The people of California will be faced with a daunting task Tuesday: deciding the future of the Golden State.

Bluntly put, look around. Do you trust your fellow citizens with your future? Do you respect their views and opinions? Honestly, do you think they know what a bond is, let alone the fiscal impact of one?

Most people probably do not. It?s not to say that they aren?t intelligent; bonds are complex, intricate beings that confuse even college graduates. They warrant fields of study in and of themselves.

Isn?t that why we elect legislators ? to decide this stuff? Aren?t politicians paid to make laws, to decide how to spend revenue and to decide how much revenue needs to be collected? If not, what exactly do they do?

Regardless, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has forced the issue on us common folk of California: bonds or no bonds? Reluctantly, it?s up to us to decide. And here?s one layperson?s slightly educated opinion on Tuesday?s bond measures, Propositions 55 and 57.

Proposition 57 would authorize $15 billion of bonds to retire a chunk of the state?s massive deficit. It would gradually be paid off, plus interest. Rejecting the bond is like refusing medication for a menacing and painful disease; sure, the pill may be tough to swallow and may cause some annoyance and slight discomfort, but skipping the pill could lead to your arm falling off.

Do you want California?s financial arm ? already bleeding because of a tough national economy and three years of substantial overspending under that Gray Davis fellow ? to fall off?

What next if Proposition 57 fails? Spending is slashed. Tuition skyrockets even higher. Services are sliced, which means less health care, less police, less safety and protection and more inconveniences. Say goodbye to outreach programs, say goodbye to infrastructure improvements and say hello to an ineffective public works system.

Taxes will go up. The sales tax will increase, limiting the recovery of the fragile, slowly rebuilding economy. Personal income tax will rise, creating a hardship for the working poor, the middle class and the would-be wealthy consumers. Even the already staggering gasoline tax could rise.

Schwarzenegger promised no new taxes. But if the voters who overwhelmingly pushed him into the Capitol deny his personal financial recovery plan, what other choice does he have? Spending cuts alone, devastating as they might be, could never bridge the enormous gap.

Proposition 55, another bond measure to be decided Tuesday, would raise $12.3 billion for public schools, encompassing students from kindergarten to the graduate studies level.

Our schools need money. Districts would have to submit hardship applications to the state asking for money to upgrade campuses and build new classrooms to alleviate rampant overcrowding. This measure doesn?t create a blank check for the public school system, either ? it will put the money where it?s needed most.

We say that children are our future. We harp on and on about the need for a solid education. Let?s put our money where our mouth is. Kids crammed into classrooms like sardines in a tin need some room to breathe. This isn?t about giving them all high-speed Internet access and shiny new basketball courts ? it?s about giving them enough space to learn the basics.

And if you?re a tightwad, think about it this way: The bond will be repaid over 30 years. These kids will be well into their workforce days while this bond is still being reconciled, so they?ll have plenty of opportunity to pay for their education. It?s not just your burden; it?s theirs, too.

You don?t have to agree with Arnold. You don?t have to side with Arnold. You don?t even have to like Arnold. But he?s right: These bonds are good for the immediate and long-term recovery of California.

Vote yes on Propositions 55 and 57 ? or don?t complain when your tuition and taxes both go up next fall.