by Allan Maclaren

Created on: March 04, 2009

Governor Schwarzenegger should not be recalled. California doesn't have the money to pay for an out-of-cycle election. And the state should not spend the money to remove the only effective governor the state has had for many years.

Governor Schwarzenegger is effective because he is not a professional politician. Almost without exception, every California politician is preparing either for re-election or, if facing term limits, preparing to run for a different office. Look at the dreadful financial position the state is in. Although the recession has dramatically reduced tax revenues, the underlying reasons are that the legislature and then governor Gray Davis promised the moon, in particular to the prison guards union as one conspicuous example. Their rationale was to guarantee reelection. Look at the track record of our politicians. Track them as they move from county supervisor to the California assembly to the California senate and then on to the House of Representatives, or a California state office. And some, if denied election or re-election, are appointed to state government jobs. There are good sincere and conscientious legislators. A recent rare manifestation of looking out for the public first are those legislators who defied their party to vote for the budget bill.

Governor Schwarzenegger isn't running for re-election or for any other public office. This gives him the latitude to make decisions for the benefit of the state even though those decisions will offend many whether they are Democrats of Republicans.

He steers a middle-of-the-road approach between the hardcore left wing spend, spend, spend Democrats, and the rabid anti everything (except lower taxes) Republicans. He is able to bring the more rational politicians of both sides to the table to try to chart a course that will take California out of its financial morass.

A recall election, besides being a waste of money, will most likely result in a professional politician becoming governor. Recall pun intended the recall election of Gray Davis. The election turned into a circus with scores of people on the ballot including at least one porn movies star; the vast majority of which had no qualifications but wanted the prestige of being able to say they had run for governor of the State of California. The state doesn't need a repeat of this stupidity.

California is shedding jobs and people because of its profligate spending habits. Governor Schwarzenegger is beholden to neither the spenders or nor the "any tax is too much tax" mafia. One has only to look at line-up of people from both parties getting to run for governor to realize that the state will not be in good hands when Mr. Schwarzenegger final does leave. No recall is the best call.

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