Demand an Education

Dear Students,

I am genuinely sorry I can’t take more of you in my class and that more class sections aren’t available.

This is almost entirely because the legislature won’t budget enough money for community colleges because of decades of tax cuts for wealthy individuals and large businesses.

In the past, California colleges used to be tuition free and our educated population led to California’s past booming aviation, electronics, and computer industries, and general wealth.

We could have that again.

You can actually do a couple of things to change things and help yourself:

• Register to vote and vote based on what you need as a student.

• Contact your state legislators and tell them to pass budget and tax legislation that makes it easier for you to go to college, complete your education, and become a contributing member of society. You can find out who they are and their contact information at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html.

• Vote YES on Proposition 30 this November, which will restore some education funding.

• Encourage your friends and family members to do the same.

Frederick Douglass said,

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.

Those with power will not make your education a priority again until you demand it.

I hope to see you in my class in future semesters.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Dixon

English Instructor

Ventura College