Proposal: Prop 30

Vanesa Miranda

Instructor Knapp

English 1A

29 September 2012

Prop 30 Proposal

 

Logos:

 

 Argument-

If prop 30 does not pass, K-12 schools,community colleges and public safety will lose funding by

 

$6 billion. California can not afford to lose more money. A person's economic status should not

 

dictate whether or not they should be able to further their education. Poor or rich everyone deserves a

 

chance to be educated.

 

- Give overview on pros/cons of prop 30.

 

- Give my stance on prop 30.

 

Pathos:

 

- American public schools are falling behind in comparison to other countries around the world.

 

Many European countries offer multiple language studies and begin teaching their students up to

 

three foreign languages at a time. By the time they reach the equivalent of maybe 12th grade they are

 

already fluent in more than two languages. In California not all schools but most K-12 offer at least

 

one or two foreign languages and only teach about four years of it which is only enough to be able to

 

comprehend the basics of the language. But learning foreign languages is only a slice of what our

 

public education system is falling behind in, of course there are multiple other things the system need

 

to work on. Electives and physical education classes have already been cut and many of our teachers

 

are left unemployed due to these cuts too. If prop 30 does not pass, additional classes will be cut and

 

will force students into already over sized class rooms. Studies show that with smaller class sizes

 

students learn better. How can we give students the best education possible if their class rooms are

 

double the normal size? Not only is it difficult for the students but the teachers as well.

 

- include stats on Prop 30 articles

 

-include quotes on the flaws of pubic school education

 

Ethos:

 

-Anyone who is a registered voter should know what prop 30 is and how it affects our education

 

system. It is my third semester at Cabrillo College and already I'm behind in my education because of

 

over sized classes. I tried to register for five classes and was wait listed for three of them. I was forced

 

to drop two classes because of the number of students that were wait listed.  I was fortunate enough to

 

get into math after about two weeks of regular attendance enough people had dropped so that I had a

 

spot. However, about ten people could not get in. It is a constant competition now to try and get into

 

classes when even the online classes are not available because they are full. Tutoring services for

 

math and English have also been cut making it more difficult for students who these services

 

unavailable or limited. Tuition has also been raised due to the recent cuts forcing people to pay higher

 

fees.

 

Annotated Bibliography/Prop30 links

Annotated Bibliography

http://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2012/general/pdf/30-title-summ-analysis.pdf
http://www.calaborfed.org


 "Yes on Prop 30." California Labor Federation. California Labor Federation, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. http://www.calaborfed.org/index.php/site/page/yes_on_prop_30_take_a_stand_for_schools_and_public_safety.

 

This article talks about the benefits of voting yes on Prop 30. They believe that voting yes on the prop is the only way to ensure that public schools recieve the correct amount of funding in order to provide for better educations. If the prop passes it would increase sales and use tax by 1/4 cent for four years. The tax would also increase personal income tax from 1%-9.3% depending on the persons' income. People who make over $1 million a year would be taxed an additional 1%. The funding would provide $6 billion in annual state revenues. If it doesnt pass the state will have to cut even more funds and loses the $6 billion.

Note to instructor Knapp: Everytime I try to cite the source it changes back to url.

Reading Response #1

Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths

 

We are consumers, drowning in a cultural myth everyday. As much as some people who don't want to consumers isolated by media and propaganda; some escape these traditions, while others choose to follow. Colombo argues, that cultural myths can take many forms like, consumerism, education,  habits and values learned else where. His goal in this essay was to inform college readers about questioning the old values and habits acquired from others and build our own ideas about the origin of these, "cultural myths" by learning how to think critically. 

 

It holds people together by providing us with a shared set of

customs, values, ideas, and beliefs, as well as common language.

We live in enmeshed in this cultural web: it influences

the way we relate to others, the way we look,

our tastes, our habits; it enters our dreams and desires.

 But as culture binds us together it also selectively blinds us. (3)

 

 We are all born with the ability to criticize others and question things as simple as, "Why." It comes naturally. It might be difficult for others to make sense of my introduction but it requires the ability to see things from multiple perspectives. I don't like when people criticize consumerism and act as if it is the worst thing to be in America. After all America is what it is because of consumerism, not every aspect of it but a lot. People who work, work to be able to consume more easily. Not everybody is the same way or wants to be that way either, but from what I have noticed many hard working adults work so they can afford, a trip, a new pair of something or save for a new car, make a down payment for a house. It is easy to see this because you can take a look at the "stuff" your class mates, co-workers and relatives own. At least one person you know has or wants the latest smart phone. If it weren't for good consuming Americans (and others around the world) who buy these things, Apple would not be in business neither would Verizon. People who argue consumerism is bad and yet own these thing and have Facebook or at one point had Myspace are hypocrites. How much is Facebook worth again?

 

 To be a critical thinker you have to look within yourself and ask your self questions about who you are and why you are the way you are. How would you feel if Facebook shut down, if you crashed your car, if your IPhone was stolen? Do the objects in your life own you, or do you own them? Is following the latest trends from fashion make a person shallow? Is wanting the latest, the most new everything bad? And the truth lies within history. Forever humans have been evolving. Things evolve. The Mona Lisa wouldn't have  been painted if there wasn't a demand for it. And during that time period if you could afford to have your portrait painted you had to be rich. Consumerism is and has always been a part of human life, it doesn't have to be unless there is a demand for it.

I am...

I am Vanesa. I am calm and straightforward. I appreciate simplicity. I enjoy learning about other cultures around the world. My hobbies include, cooking, traveling, and learning new languages.
A gift that i bring to this class would be my ability to listen well.