Why Phil Angelides is Dangerous for Californians

If you've seen any of his television campaign ads (which, by the way, are no longer airing because he has run out of money for advertising), there is one where he states emphatically, "My first act as governor will be to roll back college tuition and fees...I'll increase financial aid...and double the number of high school counselors so kids are prepared for college."

For the record, I visited his website to view this particular ad and the quotation is taken straight from it. So, do not go accusing me of editorializing him when these are his spoken words in his ads that were on television and are now housed on his website. I won't be providing his URL because if you're smart enough to find and read my blog, you can figure out how and where to find his website. I won't be providing him with linked his because I don't believe in him or his words.

Allow me to elucidate...

First, it should be known that the California teacher's union is backing him, as are other big unions in the state. Also, the biggest liberals our state has for added measure. Those would be Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.

Pelosi and Boxer are not too far behind as threats to Californians as far as Democraps go because they just feel that anything Republican is evil and is bad for you. Let's not go off on a tangent here and start talking about President Bush because he is not the focus of my blog, Governor Schwarzenegger is. Boxer is worse than Pelosi and way out of touch, I feel. The first words that come out of her mouth are negativity, negativity, negativity. But, does she offer any solutions of her own except to say that the Republican threat must be removed from office? NO! That's how closed-minded she is (what little there is left of it).

Regarding the teacher's union: They disagreed with Governor Schwarzenegger's policies, and that's okay. They're entitled to their opinion. However, when it came down to it, they HURT Californians because the pay raises that they want, the "restoration" of spending limits and their annual budget means that property owners will be hit with higher TAXES! Yes, that house that you grew up in will cost your parents more every six months when that property tax bill comes due. Why? Because Democraps feel that "the rich can afford to pay, let them shoulder the burden." Well, what about people who aren't property owners? Why won't they shoulder some of that burden? If one really thinks hard about it, the rich are the celebrities and athletes who earn millions of dollars and blow it all away on a frivolous lifestyle. It is not the working middle class that populates this state who should be considered "rich."

Let's look at the text I pulled from his ad: He says that he will roll back college tuition and fees. Is that really smart? I think it's really dumb. Consider the fact that the university/college has to PAY its professors, staff and for all the overhead it incurs on a daily basis. So, can they really afford to roll back tuition? They're going to have to make up for that shortfall somewhere along the way, right? Guess what that will probably mean? Yes, higher tuition fees for all!!! I mean, if you want to get the kids ready for college, shouldn't you be hiring MORE teachers and paying them a decent wage (so that they can stop complaining and threatening to go on strike every year)? Wouldn't that make more sense? I don't ever remember the last time when a counselor really got a student ready for college except to review their high school transcript of their grades and discuss their (limited) options. Teachers are the ones who do the work of preparing the teens for college because they are the ones who teach them the necessary skills to move up to the next level. Also, at the university/college campuses, the staff are union, so you have to pay for their union scale salaries, too. Do you see where this is heading now?

How about his next point: "I'll increase financial aid...?" Translation: More taxes! Where do you think the money comes from? It doesn't just come from generous donors (which is what private institutions get some of their monies from), but financial aid in the form of Pell Grants (federal), CalGrants (state), Stafford loans and other forms of financial aid are generated through...TAXES!

And, let's look at the last point he makes: "...and double the number of high school counselors so kids are prepared for college." Of course he will! He wants to pander to the teacher's union so that he will get their votes! But, again, how do you think we will pay for all those unionized staff? Taxes! Our tax dollars will be going towards paying for their union scale salaries, which never seem to be enough. Oh, and did I mention that the teacher's union is backing Angelides?

Not ONCE did he ever mention that he would lower taxes on the working class (but he did say that he wants to tax the rich - please define "rich" for me, Mr. Angelides), nor did he state how he would try to increase employment in the state. He didn't even try to spell out some sort of plan to bring California back up to at least a respectable level in comparison with other states, just that he wants to "do good" for education. How? Please, tell me how? I haven't a clue from anything he put forth in his ad or any of the other ads that are viewable on his website.

In the end, he's empty in his words, hollow on his promises and his credibility doesn't even register. And it's not even election time yet! I am willing to bet that if he were to be elected, you will see taxes go up all across the board and our state will be in a worse financial situation than even when Gray Davis was in office. At least with Schwarzenegger, he managed to rein in the spending, avoided raising taxes and did more than Davis did during his time in office.

So, would you want Phil Angelides for your governor? I sure wouldn't!

Some resources on the net:
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
http://finaid.org/loans/studentloan.phtml
http://www.staffordloan.com/
http://www.salliemae.com/apply/borrowing/stafford.html