AHnold the Wrecker

Posted on April 9, 2005 in California Watch

No one can ruin a state quite like a Hollywood actor. Reagan wrecked our economy and schools and then had the chutzpah to lie about how he left a surplus! Governor Schwartzeneggar has proven to be every bit the disaster I predicted he’d be and he’s getting worse every day. Let’s see:

• He has failed to balance the budget. His idea of saving money is to cut pensions for California’s heroes: the police and firefighters. In the meantime, he’s opened loopholes for big corporations. Ahnold said that he wanted to make California more like Texas. I believe he means it. Ruin is on its way.
• Where does AHnold get his money? From Out-of-State. California is one of the largest economies in the world and we could well go off on our own. We have the power to shape the nation’s economy and his out of state friends, who love faux libertarian economics don’t want us making up our own minds.
• His redistricting plan has been hailed by Common Cause as a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, given AHnold’s other ploys, this good idea may fail. How can anyone trust the Terminator?
• Educational funding has been cut by $2 billion. Ahnold promised he would avoid any such cutbacks. This makes him a liar.

It’s the same old deal that gets played out on all levels of government: you have a liar and a hypocrite whose main aim is to preserve his own fame. When he was campaigning, I wrote of the banality of Ahnold’s message:

When I look at the upswell of support for Arnold, I see two kinds of people attaching to him: the knowing and the unknowing. The knowing are in on whatever plan he’s hatched for when he becomes governor. The secret that they harbor is that they think most of the rest of the Arnold supporters are stupid and they treat them accordingly, serving them no substance, no opportunities to question or think. The unknowing go along, eager to please the Big Biceps and believe against all evidence to the contrary that he’s qualified for the office and compassionate towards women and minorities.

It’s the people who accept at face value, without questions, vague statements such as “I will be a good governor,” “I like kids,” and “I will be good for the environment” who pose a great threat to democracy at this time. They ignore the mounds of evidence pointing to the despicable, opportunistic character of the man in question, projecting his faults on those he opposes.

Hopefully, these people are becoming more aware of what Ahnold and his pals are all about. As they lose jobs, as they see their schools resort to more and more bake sales and scrip drives to fund basic needs, perhaps they shall get the message. To drive Gray Davis from office, it took a highly organized conspiracy. To drive Ahnold from office, it takes your vote. Realize now that the Terminator is ending your opportunities, Middle America.

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