Schwarzenegger Criticizes School System

SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP)

Arnold Schwarzenegger began his campaign day early on Friday, getting up at 2:30 a.m. to appear on the morning talk shows. He told NBC's "Today" show that Davis has created "the most disastrous situation" in California history, citing the state's record deficit, deficiencies in the school system, and other problems.

He provided no specifics on his plan for solving the problems and when asked twice whether he would make his tax returns available to reporters, Schwarzenegger said he couldn't hear the question.

On KNBC-TV, he promised a statewide "listening tour," saying it was important not to talk all the time. "I'm going to go from morning to night, work every day, seven days a week, to get the message out there of what my plan is. I will go from house to house, knocking on doors, talking to families." ---

He thinks "Kindergarten Cop" makes him smart enough to know about schools. I am sure his children go to private schools.

...therein lies the problem. Too many affluent parents, like the Schwarzenwhatevers, withdraw their children and thus their support from the public school system.

A brief rant, if I may...

I cannot believe that ahh-nuld has thrown his hat in the ring. The man has not one--NOT ONE--qualification that indicates he has what it takes to govern California. Mediocrity begats mediocrity. I suppose this is California's comeuppance for all the thrash and trash foisted upon the rest of us.

Do you think that really matters? No it doesnt.

If going to a private school creates a class system of the have's and the have not's, the future will be very grim.

One purpose of the public school is to bring America together. Rich can develop compassion and understanding, while the unfortunate can aspire to better themselves.

... because someone who has no stake in the public schools, probably won't be as supportive of spending more money on public schools.

We all pay taxes. It doesn't matter if you have kids or not, you are impacted by the poor performance of our school systems. And if we are going to skewer him for sending kids to private schools, you better get ready to go on the attack with Dems in Washington because most do exactly that.

...that any candidate for any office needs to have a resume a mile long showing how long they have been involved in Government service. This is one of the big problems with Government today. I don't know if Arnold is qualified to be Governor. I don't think he stands much of a chance of being elected anyway.But if he is so be it. Let the people decide. Whether you agree with the recall or not it is the law of the land. If you don't like a law you take the steps necessary to change it. Arnold is not a Repug anyway. If you really look at his stance on several issues he is a moderate Democrat...another words he is a RINO. Relax

My perdiction for what it is worth: Davis will resign and the Lt. Governor Bustamante will become Governor...recall over, game over.

Democrats retain power...and this is what this is all really about..isn't it?

According to state law, once the signatures have been validated and the election date set the election will be held regardless of what the governor does.

must go on even if the guy resigns. That's insane. What if he died or became incapacitated? if so this recall clause is loonier than I thought.

Why is it that any candidate for any office needs to have a resume a mile long showing how long they have been involved in Government service.

it's not true that any candidate for "any" office needs to have a resume "a mile long". but for a powerful office with many duties, i think you should not expect to get elected without relevant experience. if he wants to be governor, let him first run for city council, mayor, assemblyman, or something.

would you expect to be voted in as the CEO of a fortune 500 company, right out of high school?

would you expect to be promoted to the rank of general, fresh out of boot camp?

of course not. so why should this Schwarzenegger dude expect to be elected governor with virtually no political experience?

people compare him to Ronald Reagan because both of them were actors. but Reagan at least had a record as a political commentator. whether you agreed with him or not, he was on record with a mature political philosophy. what's Arnie's?

i personally would not demand a resume "a mile long" for the gov's office, but sheesh, let the candidates at least have some experience. in Arnie's case, it isn't even an inch long. his political resume is shorter than his dick.

It's about an unfair election tactic that allows a man to win an election without winning the most votes. Do you think this is an ethical thing to do? Would you feel like you had engaged in a fair election under these circumstances? If it was a fair election, I would not criticize anyone for participating. As it is, only maggots feasting on the corpse of California's mangled sense of Democracy could possibly enter this contest with a clear conscience.

So, to me and many other people, it does matter. It matters a great deal. The death of our Democracy did not happen overnight with great fanfare. It happened day by day in insidious evil acts like this election being perpetrated on the people of California.

Public or private?

Isn't the downfall of California's school system largely a product of the anti-tax movement of the 1970's, which choked off the primary source of revenue for local school districts?

That excuse doesn't hold water anyway. California has one of the highest per-student expenditures of any state, and there is no law that says school funding has to come exclusively from property taxes. In fact, it does not.

Problems with the public schools could be one of the most successful populist issues anyone could raise here. The California Teachers' Association was one of Davis' biggest contributors. They own him. Arnold doesn't owe them anything.

This is a winning issue for the Governator. Democrats should concentrate on getting people to vote No on the recall issue. If Davis goes down, it's all over.

BTW I've personally witnessed the long, painful decline of California schools. I was fortunate enough to see them at their best - Graduated from high school in 1975 and UC in 1980. I've also served as a step parent to a child from Kindergarten up to high school age. The schools suck really badly.

EdSource lists California as 35th
Expenditures per pupil (ADA) (2001-02)
35
$7,324 (california)
$8,087 (nationwide av)

http://www.edsource.org/sch_rankings03.cfm

I don't argue that Cali schools need work, I've worked with educators from the state interested and math and science reform - they had true horror stories. I do, though, have to take exception to the highest expenditure statement. DC spends over 15k per kid.

$7,324 (california)
$8,087 (nationwide av)

He "provides no specifics on his plan for solving the problems", then talks about going door to door "to get the message out there of what my plan is"???

I think the plan must be to distract the majority of Americans from the Bush administration's lies. (or from the Kobe scandal)

if he told everyone at once :shrug:

A good part of the plan is to quash the defense in the feds suit against CA's emmission standards. I'm betting Arnie will spend all those nasty legal fees on....the schools! (That's instead of weathering Bush's economic policy with a temporary emergency tax increase)

...about what you see wrong, but don't offer a fucking alternative solution. That's just so helpful, Arnie.

Moron.

Looks like he's taking lessons from the last actor asshole we put in power.

When (or if) the media starts pressing him for answers, we'll see what a vacuum really exists inside Ahnold. Actors read lines...they aren't expected to think.

I just took a spin through about two dozen threads on here that were "bitching" about things the authors saw wrong and didn't see one alternative solution proposed.

Maybe Arnie has been reading DU?

None of us here are running for office. At least I don't think.

We're not trying to get elected. Someone running for an office as important as Governor of a huge ass state like California should probably at least think about alternative solutions to the problems he's bitching about. We're just dorks on the Internet. :)

--Chovexani

(and I say that with love :))

all he can do is complain. He is depending on financial ruin to get into office

night @ my DEan MeetUp that it was none other than ronnie rayguns himself.

That Cal had a Great School system before that!

arnie thejoke blarney.

can fix it." When pressed for details, there was none available, except for page after page saying five words.

"Tax cuts for the wealthy."

I know this prick is going to try his hardest. I know that he will have the full backing of the Rove Machine.

But I for one, do not need to hear his every move between now and when the GOP (possibly) performs another "selection" in October.

forcing the state by ballot proposition MANDATE to pay millions for afterschool programs from existing revenues rather than creating a fund to pay for them. This is a back door to promote vouchers.

"I am very concerned about Mr. Schwatzenegger becoming the Governor of this Great State. He is not qualified. He was educated by the most disaterous Austrian School System. If one has listened to him you cannot tell whether or not he is speaking English, German, or Gibberish. Additionally I am very concerned about the anit-Semetic undertone in the Austrian Culture and the fact that Mr. Schwartzenegger's father was a nazi. It would be a disater should this man aquire our states Governorship! This must be defeated AT ALL COSTS!!!!"

(satire)

He should have to reveal them. Davis has nothing to hide, nor Bustamante. Let's see them, Arnie!

allowed him to endulge himself with so much expierence.......

I am very concerned about his popularity. I've noticed lately that people (even in the Democratic Party) put popularity above issues. We need a solid strategy (and not just a lot of wishful thinking) to defeat this guy.

it's getting miserable grades.

so how would he know how to govern anything but his biceps?

People like him always use business managers to handle their money. Always.

He probably doesn't even know how much money he's got.

Does he still own all that real estate in downtown Denver?

Arnold's real mission here is to make the Pretzel-Dunce look good. You Californians had better check your voting machines but GOOD.

rocknation


P.S. Any national coverage of Bustimante?

I just heard a snippet on television, and he actually used the word "crusade". He seems to be recycling Bush's "vocabulary": uniter, not a divider; crusade.

freakin' word?

I know nothing about the California educational system. But I was just visiting with a teacher friend from a Western state who contends that the No Child Left Behind Act has hurt education in her school district. The kids are mainly being prepped for tests and a whole lot of subject matter that should be an essential part of schooling is falling by the wayside.

Friends of mine with kids in public schools say their kids are taught to the standardized tests. Period. All that matters is that the schools don't lose state & federal funding. Whether or not they learn anything doesn't seem to be relevant to this discussion. I'm not surprised so many parents home-school down here.