Tony de Zuniga is known as the first Filipino to ever do illustrations for comic book juggernauts, Marvel and DC comics. He opened the doors to other Pinoy artists in the US four decades ago.

He started as a comic book artist in the Philippines as a teenager and went on to study Commercial Arts in the University of Santo Tomas and Industrial Design at the New York School of Design.

It was in 1968, that he met DC comics editor Joe Orlando, who hired him right away after seeing his impressive portfolio. While working for DC in the late 70s, Tony noticed that the company was simply reprinting the comics that they did before, because the company had cut back on hiring new artists for fresh works due to lack of funds.

Tony then explained to his editor that there is a pool of talented artists waiting to be hired in the Philippines who can be commissioned for the same price as reprints." With his editor, Tony flew back to the Philippines in 1978 to scout for Filipino comic book artists. He single-handedly started the "Filipino Invasion."

Pressure must be relieved. Nature demonstrates this in a number of ways. Whether it be an earthquake, a volcano eruption, or a geyser, their natural occurence is a result of rising pressure. When an individual experiences pressure, many invoke their independence and handle the pressure themselves. Some do this successfully, and others engage in unhealthy ways to relieve the pressure.

It can be very helpful to seek out the assistance of a trusted individual, someone who will be fair and unbiased. Sometimes, that person can be a counselor, social worker, or another professional.

Humanity is very resilient. People have strong wills and are able to accomplish very much, against horrific conditions. Rarely, however, does one succeed alone, and when they receive assistance, it can be very rewarding to acknowledge and appreciate the help and what individuals have done to help.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has taken a position to not accept federal stimulus money for his state unless the money be used to pay down debt, rather than posited to education and very needy schools.

Similarly, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, announced on Friday with his May revise that more cuts to education are in order, as well as to monthly aid to the poor, disabled, and elderly, to in-home health care workers, and layoffs of state workers. I mention these three four items in particular because they all would affect my household. I am a state worker in education, my three-year-old diabetic nephew receives aid, and my 90-year-old lola utilizes the in-home supportive services program.

I myself have taken the furlough in stride, knowing that a few changes in my spending and investing habits would compensate for the adjustment. However, as the only income in my household, being layed off would be disastrous for me.

What baffles me, however is that with all the proposed cuts to services for the most needy and the least empowered--kids, the elderly, and the needy--their counterparts do not seem to be facing the similar bleak future. In my opinion, a multi-millionaire can absorb an economic downturn better than a person teetering on the brink of poverty. Similarly, I believe that they can adjust to a tax increase more easily than a middle-class individual.

I understand the concept that people earn their money and they should be able to do with it what they please. It is a valid argument. Many are also disenchanted with how government operates, targeting its wastefulness as one of many reasons to oppose tax increases.

At the same time, government has a valid argument that costs to operate are higher. When costs rise for a for-profit company, they can pass along those increased costs to the buyers. However, government can not pass along increased costs to taxpayers without voter approval. There is a strong feeling that citizens are entitled to quality government services. Government services are provided only through taxpayer monies.

I am not sure if taxes have historically kept up with inflation, but one statistic that I heard is that in 1981, the tax bracket for an individual with an annual income of $100,000 was 70 percent. Whether or not government was efficient at that time is up for analysis. In 2008, the tax bracket for an individual with the same income is 28 percent. I would venture to say that most people are not happy with government right now.

I acknowledge that the tax bracket is not the only difference between 1981 and 2009. The purchasing power of a dollar is different, as well as the population, and the social, economic, and political climate in general. It is terribly complicated, with many ways to better the situation. The best way, is the one that creates consensus, not just between political leaders, but with lawmakers and taxpayers, rich and poor, and any other dialectic that can be stated. That day can not come a day too soon.

I attended a brown bag chat with Harold Levine, Dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Davis. He had some insightful things to say about teacher preparation and its effect on education. He talked about the growing demand for high quality teachers, the short supply of high quality teachers, and we discussed the reality of why this was happening.

One of the profound statements he made was, "Of all the critical professions in the world, teaching is the least professionalized." What he meant by this is that despite everyone's agreement that teachers are important, they are not provided the systemic professional development, resources, and technology that other professions get. He compared it to how there are constant technological advances in the medical sector, or in the defense sector, but the same sort of discoveries are not being made in the education sector. These advances are directly proportional to the funding allocated to them.

Just how high is education among society's priorities?

Is it ever too early to engage people in civic participation? Personally, I think that it is key to society's success. Having a diversity of ideas and participation and having young people in the political process s an essential component to a strong government. Considering that about 51 percent of eligible 18 through 24 year old voters were unregistered in 2008, imagine what kind of decisions can be made when everyone casts their vote.

Assembly Bill 30 is legislation in the California State Assembly that would allow sixteen and seventeen year-old individuals to pre-register to vote if they satisfy all other voter eligibility criteria. That means that as soon as they turn eighteen, voting materials would be sent to them automatically, and ultimately result in less youth missing their opportunity to register to vote in the first election that they are eligible.

I encourage everyone to write or call their representative in support of AB 30. It is about the realization of true democracy.

My commute to work involves driving to a light rail station, taking a light rail train to downtown Sacramento, and then walking from the light rail stop to my building, a total of about thirty minutes. The train is usually about half full, and there is plenty of room. Yesterday, however, was very different.

As drove into the light rail station parking lot, I noticed that the parking lot was almost full. I parked at one of the furthest spots and turned to walk toward the tracks when I noticed hundreds of people with black bottoms and white tops. They appeared to be all Southeast Asian, but I did not want to assume. They were of all ages, from babies to the elderly, all genders, and all shades.

They stood in lines to purchase light rail tickets, waiting patiently, but intensely. They wanted to get to their destination. When the train came, the line had only shortened a little. The train was soon full anyway, and the other passengers would just have to wait for the next train.

The train left, and as we approached the next station, the same image could be seen--hundreds of Southeast Asians, waiting to buy light rail tickets and board the train. The third light rail station was no different. At that moment, my curiosity led me to ask one of the black-and-white clad individuals what was going on.

She responded that they were going to the Sacramento courthouse to march and demand the dropping of charges against Major General Pao Vang and ten other defendants. I was familiar with General Vang, as he is being accused for plotting to overthrow the government in Laos. From what I know of him, he is a leader of the Hmong community and has vocally opposed human rights violations in Laos. In further research, the defense is claiming misconduct by the government to build a case against the defendants.

It was a privilege to witness first hand the amount of political involvement these individuals have, to see them rally, and to read and hear about them in the news. One article I read commented that the rally was comparable to the civil rights actions led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez during the civil rights era.

Could it be that we are entering into another one of those eras? In my mind, there has always been people fighting for civil rights, particularly because true equality has not been reached yet. To think that a larger movement is afoot gives me chills.

Even the most dreaded situations can be learning ones. Today was day one of a federal monitoring visit from the United States Department of Education (ED), and with all the diligent preparation and anxiety leading up the visit, I was anticipating an excruciating day. However, the monitors were pleasant, and I learned and understood better the Public Charter Schools Grant Program (PCSGP). California has a huge responsibility in distributing $100 million to high-quality charter schools, and the ED wants to make sure that the money--taxpayer money--is being protected in the manner it should be. I always knew that, and have always felt that way. Today reemphasized that reality for me, and the important role that we, as the California Department of Education (CDE), have.

I attended a financial planning workshop today, and learned more about pre-tax retirement income vs. post-tax retirement income. Since there is general agreement that taxes are going to rise in the future, I did not think there was any reason to keep contributing to a tax-deferred type of account. However, the reason is one that is common to everyone thinking about financial planning: diversification.

It is time for me to scrutinize my accounts using this newfound revelation.

I have had one of those weeks. A week where each day, it felt like I had made no progress, that no matter what I did, it was wrong.

Yet, at the end of the week, when I looked at where I was in completing a project, I had actually gotten through 98% of it. I was almost done, even if I had not noticed the small steps I had made to reach my goal. Every long journey begins with a single step. In time, taking one step at a time, that journey can be completed.