That's Not Why I Voted No

I didn't vote to spite Schwarzenegger. I voted the way I did because I believed that they were ill thought propositions. I voted for Prop 13 because I believed it would help the older generation. It did help them but not as much as it helped corporations. There is always that little thing that people don't think about that comes back to bite you.

Salon.com | Arnold's big flameout: "Look at the mess their hero's made now. Schwarzenegger staked every cent of his political capital on four ballot initiatives to fix some of California's worst problems. On Tuesday, voters rejected every single one. Now the best chance for reform in California has been squandered, and such an opportunity is hardly likely to return anytime soon.

For years California has faced a recurring budget crisis, the entrenched public employee unions wield enormous power, and the legislative landscape is marked by districts deliberately drawn to guarantee no election will ever be contested. Schwarzenegger asked voters to take redistricting power out of the hands of politicians, effectively ban unions from contributing to political campaigns, institutionalize a spending cap, and make it harder for schoolteachers to secure tenure.

But the substance of the measures appeared almost irrelevant on Tuesday. Voters seemed to reject them merely to repudiate the governor. According to a recent Field Poll, only 36 percent of Californians would elect Schwarzenegger to a second term. After Bush, the Terminator is the least liked man in public life right now."

As presented on the ballot, all of the measures had serious ramifications, some hidden and some not. Now that the posturing is over maybe we get down to business.