Oil Extraction Tax to Fund Education

Oil Tax

Oil Extraction Tax to Fund Education

The potential California proposition "Tax Oil for Education" is an important social issue in 2012 for the state, due to its ties to both oil industry as well as liberal values of excellent education for all. It is an exercise of public opinion that is based on personal preferences that vary between party lines and income levels. While many in the state favor taxation as a tool to better the common citizen in California, others do not feel that taxing large corporations in order to fill budget gaps is appropriate use of state power. They believe that taxing oil is bad for the growth of the market, and will make California less competitive. This struggle will be decided, if the Tax Oil for Education bill is indeed placed on the ballot in November.

A political proposition is a tool that is used heavily in California, while in some states most votes on big issues are done through state legislatures. Medical Marijuana, for example, went to vote in California in 1996 and passed, at a time when it was unthinkable to have been passed by the California state legislature. The federal system allows states to create their own taxes for their own budgets, which allows for different states to decide where their priorities lie, whether will public services or with private business.

The media has tried to be independent on the topic of Tax Oil for Education, because the media believes the issue is still too early to be approached. As November comes closer, California will spend many months and weeks trying to enhance the visibility of both sides of the issue. Energy companies operating fields in California will spend millions trying to defend their profits through campaigning and advertisement against the proposition. The media has a bias depending on what channel is covering the issue, or what website or news source, but this issue is less caustic and less nationally focused than the Presidential election, so the topic will not receive the same coverage except in local California channels.

Tax Oil for Education, while not a bill tied to any particular political party, is indeed a bill that is ideologically split between liberals and conservatives. There is little doubt that liberal Democrats are looking to fill gaps in the strained California budget that's been cut due to the recession, and are willing to tax revenue sources they see as vulnerable to taxation. To liberals, education is a core value that should be protected from budget cuts at all costs, and American students problems in the rankings of educational excellence have caused turmoil in liberals. On the other hand, conservatives do not believe that public education is efficient in the first place, and prefer a private system that allows for more choice in educational benefits.