Schwarzenegger is a a turncoat!

[Dingleberry]

  I'm not demeaning his success, and I have no doubt he's after a larger prize; however, Arnold ran as a pro business, fiscal conservative with a centrist social agenda, which is what I believe propelled him to office.  I'm not seeing a lot of fiscal conservatism in the plans he continues to announce, and it's certainly not going to inspire new business to come to California, outside of companies providing infrastructure improvements, i.e. construction.

California is a lost cause, and he knows it. Many people, such as you and I, know what his roots are. We know what he would do if he had any other chance. I would not hesitate to vote for him if he ran for president (if he was legally eligible). Believe me, I see where your coming from, but he's just not going to be able to do jack in California. It will just slip deeper and deeper into socialist society.

[pumpster]

So Arnold was either pandering in the beginning of his term, or he's pandering now...which is it?  Either way, it should be embarrassing.

This is the "real" version, as much as he's able to be sincere. The other version was an embarassing continuation of his movie roles ("we'll kick butt"), which he discovered the hard way didn't work in reality.

[Shockwave]

California is a lost cause, and he knows it. Many people, such as you and I, know what his roots are. We know what he would do if he had any other chance. I would not hesitate to vote for him if he ran for president (if he was legally eligible). Believe me, I see where your coming from, but he's just not going to be able to do jack in California. It will just slip deeper and deeper into socialist society.

I am not a fan of that state. You're right, it is bordeline socialism.

[pumpster]

California is a lost cause, and he knows it. Many people, such as you and I, know what his roots are. We know what he would do if he had any other chance. I would not hesitate to vote for him if he ran for president (if he was legally eligible). Believe me, I see where your coming from, but he's just not going to be able to do jack in California. It will just slip deeper and deeper into socialist society.

No idea why you think that. Thanks to a bigger than expected budget surplus coupled with borrowing, he'll be able to make a substantial difference in a state badly in need of overhaul.

Also don't understand why "boarderline socialism" is bad, when clearly the American model's not such a great one these days. Bottom line the Canadian/Euro socialist models work better for the average person right now.

[leaky_frog]

Real Estate value and property taxes had more to do with the budget surplus than anything Arnold has done- as the real estate boom cycles down, those property tax revenues stand to decline as well, and then we will be sitting on a tremendous deficit brought on by inflated budget projections. 

[Dingleberry]

No idea why you think that. Thanks to a bigger than expected budget surplus coupled with borrowing, he'll be able to make a substantial difference in a state badly in need of overhaul.

Also don't understand why "boarderline socialism" is bad, when clearly the American model's not such a great one these days. Bottom line the Canadian/Euro socialist models work better for the average person right now.

The American model is a great one.  It's the same model that propelled us in a few hundred years to the top of the economic food chain, not to mention the largest super-power.  Kind of hard to argue that.
It's the kind of model that allows anyone who is willing to work their ass off enjoy the fruits of their labor. The "average" person has more opportunities in American than anywhere else in the world. With all that oppertunity, why should someone who sits on his or her ass enjoy the money I busted my mine for? Sorry Charlie, not while I can vote
Our problem is we now have more and more people who aren’t contributing to the system, but are still receiving. Those people love the socialist model. The rest of us taxpayers think it sucks.

[Rami]

Arnold is the man. Everyone should have be given a chance to get medical help when something goes wrong.

[pumpster]

Arnold is the man. Everyone should have be given a chance to get medical help when something goes wrong.

He's not proposing anything that hasn't been thought of before but it would be nice to see it happen for a change, and would probably add momentum to other states' efforts as well as federal initiatives for something overdue.

[BRUCE]

No idea why you think that. Thanks to a bigger than expected budget surplus coupled with borrowing, he'll be able to make a substantial difference in a state badly in need of overhaul.

Also don't understand why "boarderline socialism" is bad, when clearly the American model's not such a great one these days. Bottom line the Canadian/Euro socialist models work better for the average person right now.

You must be kidding, where's your evidence for that? France??  I hardly think the most powerful economy in the world needs advice from Europe on how to operate.  Please give me an example of any economy where 'borderline socialism' has been successful.

[pumpster]

You must be kidding, where's your evidence for that? France??  I hardly think the most powerful economy in the world needs advice from Europe on how to operate.  Please give me an example of any economy where 'borderline socialism' has been successful.

You're living in the past. The United States isn't the envy of many right now in many aspects, including quality of life.

[pumpster]

LOS ANGELES — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in constant pain as a result of his leg surgery last month, and he said Wednesday he's immersing himself in work to keep his mind off the aching injury.

"I don't think I can remember ever having had pain _ ongoing pain, 24 hours a day _ like after this operation," the actor-governor told reporters in Sacramento.

"So this is really annoying to me," he added. "The only thing when I don't have pain is when I work."

Schwarzenegger fractured his right femur _ the longest bone in the body _ in a Dec. 23 skiing accident in Idaho. Surgeons used cables and screws to repair his leg three days later in what the governor called a "very complicated" 90-minute operation.

His comments Wednesday _ his first to reporters about the mishap at the Sun Valley resort _ were an abrupt departure from prepared statements from his office that said he was "feeling great."

Recalling his misadventure on the slopes, Schwarzenegger described a fluky, slow-speed accident in which his ski failed to release from its binding, twisting his leg until it snapped.

"I had an artificial hip that was replaced around five year ago. With that, because it was vulnerable, the ski torqued the leg and it broke the femur because of that," Schwarzenegger said. "If I would have had that accident at 50 mph, which many times I've crashed at that speed, nothing happens."

"I'm working through all of this and then trying to get rid of this problem as soon as I can," he added.

Under doctor's orders, he cut back his public appearances and traveling.

Schwarzenegger used crutches to hobble around at his inauguration last week, and again when he delivered two major speeches in Sacramento this week, including his annual budget presentation Wednesday.

The broken leg is just the latest in a line of injuries for the seven-time Mr. Olympia.

He had a heart valve replaced in 1997, rotator cuff surgery in 2003 and a rapid heartbeat sent him to a hospital in 2005. One motorcycle crash in 2001 left him with several broken ribs, and another in January 2006 resulted in 15 stitches in his lip.