Schwarzenegger Finds State of Budget 'Disastrous'

[salin]

Schwarzenegger Finds State of Budget 'Disastrous'
By Matea Gold, Evan Halper and Nancy Vogel, Times Staff Writers


SACRAMENTO — Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger was confronted anew with the severity of California's financial troubles Thursday, calling the state of the budget "disastrous" and saying he needs time to come up with a course of action.

On his second day of meetings with state officials, the incoming governor emerged sobered from a 35-minute morning tutorial with state Treasurer Phil Angelides and said he was worried about the precarious status of billions of dollars worth of bonds used to balance this year's budget.

Schwarzenegger did not say how he planned to deal with the crisis. He avoided questions about whether he would push for a ballot measure asking voters to approve a new sale of bonds so the borrowing could withstand a court challenge.

"The problem was created over the last five years, and so you can't expect that -- even though I've played very, very heroic characters in the movies, but you can't expect me to walk into his office and all of a sudden come out with the answers," said the governor-elect, whose usual ebullience was dampened after the meeting. "It will take a while to resolve those problems. They are very difficult problems, and we are really in a disastrous situation financially."

more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gov24oct24,1,7910198.story?coll=la-home-headlines

note two things (maybe from that meeting with bush)...
1) puts the problem to the previous admin (note he says "five" years - only the time of Davis - not longer to include Wilson - THIS IS INTENTIONAL)

2) lowering the expectations of what he can accomplish (this is different than being an action hero in the movies.. this is really bad... and it will take time...)

And as to the how bad it is? Duh Arnie - surprise.. it is more complicated than "sweeping house in sacramento". :crazy:

[otohara]

1. Oh My God

He is so fucking clueless -

[The Zanti Regent]

10. Oh, Please, HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS GETTING INTO

Anyone with the IQ of a Dittohead knows that Arnold is Pete Wilson's rubber stamp. Arnold won't even pee unless Wilson allows it.

I want to know who will start the recalls going against Shelley and Lockeyer.

[loudnclear]

75. Correlate tax cuts with the economy and you will a disaster.

Clinton got us into surpluses by having enough guts to raise taxes on the wealthy and not one single Republican voted for his economic package so none of them can take any credit for the years of prosperity under Clinton. When the dittoheads finally wake up (which they can do if they spend two solid weeks away from their Clear Channel talk radio shows and FOX news) some of them will be able to see what a load of horse-pucky the RWing has been handing them. Maybe they may even realize that they really have never received a real tax cut since Clinton was in office. Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy and cut them for the middle and lowe-middle income folks. There was a dot.com bubble but so what? There is housing bubble now and it has made little or no difference...the economy is still in the shitter.

[TygrBright]

2. Whoa..... Dude!.... Who Knew?

But OF COURSE you have a plan for dealing with it, right?

That's why you thought it was such a good idea to run for Goober, right?

And you beamed yer secret plan by telepathy into the minds of millions of intelligent, perceptive, thoughtful California voters....

...and that's why they elected you...

....so, like, we'll be expecting good news any day now.

encouragingly,
Bright

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. What a fucking LIAR! We had a surplus TWO years ago that was

eaten up by a tech sector collapse (aided by fraudulent insider IPO deals from east coast banking establishments) and an energy gouging (thanks to Texas). We had a healthy SMALL business economy until the NATIONAL economy took a shit and we had a thriving TOURISM business until 9/11..and then of course it tapered off.

Fuck Californians if they buy the lying sack of shit's story.

I hope every fucking one of them that rents their house from the bank goes into forclosure...I OWN mine free and clear.

[PartyPooper]

14. So true. Every last word of your post!

And, I am angry, too. How f****** stupid can people be? I have no sympathy for the folks who voted for Arnold. They deserve what he dishes out.

But, I am most disturbed about the general (and pervasive) ignorance of the electorate. WHY DON'T MORE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE F*** IS GOING ON IN THEIR OWN STATE...OR, IN THEIR OWN G** DAMNED COUNTRY...FOR CRYING OUT LOUD?!?

GEEZ! (/RANT)

:evilfrown:

[Sibanetta]

103. Enlightened Answer

What I am going to suggest is distasteful...but it will clue you in to why so many of our fellow Californians and Countrymen are so dumb.

Grit your teeth and turn to MSNBC and watch one episode of "Scarborough Country"...bring a barf bag. The guy is spewing out so much drivel...and if you check out Faux News...well, sheesh...I can't believe I'm on the same planet as those guys....RIGHT-WING DOMINATED MEDIA...and people to lazy to investigate whether what they are hearing is the truth.

Remember 69% of the people in this Country still believe that Saddam was responsible for 9/11!

Sibanetta

[Mika]

26. LOL

[hunter]

58. Lucky you, Ms. "Free and Clear!"

I'm hoping to hang on until the hyperinflation, at which point I will pay off our mortgage using money embezzled from the black market sale of forty bars of slave-made chocolate that my son is supposed to sell for his school "field trip" fund.

I'm such an old fart I remember when school field trips were free, and you could go to your local community college for little more than the price of a few used books.

Bloody hell, my first quarter at the University of California cost me less than $500, and that included my living expenses and a few cases of beer. And my student I.D. doubled as a bus pass, which was pretty handy after I drank all that beer.

Oh, by the way, Arnold is a big weenie. I predict he will "retire" after this horrible misadventure. In fifteen years he will reappear as the "beloved host" of a pathetic game show on PAX television involving little old ladies and ludicrously large guns, titled "Shoot the Clock" or something like that, and sponsored by "Depends."

Hell yes I am bitter about the recall election...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

62. I do feel for my fellow Dems....

but a great many of them voted for him...he didn't only win with Republican votes.

Hang in there (BTW, I love sarcasm :-) )

[Sibanetta]

102. Sympathetic Response

Yep, I'm pretty old too...though much more than you, 'cos it's my Grand-kids who are paying through the teeth for field trips!
It is an embarrassment to all of us...being a National Joke doesn't sit well, but we have to accept that several million of our fellow Californians are out of their ever-loving minds!

I think it was a bunch of first time voters...who think that Ahnold really is the Terminator...can you believe that an acknowledged sexual predator can be elected to the office of Governor....I keep wishing someone would pinch me...and that this is all a very bad dream!

Sibanetta

[hunter]

104. Welcome to DU Sibanetta!

Arnold needs to stay away from me, because I'm bigger, faster, and stronger than he is, and I plan to grope him. Me and him, in any elevator he chooses. I'm calling him out.

(Note to John Ashcroft. This is a joke. Arnold isn't getting anywhere near me. Don't get your panties in a knot about this.)

[feminazi]

64. Yup, you're absolutely right on this.

And how many Californians believe the budget can just be cut, cut, cut without realizing how much (I've heard 40-45%) is mandated by propositions and initiatives. That's one reason why Arnie's after school initiative last year was such a farce. The initiative contained no new revenue stream.


edited for typo

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

67. And the costs from his initiative won't hit til NEXT year's budget

[Purrfessor]

73. I hope every fucking one of them that rents their house from the bank goes

into forclosure...I OWN mine free and clear.

So you own your house free and clear, and the hell with the rest of us....even those of us who voted no on the recall and yes for someone other than Arnold...I voted for Cruz.

It's too bad that you lump all of us together; that's certainly, in my humble opinion, not a very neighborly attitude to take.

I'll accept your apology should you choose to offer one.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

74. I did clarify further down in the thread

THat I FELT for my fellow Dems with the exception of those who voted for them.

I am sorry that you didn't read that.

[Demoiselle]

76. I want to thank you, "Nothing"....

For such a clear, brief summary of what's caused California's troubles. It sure makes sense to me. I've been utterly befuddled watching events from outside the state (I live in Philadelphia) for a long time and I've never seen anything like your list in any mainstream "news" source. Did any news source in California ever put such analysis out there? Probably not. I wish you all well, by the way, although a tiny piece of me says that any state that votes Arnold into power richly deserves him.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

78. Prior to the election, the LA times did run a story on many of the REAL

issues facing the budget. Although they NEGLECTED to mention the energy debacle, they DID reference the tech sector collapse and the loss of revenue resulting from SO many in the Silicon Valley being out of work along with the fact that a double digit increase in healthcare costs added to the budget deficit woes.

[Sibanetta]

100. Chill...

Gawd...you may not be able to be shocked anymore, but apparently you can still get really pissed off! I empathize...I was rigid with rage about Ahnold...and I prophesied that he would say exactly what he just said...now I'm waiting for the "Can't cut the car tax"..."Repeal Prop.13"...the real agenda. Hey, a whole bunch of of fellow californians voted style over substance....we have a freaking sociopath sexual predator for Governor...our problems have just begun.
Our home is free and clear also...so we get to watch, and it ain't going to be pretty....oh, and by the way...Dennis Miller is thinking about running for The Senate!

Sibanetta

[Maple]

4. Didn't he say

he was running for governor precisely BECAUSE the budget was 'disasterous?'

So this surprises him now because.........?

[amlouden]

6. deer

i bet he has the deer in the headlights look now

[MUAD_DIB]

47. I believe that it is called

Going Tharn.

[Old and In the Way]

5. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

hahhahahahahahahheeehahahahahhhahahahaha

Way to go California...the Terminator is apparently morphing into the Spinamator right before your eyes!

[amlouden]

7. it's all gone

he's going to "terminate" the rest of the california economy

[PartyPooper]

12. But, we'll still have a celebrity, movie star governor!

And, no one can take him away from us! 'Glamour and action' trumps everything, dontcha' know!

*swoon*

:eyes:

[Sibanetta]

101. He who laughs last!

....did you guys ever find that guy who caught the ball....oh, sorry:P Just remember, when California sneezes the rest of the Country catches cold...and it isn't nice to kick people when they are down....I didn't vote for "The Groper"....I think it was a bunch of first timers who think Ahnold really is
The Terminator"...what can I say...I'm embarrassed!

Sibanetta

[lebkuchen]

8. He should get together with the 47 governors of states doing worse

not to mention countries in poorer shape.

[ShavedBeard]

33. Doing worse

what 47 states have budget problems worse than Californias?

[TrogL]

9. But you know, you have to know, what the plan will be

Tax cuts for the rich.

[MUAD_DIB]

50. Of cousre it will be...

I'm sure that Ahh-nold will even be able to find a little tax relief for those poor corporations shackeled with the burdens of law.

Maybe those corporaions, given the tax relief that they surely have earned, will be able to keep a few of those IT jobs from floating away overseas....


....sorry, just kidding.


BTW...no joke: on NPR I just heard that the Cross Pen company is going to be moving its manufacturing overseas to China.

They will save $5-7million per year by making this move! Isn't that great?! Savings for the consumer!!!!

One sad note however. Three hundred employees will lose their job as a result of this Red-blooded American-patriotic-corporate descicion. Don't worry. Maybe they will be able to find a job at fucking WalMart.

Pretty soon all the jobs that will be left will be at Wal-Mart, FAUX News or in Homeland Security.

[The Zanti Regent]

11. He can't blame this on Bill Clinton's Zipper...

BUT THE WHORE PRESS WILL!

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bluestateguy]

15. The legislature should ignore him

California has no governor. The lege should write their own budget and refuse to do business with this fraud.

[Emillereid]

85. The problem with that is that he has threatened to go over their heads--

straight to the people -- and because he is Ahhhnuuld the press will give him all the time he wants and the people will lap it up and do whatever he wants -- at least in the short term. The legislature will have to give the appearance of getting along with him while persistently putting out the message that they will not jeopardize education, health, safety, etc.

[Supply Side Jesus]

16. I'd give him a coockie if he could say 'Disastrous'

stupid nazi.

[A HERETIC I AM]

18. I am working on my Ahnold impression

"I pwonounce it "colli-fornia because i like colli-flower and zey grow a lot of colli-flower in colli-fornia zo zat is vy i pwonounce it zat vay"

This guy has been a set up since day one and i think Gray Davis had it spot on a few weeks ago when he said the recall was little more than an attempt by the Republicans to steal an election they could not win. Well, they succeeded and now the Governator is going to discover that he cant just shout "SCRIPT REWRITE!" when he runs into a problem like a budget shortfall that has been underwritten from here to Zurich.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

19. Great impression

Welcome to DU....got another high desert poster here as well :hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

65. I lived in the High Desert

I lived in Hesperia from '68 until I moved to Texas in '92. My brother,sister and niece still live there. They are none too happy about Goober Ahnuld, to say the least.

[colorado_ufo]

21. Welcome to DU!

[LibDemAlways]

20. "It will take a while to resolve these problems."

LOL. Gee Arnie, do you really think so? Enron screwed the state. The tech sector took a nosedive. 9/11 scared off tourists. But you made it all sound so easy out there on your bus (ego) trip. You had them eating out of your hands with your tough guy talk and your empty promises. What the hell did you know, anyway? You're just a bodybuilder turned actor. Couldn't they see that? How could they expect you to actually understand how to solve the problems of such a diverse, complicated state? Hell, most 4th graders studying California history know more about the state than you do. I'd be willing to bet a million of your dollars that you couldn't take an outline of the state and correctly place the 50 largest cities -- never mind the small towns.

Arnie you owe your "victory" to your star power and a fawning media. Image over substance is what this was all about.

Unfortunately the voters who trusted that you were going to lower their car tax and create a west coast Shangri-La, are going to be in for a bit of a rude awakening when they realize that you aren't the Great and Powerful Oz but rather the powerless, largely clueless guy behind the curtain. To all of them, and to you, I raise my middle finger in salute.

[jeffreyi]

43. No kidding

If we're that stupid (Californians) we deserve what we get. Unfortunately what we're getting may be over a chaos threshold.
I know some outstandingly competent state employees in the Natural Resources field...they are freaking out. EVERYTHING they have worked for, for years, is up for grabs. It sounds from contacts at UC Davis that anybody without tenure is pretty much outta there come January. Boy losing those jobs and those people is really going to help the economy and the country and our future. You don't just get it back by snapping your fingers either...it takes years to build organizations of people who work well together and get good things done. I can't believe people elected this clown. There should have been a test beforehand for prospective voters...if you believe so much in this guy, let him fly a 747 with you in it. After all, he can do it in the movies so it must be for real. So get on that plane you stupid loser.
Favorite song these days..."The Future", by Leonard Cohen!

[aeon flux]

22. Gov. Arnie is

PR and window dressing for the GOP.

Outsider Arnold is fast becoming a Sacramento Insider

[dusty64]

23. So NOW he says

he needs more time. I thought ahnold had ALL the answers and the magic solutions.

[robbedvoter]

24. So he promptly doubled the deficit by settling the 9 billion Enron suit

Blame Davis (and remember, Clinton left us a recession too - at least in bushworld he did)

[jeffreyi]

38. Is that settled already?

What's the settlement?

[ctex]

66. There isn't any settlement yet

And, it wouldn't make any real difference in the CA deficit even if it was for the full $9 billion.

Why? Because the payment would go to the consumers of electricity (most likely in proportion to their electric bills during the power crisis). CA state offices and facilities use only a small portion of all power consumed in the state and consequently would get just a small part of any settlement.

[joeunderdog]

54. This is ALL in the script

1) Make a deal with Enron to be their whore
2) Use Right-Wing influence to steal the recall
3) Get into office with a primary goal of paying back Enron and who cares about the rest
4) ACT surprised when you see "how disasterous" it is
5) Use the budget problems to retreat from campaign promises
6) Dismiss the suit to pay back those who bought you a new job
7) F the rest. The job is done...

[DivinBreuvage]

25. Exactly the Same Thing Happened in Ohio

During the 2002 gubernatorial election. Tim Hagan, the Democratic candidate, said the state was headed for a budget crisis. Bob Taft, the wooden-headed buffoon who was elected on the merits of his fat ancestor (William Howard Taft) and his fascist ancestor (of Taft-Hartley fame) assured the populace that old "Taxin' Tim" was just trying to scare folks and everything was marvelous, just fine. Two weeks after being re-elected he announced that, oh gee, the economic situation had miraculously altered since they had done their projections and now in fact there was a budget crisis.

Folks in the Buckeye Confederacy whine about feeling betrayed now. Well, DUH!

Françoise

[bleedingheart]

27. hahaha this is getting to be the funniest "movie" I have ever seen

too bad its at the California people's expense...

"he needs time to come up with a course of action."

hahahahahahaha

wait....bwahhahahahahahahaha

[rocktivity]

28. I know where you can pick up a quick nine billion, Arnie

Let the Bustamante lawsuit against the electric companies go through!




rocknation

[twilight]

52. hey rocknation

you got that right! Let Bustamante pursue it. I was in the local town yesterday and they are all chomping at the bit for their reduced VLFs. I stated after reading a disgusting article in the "Northcoast Journal" re: recall of Gallegos locally that by the time this whole thing shakes out, it will be a hell of a lot more $ than the VLF fees for everyone in the state.

Got plenty of glares needless to say ... but sadly for them I don't really give a *.

Ahnuld you got yerself one big MESS on yer big ugly groping hands! :evilgrin:

CHEERS GROPINAZI!! :evilgrin:

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

29. He'd better not triple the CA car registration tax

since that was Davis' plan, and Arnie made a campaign promise to rescind it.

Arnie made his bed, now he can toss and turn in it.

[Betty]

30. and so can

the idiots who voted for him. My sympathies to those who didn't and have to live with the oncoming trainwreck. Sort of like all of us who didn't vote for puppet boy.

[ShavedBeard]

34. Car tax

The tripling of the car tax has had a disasterous effect on car sales. Since it went into effect on Oct. 1, auto sales in California have plummeted 40%!!!

The law of unintended consequences always prevails.

The lost sales tax revenue from this drop in sales will probably negate, or come close to doing so, the increase in revenue from vehicle registrations.

[VeniceBeat]

37. Gotta Citation on That?

I find that hard to believe. I'd guess there are other factors involved in any sales downturn. Like, uh, maybe for example UNEMPLOYMENT?

[ShavedBeard]

42. Citation

Report: Tripled Vehicle Registration Cost Sends New-Vehicle Sales Plummeting

http://www.nbc4.tv/automotive/2576844/detail.html



snip...

Since California's vehicle registration fee tripled at the start of the month, new-vehicle sales have plummeted, with luxury-vehicle sales hit especially hard, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

[VeniceBeat]

46. Thank You for That

The article seems to indicate, though, that the downturn began during September (the tax increase started October 1). Is September traditionally a slow month for car sales?

Something's not right with NBC4's conclusions.

BTW, if Californians buy a hybrid vehicle there is a $2000. rebate, which takes care of the tax anyway.

If some clowns still wants to buy Hummers (Arnold!) make 'em pay triple!

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

68. I don't buy that claim at all

First, remember that correlation isn't the same as causation.

Second, in Calfornia there was a 35% drop while in the nation as a whole there was a 27% drop, only a difference of 8%.

Third, there was a spike in sales prior to the time being measured so it makes sense for there to be an immediate (and somewhat temporary) drop right afterward.

Fourth, during the time being measured there is a belief among consumers that the tax will be removed soon. Hence, many who would have bought now are waiting until the tax is removed. If this is the case, you can place the blame on Arnold instead of Davis.

This article is just an attempt to blame Davis for things he didn't do. Unfortunately, that seems to be the story of his career.

[hunter]

88. Those people who buy luxury vehicles are cheap bastards...

I should know, I am one.

I drive a very nice 1987 Mitsubishi pickup truck, but damn it, those car taxes I paid while Davis was governor were so bad I almost voted for Arnold!

Almost sixty bucks a year to the DMV, can you believe it???????

This is 100% true. I actually have neighbors who drive cars just as nice as mine, and they say they voted for Arnold because of the "car tax."

(Excuse me, I must go bang my head against the wall.)

[stopbush]

95. It cost me $480 to register my 2000 Beetle in Las Vegas

when we relocated here this past this June. Talk about sticker shock! I was used to paying $56 per year in NJ.

There is a good explanation: Nevada doesn't have a state income tax, so they get a large percentage of their taxes through the car registration. I can live with that. Of course, they're now talking about instituting a state income tax.

[cheapbeemr]

39. Remember, the car tax had been cut in half during the boom years

of the 90's - if Davis had merely put it back to where it was, nobody could've said anything............

[cheapbeemr]

41. Most interesting addition to Arnold's administration -

- Viet Dinh, prime author of the USA Patriot Act while in Ashcroft's DOJ. Proponent of the doctrine of 'Ordered Liberty,' which basically maintains this 'inherent liberties' thing is vastly over-rated, and maintains the country should be run like a big Catholic School. Saw in the OC Register that he's joined Arnold's team - for what possible purpose?

[fob]

49. See my post below

if Davis had merely put it back to where it was, nobody could've said anything............

Davis did, everyody said everything anyway(except for the truth)

I give you Goobernator Hamhands.

[fob]

48. WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP! Uninformed Citizen Alert!

Okay, I'll do this slowly. The "tripling" of the "car tax" is a fraud perpetrated by Davis' emnemies in order to discriminate against him.


The Pete Wilson era legislation came into effect in 1999. It allowed for a 67.5% reduction(offset on the DMV forms) of the VLF (Vehicle License Fee). There was also an automatic trigger to eliminate the offset if the budget went into a deficit. The VLF is 2% of the sale price of the car ($20,000 car = $400 VLF), with a sliding scale of valuation, reduced 10% per year. So the above car VLF for the second year is $18,000 times 2% = $360. Well during the CLINTON YEARS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY (CYPAP), the offset was in full swing. So that $400 VLF in 1999 was reduced by $270 so the car owner paid only $130!

CYPAP was so strong it even held on through almost 3 years of the bush* admin. So now the bush* economy(also known as Enron Rapes Cali), causes the automatic trigger to come into play. With no more offset the VLF is now 2%.

But wait I thought you said the "car tax" was tripled? 2% is 3 times 2%? No it isn't. If the "car tax" was tripled the VLF would be 6%! But it isn't, they lied.

During CYPAP with the VLF offset in effect I personally saved over $1,000 and California had a SURPLUS! bush* and his disastrous policies have killed the VLF offset, NOT DAVIS.

Oh, and if you're looking for where the $38 billion went, check Texas, in and around Enron, Reliant, Duke Energy and the rest is a good place to start.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

51. So you don't think that has anything to do with the general economy?

Are luxury car sales up in other states?

[twilight]

53. its already tripled

and Arnie said he'd "terminate" it as soon as he got in the door. Lots a luck Arnie - it isn't going happen and neither will you "happen" ... :evilgrin:

[DeathvadeR]

81. because politicians never lie. n/t

[coldwatercyn]

93. Arnie better make good on his promises

or Bush will suffer in '04...oh yeah...whooo hoooo. Maybe that will work to our advantage.

[shanti]

31. ahahahahaha!

no more fat to cut, eh arnold!? just as i figured....

[xxqqqzme]

32. hello? anybody home?

doesn't he read the papers - listen 2 the news?



Off 2 San Francisco - C U all on the streets

Roz

[sendero]

35. Let the...

... management of expectations begin! Eat your own puke, Arnie voters!

[realFedUp]

36. The budget's online...

for anyone to examine...can't believe Arnie studied
it between gladhanding in Sac.

[Don_G]

40. Arnie Can Easily "Fix" The Budget

Call in the unemployed accountants of Arthur Anderson, Enron and WorldCom.

[Skittles]

44. HEY ARNOLD YOU F***WIT

YOU AND YOUR BUDDY KENNY LAY HELPED MAKE IT THAT WAY. NOW YOU CAN F***ING EAT IT.

[cally]

45. This is going to be entertaining

Well, yes the budget is disastrous. All of Arnie's ideas are impossible without Legislation. Remember, California law requires the Governor to issue a budget by January 10. Usually the Department of Finance would have pretty firm proposals floating around by this time. Arnie doesn't have much time to figure this out. I can't wait. ROFLMAO

[twilight]

55. five years?

Things were bad under Pete Wilson who is now back in the picture.

You got yourself a real mess on your gropenazi hands Ahnuulllddd!!!!



:dem: :kick:

[suegeo]

56. Arnold's there to take care of the budget?

Really? I thought the Junta installed him in office in order to fix the 2004 election...

[bywho4who]

96. Thats half right

What of the (9BILLION) enron stole from this state? Well now the bigpimping ken lay has arnie in place to kill the law suite. that would be the part mainstream media missed.

[Barad Simith]

57. The bitch never once said what he would do to fix CA's budget crisis...

...and now he's saying he really doesn't know what he's going to do. I think Oregon and Washington are about to get very crowded.

[hunter]

59. "Who's Bitch Are You, Arnold?"

That would be a good bumper sticker.

:evilgrin:

[Galley_Queen]

61. LMAO n/t

[fortyfeetunder]

97. OR and WA don't want 'em

Housing prices in the Puget Sound area as well as parts of Portland think are hyperinflated because of the Californication of the early 90's. We are in bad shape as it is....

[Galley_Queen]

60. Waaaaaa???

"-- even though I've played very, very heroic characters in the movies, ..."

WTF does that have to do with the price of cheap labor in China? Does this moron have to come up with some stupid movie quip everytime he opens his mouth? Besides, OF COURSE he wanted everyone to think he was heroic because he played VERY, VERY heroic characters (as opposed to only VERY heroic. :grr:

I'm still in shock and awe that California actually elected this disgusting character. Next we'll see an action figure: The Gropeinator coming to a store near you!!!!

He'll be turning into a Squirminator soon enough.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

63. Oh and just to piss of those that call me elitist..THE VOTERS WERE STUPID

[latebloomer]

69. "I'm not a governor-- I just play one on TV!"

Reality hits Arnold in the face!

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! I love it!

[JackDragna]

70. Know what I love?

Dropping his reference to his movie-star past. As if we've all forgotten that the man is a comic-book character and that so many people bought into the idea that fame equals political competence. What an utter, total idiot. California has seriously endangered itself.

[aeon flux]

71. On electing Arnie

CA voters were damned if they do, damned if they don't. Bustamante wan't much of an alternative.

I'd sooner vote for third party candidate Arianna Huffington or Peter Camejo. The only thing that stopped me was their support for granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

[Bridget Burke]

72. So, how did you vote?

For or against the recall?

For Bustamente?

You're damned for sure, now....

[Democat]

89. Probably for McClintock

Like many of the other "Democrats" around here.

[catzies]

99. HELL no. McClintock is my state senaturd.

I voted NO on recall, and was going to vote for Arianna until she dropped out at the last minute and voted for Bustamante instead. He had a plan to get back our 9 billion.

[indypaul]

77. Call your buddies

Ken Lay and George W and find out how all of this happened in the first place. This is the real world now not the back lot fiction
you are used to. "Money talks and bull shit walks"

[ElsewheresDaughter]

79. talk about "Disastrous".....

Schwarzenegger doesn't need a platform -- he needs a script. It may be tough to find a good one since the fictional governor-elect snubbed all of the screenwriters, that made him what he appears to be today, by not thanking them in his acceptance speech

I'm not sure whether or not Arnold is still on steroids but clearly his makeup person is

That said, he is an inspiration to orange people everywhere

Maybe the fictional governor-elect will try to solve the California budget deficit crisis by finding the right producer.

Arnold will do what he promises-- at least for the Enron muckety-mucks who now have their hand-picked shill in power to ensure they'll never pay back the the $9Billion they looted from California. Now they'll only pay the 2¢ on the dollar Bush's fixers okayed.

Bush's cronies at Enron loot $9 billion from California and Gray Davis gets ousted over an $8 billion deficit. Now another Enron lackey takes over the state but the bad guys aren't winning, are they? (And for you newcomers, I am not now nor have I ever been enamored with Gov. Davis but fair is fair and this doesn't pass the sniff test -- even when it is administered from 3,000 miles away.)





Rush Limbaugh is working on a new self-help guide for Republicans: When Bad Things Happen To Bad People.


If Limbaugh were held to his own standard of justice the only twelve steps he'd be taking would be on the way to the license plate shop.


Mayor John Street of Philadelphia, who ran an extremely successful "get out the vote" campaign that tipped the 2000 Pennsylvania vote to Al Gore, is now facing FBI office-bugging and smears by innuendo. This means just one thing: Karl Rove believes Pennsylvania is a toss-up in the 2004 race.


But I'm sure there was no petty little vendetta there.


Why take the time to disenfranchise all of those voters when you can just discredit their champion?


http://www.barrycrimmins.com/quips.html

[Wickerman]

80. But, but, he's so qualified..

I can't believe the economy got so bad in this short time, but I guess it did if Arnie sez so. Can't be a magic cure, oterhwise Arnie would have it. He's a successful businessman, ya know - 10 years in Planet Hollywood and 2 bankruptcies... And, he runs his own production company and has to meet a payroll which is really hard when you get a 20 million $ paycheck per movie....

:puke:

[DeathvadeR]

82. This is the funniest post Iv'e read all day.

On his second day of meetings with state officials, the incoming governor emerged sobered from a 35-minute morning tutorial with state Treasurer Phil Angelides and said he was worried about the precarious status of billions of dollars worth of bonds used to balance this year's budget.

All I can do is laugh at the stupidity
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHA :) :) :)

[Emillereid]

83. This was so predictable --

right after he was 'elected' my husband and I said -- he going to say the financial situation is so much worse than I expected. Had he looked at the situation before the recall, he would have seen that the budget crisis was intractable because so many crazy mandates via referendum over the years left little or no discretionary spending -- about 85% of the budget is mandated. It's a structural problem, not a spending problem and Davis was dealing with about as well as anybody could.

[David Zephyr]

84. Will Arnold Now Accuse Davis' Staff of Stealing the S's from Keyboards?

This is the Republican M.O. Lower expectations the moment you take office.

What crap.

[hunter]

86. No, they will claim Davis' staff made Arnold impotent!

It's as powerful as Clinton's...

Well, you know how it goes whenever a Republican can't get the job done.

[David Zephyr]

91. Ha!

n/t

[Pompitous_Of_Love]

87. Gotta hand it to him

The son of a bitch is sticking to the script. Is there any hint at buyers' remorse among those California voters who put this ninny in office?

[Gloria]

90. Saw a quick CNN image of Davis meeting Arnold....did this occur

before Arnie's "sobering" meeting?? Davis actually looked relaxed and almost happy---did he know that Arnie was about to be "tutored" out of happyland???

[Polemonium]

92. Ha HA ha ha HA hA HAAA ha haha HAAAAHa

Thanks I needed that today. Ha HA ha ha HA hA HAAA ha haha HAAAAHa Ha HA ha ha HA hA HAAA ha haha HAAAAHa What an idiot. :) :D :+ :7 :eyes:

[DrBB]

94. Funny how it parallels Iraq

Do I detect a pattern here? GOPukes casting themselves as heroes who solve complex problems with a wave of a recoiless rifle, only to discover, Hey, wait a minute, this some heavy shit here, wha da fuh? Then turning to the public with sober mien and intoning, This some heavy shit here, wha da fuh, gonna take time, I never said it was gonna be easy. Long hard slog ahead. Etcetera. Geez, amazing how talking like a plastic action figure turns out not to be the answer to real-world problems. Kinda disappointing thing about reality that way, you know? Comes right up and smacks plastic action-figure heroes between the eyes. Funny to watch 'em getting poleaxed. Only problem is, it doesn't solve the problem of that $87 billion going off to rebuild someone else's cities.

[PurityOfEssence]

98. Okay asshole, you said you could fix it, so FIX IT.

Ignorance is no excuse. "They" did it to me is no excuse, especially since the legislature was in Republican hands when a lot of the ugliness of energy deregulation went down.

You can't say "you had no idea", because your entire campaign was based on the contention that you somehow knew that it was waste and fraud.

Fix it.

Fix it now.

Stop bellyaching; you're a Republican, that's supposed to be a whine-free existence.

Get rid of the car tax. Even though it was a Republican bill initially, you said you'd do it, so DO IT. Many of your votes were obtained specifically with that promise; to say it's unfeasible is unacceptable.

Get of your pumped fascist ass and fix everything now. You've been elected savior, you big loudmouth, it's time to deliver.

[Claire Beth]

105. ahnold

ahnold has a LOT to learn.