Governor Created the Emergency

Re “Cities, Counties Regain Billions; Gov.’s Aide to Cut Education,” Dec. 19: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a power-hungry conniver. He is attempting to claim budgetary powers based on an emergency he created. He slashed the car tax without identifying how he was going to replace those funds. Now, one month later, he is using the emergency he created as an excuse to seize budgetary authority from the Legislature.

Along the way he is making a hash out of the state Constitution. No other constitutional officer of our state should stand for it.

Richard

Murphy

Whittier

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In response to “Schwarzenegger Seizes Reins of Power in Capitol,” news analysis, Dec. 19:

The United States bypasses the United Nations, President Bush bypasses public will and now Schwarzenegger bypasses the California Legislature.

Is dictatorship the “new democracy”?

Kathy Price

Arroyo Grande

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I participated in the protests that “Governor Drops Cuts for Disabled” (Dec. 18) accurately described as “a torrent of angry protests.” We literally filled up the Capitol and had police seriously concerned about where to put all the protesters, wheelchairs and reporters. When I read that “administration officials denied that outside pressure had caused the governor to reverse himself,” I just laughed out loud. The large crowd of angry disabled people and their families, gathered outside the governor’s office with a platoon of media present, was probably hard to miss. The bottom line is, this governor backed down when he fully understood the ramifications of what this was going to do to the throng of constituents outside his office. To suggest that the popular opinion of his constituents had no influence on his decision is arrogant.

I am the parent of an autistic child, who is a consumer of services from the Regional Center of Orange County.

Scott Riley

San Clemente