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