Mr. President, please understand, we in California are already TAXED TOO MUCH. It's beyond ridiculous the amount of spending that goes on in Sacramento that is well beyond what the state takes in.

Nobody wants students to be punished, but you can't blame voters for voting down higher taxes. Those taxes would have extended the highest tax increases ever imposed on California.

It has just become too easy to justify higher taxes by donning puppy dog eyes and saying "but it's for the children.... that if we don't do this or that then class sizes will be bigger, education will suffer, teachers will be laid off." That rationale is old and tired.

The fact is a HUGE percentage of the budget goes towards education. And what does California have to show for it? ZIP. It is ranked near the bottom. Our public school education is atrocious by national standards but that is not for want of more tax money. Forgive the tax payers if they are tired of throwing money down that black hole. Clearly, money is not the issue.

Blame the irresponsible legislature that is beholden to special interests like teachers unions and public employee unions - who, for example, demand outrageous pensions. Sacramento is a cess pool of wild overspending and, thankfully, after having the highest tax increase in California JAMMED down our throats, the citizenry said ENOUGH in May and refused to back extending those taxes.

Enough is enough.

And indeed, you are correct, the power is ours. We have the power to say no to new taxes and ask that the educators work with the BILLIONS they get per year to make education better.