Speaking to the legislature today, Governor Schwarzenegger gave a solid speech that will hopefully give momentum to the effort to close the state's budget deficit and put California on solid financial ground going forward.

Arnold Schwarzenegger clearly sacrificed a great deal by entering politics. Here's a Hollywood star, recognizable around the world, who put aside a movie career to enter the punishing world of politics and government.

He is clearly someone who didn't enter politics in order to get famous, or obtain power and influence, or to punch a clock. In this way, he was the polar opposite of career politician Gray Davis.

For this reason it's easy to see why long term reform has been at the center of his agenda since he was elected. Granted, this drive has taken all kinds of twists and turns, but the mission of reforming government and leaving the state better than when he entered office is an unmistakable motivator for this political leader.

That drive for reform and lasting change took center stage with today's speech to the legislature where the Governor made the case for the cuts he has presented, but also made the even more compelling case for why now is the time to make the reforms we all know are necessary. If people are going to have to suffer because of these cuts, and there is no doubt some will, let's at least make sure we get some positive, common sense reforms out of it. To me, that–s what I heard the Governor saying.

For instance, there is no compelling reason for the state to make it difficult, as it does, for school districts to choose for themselves who mows the lawn or serves lunch. School district officials are perfectly capable of making those decisions for themselves, but the state, in a giveaway to labor union officials, makes it nearly impossible for districts to shop around for who provides those services. And we all know the motive: if those services are provided by district employees they're likely to be unionized, while the small businesses who might be contracted to provide the same service may not be. This doesn–t have anything to do with education - it's just about the politics.

This was irrational decision-making when the economy was roaring, and now with the economy in the tank it's economic and educational malpractice. How many teachers should be laid off because the state forces schools to pay inflated prices for services that have nothing to do with educating kids? This is no longer a matter of convenience - it's about making sure we're minimizing the pain in the classroom.

Governor Schwarzenegger has rightly noticed that too many decisions in education center around what–s best for adults, rather than kids. Maybe -just maybe - we can get some reforms out of this crisis that will allow our neighborhood schools to do what–s in kids' interest: lowering costs by shopping around for services so we can keep the cuts away from the classroom.

Many other solid reform proposals abound: such as performance-based budgeting, and measuring for results before programs are reauthorized. Republicans are on the right track by advancing these ideas so once this crisis is behind us, our government is performing a better job at lower costs for all of us.

The results? Brown isn–t safe in his own city ˜ so much for his crime fighting template.

Jerry Brown Wanted To Use Oakland As "Template" For Fighting Crime Statewide

Jerry Brown: "I Think We Can Set Up What We Do In Oakland As A Template To Help Other Police Departments." "Brown calls up statistics on the murders, rapes, robberies, and other major crimes that are carried out in the city. 'I think we can set up what we do in Oakland as a template to help other police departments,' he says. 'I don't think there has ever been an attorney general who will have a focus on crime at the micro level as I have.' As of late August, Oakland had 95 homicides, one more than all of last year. In 2004, the city's murder rate was 20.6 per 100,000 people, compared with 5.5 nationwide." (Roger Simon, "Jerry Brown, Eliot Ness Fan, Aims To Be California Crime-Buster," Bloomberg, 9/28/06)

Jerry Brown's "Tough, Hands-On" Approach Included More Than 11 Plans, But Crime And Murder Continue To Climb

Jerry Brown Declares That His "Tough, Hands-On, Creative" Approach to Fighting Crime Will Be A Huge Asset. "Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown said his 'tough, hand-on creative' approach to fighting his city's vexing crime problem is a huge asset as he runs for California attorney general." (Jim Herron Zamora, "Democratic Candidates Make Their Pitches," San Francisco Chronicle, 4/25/06)

With Less Than 8 Years In Office, Jerry Brown Has Offered No Fewer Than 11 Crime-Busting Attacks, But Crime And Homicide Rates Continue To Climb. "When it comes to anti-crime plans, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown has Tried just about every trick in the book, offering no fewer than 11 crime-busting attacks since taking office in 1999:

" Just two weeks after being sworn into office, Brown broke ground by calling for a Rudy Giuliani-style monitoring of crime to keep the cops on their toes.

" Three months later, in March 1999, Brown announced Project Exile, which called for criminals with guns to be prosecuted under stiffer federal laws.

" In August 1999, Brown -- standing in front of pictures of homicide victims -- called for the tracking down of repeat offenders wanted on outstanding warrants.

" In February 2003, Brown backed a plan by City Councilman Larry Reid to beef up the city's anti-loitering law to curb open drug dealing.

" In September 2003, Brown called for the closing-down of drug houses. So far, authorities have gone after 60 such establishments.

" In November 2004, Brown finally won voter approval for more money to hire cops and offer more social programs to give youths an alternative to crime.

" In January 2005, he called for a citywide curfew for parolees and people on probation, which is still in effect.

" In July 2005, Brown held a job fair for ex-convicts.

" In March 2006, faced with a new crime crisis, Brown ordered the redeployment of 115 officers to a new crime-suppression unit.

" In June, it was the High Five program, under which at least 30 police officers were pulled from other duties to fight crime in East Oakland.

" And just this past Thursday, he announced a program to focus on the city's toughest 100 criminals." (Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross, "Brown's Returned Fired On Oakland Crime," San Francisco Chronicle, 8/6/06)

To the AFP wire story:

‘‏Do you have any hidden desires?– a sultry voiced woman asked.

‘‏Well, do you feel like getting nasty? Then you came to the right place ˜ brough to you by the girls of Swank magazine,– she said. &

‘The White House did not offer an explanation when asked how it sent the wrong number in an email listing both numbers ˜ one for journalists in the United States and the other for those overseas. &

‘When pressed further about the number, [White House spokesman] Vietor replied: ‏I haven–t dialed whatever number you–re referencing. Please call such numbers on your free time!–’

A joke meant to deflect or a veiled suggestion? You decide.

Link to article

Our communities and families expect our lawmakers and regulators to act to help and not hurt us, to understand the pain felt by so many, and to understand that their actions will put our friends, families, and neighbors out of a job. And yet, we are constantly disappointed by a barrage of overregulation and job-killing legislation.

Assemblyman Martin Garrick (R-San Diego) is introducing legislation to save thousands of California jobs by halting the implementation of these harmful regulations. Garrick will introduce a bill today in the Third Extraordinary Session to give an "enforcement holiday" until April 1, 2010 to gas station owners unable to comply with the Enhanced Vapor Recovery (EVR) Phase II installation.

"Thousands of gas stations could face significant fines or the possibility of being shut down unless the Legislature takes action now to give them some breathing room," said Assemblyman Martin Garrick, R-Carlsbad, the author of the emergency legislation. "We simply cannot allow the potential for massive job losses or higher gas prices. That's why Republicans have introduced this emergency legislation - to give gas stations more time to afford these costly new fuel nozzles and protect small businesses and jobs."