Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Calling for "bold, courageous leadership" on restoring fiscalresponsibility in California, the Los Angeles Times editorializes thatGovernor Schwarzenegger has chosen gimmicks and sound-bites in his supposed commitment to deficit reduction. Arnold has riden thehousing boom since 2003, but is now in a rut eerily similar to that ofhis predecessor. The Times is right: we need leadership. Is Arnoldready to provide it?

The Bee's Dan Walters takes even more of a jab, saying the Schwarzenegger's tenure as Governor will have been acomplete failure unless he can turn his record on the budget around.According to Walters, Arnold has been no better on fiscalresponsibility than Gray Davis, and at least Davis was willing to behonest with voters about revenue (and his promotion of the car tax mayhave been one of the nails in the coffin).

We'll give credit where credit it due, and despite his budget shortcomings, the Governor deserves a good deal of credit for his willingness to take on the federal government for stonewalling our state on an environmental waiver, as reported bythe LA Times. At issue is a 2002 California law regulating greenhousegas emissions from cars and trucks—the federal government has failed toact; the least they can do is allow us to move forward.

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