Source: Registered@aol.com
And, from www.badmovies.org/wavs:
Bestlife.wav (112k)
Warrior: "Conan! What is best in life?"
Conan: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you,
and to hear the lamentation of their women!"
Posted on 06/13/2005 6:45:15 PM PDT by RonDog
Schwarzenegger asks for voter help to push measures in special election In a 3 1/2-minute address from his stately Capitol office, adorned with busts of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, Republican Schwarzenegger said it's imperative to address the state's chronic over-spending now through a special election. He's also proposing education changes and the creation of more competitive legislative seats. It's time, Schwarzenegger said, for a change. And that change cannot wait. "I know some people say, "Arnold, why not wait until next year? Why have a special election now?' But how can we just stand around while our debt grows by billions and billions of dollars?" Schwarzenegger said during the first statewide address by a governor since Gray Davis made one in April, 2001, on the energy crisis. "That's why I say don't wait until next year, or the year after, because every year we're adding billions and billions of new debt." In formally kicking off the 2005 campaign, Schwarzenegger's usually flawless sense of timing faltered. His announcement came on the same day as Michael Jackson's acquittal -- a day when perhaps only political junkies would tune in. The governor is expected to have more chances to make his case this week, however. After the governor's speech, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez vented frustration at the governor's call for a special election, saying it doesn't help the state better fund schools, build more housing or ease traffic congestion. Education funding has been a key concern for Democrats -- a message Perata and Nunez underscored by making their remarks in front of a classroom scene with a colorful globe and a blackboard chalked with math problems. Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said Schwarzenegger is investing "everything in an election about nothing." Still, they said they want to negotiate bipartisan alternative measures to put on the ballot instead of the governor's triad. "Governor, if you're willing to strip away the partisanship and political games, and work with us, we'll meet you more than halfway," said Perata, D-Oakland. By calling a risky and expensive special election, Schwarzenegger is facing the most significant opposition of his 19-month term -- angry and well-funded unions, educators and Democrats who have driven down his popularity with a series of TV and radio ads. His decision to pursue the special election could result in huge losses or a commanding win. "A shut-out would be very hurtful" to the governor, said Claremont McKenna professor Jack Pitney, a former Republican policy analyst. "It would prevent him from regaining the momentum that has dwindled in recent months. He doesn't have to win everything, but it's important for him to come out of this with a notch or two on his belt." In November, voters will face three Schwarzenegger-sponsored initiatives. One would limit what the state can spend and give the governor sweeping new budgetary powers. Another would strip from legislators the power to draw their own districts and give it to a panel of judges. The third would lengthen the time it takes teachers to achieve tenure from two to five years. Also certain to appear on the ballot are a proposition that would require public employee unions to get written permission from members each year to use a portion of dues for political purposes and one that would require parents to be notified before minors obtain abortions. Other initiatives, including two sponsored by the governor's opponents, have until June 30 to make the ballot. Original estimates of the special election's costs were $80 million. Last week, the Secretary of State said the new costs to cities and counties would only be about $45 million, because many of them were already holding local elections.
KNIGHT RIDDER SACRAMENTO BUREAU
SACRAMENTO - Trying to rekindle the spirit of the 2003 recall election, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger went on television statewide Monday to call a rare special election Nov. 8 and ask voters to once again help him at the ballot box.
Schwarzenegger ready to do battle in special election
["summer from hell" officially begins Monday]
Posted by RonDog
On News/Activism 06/11/2005 3:34:57 PM PDT · 67 replies · 694+ views
www.sacbee.com ^ | June 11, 2005 | Gary Delsohn -- Bee Capitol Bureau
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
I think it's great that someone born in a foreign country seems to have a greater grasp on what democracy is really all about. Now if we can only keep the courts out of the business of overriding the peoples decisions.
The vote 'ain't goin' to help the California mess.
If the Democrat state legislatures have problems with him, and all the unions, including the teacher's association has problems.... he's doing something right as far as I am concerned.
And the great news that the California Democrat party is spending millions against Arnold is more than one can hope as they throw their money away down an unproductive dark hole.
Schwarzenegger Calls a Special Election to Reform California
Posted by calcowgirl
On News/Activism 06/13/2005 6:48:18 PM PDT · 4+ views
Governor's Office ^ | June 13, 2005
Schwarzenegger asks for voter help to push measures in special election
Posted by RonDog
On News/Activism 06/13/2005 6:45:15 PM PDT · 4 replies · 8+ views
www.centredaily.com ^ | jUNE 13, 2005 | Kate Folmar, KNIGHT RIDDER SACRAMENTO BUREAU
The full text of the special election proclamation is below.
SPECIAL ELECTION PROCLAMATION
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
I, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of the State of California, pursuant to Article II, Section 8(c) of the California Constitution, and Section 12000 of the Elections Code, do hereby proclaim and order that a statewide special election shall be held on the 8th day of November, 2005, to submit to the voters the following qualified initiative measures:
1067. Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Waiting Period and Parental Notification. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
1084. Public Employee Union Dues. Required Employee Consent for Political Contributions. Initiative Statute.
1088. Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. Dismissal. Initiative Statute.
1072. Reapportionment. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
1131. School Funding. State Spending. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
The following initiative measures are currently before the Secretary of State pending the verification of petition signatures. A number of these measures may qualify for the special election to be held November 8, 2005:
1106. Prescription Drug Discounts. State-Negotiated Rebates. Initiative Statute.
1114. Electric Service Providers. Regulation. Initiative Statute.
1129. Prescription Drugs. Discounts. Initiative Statute.
I believe the prompt consideration of Measure 1131. State Spending, by the voters is vital to the ability of the people to control their destiny and decide matters of immediate importance to California’s future.
Although steadily improving, California’s budget is still in crisis. To solve the State budget's continuing structural deficit, we must consider reform of the way the government spends its money. Measure 1131. State Spending, will allow voters to consider a new approach to state spending that overrides automatic formulas.
The funds necessary to pay the claims of local agencies arising from their costs incurred to conduct the special statewide election shall be included in the State Budget for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, or in an earlier enacted claims bill.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 13th day of June, 2005.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
Source: Registered@aol.com
And, from www.badmovies.org/wavs:
Warrior: "Conan! What is best in life?"
Conan: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you,
and to hear the lamentation of their women!"
Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said Schwarzenegger is investing "everything in an election about nothing."
"OK kids, repeat after me- billions and billions of dollars equals nothing">
Key dates
2005 special electionMonday: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to call a special election for Nov. 8.
June 30: Last day for initiatives to qualify for a Nov. 8 election. Five have qualified; three are pending.
July 18: Propositions numbered.
Aug. 15: Ballot pamphlet printed.
Nov. 8: Election Day
Source: Secretary of State
Governor makes full use of ballot box
Contra Costa Times ^ | Jun. 08, 2005 | Kate Folmar and Andrew LaMar
Posted on 06/08/2005 7:51:04 PM PDT by calcowgirl
SACRAMENTO - No one uses California's initiative process quite like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who swept into office through the recall election and promptly embarked on a perpetual ballot box campaign.
Born nearly a century ago as a populist tool to break the railroad industry's grip on the Legislature, initiatives have morphed into a billion-dollar industry over the past decade.
Since 2003, Schwarzenegger has relied on ballot measures to burnish his bipartisan sheen while campaigning with Democrats on bond and balanced budget measures, pushed an initiative to cajole lawmakers into rewriting the rules governing workers' compensation, and helped defeat gambling initiatives, among others.
Within days, the Republican governor who fancies himself as the voice of the people is expected to decide whether to call a special election for this fall. At stake are how the state controls spending, draws the political map, grants tenure to public school teachers and allows public employees to pool union dues for political purposes...
...Rather than work through a Legislature controlled by an opposing party, Schwarzenegger turns to the ballot box again and again.
"This is completely unprecedented. This is a governor using the initiative as his primary instrument of lawmaking," said Jim Shultz, a veteran of several initiative campaigns and author of "The Initiative Cookbook..."
...Although initiatives date back almost a century to Gov. Hiram Johnson's day, Shultz said they were widely regarded as an "amusing sideshow of California politics" until Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 measure that limited property taxes and reinvigorated interest in direct democracy...
...Schwarzenegger is uniquely poised to govern by initiative. He's a natural salesman who recites catchy campaign slogans with a trust-me grin. Even as protesters dog his events and rally against him, Schwarzenegger dominates a room. And crowds still flock to see him.
With his popularity sliding, it's hard to predict whether Schwarzenegger's campaign appearances will be as effective this time around, if he calls a special election. But they always make good television -- and frequently persuade voters.
To promote his views, the governor has toured the state in a customized bus and dubbed voters his "powerlifters for progress." He has hopped into an olive green Humvee bearing the fake license plate "Reform 1." He has dragged Radio Flyer wagons full of initiative petitions to elections officials.
In the last election, Schwarzenegger had no success persuading voters to elect more Republicans. But voters agreed with him on 11 of 14 ballot measure picks.
Politicians have used initiatives before to frame issues or help their campaigns. But no one has used them with the effectiveness that Schwarzenegger has. Or to the same extent. It's "a difference of degree," said Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, who worked with Schwarzenegger on last year's successful campaign to pass a bond-and-balanced-budget package, propositions 57 and 58.
"He is able to raise money in very large amounts," Sragow said. "He is able to attract very capable political talent. And he is able to get press coverage whenever he wants. It's a function of who he was before he became governor."
Rob Stutzman, Schwarzenegger's communications director, said the governor likes turning to the ballot, for obvious reasons.
"He has an advantage that past governors just haven't had, which is, frankly, celebrity," Stutzman said. "Also, the unique way in which he came to office has kept people interested in this governor."
The political play, though, is driven by more than personality. It reflects a fundamental shift in the state capital's dynamics. Some experts say an initiative limiting legislative terms helped usher in the new era.
The Legislature today is more partisan and, some contend, less effective than it was decades ago, when it was held up as a national model for good government...
...Whatever the cause, it's an only-in-California story, said one national expert.
Larry Sabato tracks political trends and watches legislative races as the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. It's a "special set of circumstances," he said, to have a Republican governor with such a high profile in a state populated by Democratic voters and legislators.
Even before the present standoff, California tended to turn to the initiative and referendum process more than any other state. But with Schwarzenegger, that tendency has "gotten completely out of hand," Sabato said.
To be sure, initiatives today are big business. Of the 16 states that regularly vote on initiatives, California is the most active, Sabato said.
California has "perfected it," he said. "It's an art form there. There are a lot of jobs and many fortunes riding on California's initiative process."
Between 2001 and 2004, for instance, 160 measures received a ballot title and summary from the attorney general, a necessary step before collecting voter signatures. If the trend holds, more initiatives will grace this decade than any before it.
"Ballot initiatives have become the parallel Legislature," McCuan said. "That's where all groups run -- good groups, bad groups, all groups. The outside, parallel game is where it's at."
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
Direct democracy coming to a neighborhood near you. A dangerous sign, IMO.
Arnie, you've got my vote.
"And the great news that the California Democrat party is spending millions against Arnold is more than one can hope as they throw their money away down an unproductive dark hole."
I just want to stick it in the eye of our communist legislature, but if there are national implications that might work to republican advantage, so be it.
And why was calcowgirl the only one to bring this point up on a "conservative" opinion site?
While that's important to keep in mind, there are two measures that have qualified that would be very important from a small-r republican perspective.
First is the "paycheck protection" measure. This would be a severe blow to the radical left, by requiring every union member to "opt-in" to having their dues spent on political campaigns.
Second is redistricting. One reason that there was no change in party representation is that the current districts were designed to be "safe" for the incumbents. The result is that we get some excellent Republicans like Tom McClintock and Dennis Mountjoy, but also a lot more radial leftists like, well, just about all of the Dems.
Pass those, and we have a fighting chance.
I will vote for paycheck protection.
Re: redistricting, it is questionable when this can even be implemented in the near term. According to the Secretary of State, the dates outlined in the law are not doable. So this measure is certainly no reason to rush a special election. And why enact a law that is already determined to be not feasible? Also, I have a problem handing this process over to a bunch of unelected (specially selected) judges. (Have you seen what Cali judges do lately?) There are better ways to solve the gerrymandering. Firming up the district guidelines outlined in the law would be an easier and better alternative, IMO.
My biggest opposition is to the supposed spending reform measure which also authorizes more bonds and debt. Arnold said he would "cut up the credit cards" and instead is masking this initiative to bury another $10 Billion in borrowing.
"...and we are thus moving into a phase of more direct democracy that our Founding Fathers dreaded?"
I think that they would have dreaded the unchecked, gerrymandered union/democrat tyranny that we have going on in this state more. Washington warned us about political parties putting their own interests over that of the country (or state) as a whole in his farewell address. If that isn't happening in California, then it doesn't exist.
"...whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it..."
The people are simply exercizing their unalianable their, and if that makes the politicians queasy, all the better. Every last one of them should fear the people.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.