Monday, February 12, 2007
Time To Tell The Governor How We Really Feel
Rather than opine directly, please read the following Sacramento Bee article in today's (February 10th) paper below. It contains an interview with me where I greet the Governor and his minions with even more honesty than usual. The last paragraph is my personal favorite...Gloves Off.
From The Capitol
Mark
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California Republican Convention: Governor speaks to GOP
He tells meeting of party faithful he wants to build more dams and prisons.
By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, February 10, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3
Print | E-Mail | Comments (0)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a Republican gathering that "we may not always agree on every single issue, but I always will have your best interests in my heart." Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton
After celebrating "post-partisanship" in his inaugural address, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger played to a decidedly partisan GOP convention crowd Friday by emphasizing his anti-crime credentials and calling for more dams and government accountability.
The Republican governor was received politely by the estimated 650 dinner attendees at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Sacramento, though his appearance drew skepticism from some conservative delegates who suggested he gave up his GOP values through deals with Democrats dating back to last year.
Aware of the criticism, Schwarzenegger acknowledged early in his 17-minute speech that "we may not always agree on every single issue, but I always will have your best interests in my heart as I govern this state."
Republicans this year have focused their criticism on Schwarzenegger's $12 billion health care plan because it includes a 4 percent payroll charge on businesses with at least 10 employees that do not provide health insurance. The plan also asks doctors and hospitals to pay into a state health fund.
Many Republicans have called the proposal a tax, whereas the governor calls it a fee. Schwarzenegger sold his plan Friday as a way to help businesses avoid rapid increases in health-care expenses, suggesting that 6.5 million uninsured Californians are to blame for $14.7 billion in added costs each year.
"We have to make sure that everyone has insurance so that hospitals and doctors don't get left with billions and billions of dollars of unpaid bills, and eventually that gets passed on to the rest of us that are insured," Schwar- zenegger said.
Two resolution proposals submitted Friday by party conservatives target the governor's health care plan. One "opposes all legislative health care proposals containing new taxes, 'fees,' and involuntary governmental charges known by any other name." The other opposes all tax increases, implying that the governor's plan is a "disingenuous" one that relies on semantics to avoid the tax label.
Mark Zappa, 48, a Gilroy businessman and conservative Republican, called the health plan "absolutely outrageous."
"When he first ran for election, he knew we had to make California a more business-friendly environment," Zappa said. "He did so at first, and companies did stop leaving and some even came back. Now he's proposing something that certainly will chase companies out of state."
Schwarzenegger discussed his health care plan only after delivering a barrage of red-meat lines defending his proposal to send 5,000 to 7,000 prisoners out of state to ease California's overcrowding problems.
The governor said critics have suggested the state should seek prisoners' consent before transferring them. He then rattled off a list of crimes, from rape to murder, for which he said prisoners never sought consent from their victims. The lines drew the biggest applause of the night.
Schwarzenegger promised to build new prisons to solve an overcrowding crisis "without allowing dangerous criminals to go free." He has proposed a $10.9 billion plan to build 78,000 new beds in addition to changing the state's parole and sentencing structure.
The governor, in his inaugural address last month, minimized partisan loyalties by calling for an era of "post-partisanship" in which lawmakers and the governor ignore political concerns. That came after a year in which Schwarzenegger struck deals with Democrats to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase the minimum wage and borrow money to pay for schools, roads and housing.
Zappa, wearing a button with the acronym "RINO" (Republican In Name Only) crossed out, said the governor has acquiesced too much on environmental and business issues.
"My philosophy is this: If you have to cave in on all of your principles to get elected, then what's the point?" asked Zappa. "If he wants to act like a Democrat, then he should be a Democrat."
Schwarzenegger, however, declared himself a "proud Republican." He invoked the words of President Reagan, who also acknowledged divisions within the Republican Party "tent" at a state convention four decades ago.
About the writer:
The Bee's Kevin Yamamura can be reached at (916) 326-5548 or kyamamura@sacbee.com.
From The Capitol
Mark
-----------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
California Republican Convention: Governor speaks to GOP
He tells meeting of party faithful he wants to build more dams and prisons.
By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, February 10, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3
Print | E-Mail | Comments (0)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a Republican gathering that "we may not always agree on every single issue, but I always will have your best interests in my heart." Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton
After celebrating "post-partisanship" in his inaugural address, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger played to a decidedly partisan GOP convention crowd Friday by emphasizing his anti-crime credentials and calling for more dams and government accountability.
The Republican governor was received politely by the estimated 650 dinner attendees at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Sacramento, though his appearance drew skepticism from some conservative delegates who suggested he gave up his GOP values through deals with Democrats dating back to last year.
Aware of the criticism, Schwarzenegger acknowledged early in his 17-minute speech that "we may not always agree on every single issue, but I always will have your best interests in my heart as I govern this state."
Republicans this year have focused their criticism on Schwarzenegger's $12 billion health care plan because it includes a 4 percent payroll charge on businesses with at least 10 employees that do not provide health insurance. The plan also asks doctors and hospitals to pay into a state health fund.
Many Republicans have called the proposal a tax, whereas the governor calls it a fee. Schwarzenegger sold his plan Friday as a way to help businesses avoid rapid increases in health-care expenses, suggesting that 6.5 million uninsured Californians are to blame for $14.7 billion in added costs each year.
"We have to make sure that everyone has insurance so that hospitals and doctors don't get left with billions and billions of dollars of unpaid bills, and eventually that gets passed on to the rest of us that are insured," Schwar- zenegger said.
Two resolution proposals submitted Friday by party conservatives target the governor's health care plan. One "opposes all legislative health care proposals containing new taxes, 'fees,' and involuntary governmental charges known by any other name." The other opposes all tax increases, implying that the governor's plan is a "disingenuous" one that relies on semantics to avoid the tax label.
Mark Zappa, 48, a Gilroy businessman and conservative Republican, called the health plan "absolutely outrageous."
"When he first ran for election, he knew we had to make California a more business-friendly environment," Zappa said. "He did so at first, and companies did stop leaving and some even came back. Now he's proposing something that certainly will chase companies out of state."
Schwarzenegger discussed his health care plan only after delivering a barrage of red-meat lines defending his proposal to send 5,000 to 7,000 prisoners out of state to ease California's overcrowding problems.
The governor said critics have suggested the state should seek prisoners' consent before transferring them. He then rattled off a list of crimes, from rape to murder, for which he said prisoners never sought consent from their victims. The lines drew the biggest applause of the night.
Schwarzenegger promised to build new prisons to solve an overcrowding crisis "without allowing dangerous criminals to go free." He has proposed a $10.9 billion plan to build 78,000 new beds in addition to changing the state's parole and sentencing structure.
The governor, in his inaugural address last month, minimized partisan loyalties by calling for an era of "post-partisanship" in which lawmakers and the governor ignore political concerns. That came after a year in which Schwarzenegger struck deals with Democrats to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase the minimum wage and borrow money to pay for schools, roads and housing.
Zappa, wearing a button with the acronym "RINO" (Republican In Name Only) crossed out, said the governor has acquiesced too much on environmental and business issues.
"My philosophy is this: If you have to cave in on all of your principles to get elected, then what's the point?" asked Zappa. "If he wants to act like a Democrat, then he should be a Democrat."
Schwarzenegger, however, declared himself a "proud Republican." He invoked the words of President Reagan, who also acknowledged divisions within the Republican Party "tent" at a state convention four decades ago.
About the writer:
The Bee's Kevin Yamamura can be reached at (916) 326-5548 or kyamamura@sacbee.com.
