California’s community college students can kiss their pocket change goodbye as every dime now goes into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget plan, which increased the price per unit from $18 to a whopping $26.

I chose to attend community college for two years to save money and not have to pay the exorbitant fees that a university demands until my junior year

I thought I still had another year before I would have to be up to my eyeballs in dept, but thanks to our new governor, it may be sooner than I thought.

According to the World Socialist Web Site, $2 billion will be cut from education spending, including a “$729 million cut from higher education and a $165 million reduction from childcare programs for schoolgoers.”

What does the governor think students with children are going to do without assisted childcare? Bring their children to class? Professors will be crazy about that idea.

Wsws.org also states that “community college fees will increase by 44 percent, on top of last year’s 64 percent increase. Many low-income students who currently qualify for Cal-Grants will find that they are no longer eligible.”

This most likely means that students will either have to add another part-time job to make up for the assisted financial help as well as the added cost per unit or quit college altogether because they can’t afford to be educated.

I am most certainly disturbed by the outrageous number of students who will be denied an education. I believe that we should raise taxes and especially raise them for those who make lots of money, and yet always find a loophole to avoid paying their fair share; Gov. Schawrzenegger does not agree.

“Schwarzenegger and the California Republicans explicitly reject raising taxes on the wealthy to address the budget shortfall. While the budget imposes some $239 million in new fees on hundreds of thousands of students, handicapped people and other ordinary Californians, the governor specifically rejected any tax increases on those making $250,000 a year and more, saying he ‘despises’ tax increases” (www.wsws.org).

Despise; that’s an awfully strong word to use, Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Well, I despise that you are punishing students because of California’s budget crisis.

I despise that you let the rich get away with ease and not make them pay a single dime when they are the ones who should have to pay the most to help California.

EC students, how does it feel to have to pay more and more every year to educate yourself?

Our governor should be ashamed of hismself. We are not happy about your budget plan, Mr. Governor; if it were up to me, I would say “hasta la vista” to you, sir.