03/03/2009 California Budget Outline

California Budget Cuts Outline

Thesis Statement: Although many may feel the budget cut could be taking California deeper in the economic crisis, certain measures are crucial for the state to recover.

Outline
1. Introduction: What got California into this whole mess?
a. It is easy for many to point fingers at government officials for getting California into this budget crisis to begin with, but who should we really blame?
i. We should put some blame on ourselves because we consume without replacing.


2. Now that lawmakers have put a budget cut in place, what does this mean for everyone else? There is a dark-side to the budget cuts.
a. Students are affected on numerous levels.
i. Tuition is going to be raised, again for the California State University’s.
1. This means for me that I might not be able to even attend San Jose State next semester.
ii. Bigger classroom sizes
1. Bigger classroom sizes not only affect students greatly because they are going to receive less attention from the professors, but it also puts further stress on the professors themselves.
a. Some professors might give up on the CSU system as a whole and find other schools to work at or relocate.
iii. Students will be forced to compete with one another for class availability
1. This may actually be a benefit because it will hold students more accountable for their school work and thus creating a higher standard for all students.
iv. Many students are going to be denied admission to CSU’s all across the state.
1. This may mean a rise in community college enrollment.
2. This could also mean many people may give up on college.
a. My younger brother Gabriel decided because I was at San José State and he did not want to attend an overcrowded community college that he wanted to join the Marine Corps.
i. My older brother Andres also did this. However, he found himself in an even deeper hole. Here, I will use the interview with my brother Andres to support my ideas.
b. Employees everywhere are feeling the sting.
i. Millions of people are losing their jobs, what could this result to?
1. Many of the unemployed will file for unemployment and this will heighten the dependency on state funds.

3. Even though there are drastic measures to be taken, we should learn from the mistakes we made and do the best to recover and stay hopeful.
a. As we all consume, many fail to realize the results of too much consumption of the state funds without setting up a way to get the money back.
i. We could implement programs not included directly in the budget agreement that will help California even further.
1. Legalization of marijuana
a. Taxing marijuana would greatly increase the amount of money California receives in taxes.
i. Here I’d like to find an authoritative source to back up my statement.
b. Other sides to the budget agreement
i. Voting could be reform
1. Included in the budget agreement, there was a proposal to adding a new constitutional amendment. Cutting down to the chase, California lawmakers might be suggesting that we throw out political parties during election time. It is being called the "open-primary idea" and most California lawmakers are backing it up. This is where I would quote my article from the New York Times.
2. How long have Americans been fighting to reform the voting in our county?
a. The benefit, as usual, is that our deeply influential status makes California great.

4. Conclusion
The budget cuts have harsh affects on millions of Californians. From students losing out in the educational system and employees losing jobs, it is easy for many to lose hope in California, but in the end, this is our state and we cannot let it go down in flames. Although many may feel the budget cut could be taking California deeper in the economic crisis, certain measures are crucial for the state to recover. People need to remember the California they love and as times continue to get tougher, we need to back up our lawmakers and bite the bullet. Even though the dark side of the budget cut scares many, the possible reforms it offers could be what America was wanting all along.