Now that Governor Brown's initiative (1578) and Molly Munger's initiative (1574) have qualified for the ballot, I would like to say publicly that I like them both .
Unless you have lived in a cave for the last five years, you know the serious financial problems that the state and schools have been having. State revenues are down this year and budget cuts in the last four years have been severe and are continuing.
Taxes now need to be raised. Initiative 1578 will raise money for K-14 and public safety programs. Initiative 1574 will cover costs for K-12, early childhood education and to pay off state debt. If both pass, however, only the initiative with the most votes will take effect. To be safe, I am voting for both.
Californians here will be asked to put their priorities in order. Will a good education be only for the rich or will it be available for all our children? To me, this is a decision between greed for some and simple democratic decency.
Our assemblyman, Katcho Achadjian, has vowed not to raise taxes. Unless he publicly states otherwise, I assume that he will be voting against these measures.
Gerald Manata, Paso Robles