As students, we’ve seen the fees for units raise sharply over the last few years. In California, spending is still going to be higher then the incoming revenue we would receive from the proposed sale of governmental bonds. Every semester the threat looms of fee hikes raising the cost per unit even higher still. Fortunately for us students, Governor Schwarzenegger, in his proposed budget for 2006, has promised that collegiate fee hikes we were expecting have been cancelled and will not be raised in the foreseeable near future.
We at the Skyline View are happy for the break and hope it is a pledge that will not be broken. We realize, however, that it is a coming election year and promises are being made that may be rescinded. In addition, this seems to be an obvious ploy to appease the teachers’ unions that have been fighting Governor Schwarzenegger since all the money they had been promised had been cut and redirected. It also seems to be a way to gain democratic favor since they have more control over union bureaucracy, on account of California being a largely democratic state, and as a means to portray Governor Schwarzenegger in a more positive light to help his re-election bid.
We are concerned that this move is extremely shortsighted. We as a state already have a gross deficit. Now will this budget proposal and its subsequent bond sales lead to an even higher one? Where is the money the fee hike was supposed to bring in now going to come from? The proposal makes a point of having all the media concerns addressed, but what about everything else affecting Californians?
Cut from the bond benefits are the problems with housing and the poverty level in general. There is also a lack of jobs that can cover the cost of living and the myriad of other issues currently affecting the middle/working class. A lot of time has been spent discussing the potential concerns that emanate from the new budget plans.
We at the Skyline View know that we will still have to keep an eye on what Governor Schwarzenegger does in the near future. Also, we will be watching to see if he can keep his promises when he already has a precedent for breaking them.
We here at the Skyline View agree it is important to look at the big picture from the state perspective. However, we feel that education should be a top priority and are happy to see that the governor is giving college students a break.