Schwarzenegger to push his 'good ideas' - won't revisit union dues, education funding

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | October 12, 2006 | Carla Marinucci, Mark Martin

[calcowgirl]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed Wednesday to pursue some of the "good ideas" rejected by voters in last year's special election but promised that he will not revive controversial efforts to control union dues or change the state's voter-approved education funding formula.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Chronicle's editorial board Wednesday, Schwarzenegger also said he did not regret stumping for President Bush in 2004, and he denied assertions that he has been inconsistent as governor and veered from a conservative agenda in 2005 to a Democratic one this year.

When asked how he would describe himself, he said he was "fiscally conservative, socially moderate, environmentally progressive."

(snip)

"There was an attempt to go and fix something that needed to be fixed," he said of the special election, in which voters soundly rejected propositions for "paycheck protection" of union dues, lengthening teacher tenure, redrawing legislative district boundaries and budget reform.

Asked to specify exactly which of those issues will come back before voters if he is re-elected, Schwarzenegger said, "Well, there is no coming back. We've continued. Nothing has stopped. The special election didn't work, but we continued on. ... We have the budget problem, we have the education problem, and we have the redistricting problem," he said. "What the mistake was, not to give it enough time, and work it with the legislators."

For the first time, however, Schwarzenegger said he would not again press for changes to how unions collect dues to spend on political campaigns or alter Proposition 98, which requires that the state spend at least 40 percent of the budget every year on education. Changing Prop. 98 was part of his proposal to redo state budget policy.

[NormsRevenge]

"fiscally conservative, socially moderate, environmentally progressive"

he missed the mark on the first one by a country mile..
3 years of proposed and signed state budgets say otherwise.

and is being kind on the other two.

the record speaks for itself.

[calcowgirl]

[newzjunkey]

For the first time, however, Schwarzenegger said he would not again press for changes to how unions collect dues to spend on political campaigns or alter Proposition 98, which requires that the state spend at least 40 percent of the budget every year on education.

Now that he's revealed these cards, I'm *immensely* disappointed in Arnold. "Paycheck protection" was a good idea, is still a good idea and ought to be pursued!

I'll still vote for him because I will not be party to electing Angelides!

[Amerigomag]

I'll still vote for him because I will not be party to electing Angelides!

Ignore the partisan, Republican, rail birds that gather at each turn of events to squawk their alarm.

If you actually voted for Angelides 500,000 times, you still couldn't elect him.

[FairOpinion]

""Paycheck protection" was a good idea, is still a good idea and ought to be pursued!"


===

Tell that to the California voters, who either turned out to vote AGAINST it, of stayed home and didn't bother to vote. Don't blame Arnold, he risked his political capital to put the reform propositions on the ballot and the voters resoundingly defeated all of them.

What do you want him to do, keep beating his head against a brick wall, while the voters watch and pull the rug out from under him?