Unfortunately, republican fiscal conservatism has again failed miserably. Somehow lowering tax revenues and increased spending just didn’t work out for California.
Arnold is now forced by the powers of reality to raise taxes by $13B to try to make a dent on the $42B budget deficit. Even Gray Davis could have seen this coming.
Basically, Arnold’s entire conservative platform has fallen apart and he has no friends from either side of the aisle left.
Reelection is out of the question, but fortunately for him he is rich, his kids attend private schools, he has multiple homes with no foreclosure issues, and a acting career job to return to.
Of course, I could see how you might genuinely consider him one…given your own position on the liberal/conservative continuum. Hell, you probably consider Sean Penn and Jane Fonda to be just a little off the reservation!
Somehow lowering tax revenues and increased spending just didn’t work out for California.
Rarely if ever does…and thus why the stimulus package is also doomed to failure. This of course is also not a “Fiscally conservative” approach…although only god knows what a “Republican” approach is anymore.
He terms out as govenor, so that is a given that he will not be returning…But I have a feeling that he may run for Senator. In his interview this week, it sure seemed like he was not ready to go back to hollywood. And I will vote for him if he does too. I don’t blame the powers to be for raising taxes, I’m just a bit miffed of which ones. I think it should have been all put into a 25 cent a gallon gas tax. That would have pretty much done the job, and I like the use tax on things that we should try and avoid. Gives incentive to move to things that we should be doing. There was just no way to cut 46 billion out of the budget alone. Talk about losing more jobs, that would have been a disaster…They did what they had to do, just not in the way I would have liked…Not looking foreward to my next truck registration bill, that’s for sure…
Didn’t he end up adopting an strong pro-environment policy in this last term? I remember being impressed with some things he did. I’ll have to scrounge up the detail.
I would vote for him again. He did his absolute best given the circumstances and I appreciate his effort. Unfortuntely, the people of CA voted down his bond intiatives and that was his solution. Once we voted that down, he was left with the same pile of shit as Gray Davis.
Unfortuntely, the people of CA voted down his bond intiatives and that was his solution. Once we voted that down, he was left with the same pile of shit as Gray Davis
One revenue initiative is lost and he no longer has any options? Like, hell I don’t know, maybe a reduction in spending?!
You’re right, he had the same pile of shit as Gray Davis…and he’s just as inept in managing it.
If somehow gay marriage could generate more revenue for Kalifornica, Arnold would push it through - only to be defeated by people who want to protect their morality and families.
One revenue initiative is lost and he no longer has any options?
Pretty much. Based on what he has to deal with in the legislature and the propositions we’ve voted in handcuffing them, it’s easy to talk about reducing expenses but trying to actually do that with the jokers he has to work with is another story. He was our best and last hope to pull the state together.
One revenue initiative is lost and he no longer has any options? Like, hell I don’t know, maybe a reduction in spending?!
He put up four initiatives and they involved reductions in spending, a plan for neutral redistricting (judicial panel), requiring written permission for political use of union dues and one other. No go to all of them. The unions spent over $100 million to defeat them. He then tried other things through the legislative/executive budget process and got nothing year after year until we ended up with the current monstrosity. Which, by the way, will have to be revised and extended before the end of the fiscal year. (One of the dirty little secrets that has not been publicized heavily, I wonder why?) He also pissed off the Reps when he tried to make deals with the Dems. If nothing else, it is a cautionary tale about what happens when the Dems get the bit between their teeth.
Yeah, pretty much the way I see it to. Has been that way for years. Not to many people are truly “Conservative” anymore and my guess is that if the Republican party went “Truly conservative” they never regain power…which is what politics is REALLY about.
Ahnold was the darling of the conservative movement and republican party. Did you not see his speeches at the last two republican conventions? He has been fully supported by the California and NRC machinery. But now that he’s in the shits he’s no longer a republican? Give me a break, he’s followed the Bush fiscal conservatism model to the T.
no, I missed his speech at the RNC last year…but, then again, so did Arnold. The headline below is from the LA Times. Also, do a quick search on Arnold Schwarzenegger and the republican party. He was a media darling of the Republican Party, because he was someone who was often at odds with the national Republican platform, and far more closely aligned to a moderate liberal one.
Arnold Schwarzenegger nixes GOP convention visit, due to pressing business
For what it’s worth, Schwarzenegger has had very little to do with the collapse of California. For starters, take into account that California has the most progressive tax-code in the US. The top 1% of earners pay 48% of the State’s income tax revenue. If that top 1% take a hit so far as income - which happens when the stock market craters - the state loses significant revenue. That gets more problematic when you realize that 49% of the State’s general fund comes from income tax. And, don’t forget that Schwarzenegger has also introduced tax increases of his own. At best he has been all over the place fiscally.
No, the biggest issue in this state is spending: it’s out of control and - more importantly - out of line with revenue. This is the fault of the spending habits in the state legislature - of which the Dems have strong majorities in both houses. And these are very liberal Democrats, to boot.
Arnold has little to do with the collapse of California? What has he and the republican party been doing the last 5 years or more except impeaching governors and claiming they have all te answers and solutions for fixing California? Was he and the republicans lying then, or are they lying now?
As far as being a conservative - if he walks and talks like a duck… I know, it must suck to support a party that has bankrupted not only California but America too.
