It’s 44 days without a state budget and while new reports are indicating that we may be one step closer, we are still waiting. While our leaders are negotiating about who gives and gets what, the health, welfare, and quality of real lives are at stake. We are constantly reminded that the state’s budget reflects our values. However, as the budget debate continues, it does not seem to be about our values, but rather a broader debate over competing visions of the role government plays in ensuring the health and wellbeing of its residents.
We need to remember that government is central to creating a system for the common good and that investing in public structures benefits us all - such as our health and safety services, highways, and schools. These public structures are critical to the success and prosperity of our state. But our collective investment is not keeping up with the costs of maintaining these essential services, and it is time we enhance California’s revenue system to do so.
There are solutions to create a more equitable tax structure that will keep California thriving. There are corporate tax loopholes that can be closed and poorly designed tax breaks that need to be fixed. What we cannot keep doing is solving our budget crisis by eroding our public system. Artificial spending caps and devastating cuts will have a profound impact on our State’s infrastructure. We all suffer when children do not get the health care they need or our hard working families cannot make ends meet.
We have entrusted the stewardship and management of California to our policymakers, and true leadership demands that they look at the funds we need to keep our public systems working. Our role is to hold our leaders accountable to these standards and invest in the prosperity of our state. Please call your Senator at (800) 480-3958 and Assembymember at (800) 960-7682 and urge them to support the revenues needed to prevent devastating cuts. Together we can keep California strong.
