The higher education fiscal crisis protects the wealthy
‘Censored 2010’ Book Release and Awards Ceremony is Saturday, Dec. 5, 6-9:30 p.m., Odd Fellows Hall, Santa Rosa
by Peter Phillips
The corporate media spins the tuition protests as if we are all suffering during the recession. For example, the San Diego Union Tribune writes Nov. 20, “These students need a course in Reality 101. And the reality is that there is virtually no segment of American society that is not straining with the economic recession. With UC facing a $535 million budget gap due to state cuts, the regents have to confront reality and make tough choices. So should students.”
Yet, the reality is something quite different. Our current budget crisis in California and the rest of the country has been artificially created by cutting taxes on the wealthiest people and corporations. The corporate elites in the U.S., the top 1 percent who own close to half the wealth, are the beneficiaries of massive tax cuts over the past few decades. At the same time working people are paying more through increased sales and use taxes and higher public college tuition.
According to the California Budget Project, tax cuts enacted in California since 1993 cost the state $11.3 billion annually. Had the state continued taxing corporations and the wealthy at rates equal to those 15 years ago, there would not be a budget crisis in California. Even though a budget deficit was evident last year, California income tax laws were changed in February of 2009 to provide corporations with even greater tax savings — equal to over $2 billion per year. California is similar to the rest of the country, where the wealthy and corporate elites enjoy economic protection through increased costs to working people.
The wealthy and corporate elites enjoy economic protection through increased costs to working people.
The students who are protesting tuition increases know they are being ripped off. They know that we are bailing out the rich with hundreds of billions dollars for Wall Street and massive budget cuts for the rest of us. The corporate media doesn’t explain to over-taxed working families how they are paying more while the rich sock it away.
We need higher taxes on the corporations and the top 1 percent, combined with free public college education and tax breaks for working families.
Peter Phillips is a professor of sociology at Sonoma State University, president of Media Freedom Foundation and recent past director of Project Censored. He can be reached at Peter.phillips@sonoma.edu. This story first appeared at The Daily Censored.
‘Censored 2010’ Book Release and Awards Ceremony
Saturday, Dec. 5, 6-9:30 p.m., Odd Fellows Hall, Santa Rosa
Project Censored and Media Freedom Foundation will host a celebration party honoring the release of the “Censored 2010” yearbook Saturday, Dec., 5, starting at 6 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 535 Pacific Ave., Santa Rosa. Tickets at the door are $20 for general admission, $10 for low-income people and students and $35 includes an autographed copy of “Censored 2010.”
Project Censored and Media Freedom Foundation will be giving lifetime achievement awards for Media Freedom to Michael Parenti, Bruce Brugmann of the San Francisco Bay Guardian and to the Flashpoints radio team on KPFA: Dennis Bernstein, Miguel Molina and Nora Borrows-Friedman. Speakers will include the award recipients, Peter Phillips and Mickey Huff, co-editors of “Censored 2010.” Ben Frymer, director of Project Censored, Carl Jensen, founder of Project Censored, and Dave Mathison, author of “Be the Media.” Former Sonoma State University Project Censored student Lew Brown will serve as master of ceremonies.
Project Censored, in its 34th year of operations at Sonoma State University, is where over 200 students and faculty research and publish an annual list of the most important censored news stories of the year. The “Censored 2010” yearbook included research from nine other colleges and universities through out the United States.
Michael-David Vineyards, Lagunitas Brewing and Oliver’s Market have provided food and drink for the evening.
For more information, call (707) 664-2588 or email Peter.phillips@sonoma.edu.
I like these stories about cutting taxes on the so called rich. People that have money buy expensive things, like rolex watches, nice cars, swimming pools, big houses, etc. Should we take away every thing they have so they cannot afford them. Here is the real story No sysyem can survive that taxes, spends the money, and taxes again it is nothing more than a ponzi scheem