The scents of polling, propositions and politics are in the air, and Fresno State students are facing a number of choices­ ”” 11 to be exact.

The upcoming November elections give students the chance to voice our hopes, doubts and ideas concerning government issues on the national and state level.

For the sake of time, space and our sanity, let’s tackle one issue at a time. The Golden State is facing 11 potential propositions, one of which will directly affect California college students.

With supporting donations reaching over $10 million, Proposition 30 is paving a promising path in Gov. Jerry Brown’s eyes. A debatable blend of two previous Brown initiatives, Prop. 30 claims to improve California’s educational system while positively influencing the state’s budget and deficit issues.

Brown’s previous initiatives, including “Millionaire’s Tax” and “Browns First Tax Increase Proposal,” beg Californians to take a 3.45 percent tax increase and require the upper-income “class” to accept a 10 to 12 percent tax increase depending on earned salary. Brown ensures us that the tax hikes will save the future of California’s educational system.

Before we continue, I want to comment on social classes and the ongoing “warfare.” I use the term “class” loosely because any class warfare or differentiations between the usefulness and importance of class identities is man-made.

Class labels should be considered dehumanizing. Assigned classes place individuals in a bracket of expectancy. People believe that because you make more, you are responsible for helping the rest of us.

On the contrary, those who earn nothing in comparison to our upper class are taxed on everyday purchases.­ We “lower-class” voters who, God forbid, drink soda, purchase candy or smoke cigarettes are (and will be) outrageously taxed simply because the state has deemed these habits “poor choices.”

We do not earn enough money to take, so they target our addictions and lifestyle choices ”” anything for a quick buck.

With that said, this is not an attempt to urge my fellow students to vote “yes” or “no” on Prop. 30 ”” I have yet to decide where my own vote will fall this November. In an interesting effort to gain more insight on Brown’s initiative, I have stumbled upon some newsworthy details along my way.

In a speech given at San Diego City College, Brown implied that Prop. 30 was a make-or-break proposition, stating that voting “Yes on 30” will invest in our schools and “No on 30” will result in “devastating cuts.” Brown also stated that California would not have a future if we deny his initiative.

That’s pretty harsh. It looks as if we have been offered an unfair ultimatum if you take note of program funding that still remains.

The Central Valley’s segment of the “train to nowhere,” according to Merced’s democrat congressman David Cardoza, is misuse of California’s tax dollars. While a high-speed rail is convenient, it is not imperative for the progression of our state ”” unless they include a fully accredited university on board.

Alongside our fancy high-speed rail flies a pay increase for over 1,000 state legislative employees.

In an Associated Press article, it states, “Some top Assembly and Senate employees were given raises as high as 10 percent, and more than 110 of the 1,090 raises went to employees with salaries above $100,000.”

It is issues like this that make me wonder why it is so critical to tax upper-class citizens while our state officials dodge the tax hike with a chunky salary increase.

As our Golden State slowly turns to bronze with $617 billion in debt, our officials are participating in senseless spending. If our educational system is in such a rut, why are we overspending and undercutting school funds?

Educated young adults are this state’s future, and any funding for education should remain untouched while less important programs are taxed.

In a cautiously worded document prepared by California Atty. Gen. Kamala Devi, it mentions in detail what are the goals for Prop 30:

The initiative promises to save our existing public safety funding and allocate the tax income to K-12 schools (89 percent) and community colleges (11 percent).

Sounds hopeful, yes? In actuality, there is no way to ensure that the tax revenue which Prop. 30 will earn will actually go toward California’s schools. We simply have to trust our politicians, right?

Let’s take a gander at the recent California parks department scandal. Over $50 million “slipped through the cracks for more than a decade,” according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Officials said that the parks department simply hid the money and lied about it for “unknown reasons.”

With that, it is impossible to predict the outcome of Brown’s tax initiative based on his claim that tax revenue will flow into the educational system.

Officials failed to include the CSU system in Prop. 30’s victories, but did not forget to mention that CSUs will suffer a $250 million loss if Prop. 30 is not agreed upon.

I do have to hand it to our officials, however ”” at least they are clever enough to use a brilliant scare tactic on California teachers and students. What choice does this leave us?

If our representatives are as concerned about our colleges as they claim, why is our system the one under fire? No matter which way we cast our vote, we are not in the state’s immediate interest.