Posted on 09/06/2006 10:20:30 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger got off to a fast start in his annual September Veto Parade yesterday by saying he would reject state Sen. Sheila Kuehl's nonsensical, poorly drafted bill mandating that California adopt socialized medicine. It is a sad commentary on the Legislature that Kuehl's bill made it this far. Perhaps the governor next can tackle measures that are, respectively, anti-consumer, anti-common sense and pro-corruption.
AB 2592, by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would allow car-rental companies to omit the cost of airport fees when advertising rental rates. How does Leno – who sees himself as a classic liberal do-gooder – justify deceiving renters? On the grounds that providing tourists bad information about the cost of their vacations will aid tourism.
What's next, Mr. Leno – a bill barring the media from reporting on San Francisco's homeless problem?
AB 2683, pushed by Assemblywoman Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, and others, would provide a big back-door pay raise to state firefighters. It requires the state to base compensation for its firefighters on the average among California agencies with 75 or more firefighters.
This is not to impugn firefighters. Like police officers, they have dangerous jobs. But unlike police agencies, which must constantly recruit and poach on other forces to stay at full strength, fire agencies have plenty of qualified applicants. If at some future point, state firefighter jobs are going unfilled, that's one thing. But to short-circuit collective bargaining and impose a big pay hike, as the Legislature would do, looks far more like a political payoff than sound public policy.
Memo to Schwarzenegger: Even your much-maligned predecessor, Gray Davis, twice vetoed similar bills.
SB 145, by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, would allow lawmakers to continue to accept contributions even if they are not seeking re-election or another elected position. The contributions could be used to pay for “expenses associated with holding office.” What would that cover? Who knows? It is so open-ended that it is sure to be abused. It's easy to see a termed-out pol deeming a “staff retreat” to Tahiti as an “expense associated with holding office” after first accepting a big donation to pay for the trip from a special interest eager to secure support for its pet legislation.
The kicker: The enforcement agency is the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which the Legislature has so starved for funds that it can barely deal with the biggest cases, much less South Seas junkets.
Murray should be ashamed. However, given his repeated, brazen attempts to rewrite laws for the sole benefit of billionaire Democratic benefactor Ron Burkle, Murray appears incapable of shame.
Unfortunately, many more bad bills are now before the governor. But these three are particularly appalling. Quick vetoes would send a welcome message – so get to it, governor.
Just a few of the stinkers that crawled out of the manure ponds of StinkyMento and onto the Gub's desk.
You people in California are screwed. I'd completely ignore you if everyone wasn't FLEEING THE STATE and bringing their stupid ideas to every other place...
"Just a few of the stinkers that crawled out of the manure ponds of StinkyMento and onto the Gub's desk."
Yep, this is what he's having to deal with ... but some here would prefer that he be bounced out and let a Democrat in that would sign them all.
Maybe that effort would be better spent in changing out a few of the legislators that bring this stuff up in the first place ? Hhmmmmm ?
It must be rough having to respectfully work the crowd here instead of just broad brush insult many here who have seen the bloated state budget bloat even more and see more diversity friendly social legislation signed off on, not to mention the looming climate change legislation still to come in the pipeline.
In a way, I think it is sad to see so many so willing to roll over and seem to give up the fight for conservatism, all in the name of unity and a rush to the center and more social decay and fiscal wanton recklessness.. jmo
"It must be rough having to respectfully work the crowd here instead of just broad brush insult many here ...."
Yep, it is ... but some of us take up the challange
"In a way, I think it is sad to see so many so willing to roll over and seem to give up the fight for conservatism,..."
Same here, many seem to prefer just throwing in the towel and letting the Democrats burn the place to the ground, instead of keeping in power the party where you MAY have a voice and some hope of swaying it in your direction.
Arnold won't last forever, conservatives would be fools to help the Democrats to gain power and lose all hope of getting someone more to their liking in later on.
It not like conservatives have much hope of pulling Democrats over to their side, why would they alienate the only chance they have ?
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