Climate Change: Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed mandatory climate change curriculum (or did he?)
Arnold the RINO …
I have been openly critical of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Administration.
For his failure to provide the leadership necessary to curtail the democrat-led spending which has produced a record $16 BILLION dollar deficit.
For his actions as a RINO (Republican In Name Only) who has appointed life-long committed democrats to positions which I felt should have been held by qualified Republicans.
For his narcissistic movie-star lifestyle which is partially funded by special foundations which are less than transparent as they hide their donors from public scrutiny.
And for his apparent duplicity on several issues; where he says one thing and does another.
A step in the right direction …
So it was with some degree of pleasure that I read that the Governor vetoed a S.B. 908, a bill whose purpose was to require the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education to revise the framework in science to include specified topics in environmental education; specifically climate change.
The revised curriculum would have included the following topics:
- Integrated waste management.
- Energy conservation.
- Water conservation and pollution prevention.
- Air resources.
- Integrated pest management.
- Toxic materials.
- Wildlife conservation and forestry.
- Climate change.
In my opinion this seems to reflect a little effort on the Governor’s part to move in the right direction; and by right, I mean both figuratively and literally. Especially since we find that the far-left environmental movement has a political agenda to enlarge their power and fund their initiatives by doing an end-run around the people and using the courts to win their positions when they cannot possibly win at the ballot box.
According to the San Jose Mercury News …
“Governor vetoes climate change curriculum”
“California public students will stick to reading, writing and arithmetic, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger decided as he vetoed a bill late Friday that would have required climate change be added to schools' curriculum.”
“The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, also would have required future science textbooks to include climate change as a subject.”
“In January, the state Senate approved the bill, SB 908, by a 26-13 vote. Only two Republicans supported the proposal.”
What the Governor said …
To the Members of the California State Senate:
“I am returning Senate Bill 908 without my signature.”
“While I am supportive of encouraging ‘climate change’ education curriculum, I have consistently vetoed legislation that has attempted to mandate specific details or events into areas of instruction.”
“The State Board of Education adopted content standards are developed by a diverse group of experts and are intentionally broad in order to allow coverage of various events, developments, and issues.”
“I continue to believe that the State should refrain from being overly prescriptive in specific school curriculum, beyond establishing rigorous academic standards and frameworks.”
“Moreover, in this particular case, the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s Office of Education and Environment, in conjunction with the California Environmental Protection Agency is already well into the process of incorporating the “climate change” issue in the creation of an environment-based K-12 model curriculum.”
For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill.”
Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
But it is the last part of the Governor’s veto message that is puzzling …
“Moreover, in this particular case, the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s Office of Education and Environment, in conjunction with the California Environmental Protection Agency is already well into the process of incorporating the “climate change” issue in the creation of an environment-based K-12 model curriculum.”
Bill or no bill, it seems that they are going ahead to modify the curriculum anyway …
So my conclusion is that they are going to do it anyway, quietly and without any legislative approval of the process. So why bother vetoing the bill becomes a significant unanswered question.
Circumventing the Constitution …
We know that here in California, the EPA and the Department of Fish and Game have already circumvented the “takings clause” Fifth Amendment of the Constitution by imposing environmental controls on certain landholders without compensating them for the reduction in the value of their property holdings. Or the State has participated in the extortion of private property owners by requiring that they donate land and provide other unrelated benefits to the State in order to secure building permits and permission to undertake improvement projects on their property.
And we can see that these very same people are attempting to circumvent the Second Amendment by restricting weapons and ammunition in designated areas which are growing larger by the day. All in the guise of protecting indigenous wildlife. such as the rapidly declining California Condor population, from copper and lead poisoning based on somewhat suspicious science. In some areas, even those with valid pistol carry permits can be arrested and charged if a weapon and any bullets containing lead are found in a person’s vehicle.
So what is my objection?
I have no basic objection to including the discussion of global climate change in science classes – as long as it pertains to the scientific study of weather and the climate.
What I strenuously object to is for the geo-political implications of global climate change being taught in such a manner as to validate inconclusive science and provide prescriptive remedies which are political in nature. Additional inculcation of a far-left political point of view based on nothing more than speculation and supposition.
I find no compelling need for the State to mandate the coverage of global climate change in textbooks unless the subject is presented in a rigorous scientific context that posits that global warming is a theory based on computerized models with varying degrees of mathematical uncertainty.
As for Schwarzenegger, I am still hoping that he will turn away from the far-left and become the Reagan conservative he originally portrayed himself to be. Of course, I am not holding my breath – even in the pollution-laden Los Angeles basis.
What can YOU do?
As with all politicians, what you see is not always representative of what they are doing. Educate yourself on the subjects which interest you and ignore the politician’s words as you follow their actions. Two very different pictures often emerge.
Want the truth, follow the money. It is a far more accurate indicator of what is happening than anything a politician may do or say.
Remember, global warming is still a theory and cannot be proven without a reliance on deeply-flawed computer models which are continually being tweaked to produce pre-ordained results.
Demand intellectual honestly from your elected officials even though honesty seems to be a foreign concept that never interferes in their pursuit of less than practical political solutions to problems of their own making.
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
Quote of the day: “That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false.” --Paul Valery
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:
Governor vetoes climate change curriculum|San Jose Mercury News
California Senate Bill S.B. 908 (Enrolled)|California Senate
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