A simpler, smarter state budget solution

Editor’s Note: Tom Campbell, a former congressman who represented Santa Cruz County, is a Republican candidate for governor in the 2010 election. This commentary is adapted from a recent Capitola interview and his statements on a campaign Web site, www.campbell.com.
In his May revision, the governor proposed many state budget cuts that I agree with.
But as proposed, the budget is going to require firing teachers and closing community college classes at a time when many people are trying to get retrained.
However, I do not support borrowing, the sale of assets or acceleration of tax receipts.
My alternative is a 15 percent salary giveback by all state employees, or furloughs if their unions don’t agree. And I propose a 32 cent increase in the gasoline tax for one year. That would balance the budget.
How can I put forward a program that includes a $5.8 billion gas tax increase? It’s better than firing teachers, it’s better than closing community college classes, it’s better than borrowing from cities and counties, and it’s better than accelerated income and business taxes.
To anyone who criticizes that, tell me what you’d do instead. Nobody has given me an answer to that.
The alternative that’s been laid out by the governor is to cut schools, and I say no. When you fire a teacher, you’re condemning a student to a larger class. I remember when we were going to try to get class sizes down to 20. I’m a professor, and I’m always better with 20 students than with 40 or 80.
I would protect those items most important to having a well-educated, trained workforce ready to get back to work when the recession ends.
I’ve got 75 percent of the budget answer in cuts, and the rest in a one-year increase in the gas tax.
In a three-way race such as the Republican primary, you can win by being specific, by giving your views clearly. People will choose to support you or not.
One of the lessons from the May special election was the people want their elected officials to address the problems and to be specific, not saying things like “eliminate fraud, waste and abuse.”
I’d like to meet the politician who’s in favor of waste, fraud or abuse.