Reason.tv: Hasta La Vista, Arnold!—What California's budget mess means for America

He was the perfect political superhero, sent to rescue California from spend-happy politicians at just the right time. And yet Arnold Schwarzenegger's reign as governor has turned into a disaster flick that could spell catastrophe for the Golden State-and the whole nation.

In 2003's historic recall election, the former Mr. Olympia pummeled dozens of candidates-from incumbent Gray Davis to former child actor Gary Coleman to porn star Mary Carey-on the road to Sacramento. He promised to abolish the odious car-tax hike implemented by Davis. And to balance the budget, cut taxes and spending, and make California more business-friendly.

"He promised to stop the crazy deficit spending, cut up the credit cards, live within our means. And he did exactly the opposite. Schwarzenegger increased spending faster than we saw under Gray Davis," says Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), who was a state senator-and one of Arnold's challengers-six years ago. 

Now the Golden State faces yet another spending-induced catastrophe. California could simply go broke by July. Sacramento reacted to the latest crisis by passing a massive tax increase in February, squeezing another $1,100 from the average family. Even the dreaded car tax, the issue that catapulted Arnold to office, is back.

How could it all have gone so horribly wrong, especially after it looked so wonderfully right? Well, it turns out there's a force in California politics that's much more powerful than the Governator: a culture of spending pushed by public-employee unions, money-grubbing corporate-welfare cases, and more.

Sadly, California and Schwarzenegger are hardly alone in spending well beyond their means. As many as 40 states face whopping deficits that are only going to get worse as the recession continues.

If country-wide trends do start in California, Rep. McClintock worries about what's in store for our nation. "As high taxes, high borrowing and high spending destroy California's economy, Californians are moving to those 49 other states. If we allow the same policies to destroy our country where are we going to go?"

"Hasta La Vista, Arnold" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Director of Photography is Alex Manning and Associate Producer is Paul Detrick. Approximately 10 minutes long.

For embed code, audio podcast, related videos and links, and iPod and HD versions, go here.

Comments

[Mad Max]

Remember the 'responsible' conservatives who endorsed Schwartzenegger over McClintock?

Remember the people who wanted to repeal the 22nd Amendment so Arnold could be President?

Where are these guys now?

[Invisible Finger]

Well, it turns out there's a force in California politics that's much more powerful than the Governator: a culture of spending pushed by public-employee unions, money-grubbing corporate-welfare cases, and more.

Another force more powerful is his own ego, his incessant desire to be liked. But it would be unfair to single him out for such a flaw; 99% of candidates for political office have the exact same flaw - it's what drives them to seek office in the first place.

[Gilbert Martin]

There is an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal about the role of public sector unions in state and local government's fiscal disasters.

[Mad Max]

Not the 22nd Amendment - the 'natural-born citizen' clause - sorry.

[Tomcat1066]

The unions once served a valid purpose. Now, all they do is jack up pay rates to an extent that the employer will never quite be right. California is one example. GM and Chrysler are two more.

[Episiarch]

Why, oh why, did Superman stop Lex Luthor's real estate plan? We'd all be better off if he hadn't.

[T]

Seven states have not reported a FY 2009 budget gap. They are Arkansas, Montana,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.

See? Provide negligible social services and you too won't go broke. Or, just don't have a whole lot of people to begin with.

[Pro Libertate]

Lex Luther knows what's best for America, especially when he's Gene Hackman.

[Legate Damar]

I, for one, voted for Arnold over McClintock. In a recall election that existed solely because the Dems couldn't throw away money fast enough, the fiscally responsible McClintock talked non-stop about... DAMN MEXICANS GET AWAY FROM HERE.

It's as if he were worried that if he were to highlight his strengths, he might be compeititive.

[R C Dean]

As high taxes, high borrowing and high spending destroy California's economy, Californians are moving to those 49 other states.

From what I've seen California expatriates generally go about trying to replicate exactly the things that made them leave California. So this doesn't bode well.

[Naga Sadow]

Lex Luther knows what's best for America, especially when he's Gene Hackman.

But what about Kevin Spacey?

[Warty]

Why, oh why, did Superman stop Lex Luthor's real estate plan?

For that matter, why did James Bond stop Christopher Walken from destroying Silicon Valley?

[Nick]

Montana's doing things right all over the place. Might have to really consider a move there.

Lex's plan would have failed. California is not hanging over the edge of a cliff waiting to fall into the ocean. It's just on a different tectonic plate rubbing up against the North American plate. All that would have resulted would be a more violent earthquake and a bigger gap or more rubbing between plates. The only bright side would have been the end of Margot Kidder.

[Episiarch]

For that matter, why did James Bond stop Christopher Walken from destroying Silicon Valley?

Because Silicon Valley makes good software?

"Good. Right on schedule."

[T]

From what I've seen California expatriates generally go about trying to replicate exactly the things that made them leave California.

It's a constant battle trying to smack them down and keep them from screwing things up. This also applies to people from the northeast, like MA and NY.

[wingnutx]

Now, all they do is jack up pay rates

Don't forget deliberately making things inefficient so as to require more labor.

[Orange Line Special]

Aw, Reason appears to have forgotten its long history of supporting those "corporate-welfare cases" through their endless articles promoting MassiveImmigration. Given the fact that many CALegislators frequently act more like they work for the Mexicangovernment than the people of CA, supporting MassiveImmigration has the highly predictable impact of providing a subsidy to crooked businesses and increasing public spending. Yet, despite all that, Reason persisted in helping to bring us to this situation.

Here's more on California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Warty]

Shut the fuck up, Lonewacko.

[Mad Max]

'Or, just don't have a whole lot of people to begin with.'

You are replying to a list of states which includes *Texas.*

[Nick]

Yeah, STFU. And, by the way, you're wrong, DumbAss. Agreeing that people should be able to move freely from place to place and work for whomever will hire them is different than agreeing they should have their education, health care, or housing subsidized...you know, things Reason does not agree with.

[Paul]

I think the thing that pisses me off about California is that previously, I would laugh at the budget woes, the fact that the entire state was strangled by public sector unions. But now California's problems are my problems, because they're stealing money from me under the auspices of an economic crisis.

[Mike]

the odious car-tax hike implemented by Davis.

That is, returning the car tax to its previous level when the windfall tax revenues from the internet bubble ended, in an attempt to keep the state budget balanced.

[matt]

I think its laughable that anyone thinks that California, or indeed the US federal government, can fix itself from these deficits and debts. What are they going to cut? Pretty much every cent in those budgets have unions, corporations, and bureaucracy who will make it their job to maintain the status quo.

If ag subsidies are cut or eliminated, farmers will drive their tractors into the city streets and block traffic. The media will cover stories of farmers "just like you and I" who are just trying to get by, and why does the government need to steal their money like that? No mention of the taxpayers who had their money stolen from them to prop up the farmers lifestyle, of course.

And people will look at the chaos that happens afterwards and say "you see, this is what happens when libertarianism runs wild! Anarchy! Chaos! Destruction! Lets make sure that never happens again!." These institutions need to fail on their own, without our influence.

[Mike M.]

In reality, Arnold isn't to blame for the sorry state California is in any more than Gray Davis was. It's the people themselves in California and the horrendous representatives they elect that deserve the lion's share of the blame.

Obviously no politician could ever afford to tell their people this simple truth.

[Episiarch]

Lone Wacko turned off the television, disgusted. Once again the immigrant governor had failed to address the IllegalImmigrant issue. He suspected it was because Arnold was actually secretly Mexican. His detective work had uncovered records of someone named Arnoldo Montalbanegger, born in Mexico City, around the right time to be him. He just needed a little more proof to bust the story wide open.

He desperately wanted a beer, but the nearby bodega only had Tecate and Negra Modelo, and that was unacceptable. He settled for sipping from the bottle of Triple Sec the hooker had brought over. She had also brought tequila and margarita mix, but he'd thrown her out for that.

[Gilbert Martin]

"See? Provide negligible social services and you too won't go broke"

I hate the term "social services".

It ranks right up there with "progressive policiies" in the level of obfuscation.

It should be called "forced redistribution of wealth" or "government mandated charity" or something similar to that to reflect the economic reality of what is actually going on.

[Craig]

My preference would be that they just shut down the state government completely. Really. Everything they do would be better off either not being done at all, or done at the county or city level, or done through private enterprise and voluntary charity.

Realistically though, a good start would be to stop increasing the budget every year, expecting good times to last forever. Cut every state department payroll and every state employee's pay by 10%, then decide which departments can be shut down completely. Switch all new state employees to defined contribution retirement plans, instead of the generous defined benefit plans they have now.

[The List]

"Don't forget deliberately making things inefficient so as to require more labor."

I'd like to see a graph showing union membership declines vs. worker productivity increases going back to 1945.

[T]

You are replying to a list of states which includes *Texas.*

Yeah, Texas comes under "don't provide much in the way of social services". Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota all fit the whole "don't have many people" part. That's why there's an 'or' in that sentence.

[Jose Rodrigues]

C?llate la boca Lone Wacko!

[Naga Sadow]

How? How can I bust this story wide open? Lonewacko's thoughts drifted to that time on HnR where he showed those Libertarian posseurs what fools they were. The CALegislators were clearly in the pocket of the MexicanGovernment. Lonewacko thought of infiltrating the governors office for incriminating documents but then thought better of it. The furrinerGovernor would no doubt have illegals guarding his office. Lonewacko thought on and off on the problems inherent in getting out documents on MassiveImmigration between swigs of his Triple Sec. Suddenly Lonewacko had it! Epiphany! He would simply walk right in and take them! But the CAlegilators would know him on the spot. What with all the restraining orders . . . how? How could he do it? Another swallow of Triple Sec and once again . . . epiphany! He would simply go undercover using an obscure cognomen. He would go as himself. Not lonewacko but his birth name! Chris Kelly. He would need a hell of an alibi if he was going to break this case wide open. Ah! Lonewacko would go as Chris Kelly using LP credentials! Brilliant! Once he got away the LP would be blamed not him! Now all Lonewacko had to do is find out where the LPMexicanHeadquarters was and he would be on his way.

[Episiarch]

Lone Wacko's constant epiphanies, being accompanied each time by a swig of booze, were getting him pretty sloshed. He figured he should eat something. He would have called Domino's, but his consistent tipping of the remaining change in a dollar had gotten him blacklisted. His only remaining option was the burrito place down the street, but that was unthinkable. Or was it? The booze was making him uninhibited, and the thought of some chili sauce was making him strangely horny.

Thoughts of Mexican hookers rubbing chili sauce on their donkey's nipples began popping into his head. Was he actually considering this? he took another swig of Triple Sec and decided: yes.

[Naga Sadow]

Lonewacko snapped awake. Where was I? He cleared his eyes and found . . . a donkey next to him. A dead donkey. What happened? A cascade of bleary images flashed across his eyes. Burritos. Mexican tranny hookers. Triple sec. A donkey with eyes that seemed to be screaming. Chili sauce? What could it all mean? Lonewacko shuddered and then vomited down his shirt. Suddenly, he was angry. He had been drinking this . . . this . . . he stared at the empty bottle of Triple Sec for several moments. Damn furriner drink. Lonewacko couldn't put his memories in order. Clearly he had been tricked. Implanted with memories while the IllegalImmigrants had ransacked . . . Oh God! His casefiles!Lonewacko tried to shuffle back to his apartment but couldn't get his bearings. He felt as if he were in some sort of alternate reality. He needed some water. He saw a nearby cactus and stopped. Weren't cactuses supposed to have water in them? But before he stepped in the direction of the cactus the urge to hurl became overpowering. Lonewacko once again vomited down his shirt. Lonewacko went to the cactus and tried to bite into it. Unfortunately the dirty Mexican plant kept sticking him in the face. Finally, giving up on the plant Lonewacko surveyed his surroundings. Several large warehouse type buildings in the distance. A car drove down the road off in the distance. He thought about hitching a ride but realized the caked on vomit would discourage good American samaritans. Lonewacko could hear salsa music in the distance. He knew what he had to do.

[JP]

Why do you Reason writers use hyphens when dashes are called for?

the former Mr. Olympia pummeled dozens of candidates-from incumbent Gray Davis

who was a state senator-and one of Arnold's challengers

What's a "candidates-from"? What's a "senator-and"?

I keep having to pause and untangle what my eyes initially tell me you're trying to say.

[Orange Line Special]

Nick opines: Agreeing that people should be able to move freely from place to place and work for whomever will hire them is different than agreeing they should have their education, health care, or housing subsidized...you know, things Reason does not agree with.

You're living in a fantasy world. Reason has constantly promoted MassiveImmigration without once saying, "but only if we end social welfare". Not even a single time have they said that. If they were selling their faulty ideology as an all-or-none package, that would be one thing. But, that's not what they do and that's not what happens.

If anyone wants proof that people like Nick are living in a fantasy world, simply look at the current situation in CA.

[Episiarch]

Lone Wacko stumbled to the nearby pay phone and attempted to put some quarters in it...but it only took pesos. He was growing more and more concerned about where he was and what he had done. This was all too familiar, and not in a good way. That was when he felt the stickiness on the front of his pants. He was afraid to look.

[EJ]

"From what I've seen California expatriates generally go about trying to replicate exactly the things that made them leave California. So this doesn't bode well."

Same goes for New Hampshire. All the F'ing Massholes are moving north for low taxes and jobs just so they can vote in policies that drove them out of MA in the first place.

[Handy Andy]

You sure write pretty, Naga.

[Mike M.]

If anyone wants proof that people like Nick are living in a fantasy world, simply look at the current situation in CA.

It sure does seem like it would make a lot more sense to end the full entitlement welfare state first, and then open the doors up to instant entry and citizenship to the entire world afterwards.

To try to do it the other way around is idiotic, and is nothing but a way to hasten the bankrupting and destruction of a republic.

[Forty-Two]

Afraid to look because he knew from experience the cause of the peculiar odor which accompanied the stickiness: semen. And not human semen. LoneWako's thoughts were wrenched back to childhood, to summer days on Uncle Vic's farm. To the paddock behind the barn where he'd first learned about life, about IllegalMexicans and about love...

[PapayaSF]

Max Max: Wherever they're hiding, they've been joined in recent months by Dave Weigel and the rest of the "Obamatarians."

There's a relatively simple compromise that could solve the budget problems for the states and even the federal government: freeze spending until revenues catch up. I haven't checked recently but for many years, the federal deficit could have been erased by simply spending what they'd spent about five years previously. In other words, freeze spending and in a few years the budget gets balanced.

[Brian Sorgatz]

Hey, Lonewacko, it's raining in my part of California. Should I blame Mexican immigrants for that, too?

[Joel]

Damn you, hilarious FlashFiction! Now I'm unable to CloseThisTag for the RestOfTheDay!

Damn you! DamnYouToHell!

Why am I WritingWithoutSpaces? Why this sudden loathing for IllegalImmigrants? Oh, god! NOOOOOO!

[Colin]

It's so sad, because this is such a great place to live, in so many ways.

I can't wait until Tuesday.

[Mike M.]

Wherever they're hiding, they've been joined in recent months by Dave Weigel and the rest of the "Obamatarians."

Weigel skedaddled from here about ten or twenty seconds after Obama won the election. It's almost as though that was his primary objective or something.

[fishfry]

Arnold never recovered after picking -- and losing -- a big fight with the teachers and nurses unions. Everyone hates greedy unions, but everybody likes nurses and teachers! After that election, when all of Arnold's budget measures went down to defeat, Arnold was never the same. He capitulated, decided to be popular, and took a big turn to the left.

I have to say, Arnold did what I thought would have been impossible. He's made me miss Gray Davis.

[Dee]

"From what I've seen California expatriates generally go about trying to replicate exactly the things that made them leave California. So this doesn't bode well."

Yet I bet you have no issue with illegal aliens coming to the US and doing precisely the same thing? Seems many of the border towns and even some areas of larger cities are nothing but mexican ghettos, no different then the ones they supposedly fled to come here and get away from. They come here and demand we make things exactly like they were in their own shitty country they couldn't walk and swim fast enough to get away from getting here.

Guess my Libertarian nature ends at the border.

[Blunt]

"Weigel skedaddled from here about ten or twenty seconds after Obama won the election. It's almost as though that was his primary objective or something."

I hear that he and joe have moved to a charming little cottage on Fire Island.

[Quiet Desperation]

Where are these guys now?

I supported McClintock, but I don't blame anyone who was hoodwinked by Arnold.

Arnold was a businessman, and he seemed to have an understanding how California was becoming the worst business climate in the USA. He started his first term really well. He called in experts to analyze the budget and look for ways to make it more efficient and less wasteful.

But then he tried to do too much at once, and had four propositions in a special election dealing with too much minutiae at once for the typical citizen. IMHO, that was the turning point where Arnold seemed to become a completely different person. Or maybe there's something in the Sacramento water system. Who knows?

Personally, I think he's secretly punishing California for his failure in that first special election. Well, we'll be punishing him and the legislature back by defeating the current set of propositions. With luck, the state will go bankrupt and all those f***headed, gold plated deals with the state employees unions (by far the number one biggest source of the California's troubles) will be null and void.

[Flex Nasty B.I.G.]

Best reason.tv segment yet.

[Quiet Desperation]

I can't wait until Tuesday.

Remember: No no no, no no no. 😉

I'm a mild John & Ken fan, but I might go to that rally on Saturday to see if I can get a whack at the Arnold pinata. Sometimes a good primal act can be cathartic. 🙂

[James Anderson Merritt]

"As many as 40 states face whopping deficits that are only going to get worse as the recession continues."

Is is really the case that 80% of the States are so irresponsibly governed? I'm not saying it's impossible, just very surprising, given that ANY are responsible at all. The fact that any States are not in the soup indicates either that they are extremely lucky, or that good sense DOES exist somewhere -- and in the latter case, why isn't it more widely disbursed around the country?

The other thing that makes me curious is the fact that so many of the troubled States are turning to -- openly RELYING ON -- the Federal government to help solve their problems; and the Federal government is, quite conveniently, obliging.

In the Private Sector, bailout funds purchase Federal control of the corporations that receive welfare. What about in the government sector? Is this just another stepping stone to reducing the States to mere administrative entities of the Federal government, perhaps eliminating States as semi-autonomous, semi-sovereign entities altogether? If Obama could dismiss the CEO of GM and dictate future product development efforts in exchange for pulling the company's chestnuts out of the fire, what powers might he assume over Mr. Schwarzenegger's or future administrations in the Golden State, or in other States? What's really astounding about this situation is that Uncle Sam would be purchasing control over the States with funny money, horribly inflated dollars, which won't have quite the salutary effect that the State governments may be hoping to enjoy.

It'll be interesting to see how all of this turns out.

[Hazel Meade]

I'm not sure why Schwartzeneggar is afraid of state employees unions. It's not like they are really popular or anything.

What he needs is a moment like Thatcher's decision to break the coal miners unions in the UK.

They were thought to be politically bullet proof. But ultimately, all it took was someone with the balls to stand up to them. They didn't have nearly as much popular support as they thought they did.

Sarkozy needs to do the same thing in France. Merkel in Germany. I don't know anyone who thinks that striking public sector workers are sympathetic. Most people find them annoying, overpaid, lazy, crybabies. Most private sector workers don't have it nearly as good, and yet they bitch and moan and ask for more breaks.

[Gilbert Martin]

"The fact that any States are not in the soup indicates either that they are extremely lucky, or that good sense DOES exist somewhere -- and in the latter case, why isn't it more widely disbursed around the country?"

It would be hard to replicate elsewhere some factors that help keep certain states in the black.

Alaska for example is sparsley populated and gets a ton of revenue from royalties on oil.

That's not likely to work in Rhode Island.

[Jack]

Vote Libertarian

[DHS Thinks I\'m a Terrorist]

Is there any legal provision wherein a U.S. State can be booted out of the Union for sheer incompetence? If so, I would love to boot California out. Let it pay for its own damn mess.

[FD]

You folks know California better than I up in the boonies of NH, but I've no sympathy for Arnold. He's just another (no worse, no better) ego-maniacal billionaire who made enough money that he wanted to tell everyone else how to live.
Notwithstanding his obnoxious, self-serving arrogance, his history of ass-grabbing women that wanted nothing to do with him, his days of macho fist-fights in the locker room over trivial nonsense, and his bad-acting, he earned his comeuppence.
But the egos continue. Did you ever notice a pol who admitted failure, who somehow accepted the blame? Just watch the Cheneys, the Pelosis (now that's sickening, eh?), the Kennedys, the Palins, the Edwards... rationalizing all their buffoonery, stupidity, power-mongering and elitist lifestyles at your expense.
He'll be the same. He was astonishingly transparent in every interview.
So now he'll walk off into the sunset, return to movies, I guess, spin his utter failure by blaming everything and everyone except himself.
Gray Davis must be laughing his own fool head off, as well.
To sustain the acting metaphor, I remember Ned Beatty in the movie _Shooter_, playing the corrupt senator: "It's not about Republicans and Democrats; it's about the haves, and the have-nots!!!"
They're all the same.
American Idol at the State House, at the Capitol, at the Governor's Mansion. And everyone arguing over which piece of scum should speak for me.
Good luck in California. The same trends are coming eastward. I regretfully await.

[Andy Dufrane]

I give a liberal estimate of 20 years until America implodes completely. Maybe 15? Maybe even 10? I have my passport, now the only question is- where will free minded individuals escape to? There is no "John Galt" hideaway in the mountains in the real world; Or is there?

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

Only in your dreams.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

James Anderson Merritt,

It'll be interesting to see how all of this turns out.

"Interesting" is really not the right word. Unless you find the idea of an incredibly tyrannical government sucking the wealth out of us all, followed by all-out anarchy, "interesting".

I for one got quite enough anarchy in my life, just by reading the history of Europe's last Dark Age.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

Andy, what good is your passport going to be when the US collapses?

You should really consider conquering a small country somewhere.

Somewhere warm, because I can't stand snow.

[NC Dweller]

One prediction I can give you for certain: the next guy will do absolutely no better. The makers of this video refer metaphorically to Schwartzenegger's term in office as a disaster flick, but I'd say it's more like the big-budget sequel to the wildly successful smaller-budget disaster flick: Gray Davis was plenty profligate while he was in office too, and the next sequel--something like the election of the 0bamassiah to preside over our nation's destruction--will be like an even bigger-budget disaster flick that'll make you nostalgic for Schwartzenegger. ("Schwartzenegger at least TRIED to do something about the unions when he first got in. This *%&$!#@ is their best friend from day 1!") (Speaking of union friends, how about 0bama and that UAW, eh?)

If the unions aren't popular, then how--pray tell--did they manage to send Schwartzenegger's propositions down in flames? The Californians have no one to blame but themselves for voting for this crap. I would personally be in favor of firing every one of those smug union extortionists I saw there on the screen and confiscating everything they own in compensation for their thieving, but apparently my view is the minority opinion in California. Even if they do have another recall, they sure as hell will do even worse than they already are.

As for those fool expatriates, you may be interested to know that expatriates from ALL the "blue" states have been poisoning every "red" state to which they go as well: North Carolina and Virginia have lately been infested with all the Marxist money molesters fleeing from the hellholes of New York and New Jersey. They've carried their votes with them, and if things go on this way much longer, soon you won't have anywhere to run. What good will secession do you if every state governor is also a political messiah these fools elected?

[James Anderson Merritt]

# Ebeneezer Scrooge | May 15, 2009, 3:17am | #
## James Anderson Merritt,

## It'll be interesting to see how all of this
## turns out.

# "Interesting" is really not the right word.

It is, if you're trying to be sarcastic via understatement.

[James Anderson Merritt]

# DHS Thinks I'm a Terrorist | May 14, 2009, 7:39pm | #

# Is there any legal provision wherein a U.S.
# State can be booted out of the Union for sheer
# incompetence? If so, I would love to boot
# California out.
# Let it pay for its own damn mess.

Two thoughts on that: 1) California could probably purchase a LOT if it got back the nearly 50% of land in the State that is currently owned by the Federal government. That's right, almost every other acre in the State is federal property.

2) It really chafes me to hear people putting California down for its slipshod statecraft on the one hand and its immigration mess on the other, since the immigrants who overwhelmed the natural-born Californians and put us on our current bad path were primarily transplants from OTHER STATES, not Mexico or any other foreign country. For the most part, all the people I've ever met who were actually born and raised here (or who were at least here permanently since childhood), display pretty good common sense about how to govern this State and promote economic activity within it. It may surprise some people, but California was once (and for a long time) politically conservative, even the Democrats, and even well-into the 1960s. But as demography changed with CA's population explosion of the past several decades, so did the State's politics. Note that foreign immigrants could not legally vote -- usually not for many years aftet their arrival. So the blame for the political changes in this State belongs to those who were able to vote almost immediately after taking up residence here: the out-of-state transplants, many of whom moved on, chasing their dreams to Oregon, Washington, or other places, after setting up some pretty sorry legal and regulatory conditions. They were as bad as locusts, imho.

[cathy]

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[DonS]

While I like Tom, the reality is he wouldn't have acomplished anything either.

Arnold pushed a bunch of propositions during a special election. These would have helped get things under control, but CA voters rejected these, and since then Arnold caved and now acts like a typical CA Democrat, except a rare moderate one. On top of that, CA voters have supported propositions that have created numerous unfunded mandates.

It is CA voters who are to blame. Arnold started off fine, but when defeated proved to be a wimp.