Always an Arnold fan

The other night Arnold Schwarzenegger was interviewed on Jay Leno and my husband John recorded it so we could watch the interview together. While I was watching the interview, I remembered why I've always liked the man and appreciated his term as governor of California.

He wouldn't talk about who he voted for as the new governor, or how he felt about who won, but he repeatedly insisted that we've got to get past party politics, learn to compromise, and move ahead in California. As always, I appreciated both his tact and his humor. My ever frugal husband John adored when he heard that Arnold makes his family stick to 5 minute showers since we have issues with having enough water in California!

It's been hard times in both California and the rest of the country these past few years and I hate that it's all been blamed on Arnold here in California. I want to take a few moments to note some of the wonderful things Arnold did manage to do while in office:

• As a person who ran a business, I was over the top delighted with the workers compensation reform that's taken place.
• Then there's the endless list of environmental laws, of reducing greenhouse gases and of having our energy come from 33 percent renewables
• He pushed though proposition 49, referred to as "The After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002."
• He pushed through propositions 57 & 58, both of which were not popular but were necessary. They were a valid attempt to help solve some of the state's financial problems. But, obviously, they did not solve the problems. He's had to make a lot of unpopular cuts but what else could he do given the state's economic crunch?
  
• He's always been supportive of gay rights and civil unions but has not supported same sex marriages. A fact that I've appreciated and for which he's been highly criticized.
• I don't know that it has helped California per say, but I've always appreciated his wife and his involvement to the Special Olympics which are a cause near and dear to my heart since I've spent many years working with Developmentally Disabled adults.

I appreciated the comment he made during the Leno interview that:

"You can't go around and declare victory about all of the things we have done when, in fact, too many people are out of work, too many people suffering and too many people have no homes or losing their homes,"

There's definitely still a lot to be done in California.