When most of California was going gaga over Arnold the Actor who wanted to be the Hero Governor, I took a lot of heat for comments I made on the FOX News Channel and other outlets, predicting the Terminator was simply a mediocre actor and could never be a successful political leader. My fellow Republicans blasted me as a traitor and Democrats have never liked me anyway.

I now feel vindicated.

The disastrous special election, which cost my fellow California taxpayers somewhere between
$80-million and $330-million, depending on whose numbers you believe, was a total waste of badly needed pubic cash and an indictment of Arnold Schwarzenegger's ability to fool the people of "Caleefornia".

He's been an okay actor and a terrible governor. Yes, we have major problems in the state legislature and the Sacramento nit-wits do spend more money than we take in, and yes, there are some bad teachers in some of our schools, etc., etc., etc.

But the notion that ALL teachers should suffer for the ills of a few is the mindset of a fool, a fool named Arnold. The notion that the Governor should have the right to tip the balance of power more to HIS direction is very scary to anyone who ever disagreed with Pete Wilson on the right or Gray Davis on the left. Balance is what we like best and gives us the most comfort.

It was kind of cute and funny when our Austrian Mega Star called the legislators "Girly Men" a few months back, but it wasn't funny when we realized he really felt that way and thought it was appropriate to piss off the majority of the 120 men and women who run the state government in the Assembly and Senate.

It became obvious that Arnold, used to being pampered by hair stylists, make-up folks, sitting in his trailer waiting for his next shot, thought he could live the high, arrogant life at the public trough by constantly bombarding us with his screen lines.

We got tired of that and the failure of the Governor's four major ballot initiatives, Props 74, 75, 76, and 77 is ample warning that his career trying to act as a public servant is over. The stink he generated against this election also worked to defeat Props 73, 78, 79, and 80. Wow, Arnold, what coat tails!

We ARE an odd bunch here in California. I never wanted to admit that because as a native Californian, I always believed that we do set the trends for the rest of the nation. Well, we set a bad trend with Arnold.

I always like to offer solutions to the complaints I make - it's an old habit of mine - but I am afraid there are NO good candidates for governor on the immediate horizon. We should start looking hard for some real talent with experience in running a large operation like California. Arnold's acting experience and his brief stint running a Santa Monica was NOT the best resume and so many of you out there bought his shtick.

And my recent travels around the country have convinced me that although we have been a leader in the past, we have picked up some bad habits in this Golden State that we should change.

One of the most annoying issues we have here is traffic. It is compounded, of course, by the accidents that spawn "looky-loos", the folks who just can't help themselves and have to slow down to see EVERY gory detail (or boring details in most cases) on the highway.

Well here I have to tip my hat to the people of Atlanta, Georgia where I recently spent a week working and traveling Interstates 75 and 85. It was absolutely amazing to be driving 55 miles an hour through the downtown area in what is traditionally rush hour, and all of a sudden realize there were police cars and fire trucks tending to an accident on the shoulder.

NO ONE stopped, or even slowed down. NO ONE even looked in the direction of the accident. It was a NON event for them. I liked that. Okay, maybe they were a little callous or heartless, OR, maybe they just weren't as nosey as we are in California. Either way, I loved it. And I think we should learn from them.

Another classic California story is funeral processions. When my mother died, I was slightly shocked at the sticker price for each of those motorcycle escorts with the annoying, but effective, duck horns. That is the only way you can take someone from the funeral home to the cemetery in the Left Coast capital.

But in attending my first out-of-state funeral in Chicago last week, for the mother of one of my business partners, I can't tell you how startled I was to see that there are no escorts. As the hearse makes it way through intersections and past stop signs, cars traveling in the opposite direction stopped out of respect for the dearly departed.

I thought was either drunk or dreaming in the bright sunshine. People actually were patient, understanding, and stopped to let the procession of 30 or 40 cars pass. I can't imagine that ever happening in L.A. or anywhere else in California.

Yes, we have a lot more to learn about trend setting in this great state. Let's start with a real governor, not a bad B grade movie actor (Ronald Reagan was both a true leader and a reasonably good actor); then we should learn to stop slowing down just to ogle at accidents, and finally, slow down when the departed pass you by for the last time. You would want them to do the same for you, right?