The Clock is Ticking!!!

With California rapidly approaching financial ruin, the legislators need to focus. Sacramento has the unfortunate duty of balancing our state budget which will undoubtedly cut funding for many different programs and benefits. Budget cuts should be done evenly across the board; while keeping our basic necessities in mind. Nobody wants to cut funding for education or safety, but they have to be made. All over California, people are being asked to do more with less. As we get deeper into summer and face the inevitable wildfire season, we can only hope that the budget shortfall will not greatly affect the resources of our firefighters. The summer will provide some R&R for students, but they will, unfortunately, feel a pinch when they return to the classrooms this fall. Cuts to educational funds will lead to larger class sizes and will essentially render the Cal-Grant program useless. Without the help of Cal-Grants to help offset the rising costs of a higher education, many students will face difficult decisions. Legislators will consider raising taxes, but after seeing a large rise in taxes a few months ago, how much support could they possibly garner?
If the Governor and the legislators cannot come up with a compromise to solve our shortfall, they should all offer their resignations to the citizens of California. With his term ending next year, Governor Schwarzenegger needs to do something to ensure a positive view of his leadership. Thus far the Governor does not have much in the way of a positive legacy. Perhaps a mandatory furlough for all of the legislators during the months of August and September would be an appropriate way to close the budget gap. Raising taxes is not the answer. Mass cuts to education are not the answer. Cutting funding for safety and welfare programs is not the answer. These short-term savings measures hurt us in the end.
We need to learn to live within our means, and be accountable. Continual borrowing does not solve the problem, it merely prolongs the inevitable. If we are going to get California back on the right path, we need to start trimming the fat and getting rid of the state’s pork barrel projects. Part of balancing a budget is determining trade-offs; we need to prioritize the spending of the state.
Making California more of a tourist destination would help bring in some much needed revenue. Perhaps we could stop driving businesses out of California, by lessening some of the restrictions placed on corporations and small businesses. We must come up with some balanced resolution before California reaches complete insolvency. Hurry up Sacramento! Time is ticking away.