http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/12/31/18667918.php
Introduction by Dan Bacher - Story by Patrick Porgans, Solutionist
Introduction by Dan Bacher - Story by Patrick Porgans, Solutionist
Outgoing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his collaborators have waged a campaign to greenwash his absymal environmental legacy through a plethora of press releases, photo opportunities and puff pieces before he leaves office. One of the most shameful examples of these efforts to rewrite history by casting Schwarzenegger in the role of "green governor" is Terry Tamminen's Huffington Post puff piece, "He'll Be Back" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-tamminen/hell-be-back_b_802128.html).
"In 'Terminator', Arnold Schwarzenegger famously utters 'I'll be back.' The world should hope that he'll be back to keep working on these issues with the unique style of public service that is the basis of his unprecedented green legacy," Tamminen claims.
In stark contrast, Patrick Porgans, a longtime advocate for the public trust, has written a superb piece exposing the Governor's last ditch petition to sell 11 state office properties to private corporations before leaving office. The plan was supposedly designed to pay off a portion of the state's multi billion deficit and increasing debt load.
"Ironically, the debt is partially the result of the Governor's 'don't raise taxes' rhetoric, while at the same time promoting and securing approval of record-amounts of General Obligation bonds," said Porgans. "The governor’s bond promotion scheme was one of the primary factors contributing to the state’s sea of rising debt." (http://www.planetarysolutionaries.org/ [California Bondage])
However, it appears that the real motive behind the attempted sale of the properties and the passage of the General Obligation bonds was to benefit rich corporations at the expense of the California public.
"Raising nearly $144 million from private contributors implies there more than a coincidental link between the campaign contributions, the sale of the property and the windfall profits that have and continued to be realized by the Governor’s supporters," said Porgans. "Critics argue that the sale of the 11 properties, along with the wholesale-General Obligation bond bonanza, which taxpayers are responsible to repay, makes the Bernie Madoff Ponzie scam look like mere child's play."
Schwarzenegger's campaign to build a peripheral canal/tunnel, a project projected to cost $23 billion to $53.8 billion, is nothing other than an effort by the outgoing Governor to enrich corporate agribusiness, southern California water privateers and corporate "environmental" NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy at tremendous expense to collapsing Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations, fishing communities, California Indian Tribes and family farmers. Those of us who have suffered under Schwarzenegger's war on fish and the environment hope that, contrary to Tamminen's wish that "He'll Be Back," that the "Fish Terminator" will never again play any role in public policy anywhere. Read more .....
