The state of California is sinking in the quicksand of debt. The more we struggle (debate, vote, protest), the deeper we sink.
Passionate people write opinion pieces and letters to the editor of the local paper. Every one of them has a program they care about deeply. Their words are frantic predictions of doom and unintended consequences of further costs. The choices are all horrible: closing state parks, abandoning low income families, leaving the mentally ill without help, releasing prisoners, cutting education … the list goes on. And the debt grows, reportedly by $1.7M an hour. (I love it that I found this data point in a UK publication – our infamy is global.) Our debt grows while we work, look for work, sleep, eat, make love, complain, blog, read, work out, eat out, give birth and die.
I don’t know the answer, and clearly the people of California are frustrated and fed up with our leaders, we’re furious at our leaders. So we write columns and letters (and blogs).
I only have one request: make a suggestion! I agree with your concerns – cutting education hurts our future, releasing prisoners compromises our safety, hurting the weakest hurts all of us, and in many cases, it’s pay now or pay later. But if you write about your area of concern, your frightened vision of the future – make a suggestion. Where do you propose we cut? It’s fine to give all the supporting facts for why a particular area should be funded as-is, but tell your readers where you think the cuts should be made.
I don’t have the answer. I’m one more opinion with no valid ideas, but if you’ve done the research on the impact of cuts to the area you care about, do just a bit more and make a suggestion.
