California lawmakers must tighten their belts

We have all felt the pinch of the California state Legislature's latest budget cuts to education.

A greater number of adults are returning to community colleges to retrain after losing their jobs in this frightful economy.

This increase has more students vying for college courses.

Add to that a 13.4 percent reduction in fall 2009 course sections as compared to a year ago, plus $26 per unit enrollment fees and the pain becomes quite real.

It may get even worse.

Some economists in the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office support a raise to $60 per unit for community colleges.

Earlier this semester at the All-Campus Budget Forum, Geraldine M. Perri, PhD, superintendent/president of Citrus College, said it is likely that fees at California community colleges will, indeed, continue to rise.

The California budget has delivered hits to everyone, including the poor and disabled, who have suffered cuts in their financial support and MediCal coverage.

Small businesses and residents of the state suffer under increased taxes.

Yet, California state Legislators are some of the highest paid in the nation, receiving approximately $116,000 per year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures' website.

That is not all.

The California Constitution (Article 4, Section 7.5) allows the state Legislature to compensate lawmakers, their employees, and operating expenses in an amount not exceeding $950,000 per member for one fiscal year.

Let us read that again.

Each member of the California Legislature receives up to $950,000 in compensation per fiscal year.

Compare that to Mississippi lawmakers who make $10,000 per year, approximately 10 percent of what our lawmakers earn.

A spokesman for California State Senator Robert S. Huff, 29th Senate District, confirmed that senators receive $350 per month from the state for a leased vehicle.

The state also splits the cost of car insurance and provides a gasoline credit card. 

We are all feeling the pinch of our state budget cuts—all of us except our state lawmakers.

Perhaps it is time for them to drive less expensive vehicles, as well as pay fully for their own auto insurance and gasoline.

No longer is California the golden state with an unlimited economy.

We are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Tightening our collective state belt is painful for all of us.

State lawmakers must take stock and stop viewing California as a cash cow.

It is time for all of our lawmakers to join us in sharing the pain.

We would like to send kudos to Senator Huff who turned in his state-issued gasoline card.

That is a first step in conserving tax dollars—perhaps a voluntary pay cut for all lawmakers is the second.

Maybe then we will have the money to properly educate our youth and the unemployed adults in California, and re-grow our once golden economy.