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June 25, 2003Arts funding? For our children's schools? Whatever for?
First, Governor Davis put California through the energy crisis debacle. Now, if he gets his way, California kids won't understand if you try to lay some "rage, rage against the dying of the light" debacle-inspired literary allusions on 'em.
According to the Associated Press, Davis's proposed budget cuts include a 73% cut in funding for programs in visual art, theater, film, dance, music, literature and arts in education.
Math time, everybody! Get ready to crunch some numbers and grind your teeth!
Current annual Californian arts in education budget: $21 million.
Proposed neutered Californian arts in education budget: $5 million.
Californian state budget deficit: $38.2 BILLION
Percentage of state's overall expenditures accounted for by arts in education funding: 0.25%
Don't misread that. It's not 25%...it's one quarter of one percent.
Yeah, and cruise missiles are still about a million dollars or two per kabloom.
Don't worry, though--I've got a great idea as to how that $5 million can be spent this year:
"California Gubernatorial Recall: The Musical!"
Posted by patrick at June 25, 2003 12:55 AM
CommentsTwo caveats for anyone considering jumping on the "Dump Davis" bandwagon. Well, actually, three.
First -- the "energy" crisis California faced back in the Summer of '01 was engineered and manipulated by the energy companies themselves -- all of them good buddies of the current Republican (national) Administartion. Can you say "Enron?" This wasn't exactly the kind of thing any governor, regardless of party, could of planned for, and it was designed at the time to screw with elections in California, plain and simple.
Second, California's budget crisis is not Davis's doing either. Yep, once again -- the economy, under the (mis)handling of the Republican Administration in DC is tanking, and states are suffering. All of them. It isn't just California, and it isn't our governor's doing, so don't let anyone convince you it is.
The most important thing to remember is this, though: the Republicans want California. They covet California. They crave control of this state, but demographics dictate that they can't have it. So, in typical Republican fashion (Can you say "Florida '00?") they're going to try to steal it like the whiny little cheaters that they are. Hence the Recall Davis campaign.
No matter what you think of him personally, if you're a Democrat or left of center or if you just don't like Republicans, it's in your best interests to support him and fight this recall and tell the rightwing to go fuck themselves and leave our state alone.
What? You think the Republicans will lavish money on the arts and education? Right... Davis's reluctant cuts are just a drop in the bucket compared to what the Elephants would do.
Look at Washington right now, where Republicans in Congress are outright trying to eliminate Federal funding of, well, everything. Er... everything but subsidies to major corporations and billionaires. That's what they want to do here, but they have to cheat, as usual, in order to do it.
Fight the fascist carpetbaggers, and don't buy in to the myth that Gray Davis is responsible for this mess.
He's not. The responsible party is George W Bush. He's the one who should be recalled.
Posted by: Jon Bastian at June 25, 2003 06:05 PM
And try reading this article for the real dirt on who's bankrupting California: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-scheer1jul01,1,1035145.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions
Posted by: Jon Bastian at July 1, 2003 05:42 PM
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