Children are out future. Everyone has heard this and has probably said it. However, do we really believe in this? A child's education is an investment for the future. They will be the upcoming doctors, lawyers, leaders, etc. Without a good education how can any child fulfill these dreams? With the California budget crisis, this is the dilemma we are facing.

While the legislators are maintaining the pace in K-12 grades, our colleges are bearing the brunt of the educational cuts. Our University of California (UC) campuses, Cal State schools, and junior colleges are facing drastic cuts in their budgets. First and foremost is the impending tuition increases: undergraduates 10%, graduates 40%, and out-of-state tuition 20%. Professional schools fees and international student tuition will increase so dramatically that private schools may be cheaper alternative.

Furthermore, the budget proposal will unlink the Cal Grants from the tuition levels. This means that students who receive financial aid will not get additional money to cover the additional fee increases. This means current students could be facing the choice of having to leave school or transfer to a cheaper, less reputable college.

In addition, students who take a higher credit load or seek multiple degrees will be penalized for their academic achievements. Students who exceed the maximum unit load will be charged surtaxes on top of their regular tuition. In other words, students will have to pay a higher price for "extra" learning.

While students are paying more money, the quality of education will be reduced. The facility-to-student ration will be increased. Many educational programs, especially those geared towards junior high and high schools, will be cut. our investment into higher education will cost more and yield a lower return.

Finally, the most severe proposal is to reduced UC and Cal State enrollment by 10% Students who would have been accepted are now denied the opportunity to get a good college education. While the California government provides a special program to allow these students to attend a junior college for two years and then transfer, there is no guarantee that there is a room to take these students two years from now. In fact, many high school students do not like this idea at all. The common questions is that why should they have to do this when they are qualified to attend a four year university? Even UC officials are skeptical about the plan wondering all the extra slots for these students will come from when there are not even spaces now under the current plan.

There is no question that California has to make some difficult choices in the days ahead to get the state back on track economically. However, we must be careful about the steps we take. Without wise choices, a dollar saved today maybe a hundred dollars tomorrow. I applaud Governor Schwarzenegger's resolve to repair California economy, and I admire his courage to make the difficult decisions. Unfortunately, the real problem lies in the system

California's education system is bloated and barely controllable. Rather than try to work within the structure, we need to attack the heart of the problem, the system. With high administrative costs and abundant waste, we need to force our educational system to work more efficiently to put our tax dollars to use. Instead of constantly throwing money in hopes of delaying problems, we should be thinking about solving problems.

Every child deserves a fair shot at higher education. More importantly, every child deserves a chance to get a quality college education. A successful life depends on it. We need to stop looking at education as a cost but see it as the investment it really is.