California has been continually divided between the wealthy upper class and the poor impoverished class. The American Dream of home ownership, a career, and an  education have proven to be privileges that only the rich can afford.

The recession has wiped out a large portion of California’s middle class and has made the idea of social mobility a lie. The state owes a massive 265 billion dollars to private interest  groups, work projects, and owed pensions.

In order to find money for a budget each year, school funding has been cut.

Californians need to stand up for state workers and vote yes on Proposition 30 come this November to empower common citizens.

Underpaid teachers, crumbling classrooms, and a shrinking state educational budget create a bad mix. In the last four years, over 40,000 teachers have been laid off in  California and class sizes have increased by 30 percent.

school nurses, counselors, librarians, and music instructors have all recently been forced to reluctantly abandon students.

Gov. Jerry Brown introduced Proposition 30 as an initiative to balance California’s massive debt while addressing the needs of the state’s growing educational system.

In the campaign ad for Proposition 30 Brown says, “We’ve made progress, but we still have very serious budget problems in California. We simply have to take a stand against further budget cuts for schools… to do that we’re going to the people.”

If passed, Proposition 30 would raise the state sales tax from 7.2 percent to 7.5 percent for four years. Brown’s tax initiative will raise an estimated 6.8 billion dollars annually as projected by the Legislative Analysis Office of California.

The only people who would see an increase in their income tax would be Californians who earn more than 250,000 dollars year. Higher income residents will be expected to pay the state 10.3 percent of their annual income for seven years. An increase in tax revenue would help many of California’s poorer families who depend on the state for aid.

Proposition 30 is a powerful tool in closing the gap in quality of life in our state.

According to the Public Institute of California, there are currently about one and a half million families in California on welfare. About six million Californians belong to a family of four or more, yet earn less than 22,113 dollars annually.

Meeting these criteria qualifies them as living in poverty. Proposition 30 would ensure that the children of these struggling families are able to receive a good public education, and hopefully one day be able to attend college.

If Proposition 30 does not pass, state spending reductions to California’s educational programs would take effect immediately. California schools would be forced to make  drastic cuts to their curriculums during the middle of the instructional year. After school programs such as sports, free childcare, and tutoring centers would be forced to close.

A proper education is one of the most important tools a child can have on the road to success. If young Californians are denied the chances to earn an education, our state will see a decline in productivity. Young people won’t have the opportunity to become doctors, architects, teachers, and engineers.

It’s time for the state’s wealthier citizens to pay their fair share, and invest in California’s future.