found out that a number of people barricaded had themselves inside Wheeler Hall early this morning. This was most likely done in an effort to raise the intensity and publicity of the protests and in that regard they have succeeded (or maybe they just didn’t like the idea of protesting in the rain so they took over a building). I don’t agree with these tactics, but that’s a different topic.
Many are worried that we are headed toward the privatization of education which sounds a lot like the Republicans denouncing health care reform by saying that it will lead us to a government takeover of health care. The approach is to persuade people by taking the scariest extreme outcome and declare it will happen unless we change paths immediately. Public education, like anything else that relies on the government, does face many challenges. But the lengths to which people have gone over the past few days to protect it should be proof that if public education ever faces a serious threat of being eliminated there will be enough outrage to stop those actions immediately.
Fees are going to go up next semester, and most likely again in the near future because California isn’t going to fix its budget problems next year or anytime soon. Students are going to get less for more, not unlike other areas where fees have been raised like public transportation. We’ll have to deal with it, and it’ll stink, but people will find a way to do what they need to do. The present is dim, but there’s no reason for the future to be black. There are things we need the state to do to remedy the financial situation which harms things like our educational institutions.
Kill proposition 13 or cut spending. Without more money, the state cannot continue to spend the way that people are expecting it to. After eliminating proposition 13, place strict limits on new spending projects. The state will be able to pay for the services it provides today and prevent annual budget deficits, while at the same time protecting taxpayers from having their property increasingly taxed like in other states. The alternative strategy would be to cut spending (but there’s obviously no reason why we couldn’t have taxes and cuts if they made sense). The primary target of spending reductions should be the prison system.
Similarly, the proposition process should be amended to prevent voters from spending money that that state doesn’t have. Buying things we like with bonds isn’t good for the future (discussed more after the last protest).
Also, protesters are right to demand transparency for the way their money is spent. There are so many construction projects going around just here at UCB that it’s hard not to cry corruption when we’re not told where our money is going. Pressure on the administrators should continue even after this 3-day strike period.
Perhaps the most drastic alternative would be to split California in half (or in thirds if you want to get a really messy map). Let the blue California tax themselves to death for everything they want, let the red California go to sleep with their money, and let purple California (wherever that might be) figure things out for itself.
It’s 5 o clock and the helicopters are back to do their live reporting for the news. If it weren’t for Berkeley protests those choppers would just sit there collecting dust.
And for a completely different take on California government, the budget, and helicopters, click here.
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