Ahnold in Callyfornya

It's difficult to do an accent using the written word, so in case you're having difficulty with my Viennese accent, the title should read "Arnold in California". I was never a fan of his during his bodybuilding days because I've never had any interest in body building, other than what could be accomplished with a six pack and a grill. As far as his movies are concerned, he was a great bodybuilder.

When it comes to being Governor of California, I am very impressed - most of all by the fact that he doesn't act like a politician. His handling of Claire Shipman, the ABC reporter, the other day was absolutely masterful. Anytime you can take a question posed to create controversy where their was none, and turn things around on the smarmy little twit that was asking the question, you've done a wonderful job. That was nothing he could have prepared for ahead of time, he just reacted instinctively.

The obvious comparison here is with Governor Kathleen Blanco, the State of Louisiana, and Hurricane Katrina. Suffice it to say that Ms. Blanco's decision not to run for Governor again was probably a wise one, as you could have counted the votes she would have gotten on two hands and a foot. Her handling of Hurricane Katrina was dismal at best, and in no way should be construed as anything other than someone verifying the Peter Principle. She just happened to be a Democrat, and she just happened to be totally inept. Although there are times when the words Democrat and inept are synonyms, that is not always the case. I think Mayor Ray Nagin went well beyond inept to downright ignorant. When you have a lot of solid sewage mixed with water, viola = Chocolate City.

When you look at the way the people of California have reacted to the wild fires, you might wonder if California and Louisiana are part of the same country. The racists will automatically presume that skin color made all the difference, politicians just point at each other, and the news media is busy looking for sensational sob stories - so what is the real reason for the great difference in reaction to disaster?

Leadership and self-reliance. In California you had leadership, in Louisiana you had none. In California you had people familiar with the dangers of wild fires and they were prepared to act. In Louisiana you had people familiar with the dangers of a hurricane, and they were prepared to sit on their asses until the government told them what to do. Therein lies the danger of socialism - it is addictive in nature and promotes reliance on the state, not on one's self. Maybe it's just me, but if there's a major hurricane coming and I don't have a car, I think I could figure out a way to get out of Dodge.

Think of it this way: You're a parent, your 17 year old daughter has the car and has a flat tire. She calls, she's crying; doesn't know what to do and needs you to come and change the tire for her - that's Louisiana. On the other hand, you never get the phone call because you've taught your daughter ahead of time how to handle the situation and she changed the tire herself - that's Callyfornya.

I have never had a lot of good things to say about California, especially in light of Sodom on the Sea (San Francisco), but in this case, the people of California should be very proud of themselves, their Governor, and all of the first-responders who have done such a great job.

Way to go Callyfornya!