Free Republic

Fresh from his "Year of Reform" debacle and glitzkrieg of China, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is again “thinking big.” Chastened by the predictable failure of his Republican rhetoric in blue state California, the governor says he is reaching out to Democrats, leaving the defining rancor of this year’s State of the State address behind in a new burst of big-spending bipartisanship. He claims to be working with Democrats on his forthcoming State of the State — they deny it — and on the biggest bond measure in history, a Big Bang Bond of $50 billion (that’s the public number; $100 billion...

SACRAMENTO - Amid speculation that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will seek a $50 billion bond measure to upgrade California's aging infrastructure, state officials said the program would be part of a long-term plan that would also tap private-sector partners and user fees. California's deteriorating infrastructure - everything from congested freeways and ports to crumbling schools and levees - is estimated to need at least $100 billion in repairs. "We're looking at creative ways to do financing, at a lot of competing needs and at how much you can get moving all at one time," said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the...