Posted on 05/08/2005 10:47:44 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has used taxpayer- funded resources on numerous occasions to advance his own campaign agenda - promoting ballot initiatives and calling on voters to remove Democrats from office - despite several state laws intended to restrict such activities.
Schwarzenegger's state staff has planned entire campaign events, scouted locations, overseen construction of elaborate backdrops, and taken and posted campaign photos on the governor's official Web site - often on the taxpayers' dime.
State law forbids using "state resources for a campaign activity." The law is designed to prevent politicians from turning taxpayers into de facto campaign contributors. It also ensures that public resources, such as state employees and equipment, do not benefit one side or the other in elections.
The law allows "minimal use" of state resources for campaign purposes because it's virtually impossible for a full-time politician to avoid an occasional mention of campaign issues in the course of governing. And courts have ruled that politicians can educate the public on a campaign issue as long as they don't advocate one side or another.
However, past court decisions have said that when it comes to ballot initiatives, politicians are to refrain from using state resources for campaign activities the moment signature gathering begins.
Some politicians, including an Orange County supervisor in 1978, have been prosecuted in criminal courts for violations. Others struggle their entire careers with the law's notoriously fuzzy boundaries.
But Schwarzenegger - whose unparalleled use of ballot measures as a governing tool has kept him campaigning for much of his administration - has on at least five occasions used state resources to advocate specific campaign positions.
Rob Stutzman, Schwarzenegger's communications director, said the governor has broken no laws. However, Stutzman and administration lawyers gave conflicting explanations of why the governor's activities have been legal.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
The leftist nutcases are closing in on Schwarzenegger. CA is hopeless.
We expect our leaders to win great battles, before they can win the battle their needs to be a powerful opponent, surviving the onslaught and going on to another victory makes our leaders appear heroic.
campaign - a series of organized actions for electing a candidate.
Is Arnold using this money to get himself elected? No, he's already there. What he is using it for is to get his agenda through, which is exactly what the voters who put him in office wanted him to do. Reign in government spending and give the people THEIR tax money back.
If you want to take this article and apply it across the board, then great, dems can no longer spend our money to advance their agenda of spending more of our money.
This is meant to confuse and minimize the Hillary campaign scandal. It's nothing, but Hillary's scandal is.
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -- Winston Churchill
Another hit piece from that ultra radical left wing rag the OC Register...
Oh, wait a minute... never mind. ;-)
I like the OC register, but what's this all about. Why don't they let the Democrats carry their own water? They are certainly having no problem going after Tom Delay.
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