The central dilemma of all democratic leaders: you want to do good, but if that good isn’t popular among the voters, you cannot act on what you believe is right for them. Need an example? Watch how the Californian work unions demanded more government …

While I’m no fan of “Arnuld”, I think the people of California are being left completely off the hook here: They’re the idiots that keep voting in Democrat majorities in their state. You get the government you vote for.

Dagnar on May 21, 2009 at 7:33 AM

A commentator on Greta last night said that the state legislature districts are hopelessly gerrymandered.

One major problem is that the California State Legislature is very SMALL for the population of the state: 80 Assembly members and 40 State Senators for a population of 38.293 million people, meaning that a CA State Senator represents more people than a U.S. Representative.

Compare that to the second most populous state, New York, where 150 Assembly Members and 62 State Senators represent 19.255 million people. This means that each New Yorker has nearly four times the representation in the State Assembly, and three times the representation in the State Senate, as the average Californian.

With a small Legislature for a large state, a few committee chairmen can accumulate tremendous power, and entrenched incumbents can draw huge districts for themselves where enough ignorant sheeple keep on voting for the name they know, and a challenger has trouble raising enough money to get name recognition in an Assembly district representing nearly half a million people, or a State Senate district representing nearly a million people.

How about a Proposition to double the number of CA State legislators in each House? This would mean that half the seats in the new Legislature would be open, competitive seats, eventually won by a “challenger”, and each Member would represent only half as many people as before, and be twice as responsive to his district. With twice as many districts, there would be more suburban or rural districts not dominated by large cities, and better representation for people living in suburbs and rural areas.

And finally, ChimpyO is no mere mortal. He is “The One”.

People don’t know themselves where they want to cut, they just say, ‘Make the cuts’ and ‘You figure it out,’ ” he said with a smile, shaking his head.

Yes, dumbass, they know there are more than three things in the state budget. Like WELFARE and EDUCATION for illegals…

Excess state personnel. I’ll bet I could look at all the things the state of Kalifornia does and fix their problem, without losing a single cop. How many bureaucrats are there?

He put forth a set of initiatives that would have reduced exorbitant union wages, and those were also soundly defeated.

He can’t win in that state, he fought against the legislature, the unions, and the people to improve things: not even a Terminator can win against everyone.

It’s Life Imitating Art. It’s Brewsters Millions. Only in this case it’s Billions and they don’t cash in bigtime like they hoped they would after they spend all the money on all the feel-good gifts that they can throw into that Illegal Immigrant black hole and hyper dysfunctional public education system that’s sucking the State teet dry, not to mention each and every other horribly inefficient California state-run department. And trust me, literally each and every California state-run department is horribly inefficient to the bone.

The only thing we can look forward to in a so-called ‘best case scenario’ is Arnie being replaced by Gavin ‘Whether-You-Like-It-Or-Not’ Newsome or Jerry ‘Moonbeam’ Brown, and the blue dogs in Sacramento being replaced by more blue dogs. Terrific.

Oh well. In 7 years I’ll be taking my family and my pension and exiting California as a resident forever. It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there… anymore.

Anyone here recall Fabian Nunez’s story? He’s one of the loudest most brash hyper-spenders in the CA state legislature, also a leading Democrat there.
He was found to be taking a trip to Paris where he spent lavishly on purses and champaigne at the CA taxpayers’ expense, deeming his outlandish trip to be something/somehow related to ‘research’.
THEN he tried to pass legislation in CA that would enable him to remain in near-perpetual office.
Lourdes on May 20, 2009 at 9:56 PM

He was termed out. Last I heard, his son was charged with murder. A chip off the old liberal.

Arnold could move to the house in Sacramento that is provided for him and save the cost of jet fuel for a trip made twice daily at our expense.
Also, stop giving food stamps to people that convert them to
cash at the grocery store(usually illegals)in my neighborhood.

dragondrop on May 20, 2009 at 10:23 PM

Sadly, there is no official Governor’s residence anymore.

And I believe that The Governor pays for his own aircraft…

I’ve had over 8 calls in the past two months from the Dept of Corrections, Fish & Game, and other agencies ask me to come in to interview for a position I’ve never even applied for. Had a message waiting for me literally today from the Dept of Corrections. Methinks they’re a bit desperate.

The point is, even with the threat of immediate layoffs for junior employees, and budget cutting, and the ridiculous 35% + budget “gaps”, they are still trying to hire staff.

Where will it end? When it’s in flames smoldering for all to see?

They. Don’t. Get. It.

juanito on May 20, 2009 at 9:50 PM

Does Sam Smith get the same attention?

He was found to be taking a trip to Paris where he spent lavishly on purses and champaigne at the CA taxpayers’ expense, deeming his outlandish trip to be something/somehow related to ‘research’.

THEN he tried to pass legislation in CA that would enable him to remain in near-perpetual office.

Utterly ignoring the fact that all that massive and annually building indebtedness in CA as coupled with the ridiculous, irrational spending programs in CA are ALL THE CREATION OF THE DEMOCRATS IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

There are some Republicans remaining in the CA state legislature but the overwhelming majority is and has been for a long time now, Democrats. And they annually demand a state “budget” that includes more spending they can’t pay for, leaving the alternative to raise taxes, and raise taxes, and raise taxes and…

Schwarzenegger is a Liberal Republican, to understate the case and I don’t defend his indulgences in Liberal big spending, but, to clarify here, the state of CA is in trouble as it has been for a while now due to Democrats and their perpetual milking of the state to fund the Democratic Party by way of CA unions and illegal aliens.

As I write this, CA Demo Senator Feinstein is ridiculously asking for another amnesty for “workers” in CA. AND their “families.” It’ll never end with CA as long as there continue to be these irrational Democrats ruining the state.

The State of California requires employee candidates to take a test for specific job classifications, and score high enough to “reachable” on a hiring list. I took two tests in 2006. ISA (STAFF) & ISA (Senior)

I’ve been offered ten IT positions with the state of California in the past two years and refused them all. One was managing the Black Berry servers in the Governors’ office. Typically it takes 2 months or longer to be screened, selected for an interview, and then offered a position. I’ve considered working for the state because it’s a steady income (although woefully below private sector rates, at least for IT) it would permit a flexible schedule, with good benefits, and retirement, and the remote possibility that I could provide some benefit to my state.

You have to respond to Employment postings to be considered for a position, or if you rank high enough on a candidate list, you are mailed an employment inquiry. If you don’t respond in writing within the required period (typically 1 to 2 weeks) you risk being removed from the list, and have to re-test. As I mentioned, the last test was in 2006, and theoretically expired in 2008. Few and far between.

I’ve had over 8 calls in the past two months from the Dept of Corrections, Fish & Game, and other agencies ask me to come in to interview for a position I’ve never even applied for. Had a message waiting for me literally today from the Dept of Corrections. Methinks they’re a bit desperate.

The point is, even with the threat of immediate layoffs for junior employees, and budget cutting, and the ridiculous 35% + budget “gaps”, they are still trying to hire staff.

Where will it end? When it’s in flames smoldering for all to see?

They. Don’t. Get. It.

Is this b*tch serious?

The Ugly American on May 20, 2009 at 9:30 PM

As serious as an addled syphilitic pustule can be. Here’s hoping for kidney failure.

/sykes