By Justine Quintana
Professor, author and lead proponent of Proposition 1481, Peter Matthews, visited East Los Angeles College last Thursday to debate on how taxing oil companies will affect students.
Anita Mangels, project director for Woodward and McDowell, a ballot measure and issue advocacy firm, was on the opposing side. Mangels stated that California does not need higher taxes, but better spending strategies. Mangels took the stage with Mathews, a professor of political science from Cypress College.
“If you do what you always did, you’ll get what you always got.” said Mangels.
Mathews, who was for this potential proposition, stated that the oil belongs to all of us and the increase on gas would only go up a penny more. “I believe it’s time to tell the truth,” said Mathews, who stated that the money from the oil tax would go directly to school funding. He said college students should expect to see this effect approximately one month after the proposition passes. However, that depends if it gets on the bill first.
“Here are the facts,” said Mangels, who rebutted to the opposing statement that there are other areas to look for profit.
“When you increase the price of fuel you increase the cost of basically every product that we use in our everyday lives,” said Mangels.
She pointed out that, upon reading the proposition Mathews created, it gave no guarantee that the money would go directly to the schools or adhere to the specifics that it promised. Mangels urged students to read deeper into this potential proposition on their own and make their own decisions based on their findings, rather than simply taking the speakers’ arguments.
Mathews’s assistant passed around a petition for attendants who were interested in this proposition to sign to get it on the bill. The assistant also passed out papers further explaining the proposition. He said, to those interested in finding out who will and will not be paying taxes, to visit www.ctj.org.