[Sosfbay-discuss] Your Poli-Sci Homework - Repubican Richard Riordan Op-Ed

[alexcathy at aol.com]

Dear Green Friends, 





Richard J. Riordan was the Republican mayor of Los Angeles from 1993 - 2001. He was elected in 1993 as the first Republican mayor in thirty years when Mayor Tom Bradley retired. It was a difficult time in L.A. The economy was recovering from a major recession and the 1992 Rodney King uprising.





In office Riordan streamlined certain business regulations and
established "one-stop" centers around the city for functions such as
permit applications. He appointed African-American Bernard Parks as
chief of the LAPD. He strongly supported subway and light rail
projects. Riordan spearheading the creation of neighborhood-based
councils and campaigned heavily for reform-oriented candidates for the
School Board. A wealthy venture capitalist,
Riordan put a lot of his own personal money into California schools,
nearly $50 million for new classroom furnishings, including computers.





The Op-Ed posted on California Geening in it's entirety, was published in Sunday's Los Angeles Times. Richard Riordan is generally considered "Too Liberal" for today's right-wing California GOP. I think Riordan is (unintentionally of course) making a case for independent (definitely not Republican) political action. I am thinking about submitting a "Blowback" column to the L.A. Times web site, but I don't want to shoot my mouth off without getting input from other Greens.  





Greens: this is your Political Science homework: Read this op-ed and post a critique on the California Greening blog at: 






http://cagreening.blogspot.com/





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>From the Los Angeles Times, Sunday, March 29, 2009


California's May Ballot
 Scam


by Richard Riordan





If you think Bernard Madoff is the swindler of the year, stop and consider Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature, the gang responsible for the ballot measures we'll be voting on in May.





Let's start with the misleading titles of their initiatives.





Take Proposition 1B. It's called "Education Funding. Payment Plan," but
all it really does is allow the Legislature to continue stealing money
from education with the promise that the state will kick in $9.3
billion to K-12 education and community colleges starting in 2011.





Or how about Proposition 1C, the "Lottery Modernization Act"? What this
measure does is allow the state to borrow against future lottery money
to fund this year's budget. It also promises to improve marketing of
the lottery to sell more tickets. But by its nature, the lottery places
a disproportionate burden on the poor, who are more likely to buy
tickets. It's hard to see how that's "modernization."





Then there's Proposition 1D, with its clunky and dishonest title:
"Protects Children's Services Funding. Helps Balance State Budget." How
does it "protect" children's services funding? By taking $1.6 billion
currently committed to children's health services and preschool and
throwing it into the budget maw.





. . .





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Pleas
e leave a comment. In the context of our struggle with the city-hating R
epublicans in Sacramento and Democratic Party Machine in Los Angeles,
I agree with a lot of what he says. I have my opinions about what is
right and what is wrong with this essay, but I want to know what you
thing. And please, no "Lefty" clichés. Don't write about "ending the war" and spending lots more money on "human needs" or overthrowing capitalism next week.  Please comment on specifics.  








URL: http://cagreening.blogspot.com/2009/03/poli-sci-homework-republican-richard.html 
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