The Gubernator
August 27, 2003
Forgive me if I talk about West Coast politics on a decidedly East Coast blog, but I just can’t help myself. The coming recall election has me quaking with fear … fear that the ’stupid factor’ is going to come into play and Arnold is going to get elected, not because he can do a good job … not because he has the ‘right stuff’ to govern the 6th largest economy in the world … but because he is Who He Is.
I’ve had just about enough of the recall election as it is. To me, it’s an insult to the entire democratic process to push a guy out of office who was just re-elected there less than a year ago, but what do I know? He is, after all, responsible for the death of baby seals all over the world, the hole in the ozone layer, and a variety of other things republicans want you to believe.
Personally, I’m voting against the recall, and then voting for Bustamante. Bustamante, for those of you who may not know, is our Lieutenant Governor. Gray Davis is backing him soundly, covering all of his bases. If he doesn’t get to keep his job, then he’ll at least support the person who should have it, and the only other one who should have it.
The irony, of course, is that the whole reason we’re having the recall election has to do with money … and it takes a whole lot of it to run a recall election. Bustamante is already working on trying to resolve the problems, while Arnold has said that he won’t even have his financial advisers look at the situation until after the election. Good grief! Schwarzenegger is arrogant enough to suggest that he can solve the budget shortfall by mouthing a few lines from action flicks. In the real world, every program turns out to be sacrosanct to the very voters now clamoring for a recall; all but a measly 4% of the state’s general fund expenditures are allocated to education, health care, the courts and prisons. Where is the fat in K-12 education or emergency-room care that Schwarzenegger will terminate? Will he cut the prison population? [Link]He follows in the footsteps of Republican Governors Pete Wilson and Ronald Reagan, both of which were forced to raise taxes in order to deal with a horribly large economy that has a habit of going into deficit. It’s a matter of truth. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and unless Arnold is willing to throw in some of his own cash, he’s going to have to raise taxes somewhere.
- Stacy, the Commie Pinko
Posted in Archived Unsorted
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August 27th, 2003 at 11:51 am
Well I dont know what the Republicans are trying to get across I only know what affects me. The fact that to fix the 6th largest screwed up ecomony in the world he is going to raise the the vehicle licensing fee 3 times. That means to buy a new car in California it would cost about $1200.00 in fees. My 15 year old truck will be About $600.00. Not to mention what he did with the electrical utility problem. I don’t care if my dog gets elected he couldn’t make it any worse then this idiot, based on the sheer fact my dog couldn’t do anything but eat and shit!
But of course being from the East Coast these thing don’t affect you one bit. We could always send him to your State as the Gov.
Kicking my soap box to the corner I fell much better now.
August 27th, 2003 at 2:55 pm
Ahh, look at that. The idiots seem to follow me wherever I’m going. How sweet.
A) I’m a Californian. The reference to this being an ‘East Coast Blog’ is because I’m guest-hosting for John.
B) Gray Davis actually changed his tune about the car licensing issue. He, instead, turned around the legislation to affect the rich instead. He’s gotten the same reaction as he got about the car licensing deal.
Do we really need MORE cars in this state, anyway?
August 27th, 2003 at 9:49 pm
I don’t think this is a “West Coast” issue at all. I think it’s already set a really awful precedent. As I mentioned on my own weblog earlier today, there’s already a movement to run a recall election in Nevada and here in Pennsylvania (even though our state constitution presently doesn’t allow it).
A friend of mine suggested that “As long as they’re distracted by screwing each other, they can’t get down to the serious business of screwing us.” I’m having a hard time convincing her that the only people who are going to get screwed in this current recall election are the voters of California.
After all, it’s not as if this started with some grass roots movement to take back the governorship. This was started by a wealthy car alarm salesman (and his professional petition gatherers), who tried to buy himself an election early. That he’s been pushed aside by people like Schwarzenegger is perhaps poetic justice, but it’s not as if Arnold is any better equipped to run the state. All evidence, and everything he’s said since announcing his candidacy, seems to indicate otherwise.
Nobody says you have to like Gray Davis. Nobody says you have to think he’s a good governor. But if you don’t like him, and you don’t want him to be governor, that’s what the *next* election is for. That’s what protests and letter-writing and contacting your state representatives is for.
My friend thinks it’s great, Taco Bell thinks it’s a joke, but I just think it’s a terrible shame and sets a terrible precedent that’s already being acted upon by the power-hungry with their sour grapes.