Free Republic

"There is such excitement in this town, with millions coming in," gushed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was accepting an arts award Monday from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "All these people coming in to see me get this award, it makes me ecstatic," the governor joked to the mayors at the Capitol Hilton, with inaugural crowds filling the streets outside. Schwarzenegger was given the award for public leadership in the arts because of his support for art and music programs in the schools — programs that face cuts because of the state's budget crisis. The governor talked about the painting,...

SACRAMENTO -- Democratic leaders of the state Legislature, deadlocked with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over how to solve California's growing fiscal crisis, sent the governor their $18 billion budget package today despite his vow to veto the bills. Schwarzenegger followed through with his promise, immediately rejecting the bills and sending the Legislature back to square one with the state bleeding revenue and expected to run short of cash to pay its bills as early as next month."It was wishful thinking on (the Democrats') part," said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger. "The governor said three weeks ago that he would veto...

REPORTING FROM SACRAMENTO -- Two public employee unions today sued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to block his effort to furlough state workers to cut costs as California's treasury runs out of money. Last week, Schwarzenegger issued an executive order to require that all state employees take two unpaid days off each month starting in February. The governor said the measure is needed to conserve cash, with the state budget gap estimated to reach $42 billion a year and a half from now.

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS FROSTY THE SNOWMAN LET IT SNOW I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS OBAMA'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS UP ON THE HOUSETOP SILVER BELLS RUDOLPH BARNEY FRANK - DANCE OF THE SUGAR PLUM FAERIE WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS LITTLE DRUMMER BOY AL GORE'S GLOBAL WARMING WONDERLAND DECK THE HALLS FELIZ NAVIDAD - The Police Nailed Rod PARADE OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT LEGISLATURE IS THE NUTCRACKER

Governor just announced -- HE WILL NOT SIGN THE ILLEGAL TAX INCREASE BY CALIF DEMS!

And just when you thought the budget saga couldn't get any more bizarre. If this were the Olympics and even if you hated it, you'd have to score some style points on the acrobatic budget maneuver unveiled this afternoon. Democrats, frustrated with GOP refusals to vote for any tax increase to erase any part of the state's fiscal problems, have now decided to push forward a budget plan that includes $9.3 billion worth of new revenues... revenues they say don't require a single Republican vote. Fasten your seatbelt. Here goes: Democrats say the plan (which legislative attorneys have reportedly vetted)...

With the support of former President Bill Clinton and joined by elected officials from across California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today launched Bank on California, making California the first state in the nation to launch a program designed to help Californians without checking or savings accounts open starter accounts. With the goal of opening 100,000 bank accounts over the next two years, the Governor has partnered with city mayors, community groups, Bank of America and other financial institutions, the FDIC, and federal and state regulatory agencies to put this innovative plan into action - bringing California's unbanked the opportunity to gain...

The black soot that big rig trucks belch from their chugging diesel engines may soon become a thing of the past. In one of the more far-reaching smog regulations that California has ever proposed, state air regulators are considering a first-in-the-nation plan that would require nearly every privately owned, heavy diesel truck in the state to install a filter that would reduce emissions of soot from their rigs by 85 percent. The new regulation would affect 1 million truckers, half of them registered out of state who regularly drive on California freeways. If approved by the California Air Resources Board...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California's utilities, refineries and large factories must transform their operations to cut greenhouse gas emissions as part of a new climate plan before state regulators. On Thursday, the California Air Resources Board was expected to adopt what would be the nation's most sweeping global warming plan, outlining for the first time how individuals and businesses would meet a landmark 2006 law that made the state a leader on global climate change. It would hold California's worst polluters accountable for the heat-trapping emissions they produce _ transforming how people travel, utilities generate power and businesses use electricity. At...

(12-01) 16:38 PST Sacramento, CA (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency on Monday and called lawmakers into a special budget session, warning that California was in danger of running out of daily operating cash within two months. The special session will force the new Legislature to get to work immediately and figure out a way to solve the $11.2 billion budget deficit in the current fiscal year. The governor's declaration came just days after a previous special session with the outgoing class of lawmakers failed to produce a compromise. Unless budget corrections are made quickly, the state...

At the recent Republican Governors Conference in Florida, one superstar (Sarah Palin of Alaska) was center stage, while another (Arnold Schwarzenkennedy of Caleefornia) was conspicuous by his absence. Fresh off her rollercoaster ride as the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, Governor Palin gave a speech that was simultaneously humorous and serious, confident yet self-deprecating. Unshackled from the nitwits who ran the disorganized John McCain for President Campaign, she was relaxed and back in her element. She spoke of the states as a proving ground for the future leadership of the nation, and of the governors as the alternative to Washington's...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opened his international climate change summit on Tuesday by upstaging himself with an even bigger political star — President-elect Barack Obama. Schwarzenegger, a Republican whose efforts to combat global warming in California have generated worldwide acclaim, wants to show that governments can balance environmental protection and economic growth.

When the state legislature twice handed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill to legalize marriage equality in California, Schwarzenegger vetoed it both times, saying that it was an issue for the courts to sort out. Now, following voter approval of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that revokes the right for gay and lesbian families to marry, Schwarzenegger is repeating that sentiment. The governor went on the news program This Week With George Stephanopoulos to say that he opposes the new amendment, but he believes that the state’s Supreme Court--which found state laws barring same-sex families from marriage to be unconstitutional last...

THE REIGN OF LAME FALLS MAINLY ON MCCAINLast night was truly a historic occasion: For only the second time in her adult life, Michelle Obama was proud of her country! The big loser of this election is Colin Powell, whose last-minute endorsement of Obama put the Illinois senator over the top. Powell was probably at home last night, yelling at his TV, "Are you KIDDING me? That endorsement was sarcastic!" The winner, of course, is Obama, who must be excited because now he can start hanging out in public with Bill Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Wright again. John McCain is...

PHILADELPHIA -- Seventeen-term Congressman John Murtha has won re-election in southwestern Pennsylvania. With over half the vote in, he has 58 percent of the vote. Centre County GOP chairman Glenn Thompson has won the state's only open congressional seat. In northwestern Pennsylvania, seven-term Republican Rep. Phil English is trailing Democratic political newcomer Kathy Dahlkemper. She has nearly 53 percent of the vote.

Arnie is back in Ohio. Watch him rip into Obama.

Campaign Calendar "I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I'm an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me." - John McCain Use this calendar to find the latest events for McCain-Palin 2008. 10/28/2008 7:00:00 AM - Hershey , PA Road to Victory Rally in Hershey, PA Please join...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says California's budget shortfall has surpassed $3 billion and must be dealt with during a special legislative session right after the election. . . . He said he would call the session on Nov. 5. Legislative leaders said lawmakers would convene within a few days after the governor issues his proclamation.

Hello, I'm Arnold. I teach history - and a bit of das future too, as I view things.. In ze 20th century, America was big. Ja. But not as big and important as you "yanks" seem zu think. SHUT UP!! By now, wir find our selbst in ein totally different world. GM, Ford and America are bancrupt and every sane person today putsch their trust in ze €uro and God bless my grandmutter's überundunterundschwishendieheimatpatriotischen unterwear für that, like I use to say! Ze reason we Europeans decided to break your financial backbone, namely ze dollar (monopoly money manufactured by illegal...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (L) and Warren Buffett (R), CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, pose on stage with moderator Chris Matthews of MSNBC after taking part in a conversation on leadership and the economy at The Women's Conference 2008 in Long Beach, California October 22, 2008. The conference, hosted by California's First Lady Maria Shriver, has some 14,000 women in attendance. Cherie Blair, left, human rights advocate and wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, center, and Cecilia Maria Attias, Chief Executive Officer, The Experience Corp., are seen at The Women's Conference,Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008,...

Maybe arnold will campaign in ohio and pa He lived under socialist govt-he could give mccain a big boost He must see it in obama Send mccain campaign e-mail

"Arnold has lost his mind." That's what one long-time GOP budget aide in California told me in response to news that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto the state budget. Everyone is confused by this latest action, because just a few weeks ago the governor was running around the state insisting on a tax increase to balance the budget. Now that conservative Republicans have won a major victory in forcing the majority Democrats to pass a no-tax-increase version, Arnold seethes that he wants a budget that puts "our fiscal house in order, and I promise the people of California that I...

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Six Mexican border states pledged on Friday to strengthen cooperation with California in fighting climate change and increase green investment through Public Private Partnerships. As part of the cooperation, the six Mexican border states -- Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas -- and California have joined together with Pacific Gas& Electric (PG&E) and the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR)in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to combat climate change, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said at an annual U.S-Mexican Border Governors Conference being held in Hollywood, Los Angeles. California and the Mexican border...

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed during private budget negotiations over the weekend to close the state's $15.2-billion deficit with a temporary one-cent hike in the state sales tax, to take effect immediately, according to Democratic and Republican legislative sources. The proposal, floated in meetings with legislative leaders and their staff, hinges on lawmakers agreeing to spending restraints to control the growth of government and give governors authority to cut programs whenever the state falls into the red. Lawmakers and staffers close to budget negotiations said the governor, who has repeatedly vowed never to raise taxes, would not support the...

In a bizarre effort to balance California's budget, state officials listed San Diego on EBay yesterday. Gov. Schwarzenegger said he was initially reluctant to authorize the sale, but decided "nobody will really miss the city anyway. It's not like the Padres or Chargers have ever won a World Series or Super Bowl." Although San Diego is the nation's eighth-largest city, it has often endured second-class treatment in its home state. The Los Angeles Times, for example, regularly refers to "Southern California" as a region that doesn't extend below Orange County. Even the Border Patrol has essentially written off the city,...

California going bankrupt over taxpayer dollars funneled to illegal aliens WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) today sent a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) asking him to look into the vast amounts of money spent on services for illegal aliens in California, despite the serious budget concerns the state is facing. A copy of the letter is below: Dear Governor: According to many news reports and statements from your office, the State of California is facing an unprecedented budget crisis. The available data suggests that California could save several billion dollars by reducing the amounts spent providing...

This Governor is in the habit of rolling out Judicial appointments in big batches. Until this week, his last batch of new Judges was announced back in May -- twenty of them. I have made no bones about that fact that it is galling to me that the Governor, who was elected with all of the support of the Republican Party, loves to appoint registrants of the party of Barack Obama to the bench. In that May batch, it was 9 Republicans and 8 Democrats. It is a very sad situation for GOP donors and activists that we have to...

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., spoke out against President Bush this morning attacking his administration for its failure to counter global warming emissions. "This administration did not believe in global warming," Schwarzenegger told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that will air Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "They just didn't believe in it or they didn't believe that they should do anything about it, since China is not doing anything about it and since India is not willing to do the same thing, so why should we do the same thing?" Schwarzenegger said. "We...

An influential Republican donor with ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pressuring the California GOP to overhaul its operations, depicting Chairman Ron Nehring as an ineffective, insular manager apparently more concerned with promoting conservative purity than electing Republicans.In a four-page letter to Nehring obtained by The Associated Press, Larry Dodge outlines a litany of complaints against the state party, from sinking registration numbers to suspect expenditures by party officers. More troubling for the state party, Dodge, the American Sterling Co. chief executive strongly hints in the letter that he may withhold a $3 million check he was planning to write...

Per Drudge:

The president was traveling today. He will visit California, Nevada, Colorado and Nevada for the next two days, After arriving in California, President Bush spoke on trade and the economy following a tour of the Robinson Helicopter Company in Torrance, California. President Bush pointed Wednesday to a startling slowdown in US growth as he urged passage of a stimulus package and free trade pacts with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. First Lady Laura Bush visited kindergarten students at the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008 where she spoke about education. Enjoy your visit to Sanity...

Bill Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger join forces to offer "Beyond Payday Loans". The two promote plans to help the "unbanked" (those without checking accounts), and in so doing completely mislead about the seemy underbelly of their proposals: the San Francisco program they mention is designed in large part to give banking services to illegal aliens. They don't even hint at that in the article, nor do they mention that the FDIC is trying to help banks profit from money that was earned illegally. Instead of fighting against such government corruption, Bill Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger are promoting it. Please contact...

EVEN people who try to avoid all the boring news in the world likely couldn't ignore Gov. Arnold's pronouncement the other day about "the wolf" being back in town. Only, instead of eating people and livestock, this wolf will be closing parks, slipping criminals out of jail and cutting welfare for poor people and medical benefits for old people. Talk about animals gone wild. The wolf, of course, is the metaphor that Schwarzenegger used to describe the state's current money mess, so that it seems like creating a $14.5 billion deficit was some sort of act of nature and not...

Just before the Michigan Primary this week, I (Matt Romney) decided to take a some pressure off my dad with a little comic relief. Those that know him recognize that he loves a good practical joke. I tried to figure out when he'd be breaking for food so I could videotape the call. Have a look:Click here for video.

FOR many years, whenever a congressman suggested trimming the National Parks Service budget, the bureaucracy would immediately propose closing the Washington Monument. Visions of angry tourists consoling broken-hearted children quickly vanquished the ardor of the most committed budget watchdogs. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is obviously employing that strategy when he proposes releasing 22,000 dangerous felons - including burglars, identity thieves and embezzlers - onto California streets and closing some of the most popular beaches in California, all in the name of "across-the-board" cuts. "Across-the-board" cuts are the most stupid conceivable way to make budget reductions, because they treat the highest of...

Reflecting on four years as the state's chief executive, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that he now regrets a number of the policies he championed in his early days in office and acknowledges his own rhetoric was at times overheated and naive. During an unusually self-reflective interview with Times editors and reporters, the governor no longer talked like the outsider he portrayed when he campaigned to recall his predecessor from office in 2003. In that campaign, he labeled many state legislators as inept. Now, he spoke of how it would be a "disaster" for term limits to force some of...

A Message From Governor Schwarzenegger As you know, the state is facing a tough budget situation. Yesterday I presented a budget plan that includes 10 percent across the board reductions because we are facing a $14 billion deficit. The problem is not one of revenue, it is one of spending. While revenues are flat, automatic formulas are increasing spending by 7.3 percent. Even a booming economy can't meet that kind of increase. Tax increases are not the solution to this problem, fundamental reform to California's budget process is. California has long had a dysfunctional budget structure. It is an issue...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal yesterday for a $141 billion state budget with deep cuts was met with fear that 100,000 teachers may lose their jobs and suspicion that it's a ploy to get budget reform. Schwarzenegger insisted tax increases would not be part of the mix, reminding reporters that he pledged not to raise taxes when he took office in 2004. “I'm going to keep my promise,” he said. “I will not raise taxes on the people of California because they are already paying enough taxes.” The Republican governor's proposal for a 10 percent across-the-board cut to help...

Nine state parks in the Bay Area - including one that is the largest in Northern California - would be closed under the budget proposed today by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The parks, which would not close until the governor and Legislature agree on a spending plan sometime later this year, would be off-limits until the state's financial situation improves, officials said. Money will be spent for patrols to keep people out of the closed parks, officials said. Statewide, the governor has proposed closing 48 sites. For a map of all the parks picked for closure, go to links.sfgate.com/ZCAR. The Bay...

GEORGE SKELTON: CAPITOL JOURNAL Taking off the budget blinders, finally January 10, 2008 SACRAMENTO — Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock recalls a meeting with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger one year ago. The veteran Thousand Oaks lawmaker tried to warn the governor that he was traipsing down the same deficit trail as his recalled predecessor. In fact, McClintock cautioned, Schwarzenegger's path was even more risky than that of Gray Davis. McClintock showed the governor a chart he had drawn. It illustrated that spending under Davis had increased an average of 7% a year. Under Schwarzenegger, it was climbing at a 10% rate....

Good morning. Disinclined as I am to wade into state politics, this one is teed up like a Titleist: The governor's proposed "surcharge" on property insurance premiums is more accurately described as a tax increase. That doesn't make it a bad thing. That makes it a tax increase. ...[snip]

LONG BEACH - Days after port authorities approved a $35 environmental fee on containers shipped through Southern California's harbors, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that he would support a similar fee at the state level. Schwarzenegger, who previously said container fees would hurt the economy, now considers them an option to help fund trade-related infrastructure and environmental programs. "I think fees are good; we just have to work it out with the various stakeholders," Schwarzenegger said during a visit with U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. "It's extremely important that we find a way to create economic development and increase...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez are probably still in the Governor's cigar tent this morning, puffing away on stogies to celebrate the Assembly's 45-31 vote yesterday in favor of their compromise health insurance “reform” bill. It was by far the pair's top goal for 2007. Schwarzenegger desperately wants another fix of national media attention after taking a yearlong victory lap for the state's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law in 2006. Núñez was deeply envious and wants his turn in the spotlight. The result of this desperation has been a farce masquerading as a public debate. No hearings...

It is easy to call yourself a supporter of economic freedom and the rule of law amidst a rapidly rising economy. Now with dark clouds of the recent rise in mortgage foreclosures—and more expected on the horizon—political expediency has eroded the support for free markets in some of its perceived champions. Even self-proclaimed devotees of the late Milton Friedman, President George W. Bush and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, sound more like critics than Friedman supporters. In the wake of a perceived mortgage crisis both have attempted to use the coercive power of government to solve the problem. Both plans center...

Despite all his tough talk about securing borders and immigration reform, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last month signed AB 976, making California the first state in the union to prohibit landlords from asking tenants about their immigration status. Talk about your dubious distinctions. Not a single Senate or Assembly Republican voted in support of the bill, but the governor -- never one to fret over party loyalties -- signed anyway. The governor's approval of the bill made Bakersfield Assemblywoman Jean Fuller so mad, she fired off a letter to The Californian's editorial page, blasting the bill for "making it easier for...

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may be struggling in overtime to get the Legislature to approve sweeping health and water plans, but he's on the cover of U.S. News and World Report this week as one of "America's best leaders" in 2007. He now has a sweep of the leading news weeklies this year after earlier appearances on the covers of Time and Newsweek. Each of the magazines has a different take on Schwarzenegger's achievements after four years in office. U.S. News put him on the cover as one of 18 leadership winners selected from a field of 200 by...

In hindsight, it's only fitting that Arnold Schwarzenegger swept into office by recalling Gray Davis. Because the way things are going these days, we find ourselves recalling Davis all the time. Davis, you might, er, recall, was given the boot for allowing California to run up a massive budget deficit. Under his watch, Sacramento locked itself into outrageous spending patterns based on the assumption that the dot-com boom would last forever. It didn't, Gray got dumped, and along came Arnold, who has proved to be little more than a Davis sequel. Although Schwarzenegger proposed strong spending restraints in 2005, they...

When California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills on Oct. 12 that essentially turn the state's public schools over to homosexual and transgender activists, there was virtually no media coverage outside California. There still isn't. Beginning in January 2008, California public schools must teach children as young as 3 to 5 years old that homosexuality is a normal, healthy lifestyle and that kids can choose their "gender." This means banning the terms "husband" and "wife" for the more progressively inclusive term "partner." "Moms" and "dads" will morph into sexually neutral "parents." Textbooks will be rewritten to blot out any reminder...

California on Thursday said it was suing the United States government to secure approval for the state's tough new proposals aimed at slashing vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. At a news conference in the state capital Sacramento, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Edmund Brown said the lawsuit had been filed over the failure of the US Environmental Protection Agency to greenlight California's standards. California passed legislation in 2002 requiring automakers to reduce vehicle emissions 30 percent by 2016. As many as 16 other US states have reportedly indicated they will adopt California's emissions levels. However, for the law to...

1. BILL CLINTON Former US president The 42nd president of the United States is now auditioning for the role of what his Scottish friends term “First Laddie”. Having been impeached for lying about his sexual misdeeds during the Lewinsky scandal, blamed by some for failing to kill Osama bin Laden and having left office in 2001 amid accusations of corruption in granting last-minute pardons, Clinton, 61, has made a remarkable comeback. Perhaps everything Hillary Clinton knows about politics, bar self-discipline, she has learnt from him. A peerless tactician, huge intellect and natural communicator, Bill Clinton was one of the great...