UPDATE: 1-31-08  From the Sacramento Bee...

The Sacramento Bee has disclosed the names of the sponsors of television advertising many of whom may have tried to circumvent disclosure per a suggestion by Fabian Nunez...

"Of the 17 Democratic legislators who have contributed to Proposition 93, only Assembly Democrats Karen Bass and Ted Lieu gave $50,000. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, in October, asked members of his Democratic caucus to give slightly less than that, $45,000, to the term limits initiative. Six legislators have chipped in exactly that -- $45,000."

"Not a random figure, perhaps. Donors of $50,000 risk having to disclose their names in campaign advertisements. If numerous folks hit that threshold, ads must list the top two, according to the state Fair Political Practices Commission."

"So, you won't spot their names on TV ads, but the $45,000 donors are ... Senate Democrat Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, and Assembly Democrats Mike Eng of Monterey Park, Alberto Torrico of Newark, Dave Jones of Sacramento, Fiona Ma of San Francisco and Hector de la Torre of South Gate."

Original story ....

If there were any doubt that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was a RINO (Republican In Name Only) whose ego-driven Administration has permitted the liberal democrats to loot the state -- proof is now at hand.

The issue...

Shall Californians pass Proposition 93 which extends the terms of California's corrupt and chaotic leadership by circumventing the current term limits legislation. Hidden in the proposition is a "transition period" which would allow Fabian Nunez (D-Mexico) and Don Perata (D-Himself) to extend the very same leadership that created this fiscal emergency for another 8 years.

The Governator's "FLIP FLOP"...

Originally committed to term limits as a method for controlling the special interests who are coercing politicians into supporting their projects and spending us into a crisis, Schwarzenegger has changed his opinion and now supports allowing these "leaders" to remain in office.

From the Los Angeles Times...

Schwarzenegger endorses term-limit changes

"Governor's support of Proposition 93 is an about-face from his earlier statements on the issue."

"Softening his past opposition to changes to California's term-limits law, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is endorsing a February ballot measure that would allow many sitting lawmakers to run for office again this year rather than be forced to leave the Legislature."

"Schwarzenegger, who as a candidate in 2003 supported California's existing term-limits law as a shield against "special interests" obtaining too much power, reversed himself in an essay released today that said the original law 'went too far.'"

"Under the current system, our elected officials are not given the time they need to reach their full potential as public servants," Schwarzenegger wrote in an essay to be published in The Times on Tuesday. "Imagine what would happen if we told a big-city police chief or a sheriff he could stay in the job just long enough to start mastering it and then had to move on."

Memo to Schwarzenegger...

First, as for politicians reaching their real potential as public servants, they run on campaigns featuring their abilities and past experience. This is not on the job training for politicians. Most of the candidates have abused their offices to raise great sums of money and to use non-public foundations to support their "big shot" lifestyles. If they could not accomplish their goals in the Assembly (6 years) or Senate (8 years) why are we bothering with these inept, corrupt and chaotic professional politicians?

Second, we are not speaking of a big-city police chief. But if we were, the last time I checked, the Police Chief of Los Angeles' term of office is five years. Plenty of time to prove himself and earn a renewal.

Beholden to Mexico...?

Fabian Nunez continues to support the presence of illegal aliens in our state and their ability to become super-citizens with rights and privileges surpassing that of United States citizens and legal residents of California.

Sold for a legacy...?

"Schwarzenegger's backing is a boost for the Proposition 93 campaign and its chief proponent, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), who will be forced out of his seat after this year unless the term-limits law is changed. Nunez endeared himself to Schwarzenegger by pushing a health care overhaul that the two leaders negotiated through the Assembly last month. Schwarzenegger denied last month that the two had cooked up "an exchange" of support for their pet measures. But his endorsement conflicts with his original view on term limits, as well as with comments he made throughout last year that he would support changes to the restrictions only if a measure were also placed on the ballot to strip lawmakers of the power to draw their own districts."

If Schwarzenegger wants to prove he is independent of these liberal democrats and that he has not made a deal, let him demand that all social services, including healthcare, be restricted to citizens of the United States and legal residents of California.

"In addition to possibly extending Nunez's time in office, the measure could lengthen the terms of Senate President Don Perata (D-Oakland) and more than a dozen other sitting lawmakers. That provision has led opponents to describe the initiative as a thinly veiled effort by incumbents to maintain their power."

Protected districts preserving the existing power structure and obstructing change...

"Tony Quinn, a retired Republican consultant, said the governor's support for the proposition was 'a sign of weakness' because the Democratic leaders did not meet his demand to place a redistricting measure on the ballot."

Who is running the Yes on 93 campaign...

"The Yes on 93 campaign, which is being run by Nunez's campaign consultant, Gale Kaufman, did not respond to requests for comment."

Candidate Schwarzenegger...

"Schwarzenegger was elected in 2003 on a campaign platform that included unqualified support for the state's 1990 term-limits law. A month before the October 2003 recall election, Schwarzenegger issued a statement describing himself as 'such a strong believer in term limits' and declaring that 'a change in the current term-limits law would further entrench the special interests.'"

"''As we are now seeing with the state's budget crisis and anti-business policies, it is too easy for the politicians to become disconnected from the people they are supposed to represent,' Schwarzenegger said in that statement."

Schwartzenegger the "big shot" politician and a big lie...

Now, four years later, Schwarzenegger has written that he has reached the opposite conclusion. He said lawmakers need years to master the complexity of California's government, from its Byzantine water laws to its troubled finances."

This is an example of the big lie. The State of California has hundreds, and probably thousands, of specialized lawyers and consults who perform the "staff work" which is fed to the politicians for their easy digestion. All of the hard work in helping politicians to understand the issues is done by their large and costly staffs and those of the specialized agencies who actually run the state's infrastructure.

Another big lie...

In addition, existing term limits have created "a relentless campaign cycle" as lawmakers seek their next office -- a cycle that has made legislators more dependent on lobbyists and contributors.

This proposition does nothing to change the length of the term of a legislator's service -- only the number of time they can be re-elected to the legislature.

The truth emerges...

"Legislators become more concerned with campaign cash, endorsements and independent expenditures than public policy," Schwarzenegger writes. "So they operate in fear of alienating the special interests they must constantly rely on for campaign money."

So Schwarzenegger tacitly acknowledges corrupting influences and does NOTHING... as he takes their money and invents special foundations to fund his travel and movie-star lifestyle.  This from a man who claimed he was too rich, too big and too principled to be bought. The man who has raised more money and sold more favors than our previously recalled ex-governor Gray Davis.

I for one do not even want to read Arnold's essay which was written to make him sound like a high-minded reformer who thinks that half-a-loaf is better than none at all. The problem is we are not speaking about bread, but corrupt and chaotic politicians who should be shown the door.

If Schwarzenegger was true to the concept of term limits, he would have supported a competing ballot initiative that ONLY altered the total time that could be spent in office without making any provisions for sneaking in a transition period which would confer extra time to bad politicians.

THIS IS A BAD LAW ENDORSED BY A MAN WE THOUGHT WAS HONEST, ETHICAL AND ABOVE PARTY POLITICS ... I GUESS WE WERE WRONG.

What can YOU do?

Study the proposition and the contributions of Nunez, Perata and the others whose terms would be extended.

VOTE NO ON 93 -- RECALL NUNEZ & PERATA

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for their personal philosophy, power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:

Schwarzenegger endorses term-limit changes |Los Angeles Times

Schwarzenegger: Reform term limits|Los Angeles Times