Gov.
Schwarzenegger lacks adequate leadership
Lauren
Williams Since
he began his campaign in 2003, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger has lacked the leadership
and vision our state needs.
Mesmerized by his grandiose campaign, or out of sheer desperation, Californians
trusted Schwarzenegger to lead their state out of debt and into prosperity.
Now, with the imminent November election, the polls are showing California’s
citizens have recognized his deficiencies.
In 2003, California was on the brink of disaster. With an energy crisis leaving
many residents with unpredictable power and a bottomless state deficit, Californians
became desperate for change.
Schwarzenegger looked and acted in control and
most citizens thought he would be capable of curbing California’s woes.
But he has proven he is not capable of running a state as diverse and powerful
as California.
Since his election, Schwarzenegger has failed to address the main problem Californians
were concerned with when he was elected two years ago.
The problem of reducing
the state debt was prominent when he was elected, and Schwarzenegger has only
increased the number of problems facing California.
When he entered office he was facing a deficit nearing $38 billion, according
to CNN.com. Despite the staggering debt the state was facing, Schwarze- negger’s
Republican ties prevented him from increasing taxes. Taxation is the only feasible
solution to lessening state debt without cutting essential social programs.
In order to raise the funds necessary to reduce state debt without increasing
taxes, Schwarzenegger was forced to reduce funding to many programs that provide
aid for those with fewer financial resources.
An example of the programs that receive less funding due to Arnold’s
tax phobia would be the public education system. Last year Schwarzenegger cut
the budget for education by $2 billion in exchange for protection in the future.
Rather
than providing educators with protection, he wants to eliminate Proposition
98, which proposes to guarantee constitutional funding for education. Schwarzenegger
is also cheating former teachers by cutting their pensions by $469 billion.
Teachers and the education system are in desperate need of funding, and Schwarze-negger
is only furthering the problem of poor education. As money is taken from the
school systems, schools are faced with cutting programs such as music and other
fine arts to make their budgets work.
By drastically cutting teacher’s
pension people have less incentive to become teachers, perpetuating a decline
in education. By reducing the quality of education through cut programs and
lack of teachers, Schwarzenegger is jeopardizing the future of California.
Having an educated public can only enhance the financial potential of our state.
Education is not the only area suffering under the Schwarzenegger administration.
Recently, the governor vetoed a bill passed by the California Assembly allowing
same sex marriage.
His reasoning behind the decision was based on Prop. 22.
The governors representatives claim that because people voted in favor of Prop.
22 in 2000, it would be contrary to the interests of the majority of Californians
if he did not veto the bill.
Within the past few years gay rights have made modest gains amongst the Californian
public. Using a proposition passed five years ago as evidence of the wishes
of Californians would not be an accurate depiction of the current sentiments
of the public.
His approval ratings are at an all time low of 36 percent, showing that his
actions have been both negligent and detrimental to the well being of our state’s
citizens.
He has cut spending to many essential state funded programs, denied
equal rights to a significant proportion of Californians and failed to create
a permanent solution to the problem that got him elected in the first place.
Schwarzenegger has not provided California with the leadership it needs and
it has become the burden of the public to find a new governor who will bring
California back into the prosperity it relished in years ago. Thankfully, a
few intelligent state legislators may be providing Californians with a better
alternative next November.
Lauren Williams is a sophomore journalism major. |
