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Oct. 27, 2005 Tuesday, November 8, will mark the official end of the “Schwarzenegger Era” in California. Like Mr. Schwarzenegger’s box office conquests, his political success was the result of special F/X, timely one-liners and a public willing to swallow convoluted plotting and the ridiculous notion that he could somehow save the day. The result is that Californians have revealed themselves as ill informed, star-struck and bandwagon-jumpers. I can’t believe people were actually enthused about initiating a campaign to change the constitution and make the foreign-born actor eligible to run for President. After the eviction (or in the soft, euphemistic language of my brethren on the left, “recall”) of Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger used his name recognition and ambiguous allegories to charm California voters. Schwarzenegger promised “real reform,” and vowed to “Give California back to the people.” While campaigning he also offered this generalized gem: “The state of California spends 29 million more dollars per day than it takes in. This must stop!” He promised campaign reform, labeling funds solicited by other politician’s as “dirty money.” However, after less than a year in office KXTV-News 10 reported, “Schwarzenegger has raised more than $1 million since he was voted into office…That includes $100,000 he received from the leading underwriter of workers' compensation insurance, an issue on which he has promised reform. He defends the contributions he has accepted by saying he only considers special interest to be labor unions or American Indian tribes because he might have to negotiate with those groups.” During his first six months in office, Arnold Schwarzenegger raised $12 million—twice the amount of his predecessor. Since announcing his bid for re-election (Sept. 17) Schwarzenegger has raised $10 million to add to a pool that is expected to exceed 35 million. With a 65% approval ratings (including 49% of registered Democrats), big things were expected. His first mistake came shortly thereafter, borrowing $2 billion from the state education budget and promising to repay it during the next fiscal year. The money was never repaid and what’s more, Schwarzenegger wanted to slash the education budget. He blamed the poor state of California’s schools on its teachers, rather than overcrowding and the lack of funding to alleviate the problem. When it became apparent that Schwarzenegger was big on talk and short on substance, he resorted to theatrics. He labeled his opponents, “losers” and “girlie-men.” He went on the offensive, taking on the four most powerful unions in the state, those supporting teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters. To further his agenda, Schwarzenegger called for a special election. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell responded: “At a time when California schools are being shortchanged by $3.1 billion, it is appalling that Governor Schwarzenegger would call for a special election that will cost the taxpayers $80 million — less than a year away from our next statewide general election. It is a sad irony that we live in a state that is the fifth largest economy in the world, but funding for our schools ranks eighth from the bottom of all 50 states.” O’Connell pointed out that those same dollars could “...(Extend) our class size reduction program to an additional 82,730 students, by providing 800 additional counselors in our schools, or by providing a 20 percent increase in the funding for instructional materials for our students.” During the ensuing eleven months Schwarzenegger’s popularity dipped. A Field Poll conducted this past June indicated the Governor’s approval rating among registered voters had slipped from 55 to 37% in just four-months. Worse, 53% disapproved of the Governor’s job performance. Voters distrust the state legislature even more, but cite Schwarzenegger’s unwillingness to work with that body as the primary reason for the state’s economic stagnation. Vowing to balance the budget, the governor used his own version of industrial light and magic and borrowed more than $6 billion dollars, despite making promises to the contrary during his election campaign. He also frowned on the influence of “big business and special interests”, yet his fund-raising among corporate donors would put Gray Davis’s to shame. Schwarzenegger's has proposed the following reform initiatives: (1) Proposition 74, which would allow school administrator’s to fire underperforming teachers without due process; (2) Proposition 75– designed to prohibit public employee unions from making political contributions without prior employee consent; (3) Proposition 77, which calls for a panel of three retired judges, rather than the state assembly, to redraw boundaries for Senate, Assembly, Congressional and Board of Equalization Districts; and (4) Proposition 76, which would give the Governor the right to arbitrarily slash state spending when it exceeded revenue. According to pollsters, all of these measures are unlikely to pass. This would not only be a big blow to “The Governator”, but to Republican hopes in 2008, when expectations were they could challenge for the state’s 55 electoral votes. Unlike the movies, not even the special F/X wizardry of Stan Winston can save “The Terminator” this time. ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is the 46-year old author of "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice of Cain". His third novel, "Darker Than Blue" is under consideration for publication. Mr. Stelly currently resides in Pittsburg, California with his three youngest children Dante, Kimberly and Lawrence. Excerpts from The first two books and the first two chapters of his upcoming anthology, "Frankenigga--And Other Urban Tales" can be viewed at: stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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