The problem with having a movie star as governor

[billvon 3,108]

Governor digs fixing potholes
San Jose crews destroy part of road for staged event

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to a quiet San Jose neighborhood Thursday, and -- dogged by protesters -- filled a pothole dug by city crews just a few hours before, as part of an attempt to dramatize his efforts to increase money for transportation projects.

. . .

Porrovecchio and his business partner, Joe Greco, said that at about 7 a.m. they became fascinated watching "10 city workers standing around for a few hours putting on new vests,'' all in preparation for the big moment with Schwarzenegger.

But their street, he noted, didn't even have a hole to pave over until Thursday morning.

"They just dug it out,'' Porrovecchio said, shrugging. "There was a crack. But they dug out the whole road this morning.''

"It's a lot of money spent on a staged event,'' said Matt Vujevich, 74, a retiree whose home faced the crew-made trench that straddled nearly the whole street. "We still have the same problems. Everything's a press conference.''


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/27/GOVERNOR.TMP

[JohnRich 4]

Okay, so they created a fake pothole for the publicity. If they follow through and fix all the real potholes, then I don't see a big deal here...

[quade 4]

That's because you don't live here John...

When he annouced he'd run I thought it was stupid.
When people voted for him I was shocked, but people are sheep and follow celebrity more than logic.

People are now finding out what a poor choice they've made.

California, however, is just a microcosm.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Duckwater 0]

Paul Quade for GOV! I swear I will vote for the Quadeinator.


--

[Jimbo 0]

Quote

That's because you don't live here John...

When he annouced he'd run I thought it was stupid.
When people voted for him I was shocked, but people are sheep and follow celebrity more than logic.

People are now finding out what a poor choice they've made.

California, however, is just a microcosm.

So, you don't like Arnie, we get that. Now, can you answer John's question? If he fills in the real pot holes and actively improves the roads then what's the problem?

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[sinker 0]

Quote

Quote

That's because you don't live here John...

When he annouced he'd run I thought it was stupid.
When people voted for him I was shocked, but people are sheep and follow celebrity more than logic.

People are now finding out what a poor choice they've made.

California, however, is just a microcosm.

So, you don't like Arnie, we get that. Now, can you answer John's question? If he fills in the real pot holes and actively improves the roads then what's the problem?

-
Jim

Well, for starters, how about the blatant inauthenticity of the event? Doesn't that say something about Arnie's character?

-the artist formerly known as sinker

[quade 4]

Quote

So, you don't like Arnie, we get that. Now, can you answer John's question? If he fills in the real pot holes and actively improves the roads then what's the problem?

Because I have some vague relationship with the machinery of marketing I am -highly- skeptical about any and all media events. I know all too well how incredibly easy it is to create the -impression- of action without any real action at all.

Ground breaking ceremonies (or in this case pot hole filling) are promises of things to come, but are not always promises fulfilled. I am not impressed with them.

Some people like intentions.
Me? I kinda like -results-.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Jimbo 0]

Quote

Me? I kinda like -results-.

If that's the case then shouldn't you wait a bit before you criticize this particular project?

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[Gawain 0]

The governmental problems in California have been almost exclusively due to the legislature. If we could have had a recall on them in addition to the governor's office, I would've thrown most of them out of office as well.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[quade 4]

Quote

Quote

Me? I kinda like -results-.

If that's the case then shouldn't you wait a bit before you criticize this particular project?

-
Jim

I never critizied the project. I critizied the un-needed and wastefulness of tax payer funds to publicize it.

HUGE difference.

The photo op wasn't needed -- just do the damn project.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[billvon 3,108]

>Doesn't that say something about Arnie's character?

I don't think it says anything new about his character. He's an actor, and has been for a great many years now. Make-believe is his whole life. It shouldn't come as a suprise to anyone that he now has a "movie budget" (that we pay for) that will be used to stage fake publicity events.

We got exactly what we asked for.

[rmsmith 1]

Quote

We got exactly what we asked for.

California is one of many states that dip into their gasoline tax accounts to replenish the general fund, better known as welfare, leaving the state's infrastructure to crumble. This trend will likely continue into the foreseeable future as companies demand evermore sophisticated skills, housing prices climb, and outsourcing become rampant.

[Bdog 0]

so what i am hearin yo say it the media is the problem? or is it theat the citizens are too stupid to vote objectively?

_________________________________________

---Future Darwin Award recipient-

[quade 4]

Quote

so what i am hearin yo say it the media is the problem? or is it theat the citizens are too stupid to vote objectively?

The problem, as I see it, lays with;

1. The people for voting for celebrity rather results.
2. The Governor and his minions for wasting tax payer funds on needless event.
3. The media. Not for covering the event but for not reporting on the needless waste of tax payer funds.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[FallRate 0]

I could be wrong, but if Arnold had not been an actor this would be a non-issue, IMO.

I would say "think about it", but I assume most people will, as I seem to have a higher opinion of the general populace than those who refer to them as sheep.

And by the way, I'm not an Arnie supportor. Neither am I a detractor. Not a resident of the State of California, so he effects me not at all.

FallRate

[billvon 3,108]

> I could be wrong, but if Arnold had not been an actor this would be a non-issue, IMO.

I agree; but I think that's because he would not have planned such a production.

>I would say "think about it", but I assume most people will . . .

Most people will not even hear about it.

[shropshire 0]

Excse me for butting in (as a non-US peep)
.. .. But what's wrong with all of you that say that it's not a problem..

This is symtomatic of a much larger problem .... what he did was act out a LIE... He lied to you and in front of the cameras. It may be a small lie in the great scheme of all the lies that are told in politics, but it's a lie non the less and if you put up with it.... it's your lookout.

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[kelpdiver 2]

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I don't think it says anything new about his character. He's an actor, and has been for a great many years now. Make-believe is his whole life. It shouldn't come as a suprise to anyone that he now has a "movie budget" (that we pay for) that will be used to stage fake publicity events.

We got exactly what we asked for.

Not that it was any different with Gray Davis, who had Caltrans spending a shitload of money so the new bridge going from Richmond to Vallejo would be ready in time for him to open before he was replaced in office.

The cost of a staged pothole ceremony pales next to that, or the billions lost over delays because of the LA/Bay Area fight over funding the Bay Bridge.

[lawrocket 3]

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> I could be wrong, but if Arnold had not been an actor this would be a non-issue, IMO.

I agree; but I think that's because he would not have planned such a production.

Wrong. Politicians have planned this stuff out forever. Any politician will give you the shirt off of his back, so long as the cameras are there. Anyone remember Clinton staff deliberately tipping a flag over on Normandie so Clinton could pick it up and replant it to the cameras?

Why am I upset about this? Because I wanted Schwartzenegger in to do things differently. Now he's doing things the same way.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[billvon 3,108]

>Not that it was any different with Gray Davis, who had Caltrans
> spending a shitload of money so the new bridge . . .

Now, see, I think there's a very big difference there. Spending money to build a bridge is a reasonable use of my tax money. Spending money to tear up a street to make a commercial for our governor is a less reasonable use of my money. You may feel differently; that's fine.

[kelpdiver 2]

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>Not that it was any different with Gray Davis, who had Caltrans
> spending a shitload of money so the new bridge . . .

Now, see, I think there's a very big difference there. Spending money to build a bridge is a reasonable use of my tax money. Spending money to tear up a street to make a commercial for our governor is a less reasonable use of my money. You may feel differently; that's fine.

Nice half quotation, Bill. The second half really makes your argument look stupid, the part where he ran up massive overtime hours so he would be the one opening the bridge. As a taxpayer, I would have been just happy for it to open a few weeks later. There already was a functional bridge that would have done in the meanwhile.

Want to get that foot out of your mouth now?

[kelpdiver 2]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/10/22/BAGO72GMFO1.DTL

It looks like taxpayers will indeed be footing the overtime bill to get the new, $225 million Carquinez Bridge finished in time for Gov. Gray Davis to cut the ribbon before he leaves office.

More than a dozen construction workers were called out Saturday and Sunday to help finish the electrical and other work that needed to be done to meet the new Nov. 8 deadline, a week ahead of schedule, reliable sources say.

And workers are expected to be out on the bridge this weekend as well.

"It really fries my (behind),'' one contractor on the job told us. "They're literally spending tens of thousands of dollars on overtime they don't have.''

As we reported Monday, state Department of Transportation staffers are miffed over a press memo sent out by their District 4 public affairs chief, Kena Hudson, insisting that the opening ceremony had been moved up a week simply because workers finished the bridge early.

"Rumors that politics played any role in the schedule are unfounded,'' Hudson wrote.

According to our sources, however, workers had been aiming for a Nov. 15 finish date for a couple of months -- and had to shift into overdrive when the ribbon-cutting was moved up.

If there's any doubt about who's paying for the speedup, we're told that last week the state furnished bridge contractors with a change order number for purposes of billing all the construction overtime.

As one contractor told us, "We're really trying to cram a month's worth of work into three weeks.''

[billvon 3,108]

> where he ran up massive overtime hours so he would be the
>one opening the bridge.

He got the bridge finished as promised; that's good. He spent too much on it; that's bad. Compare that to tearing up a road to make an unneeded repair. Both are a waste of money, but at the end of the day, in one case we have a bridge.

[quade 4]

Gotta love you guys that feel like you -have- to defend Arnold so much so that the only way you can do it is to essentialy say that he's no worse than some other guy.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the other guy booted out of office?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kelpdiver 2]

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Gotta love you guys that feel like you -have- to defend Arnold so much so that the only way you can do it is to essentialy say that he's no worse than some other guy.

I'm merely pointing out that Arnold's excess was rather cheap compared to the other recent examples. Bill should be whining about how much money the Bay Bridge debacle will be costing us all. That's billions of dollars. And yeah, Arnold has become as big a part of the problem as everyone else.

Gas taxes should be spent on road related infrastructure, yet instead is a general fund item. An initiative was run in a couple years ago to try to correct for that, but it's still not great. If he wants to stage an event to announce more road maintenence, I'm not going to complain.