Arnold on California, We should model ourselves after Texas "

[Scaramouche]

CITIZEN QUESTION: Under governors Pat Brown and Ronald Reagan, California spent up to 20 percent of its general fund on infrastructures such as roads, bridges, colleges, hospitals and water systems. Now we spend closer to 1 percent. Prop. 53 on the ballot raises that figure to 3 percent. What are your positions on Prop. 53 and what will you do to invest more in California's aging infrastructure?


SCHWARZENEGGER: I am for Prop. 53. I think it's a good beginning. But the fact of the matter is that we need a lot of infrastructures in California. Infrastructure with highways and with the transportation, railroads. Infrastructure with our water supply, infrastructure with our ports. We need that. We should model ourselves after Texas. In Texas, they have committed $140 billion for infrastructure (unintelligible) with building 4,000 miles of transportation -- railways, freeways, highways and all those kind of things. They have already taken the position where we were first in export -- now it's Texas, the first in export. Because they are really aggressive. That's what California ought to do.

Citizen Scaramouche: Just how in hell do you propose to spend a 140 billion dollars without raising taxes. Should we cut Health and Human services like in Texas? Should we have an environmental disaster like Texas? Should we step up executions like in Texas? Should we forget that the energy companies that raped California are in Texas?

Read my lips: California is no new Texas…

[Classical_Liberal]

1. That is why Arnold will lose

Californians all associate Texas with Enron.

[smirkymonkey]

2. When will this country

stop taking people with single digit IQs who run for public office seriously.

I feel like I have been in the Twilight Zone since January 2001 and it gets worse every day!

[Scaramouche]

6. I heard that Bush got a 100 on an IQ test...

and thought he got a perfect score...

[TexasEditor]

3. Texas will change...

The whole point of the redistricting effort here is to extend the GOP's 'control' while Texas becomes more and more like California, that is, more Democratic.

[AndyTiedye]

4. Texas Isn't Real Popular in California These Days

[DemBones DemBones]

5. Did he say that with a straight face? I saw a clip of Ahnold

loudly talking over people -- typical neocon tactic!

[Scaramouche]

8. He said it most emphatically ...

and with a self-righteous, straight face.

Here is the transcript, it's towards the end of the debate:
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1456808&nav=5D7lIBGK

[Grins]

7. I don't get this one...

Anyone have the answers here? I looked around a bit and I can't find anything that supports Texas and $140 billion for infrastructure. I did find FEDERAL mentions of that amount, but not specifically Texas. Of course, the federal treasury pays for 45% of eligible state projects - is that what he means?

This just doesn't make sense to compare California to a state whose proudest boast is that sometimes it's ahead of Mississippi. Texas is $10 billion in debt (California whittled it's deficit to $8 billion), and it's state budget is $117 billion (Calif.'s is $98.9B). Given their populations and economys that seems out of balance. The Texas 2003 budget is THE FIRST in 20 years to have a cut, and it includes $3M cuts in water quality (Infrastructure?) and $2M cuts in Telecommunications (certainly infrastructure).

From Molly Ivins column, May 15, '03: "Faced with a $10 billion deficit, the Republicans decided to outlaw gay marriage. Then they kicked 250,000 poor children off a health insurance program that is mostly paid for by the feds in the first place. Picking on the weakest, the frailest, the youngest and oldest Texans has been the sport of choice this session. When the handicapped came to the capital to protest cuts in their services, the governor had them arrested. The combination of cruel budget choices and an unfair process made this the session from hell.

During a committee meeting, Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Houston) demanded earnestly, "Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education? Free medical care? Free whatever? It comes from Moscow. From Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell."
I wonder what she says about having to pay for infrastructure?

Is this what AHHH-nold wants to copy?

[cap]

9. texas is mississippi with good roads...

why would California want to aspire to that...