New California Budget Cuts Education
The Californian reports that the governor is proposing a budget for the 2008 fiscal year that will reducing spending on public schools by 1...
http://www.menifee247.com/2008/01/new-california-budget-cuts-education.htm
The Californian reports that the governor is proposing a budget for the 2008 fiscal year that will reducing spending on public schools by 10%. The cut is needed to address a projected budget shortfall of $14.5 billion.
However, the budget shortfall of $14.5 is real.
The way I see things, we need to elect a President that's going to shut down our borders from illegal immigration. Anyone here care to guess how much taxpayer money is spent on kids from illegal immigrants?
Last month, I posted an article about the cost of new freeway expansion in Riverside County, and proposed that we pass the cost to all new families moving into this area. (Click here to read). Some of you commented that you preferred to just stop all new home construction until the economy improves.
Well, then how about we stop all immigration, including legal immigration, until our nation's economy improves? Thoughts?
In the address, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a $141 billion state budget for the year starting July 1 that would slash nearly 10 percent of the funding for public education as part of a plan to erase an estimated $14.5 billion revenue shortfall over the next 18 months.Of course, the governor doesn't make budget decisions, the legislature does. So, it doesn't really mean anything.
However, the budget shortfall of $14.5 is real.
The way I see things, we need to elect a President that's going to shut down our borders from illegal immigration. Anyone here care to guess how much taxpayer money is spent on kids from illegal immigrants?
Last month, I posted an article about the cost of new freeway expansion in Riverside County, and proposed that we pass the cost to all new families moving into this area. (Click here to read). Some of you commented that you preferred to just stop all new home construction until the economy improves.
Well, then how about we stop all immigration, including legal immigration, until our nation's economy improves? Thoughts?
I say close it and round all the illegals up and send them back. I will pay an extra tax to do that.
ReplyDeleteHere's another question that nobody can ever seem to answer for me:
ReplyDeleteWhy do public schools get over $10,000 per student per year, but still do a sub-standard job at educating kids in most cases? Many private schools only charge around $4000 to $5000 per student per year and do a much better job at educating students.
Can we say: Excessive waste? I think what really needs to happen is our education system needs to be completely restructured. The California Teachers Association is one of the strongest unions in the state and dictates much of what happens in the schools. When a private school can do a better job with half the money you know that something in the public school system is broke.
And this doesn't even take into account that California's public schools rank near the bottom of all states in student achievement (#46 in 2003 for elementary and middle schools, according to this link), rank #26 (2002-03 school year) for per-student expenditures and #1 (2002-03 school year) for teacher salaries (see this link).
So is it a bad thing that funding to the schools is getting cut? In my opinion, no. It just removes the money for the state, the school districts and the union to waste.
It's time for us to start educating our kids and stop playing games with the tax money that so many of us work so hard to earn!
First off, to address the comment that educating the children of illegals is leading to this budget shortfall...
ReplyDeletePEOPLE BORN IN THIS COUNTRY ARE FULL CITIZENS no matter if their parents are illegal or not. We have to educate American children even if every other person in that household is illegal.
Secondly, the comment that we should "round up" the illegal immigrants might sound good in theory but how do we go about implementing it? Do we card every person in the state as they drive to work each day? Do we kick down the doors of every Hispanic in America and ask for proof of residency? If we are going to do that, why not kick down the doors of all the white people and see if they are Canadian.
Thirdly, how much money would this "rounding up" cost? Millions of illegals hiding in hundreds of thousands of places protected by unknown thousands of people who then face costly hearings and transportation back home could cost more money than the budget shortfall!
To sum up, I am not in favor of an open-border policy but I do realize that these people did not bravely come to this country to be freeloaders. They came to make more money for themselves and their families. If California's economy and government went into the crapper and Mexico was paradise where they were paying people 10 times as much for your job wouldn't you do the same for your family?
no, anonymous... you enforce the existing laws--start in the construction industry--round up and deport all the illegals working there--spread the word, they would all stop rushing over here. then pay workers prevailing wage so legal workers can live on those wages. i am an immigrant, from a spanish speaking country and my husband and i both waited our turns to come here legally. even my kindergardener knows about no cutting. deport the illegals, regardless of where the kids were born. they were willing to do this, they know what they are doing, let them figure out what to do with their kids if they are deported. if they really cared about their families, they would not do illegal things and put them all at risk. we don't let drug dealers off bc they have kids at home. when the kids turn 18, they can always come back legally and work legally. if you spoke spanish you would hear the comments from these people you think are so noble and honest, they are laughing in every american's face over this issue. as long as the american public choses to think like you, you are encouraging lawlessness and telling people like us, who did come here legally, that we were dumb for doing so. they do come to be freeloaders--they use the hospitals and schools and take jobs legal people could do and then they send the money they make to another country. lastly, no, i wouldn't go to mexico illegally--a place where i would have no rights. no matter what they had to offer--it is wrong. plus, mexico does not tolerate illegals. i guess if i see someone has more than i do, i should just go up and take some too, right? we need to implement the existing laws and now. i am hispanic and i would be willing to show proof i am legal here--why not? why is being legal to live here, go to school here, get medical care, welfare, whatever, such a ludicrous idea?
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteI've expressed the private school solution on this blog a couple of times before. I'm not sure readers are connecting with it though. I think many Menifee families are capable of affording private schools, but still use public schools.
I wonder what Menifee Union can do encourage more private schools here, and approve more charter schools.
As an educator whose been a teacher and administrator in Los Angeles and now here in the area and as a new resident of Menifee Valley what is going on on our schools is unbelieveable. Unless you are in th school system, you could not imagine the kind of crap teachers put up with and how some schools dont have any expectations of their minority students. I have never seen so much blatent racism in the school as I do here in the area. Even educators, who should be color blind and tolerant of all people are treating students of color like crap. On the other side, teachers have to put up with the whole ADHD crap and parents who just dont give a damn. How can we expect our students to be motivated and follow rules when their parents and home life is a mess. No amount of money can change this. Im also Mexican American with two degrees and a Doctorate in the process and I dont understand why some teachers, adminstrators and parents dont believe that having high expectations for all students is one of the essential factors in improving and providing an education. People of all races and cultures will give you only what you expect of them. My family has been in the US for over 100 years and I too beleive that some immigrants take advantage of our system. I dont like, in fact hate that my taxes are going to provide able working people money to sit at home and do nothing. I busted my but in high school and college to get where I am. And the least they can do is learn English. However, I dont think they are stealing jobs at least not the ones most Americans will take and would not like it if I have to prove my citizenship just because of the color of my skin. Im tired of everything being about race and and you all ignorant uneducated people out there really need to get over it because all of these laws protecting immigrants and giving them our money was not at the priviledge of any minority in DC.
ReplyDeleteWhy is everyone blaming immigrants who come for a better life? US companies offer jobs to them... that is the problem. Besides, GEORGE BUSH wants to merge North America.. with Canada and Mexico. Don't believe me? Watch Lou Dobbs, who is tough on immigration, on CNN talk about the North American Union: http://youtube.com/watch?v=H65f3q_Lm9U
ReplyDeleteEveryone who is arguing over this is basically being fooled! There is a bigger issue here that is being kept hidden from us... WAKE UP MENIFEE!!
I'm just curious how there can be claims made that private-schools educate students better than public schools? That's a pretty bold statement. I don't doubt that the public school system will fail to meet the needs of some students, but the majority of students receiving a public education are equipped to graduate and move on to college. And I know this won't be a popular statement on this board, but it's not like Menifee is the jewel of the IE - I have found it to be true more often than not that a community reflects directly on it schooling - hence why schools in Temecula, Murrieta and Redlands seem to have some of the best public school systems in the state. Is it teaching? Maybe, but overwhelmingly, it's the fact that those cities have higher median incomes and in turn, a student population with higher expectations on academic achievement.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that most private schools do not have to require their teachers be certified? It is entirely possible to have an 18-year old high school gradaute teaching the same class at a private school that a college graduate and certified teacher is teaching at a public school.
The answer is simple - families need to invest time and effort into promoting the importance of an education to their children - and whether those children are in private or public schools, as long as they believe in getting an education, it will pay dividends.
just because u.s. companies choose to offer jobs illegally does not make it ok to come across the border illegally and take them. there are many, many of us who waited, came here legally, and are doing things the correct way. if we can do it, anyone else can do it, should do it. everyone wants to do better and have a better life--that isn't in question. but we should feel that the only way to do this is by following rules, working hard, doing the right thing, respecting the country we live in and all its laws, not just doing all of these illegal things just because we can. american companies are wrong, just like the illegals are wrong. something needs to be done about both of these groups. AND to politicians who allow this all to continue.
ReplyDeleteThese are just my opinions...illegal children need an education regardless of how they got here. (Yes, laws need to be enforced.. but until then I wouldn't the children of illegal parents running around not learning how to read and write.) I also feel teachers do deal with a bunch of crap and have to deal with many different issues their students have to deal with ( ADD,divorce..etc) however their primary job is to teach. Once that teacher sets up their classroom rules.....that's it...they’re the boss. I am tired of people making excuses. Yes, some teachers are better than others, some schools are better than others...however it comes down to the student's attitude about education and work ethics. Let the teachers run the classrooms..not the whining parents if their child get a C ..oh well... life goes on. Now lets talk about home life…My parents never helped me with my homework. They couldn’t. They were too busy working however I went to school everyday and turned in my homework. I agree with the post that stated families’ needs to invest in the importance of education. I believe society also needs to invest in the importance of education by expecting more from our children. College isn’t a choice, it’s the next step. (Regardless if they get a degree…they need to experience that next step. They might find that one class or teacher that inspires them) and because some students are not college bound I would like to see a vocation college.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple.
ReplyDeleteIt was NOT printed in a California newspaper:
Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which are deemed politically incorrect (read below) or which do not agree with the philosophy the papers are pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!
New Immigrants
From: "David LaBonte"
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC (Orange County, California) R egister which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet.
Pass it along if you feel so inclined.
Dave LaBonte (signed)
Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:
Dear Editor:
So many letter writers have based their arguements on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan, for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.
Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.
They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.
Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France, and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.
And here we are in 2007 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900s deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.
And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.
(signed) Rosemary LaBonte
P. S. Pass this on to everyone you know!!!
KEEP THIS LETTER MOVNG!!
I hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across the nation!!
Ever onward!!
MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA
I agree, we should enforce our immigration laws, but we should be prepared to deal with some market side effects: No more cheap produce; what's wrong with a $10 dollar head of lettuce? Who needs cheap labor to build our homes, when we have uneducated, undisciplined, un-creditworthy fools driving down home costs anyway? (The market effect is "offset" here, nice.) Gee, how much will my neighbor's Dorito pounding kid charge me to do a lousy job of mowing my lawn in 90 degree heat? Have you ever seen a U.S. citizen clean an office? It's not often a good value at our offices. I refuse to wash my own car, or grow my own corn; that's someone else's job. Those choices could be in jeopardy, darn. I still support enforcement of our immigration laws, but there is a price to everything.
ReplyDeletewait a minute...my son has a nice lawn mowing business going and he does a great job in 100 degree+ heat...give our young people a chance...my other son had applied for work at all the local fast food places but they wouldn't hire him..he had good references and work ethic too...they hired Hispanic workers instead....go figure..
ReplyDeleteYou've got a balkanized criminal hole of wasteful, greedy, and often stupid teachers, combined with a drug infested, sex-crazed, gang infected, half brain dead irresponsible adult population out for themselves, and all of those groups are the new modern professional WHINING goofballs that the Indians would have SLAUGHTERED if they got here 200 years ago.
ReplyDeleteCommon sense is out the window, known crimes are covered up by stupid questions like " why isn't 10,000 per student enough when 4k-5k is better privately" ?
If you, the parents, the adults, are so ****** stupid that after years of musing over it, you haven't agreed or even figured it out, why then expect the problem to continue and increase like it has under your watch for the unforeseeable future.
I understand you're all filled with good intentions, and a few had the right idea, but the rest never listen, and your insane, depraved, going down the tubes mess increases, and we have to hear the WHINING for ENDLESS YEARS.
Maybe, just maybe, not likely though, the embarrassment of being continual failures will beat some sense into your skulls, but I doubt it.
Slack jawed questioning, arguing over this or that problem with each idiot pretending their pet is %100 of the issue not just a portion, will probably go on FOREVER.
Look in the mirror, and thank YOURSELVES for the mess.
Im a 17 year old high school student and not only is this going to be tough on me but the kids younger then me are going to have it rough. At my school alone they are getting rid of 6 teachers and now my teacher is fearful of his job when he just started here this year. Not only does this effect public schools but now college because community colleges are going to be packed due to the cut and classes are going to be very hard to get. I also heard something about a proposal for the whole university system does anyone know what i'm talking about and can explain
ReplyDeletei'm all for clamping down on illegals but it's not just mexicans that are illegals how about all illegals from europe? there are more illegals from england than from mexico. thats a fact and you can find that out by the u.s. goverment stats. and to top it all off there are more mexican medal of honor winners than any other nationality. but hey get some negro or someone from europe to pick up a gun for the u.s. and
ReplyDeletethey're the first to stand down. and besides it's not the mexican people we should be worry about it's the one's from central america
but we've already label our freinds from mexico as hispanics which we should remember they're north americans just like all the illegals from canada. we're footing the bill for their illegal children as well oh by the way their welfare as well.
just because your streast about the budget cuts on education it doesn't make it okay to blame the immigrants and remember we are all came from immiagrent families.so it's like saying if you wouldn't have wanted to be allowed to get an education!
ReplyDelete