Unwrapping the Real Arnold Schwarzenegger

Re “Schwarzenegger Retreats on Key Campaign Vows,” Dec. 10: Well, now we see the real Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the one he promised to show us “after the election” -- a politician who lies like any other one and, rather than alienate his conservative voter base by raising taxes (something he said he might do), punishes local government, our public schools and our children (which he swore would happen over his dead body).

Look out, California -- here comes the Terminator.

Lucas Hennes

Huntington Beach

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Promises, promises, promises. Renege, renege, renege. Come on now, did anybody really think things would change? Nothing but politics as usual. Say what the people want to hear and then fail them once safely elected. Say, does anybody happen to have a recall petition handy?

Mike Aguilar

Costa Mesa

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We did not elect the governor to tell us that the legislators spent all the money; we knew that. We did not elect the governor to tell us to pressure the legislators; we knew that has not worked.

We elected the governor to find out what they wasted the money on and to terminate that spending, not to cut funding to the local governments and for education.

Tim Yu

Palos Verdes

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During the campaign the governor vowed that he wouldn’t cut education funding and that he would replace the $4-billion loss to local governments that would result from a repeal of the vehicle license fee increase. Now he says the education of our children is on the negotiating table and that local government funding is not his problem, passing the buck to the Legislature.

But we should have seen this coming. For those who paid attention during the campaign, Schwarzenegger was never able to tell us how he would address either of these critical funding issues, yet millions of Californians voted for him. Now we see his inability to answer that question has translated to an inability to fix the problem. Let’s recall those who voted for Schwarzenegger.

D.R. Heywood

Irvine

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Early in the game, wise Warren Buffett gave candidate Schwarzenegger the solution to California’s fiscal woes. He said taxes needed to be raised. He was threatened with push-ups if he mentioned the subject again. The governor spends time preening before mall crowds, autographing photos of his physique, when his butt belongs in Sacramento. The solution, though painful, is plain as it can be. Our taxes must be raised to extricate our state from this gigantic fiscal mess. A costly bond obligation would be like using a credit card to postpone California’s debt and is an idiotic idea.

Harriett Bledsoe

Oceanside

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Your article says, “When asked about the funding guaranteed by Proposition 98, Schwarzenegger said, ‘Maybe have a suspension; some relief there so you can pull out of this next two years and then pay it back, maybe.’ ”

Following his “personal guarantee” that cities and counties would not lose funds due them under the vehicle registration fee increase and his vow that cuts in K-12 education would come “over my dead body,” how much faith can the people of California have in his view on suspending Proposition 98 (which guarantees that education will receive priority in California’s budget) when he uses “maybe” twice in one sentence?

The only plan he presented to solve the state’s problems before the election was to “open the books” and eliminate waste and fraud, and then everything would fall into place. Well, how much waste and fraud have been identified so far? When will the people of California see that this emperor really has no new clothes?

Donald Kerns

Garden Grove

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Kim Reuben, a budget analyst with the Public Policy Institute of California, stated, “Education is really popular, and it is also where most of our spending goes.”

Wrong. Hummers are really popular; education is a necessity.

Boris Buzan

Mission Viejo

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“Shortfall in Car Tax to Hit Home” (Dec. 9) talked about local agencies raising taxes, cutting spending and filing lawsuits. The first installment of our property tax was due Dec. 10.

What would happen if the counties didn’t turn it over to the state and kept it for local distribution for police, fire and the schools? If “possession is nine-tenths of the law,” this seems like a good way to shift the balance of power and start to resolve this budget mess.

Ken Fritts

Cypress