Proposal

Title: Proposition 30

Author: Billy Drury

Date: September 30, 2012

Topic: Proposition 30

Exigence: Educational crisis needs immediate funding to sustain California’s public Education system.

Intended Audience: General Public

Purpose: To inform public about the effects of Proposition 30

Claim: Proposition 30 needs to pass to sustain education

Logos: The passage of proposition 30 calls for a sales and tax increase initiative. The sales tax will increase from 7.25 percent to 7.5 percent. The income tax will raise 1-3 percent on Californians making over $250,000 per year. If proposition 30 does not pass, the government will cut $5.5 billion from the K-12 educational budget, which will retract 3 weeks from school. Cal State universities will cut $250 million, which would subsequently decrease class cuts, faculty staff, and admissions. Although CSU tuition has increased over the past decade, the Cal State University system will again increase tuition. The educational cuts arising from the failure of proposition 30 will may cut 15-20 school days form the year. Consequently, California’s public schools will likely consist of a 155-day school year. Opinions on a 155-day school year may vary, but compared to other nations, it is unproductive. The following countries provide theier students with the following amount of days out of the year: China- 260, Japan-243, Israel-216, Nigeria- 190, France-185, and Bolivia-160. As compared to the mentioned countries, California may produce weak educational results, which may provide detrimental results on the United States’ supremacy.

Pathos: Ultimately, proposition 30 affects California’s youth. I have always been told that the youth of America is the future. Education enhances the youth with tools to succeed in the future. Therefore, education remains a vital factor in America’s prosperity. The passage of proposition 30 will permit individuals to have modest access to education. If proposition 30 fails, education will add to America’s growing list of problems. With increases in tuition and classroom sizes, prospective students may be discouraged to attend school. With America’s ongoing economic struggles, parents may very well be struggling not only to support practical matters, but also their children’s education. Large classroom sizes devitalizes attention to the individual student, and struggling students may need costly tutoring. Tuition increases will also require students to pay more for education. Tuition and tutoring costs may likely induce hardships for the average student. Some fortunate students may have parents pay for their educational expenses, but others may not have necessary funds. Loans may give an economically challenged student breathing room, but with the current economy, how likely is paying off debt just after college graduation? Because jobs are scarce and the economy’s future is questionable, loans may only create problems for the aspiring student. Because matters are difficult, California’ youth must implement strong, ambitious focus to attain an education.

Ethos: Because education plays a strong role in society’s future, I stand strong for proposition 30. The slight tax increase from proposition 30 will only mildly affect taxpayers’ economic matters. Tax revenues will provide adequate education that shapes the future of America. On the other hand, the failure of proposition 30 drastically deters California’s educational system. Tax increase may very well be affordable for people of any economic situation.