"Californians can be heartened by Gov. Schwarzenegger's bold call for a constitutional amendment to ensure our state spends more to provide higher education to its people than to imprison them. This common-sense reordering of funding priorities, if successful, may be the most significant accomplishment for California since the invention of the silicon chip.
The simple logic of providing our young people the best possible chance to succeed in this world — so they aren't drawn to a life of criminal behavior — is easy to see. Yet somehow the equation has flipped over the years resulting in an increase in spending to lock people away rather than to unlock their potential.
This has to change. It's not just a matter of fairness. The great success California has enjoyed in so many fields is largely due to our world- renowned public university system. For decades, California's high school graduates have enrolled in the University of California system to get a quality, affordable education and prepare themselves to be productive members of society. Innovation, entrepreneurial genius, economic growth and prosperity quickly followed"