Free Republic

The Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians for 2009 list has been announced by Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he will veto a bill seeking to allow gay marriages in California. Schwarzenegger said the legislation, given final approval Tuesday by lawmakers, would conflict with the intent of voters when they approved Proposition 22. That measure was put on the ballot in 2000 to prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. "We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails that vote," the governor's press secretary, Margita Thompson, said in a statement. "Out of respect for the will of the people, the governor will veto (the bill)."...

When Arnold Schwarzenegger declared in January that 2005 would be the "year of reform," he touched off a political war for control of the Capitol that continues to rage and has seen the governor's public approval cut in half. Inadvertently, perhaps, but predictably, Schwarzenegger's campaign to change the Capitol's political dynamics also has dramatically affected the usual flow of legislative business - the give and take over the budget and hundreds of bills. MLS In effect, everything that would ordinarily be important has been put on hold until the power struggle is resolved, even the deficit-saturated state budget. Initially, the...

State lawmakers return today from a monthlong summer recess to face a slate of proposals diminished by the prospect of a special election that has dominated the Capitol's political debate this year. While there remain bold and controversial bills to establish gay marriage, universal health care and illegal immigrant driver's licenses, they have major stumbling blocks this year. Other Democratic proposals, such as a plan to increase the minimum wage, can expect an almost certain veto from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who blocked a number of bills opposed by businesses last year. Meanwhile, some of the year's most contentious issues -...