Arnold Cuts Some Gas

We keep waiting for Arnold Schwarzenegger to show his true colors, especially with the media reports over the weekend indicating that while the country may swing left in the next election, California may swing back to the right. Surely, then, Schwarzenegger is just biding his time, waiting for more Republicans to get into office so that he can ditch this moderate/left-of-center shit and be the goose-stepping Reaganite he's always dreamed of being.

Well, if that's the future that awaits us, ol' Schwarzy sure is making it interesting. With the environment, especially, Schwarzenegger seems to be setting California on an irreversible road to eco-responsibility. Today, he announced that Caleefohneeyuh will participate in the carbon cap-and-trade program being established in seven Northeast states. "Governor Schwarzenegger wants to build a large, robust carbon trading market that will dramatically reduce emissions," said a spokesman. "The more robust the market, the more effective we will be." But business and industry--the forces then-candidate Ahnuld demanded must be massaged, un-regulated and groped if need be to prevent their Cali-flight--ain't exactly as excited as the big lunk on this one, although a California Manufacturers and Technology Association rep did grudgingly agree that "implementing a cap-and-trade and allowing manufacturers to offset some of the substantial costs will help manufacturers deal with the greenhouse-gas mandate."

Until the GOP wins back the Legislature, that is.