Posted on 03/16/2006 5:13:02 PM PST by Amerigomag
Why should the Assembly and Senate Republicans support massive bond proposals, without any reforms? Just ask his legislative advisor, Richard Costigan--because Arnold needs this for re-election.
Why should Republicans support Arnold for re-election? Just ask Matthew Dowd in Austin, Texas (the guv's chief consultant) or Steve Schmidt (the Guv's campaign manager); because Arnold is better than Westly or Angelides...they would have even worse legislation.
Republicans should be happy that the Governor is appointing so many Democrats and non-Republicans to the bench and key government positions. Why? Because, according to the Governor, no Republicans are qualified.
Nothing positive, just, "I am not as bad as the Democrats"
But, what is the Governor doing for the families and businesses of California? More debt, less services (to pay off the debt), no reforms, so that government spending is 1/3 non productive (as the Guv reminded us just five short months ago) and a lack of a GOP agenda.
This has made Arnold Schwarzenegger the "SEE THROUGH GOVERNOR". It is all about re-election, not about policy, principles or promotion of the Republican Party.
Last night the Governor along with the Democrats got the Assembly Republicans (enough of them) to support $25 Billion in bonds for levee repair/Water and schools. No reforms, no pay as you go, no money for road building/traffic congestion. The major issue facing Californians every day is traffic--not a dime. On the other hand, "schools" got $19 billion and the CTA is exchange for the money got the bill to include not a single word of reform--more money for the unions, less money for the students and education system. Ten billion for schools--which are a local issue, while traffic congestion, a regional and statewide problem doesn't get a dime. Almost 80% for schools and no money for roads. No wonder the term being bandied about is '"THE SEE THROUGH GOVERNOR".
Some may ask, why did the Assembly Republicans support this obviously bad plan? Bill Bradley in his blog (www.newwestnotes.com) gave the answer:
"For this reduced package, the Republican governor came up with the needed Republican votes in the Assembly, for the first time in this convoluted process. But with a twist, because by the time the Assembly voted, Republican members knew this latest plan was actually dead on arrival, making it a free vote to remove intense pressure to provide the governor with something for his re-election campaign."
Any wonder folks complain about the way the legislature is run. Legislators vote for bad bills because they know the bill won't pass the other house! In this "bond" effort, everyone looks bad.
Now that the bond deal did not go through, it could be really thought through. Imagine if such a deal was approved. The legislators would have had only a few hours to review the legislation. As the campaign went on, voters would question why a section was added or not subtracted. GOP legislators would be asked why they voted on something they neither read nor truly understood. GOP voters might go into revolt. The needed infrastructure improvements would be defeated and it could be years before another Governor would address them Just as the unions have stopped government reforms and allowed the pension crisis to spiral (coming to a massive explosion next year when the full extent of the unfunded liabilities have to be made public); the June ballot could have been another major defeat for the governor. The Senate Republicans saved the Governor and the GOP from that fate.
The good news is that Democrats need Arnold. They will be able to get more in the way of public policy than with either Angelides or Westly. With a Democrat governor, the business community and the Republicans will work together, again, to stop the increase in spending and the nanny state. With Schwarzenegger as Governor, they get cover for things like stem cell research, massive bonded indebtedness, no reforms in the regulations costing taxpayers, families and businesses billions each year in non productive mandated costs. Governor Schwarzenegger will win re-election.
That said, we still need to re-elect governor Schwarzenegger. Hopefully a second term will bring back the first years of Arnold in office--and that would be a plus.
The only problem is that both the Democrats and Arnold are now touting this accomplishment and trying to establish it as a starting point for follow-on negotiations. If they oppose any portion of it in the future, both the Democrats and Arnold will taint them as obstructionists. Nothing is free.
Governor guarantees bond victory, (from SacBee):
Schwarzenegger said he was pleased that the Assembly approved a $4.15 billion levee bond and a $10 billion measure for schools Wednesday night, and that those votes will serve as a starting point toward a complete package that he suggested will include transportation and affordable housing components and possibly surface water storage.
a see thru GUb.. aka transparent, void of substance
Heck, 4 more years and you'll be able to see thru yur wallet, cuz its empty after paying for all the debt and spending a staunch 'fiscal conservative' doled out to his benefactors and donors in the guise of Strategic Growth and in cahoots with the dems.,
Call that Green? hardly, Red is more like it, like the deficits and bottom lines that lie into the foreseeable future.
It's hard to get worked up about California's problems. Their political process features primaries, just like every other state. The citizenry have repeatedly decided, apparently, that the other Republican contenders were simply too "Republican" to merit the nomination. Instead, they nominated, and then voted in, the movie guy.
In this country, the voters usually get what they want. And they got a personable character who plays well for the cameras, and simply continued the spending and borrowing for all of those "untouchable" and critical government programs.
It will be a different story, however, when, crushed under by the burden of servicing their debt load, they demand that the rest of the country bail them out with multi- billion dollar transfusions.
They can get in line behind all of the other "blue" states who simply can't make their budgets stretch to cover all of those crucial things that government does. And when it suddenly dawns on them, amidst the financial carnage, that they have already spent their grandchildren's birthright and inheritance, they can then elect a real Republican, and begin the painful process of paying off the bill on the insane self-indulgence that makes them what they are.
But not with my grandchildren's paychecks...
Just WIN baby, just WIN!!!
Their political process features primaries, just like every other state. The citizenry have repeatedly decided, apparently, that the other Republican contenders were simply too "Republican" to merit the nomination. Instead, they nominated, and then voted in, the movie guy.
The Austrian did not gain office through a partisan, primary process. He gained office through an essentially open primary process (recall) and received approval from only slightly more than 20% of California's eligible voters.
The Austrian would ordinarily face a normal, partisan, primary process this coming June but the California Republican Party essentially closed the primary fearing that both they and their celebrity standard bearer would fail to win in the primary.
After the events of the last week, if the June primary was opened, the Austrian would most probably fail to win.
??????? How in the world can they get away with that? Thanks for the post. I wonder how many other people in addition to me didn't know that?
Come to think of it, though... why am I so surprised? Is there a place on the internet to buy a replacement bottle of spare cynicism?
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