(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
No truth to rumor that Cruz BustaMECHa was in the car used for this demo. ;-P
Posted on 03/17/2005 8:27:28 AM PST by NormsRevenge
RANCHO CORDOVA – With opposition growing among Democrats statewide, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved yesterday to shore up his environmental credentials by touting the reinstatement of a program to take older, polluting autos off the road.
With a Sacramento-area auto yard as the backdrop, Schwarzenegger announced the state is again – because of Democratic legislation – offering $1,000 to car owners who voluntarily retire older vehicles that cannot meet the state's smog-control standards.
The goal is to take as many as 15,000 high-polluting vehicles off the road annually over the next 10 years.
"This will pay big dividends for California," the Republican governor said at a news conference. "Clean air makes our state a more desirable place to live, visit or locate a business."
The buyback program was suspended two years ago for budget reasons but was re-established in September after the passage of a bill by then-Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara.
Although her bill provided $4.5 million this year for incentive payments, Schwarzenegger said he wants to increase the program's funding in 2005-06 to $16.3 million.
The governor noted in his press materials yesterday that his support of the auto buyback program is just one area in which he's worked to protect the environment.
He's called for the creation of a network of hydrogen fuel stations along major California highways. He signed bills last year that would allow hybrid vehicles to use freeway car pool lanes; replace old diesel engines in school buses with new cleaner-burning engines; require cars built after 1975 to have smog checks every two years; and require that trucks coming into California from Mexico meet U.S. clean air standards.
Each of the bills he touted was authored by Democrats and passed despite substantial opposition from Schwarzenegger's Republican colleagues. Nevertheless, the governor has largely received good marks for his environmental record.
The governor's news conference came as labor groups and education activists prepared for a major protest at a Schwarzenegger fund-raiser last night in Los Angeles. The opposition has been sparked by several of the governor's proposals – including ballot measures that would shift the state's public pension program to private retirement accounts and would potentially cut funding for schools when tax income does not meet budget needs.
He has also been the target of protest from the California Nurses Association for attempting to block a nurse-to-patient ratio law.
Given the growing protest from the state's majority party, some Democrats said they are not surprised Schwarzenegger wants to remind voters of his environmental record.
"If the Democrats in the Legislature are so bad, why is he taking our bills and making them part of his platform?" asked Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles.
"It's because his poll numbers are caving among Democrats and independents – people who also support environmental issues," Maviglio said.
He has to shore up his reputation with democRats when he is already so GanGREEnous that he installed the enviroKennedy faction across his administration.
Expect to see the junkyards empty for the $1000 bounty from the state.
-R
Strike that - Expect to see the junkyards of MEXICO empty for the bounty of the state.
-R
And if you turn in your pollution spewer, will Ahnold buy you a Hummer?
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I am disappointed -- I was hoping we would not see this kind of TOKEN PANDERING to the leftist enviro-whackos, from Arnie -- and if this state's liberals don't mind THROWING AWAY $30 BILLION in our taxpayer dollars, they should not mind maybe $10,000 for each old vehicle IF OUR AIR IS SO POLLUTED AND IMPORTANT!!! --- or is paying for illegal aliens to the tune of TENS OF BILLIONS PER YEAR more important??? The government of this state is TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL from runaway liberalism.
SINCE WINNING office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has done nearly everything right as a green politico. Environmental groups applaud his appointments, position papers and outspokenness on air pollution and ocean protection.
(snip)
The governor starts out with Sierra-sized political capital. His recall position paper from last fall [authored by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]called for cutting air pollution by 50 percent, protecting the ocean and coast, promoting solar power and boosting renewable energy. His advisers include Terry Tamminen, a well-regarded Santa Monica enviro who now heads the state Environmental Protection Agency, and Mike Chrisman, the director of the state Resources Agency and a Republican moderate with wide connections among outdoors groups. It's a promising start.
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Notice how this Austrian POS cares more about making nice with the Socialist then he does about upsetting the voters who put him into office? When I think of all my idiotic Republican friends who mocked me for supporting McClintock. Fools. And the sad thing is that they still won't admit they made a mistake about voting for this clown.
Bloody socialist. This guy cares only about making nice with the modern day California version of the Nazis. He'll kiss their ass seven ways to Sunday and turn around and offer plattitudes about "reforming" the government! Man did he fool a lot of conservatives. Fortunately I saw through this schmucks schtick.
ping
Same for me. It was all about winning a (R) behind a name rather than substance. Is Arnie thinking about not running next time? I wonder why. I don't see him winning a primary. (I really wanted Doofus to stay in office & run the state into the ground so we could elect a true conservative) What can you expect from someone who is married to the Kennedy clan.
I'll pony up $3000 for a hemi-Challenger
Actually this is just stupid and is a waste of money. I wish I could find a bunch of old junkers and turn them in for 1000 a car!
(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
No truth to rumor that Cruz BustaMECHa was in the car used for this demo. ;-P
Go Arnold. Go.
He doesn't have the backbone to "blow up the boxes" or cut the budget, so I guess this is his alternative?
Face of the new GOP: Green Ol' Progressive
What a friggen HYPOCRITE!!! BOOOOOOOOOO!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Bad Governator!!! Why don'tcha go buy some more vowels and starta bleepin vowel movement!!!
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