of what he's about. Workers to Ahnold are "special interests;" corporations and the monied interests are the "people of California" he's working for. Fiscally, he's playing a shell game, his bond measure (was it only last year?) was a bandaid that increased state indebtedness, and he's going to considerable lengths to avoid taking on his real constituency, those "monied interests" who give him millions because oh they're truly selfless citizens just concerned about good gov't, uh huh:
http://www.arnoldwatch.org/special_interests/index.html: I recall when his first state budget hit in-home support services to the disabled, programs that helped disabled folks live outside of an institutionalized setting. Protestors marched (and wheeled) on the state capitol. There were folks in wheelchairs, etc along with their in home aides. It was a freaking amazing and disturbing sight, if you can imagine.
Just one face of Ahnold's budget priorities. Can't/won't even close tax loopholes to raise revenue, but he can hit the weakest among us. Who lobbies for them? Who attends his fundraisers on their behalf?
And this year he's back again with reductions that impact these sorts of "special interests" who apparently can't afford $100K seats at his table:
State workers, elderly, poor bear brunt of cuts, critics say
By Bill Ainsworth
STAFF WRITER
...In addition to limiting education spending, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hopes to balance the state budget by targeting programs for poor people and pensions for state employees.
Schwarzenegger's budget, released yesterday, proposed saving $1.4 billion in health and welfare programs and $407 million by rolling back pension payments and benefits for state workers...
...As part of his plan, the governor wants to trim welfare grants by 6.5 percent, reducing the $723 a month payment to a family of three to $676. On top of that, he wants to eliminate cost-of-living increases for welfare recipients in CalWORKs and for the aged, blind and disabled.
Schwarzenegger plans to reduce wages for workers in In-Home Supportive Services, which helps disabled people live in their homes.
"If this proposal takes effect, you'll see many consumers suddenly without a worker to perform essential daily functions, and as a result, these consumers will be institutionalized," said Patricia Yeager, executive director of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050111/news_1n11cuts.htmlLong Salon article, I think you can get access by seeing an ad if you're not a subscriber:
The truth about Arnold
The movie star poses as a corruption-fighting moderate. But since taking office, he's pursued a blatantly right-wing agenda while raking in big bucks from special interests -- and ignoring his own financial conflicts.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Peter Byrne
Feb. 15, 2005
...At first, the new governor sporadically fit the role of social liberal but fiscal conservative. He endorsed stem cell research, strengthened protections for domestic partners and supported access to public records. Conversely, he campaigned against reforming the penal law, called for setting up a DNA database for felons, and vetoed a bill allowing illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses. But, overall, people bought into his seeming moderation -- fully two-thirds of the state's general public favored his governorship. No California governor in modern times has enjoyed such a broad-based mandate to tinker with the government of the world's fifth-largest economy.
But with his defiantly immoderate State of the State speech in early January, when he proposed to drastically cut back education and social services in lieu of taxing the rich, Schwarzenegger blindsided liberal Californians with his nakedly Republican agenda. This week, the celebrity governor travels to Washington to mine his relationship with President Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress to boost federal spending for California. Since arriving in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger has:
Taken governmental actions that benefit his personal finances, in apparent violation of state law.
Collected tens of millions of dollars from many of the same "special interests" he had sworn to kick out of town when he was elected.
Vetoed bills that would have protected labor, the environment, workplace safety and consumers.
Sought to centralize his power by abolishing citizen-run boards that make important regulatory decisions.
Advocated for increased deregulation of the electricity market.
For more than a year, proximity to the "Governator" has blinded Democratic Party leaders, reporters, editors and the public to the tawdry reality taking place in front of their eyes -- the huckstering of a conservative product line and the glorification of the Schwarzenegger brand in California's highest public office.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/02/15/arnold/index.html
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