Why I’m voting for the North American Flat Earth Party

Ok, so the title is complete fiction. It was a sneaky trick to make you read this blog. Face it: would you really click on a link called “how I’m voting this year?” But since you already fell for the ruse, you might as well punish yourself by reading the rest.

A good picture of California’s current situation is the iceberg-stricken Titanic as it stands up on end for the final plunge into the north Atlantic. Unemployment stands at a staggering 12.4%—the third worst in the nation[i],[ii]. Companies and people are leaving the state in record numbers[iii],[iv]. We flush 40% of our state budget down the toilet of an education system that ranks, by some measurements, 47th in the nation[v],[vi]. The LA Times estimates our current budget deficit at $26.3 billion[vii].

The best thing we could do right now is to detach ourselves from the continental shelf and drift out into the Pacific to shelter the rest of the nation from our doom.

The second best thing would be armed revolution. (Dear Homeland Security: this literary device is called satire. Please do not prosecute. Hugs and kisses, Danny)

Failing either of those two highly unlikely events, we’ll have to settle for electing the lesser devils for the various offices in play.

California doesn’t need “green jobs.” It just needs JOBS.

Job creation is not the job of the government (so to speak). It is best left to the private sector. However, this private sector is so saddled with one of the heaviest corporate tax rates[viii] in the nation and such onerous regulations that it cannot create jobs. Businesses are struggling to survive in a very hostile environment. Other states are offering them incentives to relocate, and they are taking their jobs with them—jobs that could be filled with Californians, but will not, because our government refuses to reverse its anti-business policies.

Allow me to outline my philosophy of government v. private sector:

Government (Fed/State/Municipal) Responsibilities:

• Military protection from foreign threats
• Civil protection from domestic threats (police, fire, etc.)
• Basic infrastructure (roads, bridges, civil planning)
• Justice (property rights, criminal prosecution, protection of civil liberties, etc.)

Private Sector:

• Healthcare
• Charitable assistance
• Job creation
• Education
• Religion

Some of you are reaching for your stash of torches and pitchforks for including education as a private sector responsibility. I have been fortunate enough to attend some excellent public schools—both in the US and Canada. However, the best education I’ve experienced has been in private schools and home schooling.

Should we abolish the department of education? Of course not. But we definitely need to look into alternative solutions to the education problem.

California been paying $35 Billion annually for a very unimpressive education system. And according to one report, our K-12 schools average 47th in the nation[ix]. That’s a metric TON of money with very little return.

Yet the California Teacher’s Association simply wants to solve the problem with more teachers and more money. How many billions of dollars is enough—$40 billion? $50? Think: a union gets its dues from membership. More members equal more revenue for the union. No amount of money will ever be enough.

Once upon a time, “old school” labor unions established bilateral partnerships with employers—especially in the skilled trades. The union provided management with highly trained employees, and management paid the union employees well. If managers had a problem with an employee, they talked with the union, and the union would send the employee to another location. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

What benefit does the CTA provide the California Department of Education—or better question—what benefit does it provide students and parents? This one-way advantage is a severe flaw that results in lack of accountability cripples the entire system.

A reorganized education system needs to channel the majority of funds to the better performing public schools, as well as to charter schools and even private schools. Parents should be able to send their kids to the public school of their choice without jumping through bureaucratic hoops. It would provide incentive for all schools to get their act together.

Underperforming schools that cannot improve should be closed and have their personnel, funding, assets and property distributed to the healthy schools. And find a way to fire bad teachers. Oh, but the CTA wants none of it because its interests are in conflict with the educational system.

Another idea: what if we eliminate some of the highly-paid middle management positions? Their salaries could be re-designated to hire (gasp) more teachers, reducing class sizes and even bringing in more revenue to the CTA in the way of more membership. Sounds like a win-win to me, no?

Anyway, as I wade through next week’s ballot of school board positions, propositions, and state and federal offices, I will be keeping these things in mind. I know I won’t get everything I want, but I will be using my vote to try to move things in this general direction.

Time permitting, I may itemize my ballot selections online before Tuesday, so you can criticize me roundly. I look forward to the hailstorm of tough love by way of your comments. =-)

Citations:
[i] California unemployment rate: http://www.bls.gov/lau/
[ii] National unemployment rates: http://www.bls.gov/
[iii] California corporate exodus: http://jan.ocregister.com/2010/02/24/list-names-100-companies-leaving-california/31805/
[iv] California population exodus: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/archive/NATLCalifornias-Exodus.html
[v] California state budget: (http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/pdf/Revised/BudgetSummary/SummaryCharts.pdf)
[vi] California K-12 rankings: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/stateprofiles/ranking.asp#fiscal
[vii] LA Times budget deficit: (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-statebudget-fl,0,95571.htmlstory)
[viii] State tax rates: http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/corp_inc.pdf
[ix] California K-12 rankings: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/stateprofiles/ranking.asp#fiscal