How did this unhappy scenario transpire? Beyond the current economic collapse there are a number of mega-causes. For one, rising costs for prisons and Medicaid, along with mandates for funding K-12, have squeezed out support for higher education. The UC and CSU systems, have a low status as "discretionary" funding since there are no constitutional mandates to keep higher education afloat-this at a time when the state’s population continues to grow. Additionally, the inability of lawmakers to manage the state has magnified the problem. Prudent budget cuts, along with marginal increases in state revenues in better economic times, would have mitigated the huge cuts we now face. Our state budget has been held hostage by anti-government conservatives empowered by the two-thirds vote to pass a budget in the state assembly. There is more blame to go around; but the fact remains that a small group of politicians in conservative districts have been running the budget show.

Read full article [here].
by John Douglass, The Daily Californian.

Posted: September 8th, 2009, by: admin. Categories: . Awaiting Comments.