Compare and contrast: (excerpts from two news stories)

THEN (6 Nov 2002)

By a wide margin, voters approved movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to spend $550 million a year on after-school programs.

Bolstered by Schwarzenegger’s fame and $1 million of his money, the measure attracted the endorsements of police chiefs, district attorneys and business leaders around the state.

The League of Women Voters and the California Federation of Teachers led the opposition, arguing that Prop. 49 would take away the Legislature’s flexibility to use taxpayer money for other needs, like health care and environmental programs.

"Of course we regret the fact that it looks like it’s winning," said Trudy Schafer, Program Director for the League of Women Voters before the final results were tallied. "But we had a goal of educating the public to the kind of danger that Prop. 49 posed for funding of certain programs."

"There is going to be a real challenge to do the budget given this mandated spending," said Schafer.

Prop. 49 is the latest in a series of state propositions to call for allocating a percentage of the state’s general fund – the budget’s largest pot of unrestricted money – for a specific purpose.

NOW (9 Dec 2003)

In what may prove a dramatic reversal of a key campaign promise, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday he is considering suspending Proposition 98, the landmark school funding guarantee.

"We're working with, you know, the education community to see how we can work together, for them to help with us this budget crisis," Schwarzenegger said during an interview on CNN that aired Tuesday.

"To maybe have a suspension or to have some relief there so we can pull out of these next two years and then pay it back, maybe," Schwarzenegger said.

Proposition 98 was passed by voters statewide in 1988. It mandates that public schools – kindergarten through 12th grade and community colleges – receive about 40 percent of the state's revenues.

What a moron.

posted by Quiddity at 12/09/2003 11:37:00 PM