Annotated Bibliography

In doing my research on California's Proposition 30 I used several articles to gather my information which include:

http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/ca/state/prop/30/

This website smartvoter.org gives a summary of what the proposition is about, and what it entails for the people voting for it. The site is sponsored, and run by The League of Women voters(Link to their site: http://www.lwv.org/). The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization, that has been providing women, and all people with an education on political issues since 1920. They are also a non-profit organization which means they do not collect money for their services.

http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/prop-30-read-the-text.html

Another well informed website is the KCET site which also provides nonpartisan information about the propositions, and other political issues. The link above leads you directly to the law itself, and you can see how it is worded, and what the state will do if Prop. 30 is passed. A nonpartisan view is one that neither favors Democrats or Republicans so it is an unbiased opinion. A great source will also state all donators, and how much each donator has given, and this site does exactly that. Once again KCET is a non-profit organization, which means they do not profit off of their services, which also allows for an unbiased opinion on the information at hand.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/

This website allows information and statistics about the California education systems. As a writer it is nice to know the amount of people affected by the decision and this websites allows us to see that.

Reader Response 1

In 1848, Horace Mann addressed the Massachusetts state legislature in regards to America's lack of a general public education system. His thought's and concern's in his article "Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education"were addressed to the white adult men of his time, due to the fact that women and men of different racial factions were not yet allowed to vote in America.  The article is split into several different aspects of learning in which Mann finds incredibly important to teach the general public these are, "Physical Education", "Intellectual Education as a Means of Removing Poverty, and Securing Abundance", "Political Education", "Moral Education", and "Religious Education".  Mann believes that if America were to educate it citizens on these topics then the country would rise in socio economic standards as a whole.

The article is based in a time where our country did not provide an education to all of it's people. Whether it was because you were poor, or because you lived in a rural area, such as Mann did growing up, the states were not responsible for providing you with an education. Mann believes that, "Education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men..."(120). Mann meant that regardless of where you were from, or how much property you owned you if you had an education you would be at the same level as everyone else when you began. Education of a country's people allowed for a better country.

Mann's statements obviously rang true in heart's of many Americans because we have, and have had a general public education system. What he believed also rings true in my heart, and the fact that in my own life I began in a lower socioeconomic class, and with education I will rise to a higher one is proof that the education of all allows equal starting ground. Our public school systems are based largely on Mann's guidelines and though not all of his categories are as important as they once were(i.e. Physical and Religious Education), his fundamental bases are still as important today in 2012 as they were in 1848, but now it includes everyone.

Week One

   Essentially Proposition 30 is a rise in Taxes, and California has very high taxes already, for both income and state sales tax. The arguments for and against Prop 30 are both very sound arguments, and being educated in the matter is the best way to make your own decision come November. Within my research over the past week I've gathered that Prop 30 is an increase in sales tax on all California's taxable goods by 1/4cent, and it is also a raise in PIT(Personal Income Tax) on Californian citizens that rest in the higher income brackets, for those making over $250,000 or more a year. Citizens arguing for a YES vote on Prop 30 say that the tax increase is set to help fund the public school systems, and public safety services. Those arguing against it with a NO on Prop 30 are saying that the tax increase will "kill" small businesses and that jobs will be lost if the proposition passes. There are many more poignant arguments made by both sides, but to truly make your own decision you must delve more deeply into the subject for yourself. I, after researching, am still on the fence about Prop30, which I know is not a good position to take. On the one hand it is only fair to ask those who make the most money in a state to contribute back to it's public facilities through the payment of income taxes, but on the other hand there is a chance that money may not entirely contribute back to our schools as it's projected to, and none of the money is projected to be funded back to universities. The money acquired from Prop 30 is projected in the budget to go to k-12 public schools and community colleges, which is fantastic, but our California Universities also need money as well, and with a projected 50 billion increase in tax revenue over the next seven years one might want that to go to our university level. Although I'm on the fence I am leaning more towards yes, because the arguments for are slightly more convincing to my personal beliefs, which is how most people choose where their vote will go. I will be able to make an even more resounding yes when I research further into who is funding the NO side of the proposition.

I gathered most of my information from this website:

http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/ca/state/prop/30/

I also used these websites as well:
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_30,_Sales_and_Income_Tax_Increase_(2012)

http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/database-whos-funding-prop-30-temporary-tax-to-fund-education.html

I hope some of the information I have provided will help further your knowledge on the subject, and allowed you to see an unbiased opinion of what Prop 30 actually is. The best way to make a sound decision is to never take anything at face value, and to look beyond the things that will only benefit you as a voter.

Thanks for reading!
Krista

I Am . . .

       I am Krista Skorupski; I am a wife, I am a sister and a daughter, and I am a theater student. I live in San Jose with my husband, and have been going to Cabrillo since the fall semester of 2010. I chose to go back to school after a long break. I'm originally from the inland part of southern California, and moved to Santa Cruz in 2009 while my husband was still in graduate school at UCSC. I have a really close family that consists of my mother, my four sisters, a ton of nieces, one nephew, and myself. My family has always encouraged me to do what I love, and I happen to love the art of theater. I've been lucky enough to experience most of the aspects of theater, because my teachers loved for their students to be well rounded. All of the things I've learned and experienced as a student, and as a person have given me a different outlook on education and life. One of the gifts I can bring to the classroom is open mindedness. Having an open mind is key in working with others. Everyone was raised differently and has different life experiences, so when I'm listening to someone I try to understand what they're saying, even if I don't necessarily agree. Being a little older than the average community college student is also very helpful, because it brings a little more life experience to an opinion. I am also very happy to be in school, and that allows me to bring a positive attitude to the class. I've found it's much easier to work with someone who has a positive attitude.