Website Puts a Human Face on Budget Line Items

August 24, 2008

The YouTube video above is from mycastory.org a website whose mission is to share stories of Californians who will be effected by budget cuts. Key contributors to this project are Health Access California and California Association of Food Banks, along with a community of California-based advocates for children and families.

The website got its inspiration from sites like Youtube and created a site where people who are effected by the budget cuts can tell their stories via video or writing.

California Republicans are frustrated that the California legislature cannot just cut the budget. What they do not realize that behind each program there are real human beings. What represents a drop in the bucket in terms of the total budget can make a huge difference in the lives of our neighbors. How we treat our fellow Californians in need says a lot about who we are as human beings and we need to realize there is no way around spending.

There seems to be a myth that if we cut social and infrastructure spending those funds can easily go back to the tax payer as savings.

In truth, if you cut spending in one place you will just have to spend that money elsewhere. For instance, if you cut crime prevention or family social services, the money you will save and more would have to go to the prison and parole system. You cut homeless and mental health spending, and you have to increase spending for law enforcement and more jails. Cut spending in education, and business will go elsewhere to find states that care about creating an educated populace.

It is completely clear we need more TAXES. Gasp! I said it. Let me say it again so it can be heard in the republican peanut gallery. WE NEED MORE TAXES. There is no such thing as a free lunch, my little ducklings.

Sure we can debate whether individual programs need to be tweaked to be more effective and we can agree that we should cut waste, but never delude yourselves that social problems can be ignored in a fit of penny foolishness.

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