The first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives us the right to free speech. That is to say, “the right of the people to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”April 21, 2008 was a seminal day for our generation. It was a day of action in what promises to be another fight against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his proposed budget for fiscal year 2009, which should get you on your feet and onto the streets marching so that he doesn’t raise fees like he did in 2004.The governor is proposing cuts of $483 million from the funding of community colleges by suspending Proposition 98, which was passed back in 1988. The proposition that California voters enacted then is now being threatened with suspension.In 1988, the proposition resulted in an amendment to the State Constitution.Later it was amended still by Proposition 111, establishing a minimum annual funding level for K-14 schools (K-12 and community colleges).The governor wants us to believe he’s guided in his decision by a report issued by the Public Policy Institute of California advocating higher fees and more state aid to community colleges, yet he doesn’t mention the cuts to EOPS and the greater indebtedness students would incur were these measures enacted.Unfortunately, last Monday the turnout was outrageously disappointing compared to four years ago, because it was estimated that only 2,000 college students showed up for the march as opposed to more than 8,000 back in 2004.One cannot help wondering, why did so few of us turn out this time to march and protest our grievances with the governor’s decisions and the legislators? Historically, we have been a society that has always taken to the streets to get our policymakers to keep their promises.Do not these marches and protests fill us with hope? Had they not occurred, what would inspire us to act and do our part?
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March turnout disappointing, more students need to speak up
April 28, 2008
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