Arnold Takes Office

Arnold has officially taken office, and made some impressive commitments.

"I will not rest until our fiscal house is in order," Schwarzenegger said in his inaugural address. "I will not rest until California is a competitive job-creating machine. And I will not rest until the people of California come to see their government as a partner in their lives, not a roadblock to their dreams."

Methinks he may not be sleeping well for a while. It's going to be a tough battle to get our financial situation in order, and Californians should be prepared for cuts in "essential" services (that aren't really essential at all).

Watch for immediate invocations of the Washington Monument Syndrome from obstructionists -- if we cut one single penny from the budget, we're going to have to close the Washington Monument... or eliminate the police force, or free all the murderers, or process poor people into a tasty, nutritious pasta sauce. &c. We've heard it before. What's really at stake, of course, are thousands of cushy government jobs, and tons of mandated special interest spending.

Claims that rolling back the hike of the Vehicle License Fee will increase the deficit are misplaced, as rolling this tax back will probably end up increasing revenue.

"I have big hopes for California," Schwarzenegger said. "President Reagan spoke of America as the shining city on the hill. I see California as the golden dream by the sea. Perhaps some think this is fanciful or poetic, but to an immigrant like me, who, as a boy, saw Soviet tanks rolling through the streets of Austria. To someone like me who came here with absolutely nothing and gained absolutely everything. It is not fanciful to see this state as a golden dream."

Someone poke me when you hear a Democrat say anything that positive about our country or my wonderful state.

(Image courtesy of Donald Sensing.)