[Sosfbay-discuss] The New "Moderate" Arnold

[Andrea Dorey]

This Green has NOT rented her lucrative rental property ALL this year 
while she slowly, methodically, thoroughly, etc., etc. etc., does 
repairs.  Who knows how long she will have to do this?  Maybe until 
Camejo (or his equivalent) is elected to Sacramento?  May-be.
Andrea

On Jan 5, 2006, at 6:44 PM, alexcathy at aol.com wrote:

> Dear Green Friends,
>
> GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER has just conclude his
> "move-to-the-center" state of the state address in Sacramento.  The
> highlight was the proposal of a stupendous $222 billion public works
> program partly financed by $68 billion in new general obligation bonds.
>
>
> Dammit!  I wish the Green Party had the resources to do an "Instant
> Rebuttal" the way the Clinton Democrats used to do in their heyday.  I
> would love to know what our Green Party gubernatorial candidate, PETER
> CAMEJO, who is after all, an expert on finances and budgeting, thinks
> about this.
>
> Well, you know I hate both the Republican Party cronies and crooks and
> the Democratic Party cronies and crooks.  $222 billion worth of filthy
> lucre?
>
> C'mon, you know the next Jack Abramoff is already booting up his Excel
> spreadsheet.
>
> My gut level feeling is that this is a golden once-in-a-lifetime
> opportunity for the Green Party to emerge, at long last, as the true
> party of reform.  My gut tells me we Greens should resist the
> temptation to play the Democrats' game and instead come out AGAINST
> this boondoggle even while continuing to insist on a serious, grown-up,
> consideration of the structural deficits built into the corrupted state
> budget process and promoting the idea of California as the World Leader
> in sustainable green technology.  Let Democrats try to defend their
> 20th Century "Big Government" philosophy.  We Greens will be the party
> of 21st Century Reform!
>
>
> Alex Walker
>
>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> Posted by The San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com, Thursday,
> January 5, 2005. - 15 minutes Ago
>
> SETTING BIPARTISAN TONE, SCHWARZENEGGER PROPOSES MASSIVE BOND
> By Tom Chorneau, Associated Press
>
>
> (01-05) 17:38 PST SACRAMENTO, (AP) --
>
> Attempting to rekindle his image as a bipartisan populist, Gov. Arnold
> Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged cooperation among lawmakers and
> proposed a sweeping $222 billion public works program that would
> require the largest bond package in state history.
>
> The governor's annual State of the State speech addressed issues basic
> to the lives of most Californians, including more funding for public
> schools, rebuilding freeways and transit systems, improving air quality
> and raising the minimum wage.
>
> He asked Californians to move beyond a year filled with acrimony over
> the special election he had called and devoid of significant political
> accomplishment.
>
> "I have absorbed my defeat. I have learned my lesson. And the people,
> who always have the last word, sent a clear message ? cut the warfare,
> cool the rhetoric, find common ground and fix the problems together,"
> Schwarzenegger said before a packed Assembly chamber. "To my fellow
> Californians, I say, 'Message received.'"
>
> The governor's speech was his third State of the State address but was
> widely viewed as among the most pivotal appearances of his political
> career. Facing re-election in November, his task was to persuade
> Californians to set aside any lingering bitterness over last year's
> election campaign and regain the bipartisan image that made him so
> popular his first year in office.
>
> The vision Schwarzenegger laid out in the 23-minute speech proposed a
> bold program for rebuilding the state's aging freeways, bridges,
> schools, universities, court systems and levees. He also proposed
> building two new prisons and improving the state's air quality.
>
> The governor proposed spending $222.6 billion in public works
> improvements over 20 years, to be paid in part by $68 billion in new
> general obligation bonds. The bonds would go before voters in a series
> of elections between 2006 and 2014.
>
> The governor also pledged that his plan would ensure fiscal prudence
> for a state that grappled with multibillion dollar budget deficits
> before he took office in 2003. One aspect of his "Strategic Growth
> Plan" would constitutionally cap debt payments, limiting them to no
> more than 6 percent of the state's general fund revenue.
>
> Schwarzenegger said his plan is necessary to keep pace with
> California's expanding population, which is expected to hit 46 million
> people by 2025. The state has not embarked on such a massive series of
> public works projects since the 1960s.
>
> "We cannot spend more than we have, but at the same time cannot afford
> costly delays in investing in critical infrastructure," he said. "The
> reality is that we face more than $500 billion in infrastructure needs
> over the next 20 years."
>
> The address by California's 38th governor contrasted sharply with his
> speech a year ago. At that time, he threatened a special election if
> lawmakers didn't meet his demands on a variety of budget and government
> reforms.
>
> It was his first statewide speech since voters rejected all four of his
> ballot measures on Nov. 8. He acknowledged the defeat, showing flashes
> of his trademark humor.
>
> "And what a difference a year makes. A year ago, USC and I were No. 1.
> What happened?" he said in a reference to the University of Southern
> California's loss Wednesday night in the college football title game.
>
> He acknowledged turning a deaf ear to the majority of California
> voters, who told pollsters they didn't want a special election in 2005,
> but said he begins the new year "happy and hopeful and wiser."
>
> Throughout the speech, Schwarzenegger tried to reposition himself in
> the political center, a step that could be crucial for his re-election
> chances as a Republican running in a state where two-thirds of voters
> are registered as Democrats or independents.
>
> "I hope the members of the Legislature also heard the message that the
> people want us to work together," the governor said. "I have always
> felt that the people are my partners."
>
> His proposed budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year is expected to include
> $4.3 billion more for public schools and a freeze in university fees. A
> predicted $5.2 billion in extra, unanticipated tax revenue next fiscal
> year gives the governor a welcome boost.
>
> He also has proposed a $1-an-hour raise over two years in the state's
> minimum wage.
>
> Public opinion of Schwarzenegger soared after he won office during the
> 2003 recall of former Gov. Gray Davis, in part because his cooperative
> approach had wide political appeal. He took a partisan turn last year,
> angering labor unions, teachers and Democratic lawmakers with his
> proposed changes to the state budget process, pensions, legislative
> districts, union campaign fundraising and teacher pay and tenure.
>
> His popularity plunged, and voters ultimately rejected all four of the
> initiatives he placed on the special election ballot.
>
> Since then, the governor has reached out to Democrats ? the state's
> majority party ? in a variety of ways. A political strategy that
> strikes a conciliatory tone and focuses on issues important to
> California residents makes sense, said Thad Kousser, an assistant
> professor of political science at the University of California, San
> Diego.
>
> "What we're seeing is the first public attempt to do what
> Schwarzenegger has been doing privately for awhile ? that he's moving
> back into the middle," Kousser said. "(Voters) still believe he cares
> about the things they do. Schools, traffic, crime ? these are the
> issues that consume most people's lives."
>
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
> _______________________________________________
> sosfbay-discuss mailing list
> sosfbay-discuss at marla.cagreens.org
> http://marla.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss
>
>
Chinese Proverb:
"If you do not climb the mountain, you will not see the plain."

Andrea Dorey
408-306-1900 (cell phone, short messages please)