(I, II, III, IV) (1B) - California's Budget

California is deep in debt. The state needs to cut back on how much it spends. The state supports many programs and they are all expensive. One area consists of various social programs such as WIC, disability insurance, Healthy Kids insurance, Child Protective Services, welfare, help for the elderly and similiar services. The state also spends a lot of money on hospitals, jails, prisons, fire services and schools, including colleges and universities.

The governor has said that he will be cutting money from all programs, but some programs may be cut more than others. Everyone living in California will be affected to some degree. We all expect emergency rooms to be available when we need them and fire trucks to arrive when we call them. People sometimes expect financial help from the government. Cuts in the budget could affect the services we have come to expect.

But the fact is that there is simply not enough money to pay for everything everyone wants. Reductions must be made. The question is where the reductions should be made and how big those reductions should be.