California is a different kind of state. It is one of the largest states and is known for being one of the most diverse states along with being one of the most populous states in America as well. With all these factors coming into play with California, it is not unlikely that California’s politics is in for a wild journey.
In 2003, I was 12 years old, just old enough for my parents to let me watch Terminator. I knew who Arnold was at the time and I thought it was very cool to have a Hollywood actor as a governor. I even remember my parents and extended family calling him “the governator”. At being 12 years old, me being ignorant to politics, I had no idea what Arnold was doing in office. Ken DeBow makes an important and honest statement about the election of Arnold replacing Gray Davis, “the outcome was based on ‘irrational’ impulses such as confusion of the real-life Arnold with the invincible movie characters portrayed on the screen” (DeBow, Pg. 4). May be honest and somewhat true, looking back on it, a lot of voters probably did not know why they voted for Arnold to be the replacement. Probably, it was more of a popularity contest than anything else. California voters wanted to go another route than “politics as usual” and surprisingly, with not knowing Arnold at all, but just judging him based on what we saw on Television and how he carried himself, it became relatable.
Governing California is no easy task. California’s size, growth in population, and diversity are advantages and disadvantages at the same time. With Arnold new in the chair, Californian’s were looking for a new face, a new approach to things, and maybe sometimes, that is not the way to go. One problem is politics by initiative. It is interesting ...
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...of money, but money alone is not going to solve it. There are always going to be people that are going to take for granted their education. It is the government’s responsibility to see education be equal for all, but also an individual responsibility to take the time to sit down with each other and talk about the importance of school, learning, and education.
California is a special but troubling state. It is special because it is one of the few states that government takes on the form of direct democracy. On the flip side, it is troubling because water is of great importance and California does not know how to share within its own counties. And education is a mess right now too. Although we have the form of direct democracy, the harder it is for California to agree as a whole. It gives people the opportunity to speak up, but when is enough finally enough.
James J. Rawls perspective of the California Dream consists of promise and paradox. People from all over move to California in hopes of finding opportunity and success. However California cannot fulfill people’s expectations.
Conservatives believe that prop 30 is unconstitutional. Californians will endure the biggest tax hike in years. Tax payers will cough up $6 billion annually to fund the education expense. Michelle Steele states “Prop 30 won’t fix our schools or stabilize the state budget; it will increase tax volatility and leave our children facing more of the same debt” (Steele). You can’t make a judgment like that till has been in effect for a few years Michelle Steele ...
This continues to have an effect on the local government in California because every time the governments wants to impose a tax they have to put it to vote before the taxpayers if it has anything to do with local taxes. Schools are also still without some of the much needed programs that would benefit the children and help to keep them off the street. Teachers are also forced to have bigger classrooms due to the cuts. Although these propositions have helped a few people by lowering property taxes, I feel that in the long run the children are hurt due to the loss in programs such as art, music and some sports just because we want to pay a lower amount of property taxes. This is just something the people of California will have to live with.
California represents is not as easy to attain as they once thought. The characters in The Day of the
Roughly thirty-eight million people live in the state of California. (U.S. Census Bureau, www.quickfacts.census.org) Imagine the various types of people to meet. California is the home to many ethnicities and cultures. Its high population hits on all types of groups of people, leaving no one out. From hardworking business men and women, to the laid back beach dwellers, California accepts everyone. The state is home to singers, actors, doctors, beach goers, snowy mountain inhibiters, and much more. Although Florida is known for its beautiful boardwalks, it is only home to nineteen million Americans. (U.S. Census Bureau, www.quickfacts.census.org) The state is not home to as many people as California; it is not home to various groups of people either. Florida does not offer a place to live for those who enjoy big forests and windy mountains. Florida is the land of pesky resort owners and beach-bums. In comparison, Florida is not as diverse, and is much smaller in population size.
The two documents contain very general similarities. They both have a bicameral legislature, which means that they have two chambers or houses. They also both have a Bill of Rights which showcases the rights that the citizens have. Like the U.S. government, the Californian government also has a legislative, executive, and judicial branch where, in short, the legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch carries out the laws, and the judicial branch interprets the laws, among other things. In order for both governments to run smoothly, California was influenced by the federal system of checks and balances, meaning that no single branch of government can become too powerful. In addition, the state governor has similar duties to the president such as serving as commander in chief of a militia and having the supreme executive power (Cal. Const. art. V, § 1&7). Although, within the similarities, many differences can be noted between the two documents, ranging from minor differences to major differences.
It is a real tragedy that the civil rights of a substantial group of people has been trampled upon by the passing of Proposition 8. When one looks at the reasons why people voted for it, pointless arguments taken out of context are seen. As was pointed out in many of the sources which I found on the debate about the revision, California wields a large amount of influence on how the rest of the United States, and by extension, the rest of the world views issues. It can only be hoped that that will not be the case in this instance.
So what’s wrong with California now? The only problem is the tremendous amount of debt accumulated over the years. What makes people think that Arnold will be able to restore California? At one of his campaign tours around the state, people waited two hours to hear him s...
...he rest of the world views California as the “ideal place to live.” However, if California continues to infringe the negative, discriminatory political view its immigrants, the “California Dream” will no longer subsist.
Orsi, Richard J., and John F. Burns. Taming The Elephant: Politics, Government, And Law In Pioneer California. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. eBook (EBSCOhost). Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
The California Legislature is currently debating a bill that would require handgun owners to be licensed by the state. And amid the debate over Assembly Bill 273, you can be sure there will be claims that burdening law-abiding gun owners with more regulations is necessary to "protect our children" from gun violence.
The legislative branch of America helps create the laws or legislation. Ideally, it works to create a society that is safe for all members. The State of California like the federal government has a bicameral legislature, in other words, composed of two chambers. The upper chamber is called the senate, while the lower is called the assembly. A unique process for the state level is that it allows for the initiative. This process circumvents the state congress and can create laws without their aide. In the state of California, every ten years, following a US census, which collects demographic information, state legislators draw redistricting plans for itself, California seats in the US House of Representatives, and the State Board of Equalization. There have been attempts to create a “non-partisan” redistricting commission, but this has been turned down by voters numerous times. Proposition 14, 39, 118, and 119 were all turned down by voters to create a non-partisan districting commission. Every decade a large portion of the state congress’s energy is spent on redistricting. In fact, two of the last four censuses, Supreme Court has had to step in to break a deadlock. In 1970, Ronald Reagan, a Republican, vetoed all together the Democratic redistricting plan. The Supreme Court had to step in and created its own plans for California to follow. Then in 1981, Democrats proposed redistricting as well as congressional delegation redistricting. The Republicans stopped this by adding referendums to the state ballot. Because it was too close to elections though, Supreme Court overturned these referendums in 1982. In 1984, they officially passed the new redistricting plan which was very similar to the original plans.
The United States is an extremely affluent country, however, the U.S. government does not allocate its funds correctly. The government spends entirely too much of the budget on military spending. A segment of the military budget should go towards education. Education is completely undervalued in America and is often pushed to the side in political debates. Conversely, several of the top-ranked countries in education are also flourishing economically. Even though the U.S. is struggling to compete in education, the government has all but given up at this point. There are no signs of increased education spending or a decrease in military spending. How is this country supposed to continue to grow and move forward if the citizens
All automatic firearms, rifles, and short-barreled guns are prohibited. With regards to concealed weapons, California is regarded as a “may issue,” ranging from no issue, especially in urban regions, and shall issue in rural areas (California Firearms Laws, 2007). The state does not recognize permits to carry concealed weapons from other states.
Having reviewed the facts from both sides, those who are for additional funding for education and those who are against, there is truth to both sides. Additional funding, as long as there is strict accountability, will help all students from various economic backgrounds to have an opportunity to receive the very best education. The challenge at hand is for politicians, educators, and families to determine a fair and balanced approach to implementing measures of accountability. Overall, the poor academic achieving students do need funding just as much as anybody. School funding needs to be increased, but there needs to be accountability as well.