Annotated Bibliography for Proposition 30 Essay

Mathews, Joe. "Prop 30 Is a Ransom Note. But Should We Pay It Anyway?" NBC Southern 

     California. N.p., 24 Aug. 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

This article by Mathews is critical of Prop 30 because of the position it puts the voters in. He argues that voters shouldn't have to choose between tax hikes to increase school funding or face a school system crippled by the "trigger cuts" in the bill if it is not passed. In the article Mathews does not offer many concrete factual examples but appeals to the audiences pathos and tries to get them frustrated over this situation that they are being forced into.

I believe this source is credible because it is from an official news network but I do recognize its bias. In most op-ed articles like this one only one side is being shown because that is the authors prerogative therefore solid counterexamples are never stated. The author tried to make the proposition seem unsustainable over the coming years although he did not give clear examples way this bill would "stop budget cuts long-term and may make California a bit harer to govern". Another thing that took away from the author's ethos were some spelling errors like the one in the above quote.

At the end of the article the author tried to lay out both realities that could happen. In the reality were the proposition passed he said California would face backlash over the short sighted goals of this plan. If it didn't pass he showed a reality where our schools lost even more funding.

In his final appeal he tries to make the reader feel disdain for this proposition by pointing out how terrible this choice is for the reader and attracts to their pathos and anger which may make them want to vote no on this proposition.

Cambell, D. "Fund California Schools: Yes on Prop. 30." Daily Kos. N.p., 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 21

     Sept. 2012. 

In this article Cambell tries to compel the reader to vote yes on 30 because of the overcrowding in California's schools and the importance of education. He uses lots of facts and numbers when he talks about the current situation of our school system but fails to present predicted numbers that would result from the proposition passing.

This source did not seem credible. This is not because of the writing style but based on the writer who's only name given is from his username dcambell which takes away from his credibility. Also the website is not a recognized news source but instead an online blogger community. If I was to incorporate these facts into my essay I would need to find them from a different source first that was more reliable.

I found the authors points valid even if he credibility was questionable. He/She seemed informed on the issue and used a persuasive tone in the essay that conveyed urgency around this issue to the reader.

Cambell also ties other events regarding education acts in Government into the article to support his claim that we need to pass proposition 30. One of these events mentioned was when "the AVID program budget was cut from the state budget by a line item veto by Governor Brown...AVID is one of a dozen or more practical programs in the schools to try to prepare working class kids for college". This example helps the reader recognize the need for more funding in California's school system.