Posted on 09/26/2005 1:24:26 PM PDT by calcowgirl
Elementary schools start with the fundamentals, the building blocks, the three R's: reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic. The California Comeback starts with its fundamentals, its building blocks, too. They are a different three R's: recovery, reform, rebuild.
When I took office 22 months ago, I had no illusions about how difficult the job would be, no illusions about what it would take to turn around a state $22 billion in debt. But in that time, we have accomplished the first R - recovery. We saved the state from bankruptcy, increasing state revenues $6 billion without raising taxes. We rolled back the unfair car tax increase, reduced workers' compensation insurance premiums 30 percent, created a positive business environment and brought huge numbers of jobs back to the state - more than 400,000.
You put your full faith and trust in me when you sent me to Sacramento to fix a broken political system. I was - and remain - determined to reach your goal. I knew there would be challenges, but I believed I could get Democrats and Republicans to work together. Initially, we did. We got a lot done, and we did it quickly.
I am proud of the economic recovery, just as I am proud of our other accomplishments: supporting stem cell research, victims' rights, the three-strikes law and environmental initiatives such as the hydrogen highway. I'm proud I set aside more land for public parks than any governor in California's history.
I also know that while meeting those challenges, I made some mistakes and learned many vital lessons along the way that make me a better governor.
I've learned that it is a good idea as governor to listen more and talk less, especially lines best left for "Saturday Night Live." ...
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Thanks for the link, bookmarked for later.
"imo,, aRnold has already had his major impact and it was in environmental appointments he has made to state agencies within the bureaucracy, his open support of envirowackos and land grabbers and his wobbly approach to social issues."
I take it you don't like him. I think he was exactly what was needed at the time, and if he's not totally destroyed by the liberal/media axis, and by attacks from the right, he might actually help accomplish what most of here hope for -- more R's in Sacramento
As a former resident of your "people's republicofdavis," I wanna correct your statement!
What most here hope for -- more 3-C's in Sacramento!!! (3-C's standing for Consistent, Considerate Conservatives!)
As I understand it... This is NOT just a Republican Website!!! (It ain't no Liberaltarian site, neither!)
1) I am also a former resident
2) It was not mine
3) Was the emphasis on People's directed at me? As if I was infected with the insanity that prevails in Davis?
4) I don't believe my statement needs correcting. If you had a vote here I believe a majority would vote yes to the question of whether we would prefer more R's in Sacramento. I believe a vote on whether we need more conservatives would also get a yes vote.
You are correct that this is not just a Republican website. Seems to be the prevailing view, though.
Dang, you sure are smart one.. lol
I love this place (FR and California politics). It is never boring to say the least, but it is oh so predictable.
Is it wrong to question your 'duly' elected officials and their actions? even when they profess things not in evidence from many of his actions so far.
I'm not here to slap ya on the back like many politicos, I'm here to slap ya so ya can spit up the cigar ya swallowed , hot coal and all.
At least you didnt use the hate word on me.. maybe new talking points are out. and 'bout damn time too. lol
I think what has been delivered is not what was advertised, altho, come to think of it, he gave enough vague answers at debates he actually showed up at,, but not even that stopped folks from jumping in his lap (which is a whole other issue) hoping for a trifecta in the Trojan Horse Classic at the StinklyMento Faorgrounds races. ;-)
Some of the fine folks that pop in and out of this site from time to time view anything contrary to a pragmatic Repub political analysis from an Al Davis perspective as irrelevant and immaterial.
They are totally put-off by idealogical conservative statements of principle toward the proper role of government, the governed and the ying-yangs doin the governin!!!
"Jist git us more danged "R's" in govermint, no matter if'n they be's RINO's or just plain flakes... git 'em in there, dadgummit!!!"
"I love this place (FR and California politics)."
Me too.
"Is it wrong to question your 'duly' elected officials and their actions"
No
"At least you didnt use the hate word on me.."
Nor would I, I don't generally engage in some of the more over-heated rhetoric that some do.
"maybe new talking points are out. and 'bout damn time too. lol"
I'm not really on the mailing list of talking points.
"I think what has been delivered is not what was advertised"
It's been close enough for me, about what I expected.
"Some of the fine folks that pop in and out of this site from time to time view anything contrary to a pragmatic Repub political analysis from an Al Davis perspective as irrelevant and immaterial."
I'm not sure I really understand that. But I will say that I am a pragmatist. And I think that, wishful thinking aside, the likelihood of a conservative California government that would satisfy those here is virtually nil.
But because of Arnold there is movement to the right. I think that because of Arnold, Tom McClintock would now have a chance to win a Governor's race that he would not have before (yes I don't think Tom would have won the recall race absent Arnold and no I don't want to argue it again!)
Arnold victories, particularly in the upcoming election, help move the state to the right. I'm down with that.
because of Arnold there is movement to the right
prove it. lol
certainly not based on his appointments and open support of spend spend spend for more social programs.
what movement is token, imo.
You're contradicting yourself. You ask me to prove there is movement and then you concede there is some, though token.
Here are some things off the top of my head that constitute a move to the right:
1) Repeal of car tax
2) Repeal of illegal's driver's licences
3) The brakes have been put on what surely would have been many of the Legislature's nuttiest ideas.
4) The assumed veto of gay marriage.
5) Workers' comp reform
6) The efforts to make a more business-friendly environment and general rejection of the wishes of labor.
There are more but I don't have a lot of time. I expect you will denigrate them. But to me they certainly demonstrate a rightward movement over what would have occurred had Davis remained.
Thanks for replying. and you said you don't get the talking points,, lol
You seem to confuse conservatism with his tendencies and actions, imo, which again, lend a lot of lip service to the issues at hand and are far from resolved issues and will come back to bite us again and again, imo.
I haven't sat down yet to read thru all the bills vetoed by the Gub, he still 500 plus on his desk awaiting his thorough review thereof,, so far he has signed 350 of 400 submitted to him..
I dare say, he has kaboshed all the silliness submitted to him , right?
You make assumptions and then take the high ground, without thought to the rising debt and you trust, oh do you trust.
Have a good one.
"and you said you don't get the talking points,, lol"
I don't. These are all thoughts I had in my own brain. Do you think me not capable of formulating my own thoughts based on fairly easy observation of the political scene? Perhaps I would impress you more if I used "lol" more often.
He has not been perfect. I admit it. No one is. But he's a significant improvement over his predecessor.
"You seem to confuse conservatism with his tendencies and actions, imo, which again, lend a lot of lip service to the issues at hand and are far from resolved issues and will come back to bite us again and again, imo."
I don't think so. One, I never said he was conservative. I said there had been a move to the right under his leadership. There is a difference. Two, I can't really make out the rest of what you're saying. Is it the tendencies and actions that are going to bite us or conservatism or is it the issues at hand or the far from resolved issues?
Clearly we disagree on Arnold's leadership. I give him credit for his accomplishments where due and criticize him where that's due. You don't see accomplishments, or don't view them as such. That's cool. Just don't be surprised when Arnold's re-election leads to a more rightward-moving state which is something I assume you desire.
any right ward movement is being caused by faults in the earth..
--
Clearly we disagree on Arnold's leadership. I give him credit for his accomplishments where due and criticize him where that's due.
Clearly we do disagree, you have a much higher BS tolerance factor than I.
His earth first attitude and propensity to borrow and spend our way out of debt hardly makes me think he is anything close to a conservative.
Gee, we haven't even touched on bonds bonds bonds, bushels of which will be proposed the next few years with him in office,, but the cuts will be few and far between.
How long can we sustain a 10% increase a year in budgets?
I guess we will find out soon enough at this rate.
But that's OK, right?
"Clearly we do disagree, you have a much higher BS tolerance factor than I."
Opinion.
"His earth first attitude"
Overblown rhetoric
"propensity to borrow and spend our way out of debt hardly makes me think he is anything close to a conservative."
He should have cut spending. We agree here. But certainly the rate of growth is less than it would have been under Davis. And again, you seem to be the only one arguing about whether he's a conservative.
"Gee, we haven't even touched on bonds bonds bonds, bushels of which will be proposed the next few years with him in office,, but the cuts will be few and far between."
Agreed. He needs pressure on him not to do this.
"How long can we sustain a 10% increase a year in budgets?"
I don't know. With what growth in revenue?
"But that's OK, right?"
Things are better than they were previously. There's no disputing this. I'd like more improvement.
"His earth first attitude"
Overblown rhetoric
Right, his acts speak for him FRom the RFK Jr whispering in his ear to his GReeno appointments across the board..
---
I got to run ..
It's been enlightening if not fun ,, for me , at least.
---
Oh, and this is what we are up against.
Poll: Initiatives lack public support (PPIC) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1493809/posts
That's too bad. I've never found pragmatists to be the least bit concerned with principles!!!
I don't expect to persuade the masses that Schwarzenegger is not a viable answer to California's social and fiscal problems. Neither do I expect to alter the opinion of a single partisan shill on this forum. I take no satisfaction in "I told you so". I do however hope to give these folks some restless nights as they ponder their active role in the inexorable expansion of government power in California. I can only hope they are plagued by their participation in Edmund Burke's lament: All that is necessary ... is that good men do nothing.
Thanks.
I try.
And Kudos to my brethren in the spirit and in the thick of the struggle to restore sanity to government and the governed and a Republic of, by and FoR the people.
"That's too bad. I've never found pragmatists to be the least bit concerned with principles!!!"
I've never been fond of broad generalizations either. It's funny how I have to engage in so many "all-or-nothing" discussions with some people here. What does an all or nothing approach usually leave you with? Nothing. Hardly ever all.
Politics, the art of the possible.
"Oh, and this is what we are up against.
Poll: Initiatives lack public support (PPIC) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1493809/posts"
Yes we are. But I'm not sure, are "we" on the same side? I'd like these to pass, do you?
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.