Proposition Promises

Thanks to advertisements opposing Proposition 76 for this fall's special election, the history of the related Proposition 98 has been repeatedly brought to the attention of the general public. To recap, in exchange for a promise of escaping budget cuts in the future and being reimbursed for current cuts, the teacher's union made a deal with the Governor that would help him to reduce California's deficit. They sacrificed two billion dollars last year, only to be disappointed this year as cuts continue and no reimbursement is in sight. Though well intentioned, Governor Schwarzenegger's apologies on the matter are not restitution enough, and this failure to follow through has brought a number of issues into question. Perhaps the most pressing of these issues is that of how realistic his promise was in the first place. Did he truly believe that it would be possible to rectify the budget that greatly in one short year? And, if this aim was unrealistic, does the same hold for his other intentions?

There are many analysts that claim that the improvement necessary to so greatly reimburse the teachers would be nearly impossible to achieve in a single year of budget redistribution. In order to do so, the best strategy would incorporate the elimination or suspension of tax expenditures. Schwarzenegger's campaign promise to make education a high priority was not actualized through such measures and now casts suspicion in reference to his other platforms. It is impossible to conclude for certain whether Schwarzenegger truly believed he would be able to honor his promise to the union or if he never intended to fulfill this optimistic goal. Either way, it would be surprising for the schools to grant him another mercy like their deal over Proposition 98.

Enter Proposition 76. Without good graces to fall back on, the Governor has introduced a proposal to create his own terms for educational funding. He will no longer have to convince anyone of the crisis the budget is in, ask for favors, or cut deals. Instead, he will be able to declare fiscal crisis himself, remove funding as he so chooses, and never make promises about the future, realistic or otherwise. That is, he will be able to do all of this if Proposition 76 is passed.