Posted on 06/14/2005 10:30:57 PM PDT by ambrose
Schwarzenegger college speech draws boos in Calif.
Wed Jun 15, 2005 12:41 AM ET
By Gina Keating and Jim Christie
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faced down booing, jeering protesters on Tuesday as he delivered a commencement address at his alma mater, where tuition has risen as a result of his budget cuts.
Only a handful of graduates and faculty stood and turned their backs to the stage, but spectators in the bleachers at Santa Monica Community College's stadium kept up a steady and distracting patter of chants and whistles as Schwarzenegger, dressed in a black robe, made his 20-minute speech.
Cheers and applause erupted midway through his remarks as a faculty member rose and held up a sign, referring to the cost of an upcoming special election, that read: "Honor your promise to our children ... $80 million buys a lot of books."
The noise caused Schwarzenegger to pause momentarily but he plowed through to the end, with a smile on his face and without acknowledging the jeers.
In a statement, the governor said he agreed to deliver the commencement address -- his first -- to underscore his plan to "protect and enhance" the budgets of state community colleges.
California's unions have unleashed an offensive against Schwarzenegger-backed measures that go before voters in a Nov. 8 special election that could dramatically alter the state's political landscape in his favor.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, is backing ballot measures to impose a state spending cap, raise tenure requirements for teachers and take the job of drawing lawmakers' districts from legislators.
California's labor movement, especially its influential teachers' union, has promised a fierce battle to defeat Schwarzenegger's measures. Already bitter that his proposed budget does not raise school spending as much as they want, teachers see his tenure measure as a threat to their job security.
A spending cap could restrain school budgets and new legislative districts could work against Democrats, potentially diminishing the clout of the California Teachers Association.
Earlier in the day, a couple of hundred protesters representing unions, students and a smattering of other causes gathered for an anti-Schwarzenegger rally outside the college.
Trevor Dilling, a student who wore a chicken costume, said he was insulted by the governor's decision to speak at the college, which caters to mainly low income and minority students.
"I really had to dedicate myself full time to school and little (tuition) increases like Arnold has against students are raising it so that it really hurts us," said Dilling.
Scum of the Earth - they're responsible for creating this mess, and now aim to block the needed reforms.
Lesson for the graduates: Nothing in life is free.
Isn't it great how a university education broadens the mind?
I'm beginning to think the teacher's union are more a terrorist organization in our state than anything else.
They need to be disbanded IMO, made to draw no more pay or benefits than can be found as the average wage in the private sector and NO MORE!
Such a state certainly isn't California, nor will it ever be.
Some pictures of the idiots protesting Arnold and another article:
Schwarzenegger relentlessly jeered at speech at alma mater
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/06/14/state/n212622D83.DTL
The idiots should be ashamed themselves.
You can tell how well Arnold is doing by the people he upsets. Go Arnold!
Perhaps it's time to acknowledge, that union teachers - working for the "state" can NOT provide a complete, unbiased, rational, affordable education...
Get the government out of "Public Schools"....
Give vouchers to parents and let them go to PRIVATE SCHOOLS... just like the public school teacher's children..
Semper Fi
PLEASE.
"A cesspool of a state doesn't deserve a governor like Arnold. He should leave and become the governor of a state that actually doesn't whine incessantly whenever necessary reform is undertaken.
"Such a state certainly isn't California, nor will it ever be."
CA is a substantial part of the US economy.
The loss to the US would be significant.
Public employees should not be allowed to unionize. They work in direct opposition to the taxpayer and at times liberty.
After Action Report Schwarzenegger at Santa Monica City College
6/14/05 | n/a
Posted on 06/14/2005 9:30:07 PM PDT by absalom01
I'm posting this at RonDog's request, and to give a quick update on a successful FReep at SaMo City College -- the gang is still "networking" at the after-party, so photos should follow!
Kudos to RonDog for organizing 20+ FReepers, plus some outstanding SaMo College Republicans who met at the corner of 16th and Pico in support of Governor Ahhnold, and to help counter the cancer from A.N.S.W.E.R. We had tons of media exposure -- all of the local TV stations, radio, and print outlets were there, and many interviewed folks from our side...
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
It might well be more accurate to ask (and, yes, I did get your sarcasm), ''Isn't it great how a university ''education'' brainwashes the mind?''
We could easily add, "extinguishes the power of independent thought"...
This jerk complains about the cost of tuition but has the spare shekels for a chicken costume. Why am I a bit skeptical?
My sarcasm got away from me.
I was 13 years old when I last visited California, and I'm now 53.
It was 40 years ago, but it's one of the fondest memories I have...a summer in Malibu in the '60's. What more can you ask for?
What I recall of California first-hand, I love.
But in those-all-too-fleeting years that have gone by, the whole damn state seems to have gone in the tank.
If you're a native Californian, please don't take my criticisms personally.
It just troubles me what's happened to a formerly "Golden State."
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