Sample questions from the California Federation of Teachers newsletter to their members.  

This first question is what got my attention.  The others mentioned are mild by comparison.

#3 What caused the giant $38.5 billion deficit

a. the energy crisis
b. the stock market crash and loss of capital gains revenues
c. substantial tax cuts over the past decade
d. b and c

Notice no mention of over-spending.  Despite home economics once being a subject, over-spending is no longer recognized.

#4  Which proposition is the [b]cause[/b] of long-term decreased funding for education in California

a. Proposition 227
b. Proposition 13
c.  Proposition 98
d.  all of the above

Notice the [b]will[/b] to fund education was never considered.  It was a proposition (limitation on property taxes) that became the whipping boy.


#12 Two and a half Stealth bombers cost taxpayers $5.2 billion--more than the entire budget for what segment of education in California?

a. University System
b. child development
c.  community colleges
d.  all of the above.

The answer is d.  all of the above.  I guess they're arguing that California should not be defended or that because the Union is against the war in Iraq they should have the same deal as Europe, subsidized defense.


#18  As a share of family income, California's poorest families, with an average income of $11,000 pay 11.3 percent in taxes.  What percent do the wealthiest 1 percent of families, with an average income of $1.6 million, pay?

a. 7.2%
b. 9.4%
c. 11.3%
d. 13.1%

The answer they give is a. 7.2%.  What they are attempting to rationalize is that they are comparing ALL TAXES (cigarette, liquor, sales, gas, income, estate, auto, etc.) and then using this to argue for a tax on only the Income of the Richest.  As long as you don't have a consumption tax you will always  have a disparity that reflects choice.  I'd be willing to bet that the rich do not pay a high proportion of any tax other than income or estate.  The poor likely pay a very high percentage of the cigarette and alcohol tax.  Yeah, let's cut the cigarette and alcohol tax to make it more even.