Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/45361
TAKING A STAND TAX FAIRNESS GAINS IN CAPISTRANO AMERICAN JOBS ACT 28 30 31 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP: TO GET INVOLVED WITH CTA'S TAX FAIRNESS CAMPAIGN, VISIT WWW.CTA.ORG/TAXFAIRNESS. TAX FAIRNESS AMERICA FIGHTS BACK AMERICANS ARE ANGRY. Grassroots protests supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement have spread from coast to coast. It's not just college kids; mainstream Ameri- cans who have lost their homes, jobs and optimism about the future are taking to the streets and demanding change in massive numbers. And when it comes to California, there's plenty that needs changing. Cal i fornia has the second-highest foreclosure rate and the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation behind Nevada. There are 2.2 million unemployed people in California — 12.1 percent of "Enough is enough," says CTA President Dean Vogel. "We must take back America before we become a nation of only the rich and the poor, without a middle class." Joining a groundswell of support from fellow unions, community leaders and stu- dents throughout the country, CTA proudly supports the Occupy Wall Street movement, which is in favor of tax fairness and against corporate greed. "Teachers and many union members are Corporate income grew over 400 percent from 2001 to 2008 compared with 28 percent for personal income. the population — many of whom have exhausted their 99 weeks of unemploy- ment benefits months ago. Due to the housing crisis and unemployment, Cali- fornia has the highest rate of small busi- ness failures, ranks 40th in the nation in child homelessness, and has 2.2 million children living in poverty. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, California is among the three top states seeing an increase in hunger due to the recession. Our state has the eighth- largest economy in the world, but ranks 43rd in per-pupil education spending. Our schools have undergone unprecedented cuts and layoffs in recent years. 28 California Educator / October 2011 joining protests around the state because we have seen our schools and colleges cut by millions," says Vogel. "We have seen class sizes grow, col- lege tuitions increase and job oppor tuni- ties vanish at the same time that banks have received bailouts and large corporations and millionaires have received tax cuts. We are the 99 percent. It's time to put Main Street before Wall Street. It's time for corporations to pay their fair share." TIME FOR TAX FAIRNESS Fixing the problems plaguing California means fixing the state's tax structure to fund our schools, colleges and essential social services, says Vogel. "For too long, California has relied on mostly short-term solutions to our bud- get problems," he explains. "The health of California's future depends on stable tax revenues. It's time to demand action to restore fairness to the system and make sure everyone is paying their fair share." The current system is anything but fair: The bot- tom 20 percent of wage earners in California pay 11 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 1 per- cent of wage earners pay under 8 percent. And corpo- rate income has grown over 400 percent in seven years, while personal income for most people has grown just 28 percent. "This growing inequality of wealth and income is not a random occurrence; it is by design," says Vogel. "The consequences of this growing inequality and the concen- California's General Fund revenue sources 10% 30% 6% 53% Sales and Use Tax Personal Income Tax Personal Income Tax Sales and Use Tax Corporate Income Tax Other revenue and loans Corporate Incom Other revenue an