Posted on 02/18/2008 7:30:13 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO -- The state is about to pump half a billion dollars into teaching children to roll sushi, juggle pins and master new dance forms, even as spending cuts threaten to erode instruction in reading, math and other fundamentals.
That's because the sum scheduled to be spent on such after-school enrichment next year is off-limits for anything else. State law dictates that cooking classes continue even if some calculus courses could be canceled.
In good economic times, voters have passed ballot initiatives that devoted billions of dollars to novel social and recreational programs, such as the after-school initiative championed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2002, before he was governor. It is intended to keep youths off the street by offering them extracurricular activity -- like cooking, juggling and dance -- as well as tutoring and volunteer opportunities.
Such measures lock spending into the state Constitution, forcing lawmakers, many of whom endorsed the propositions, to keep funding them despite a lack of cash for some essential services.
"Are these really the programs we want to keep funding?" said John Matsusaka, president of the Initiative and Referendum Institute at USC.
One example of locked-in spending involves state parks. California has hundreds of millions of dollars set aside to bankroll new museums and recreational facilities -- the result of a provision tucked into a water and parks bond measure placed on the ballot by environmental activists in 2006.
The money cannot be used to keep open some of California's most cherished state parks, which would be shuttered under the governor's latest proposed budget in an effort to close a $14.5-billion budget gap. So a new "oceanarium" in Fresno could be built with state dollars even as the governor tries to shut recreational areas used by thousands of hikers, ...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Is this any way to run an airline?
That just about says it all.
The only time critical government services are shut down is when the liberals are blackmailing conservatives and the public into supporting additional, theiving, taxes... With which the liberals intend to buy votes.
At the rate California is going that massive earth quake is probably going to fix more problems than it causes.
Sounds like something for the Neptune Society...
Welcome to Terminator Airways where you can be guaranteed that we will fly the plane into the ground before the terrorists have a chance to hijack it!
Then they should put out a referendum to defund the goofy programs. Explain what gets cut if they don’t. Seems straightforward to me.
All told Cal spends $13,000 per student per year.
I lived in California & I agree completely. I think we may have to run into a wall economically to stop these socialists.
Now one of the very few proposed cutbacks is to lower benefits for disabled seniors. As you can see they are playing us again. Who wants to cut aid to disabled people? They always threaten police and fire dept cuts when they should be the first thing paid for and the last thing cut.
How about the seemingly sacrosanct aid given to illegals some 10 billion a year? Cut that. Of course that will never be touched. I don't see much hope for my state. It gets worse by the day. Our politicians and the public worker labor unions and the illegals are just killing us.
Regards
Let’s assume a voucher system of $8,000 per child. A classroom of 25 kids would have $200,000. This should cover expenses for education and with money going to kids now in private schools, the total budget may be about the same.
Then they send huge amounts out of the states economy straight to mexico. How can they afford to send so much? Because we are carrying them even as they lower blue collar wages.
Regards
And who will stop the madness?
That’s a good one.
I don't think it can be stopped witout a train wreck. It's a damn shame.
By the way, glad you decided to start posting.
Welcome.
Thanx, apparently I’m a lot nicer than my hubbie. LOL!
You are making a graceful entrance. Thats real important around here.
Regards
Cheers!
Why? Simple. "If you take the King's money, you are the King's man."
Vouchers will be just fine for a few years, then the educators will decide that they must put conditions on them. Soon schools will have to admit students based on a racial or religious quota. Then there will be mandatory "global warming" education. Next mandatory sex education. Then mandatory union representation of teachers. Then mandatory who knows what.
Within 20 years of vouchers being adopted in any state there will be no difference between the public schools and the private schools and both will be far worse than they are today.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.