FLASHREPORT

When Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigned for Governor in the infamous recall election of 2003, and for re-election in 2006, he was emphatic in one solumn pledge -- he would never raise taxes.

Well, today, along with liberal Democrat Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, the Governor has officially filed a ballot measure asking the voters to do just that - raise taxes.  In this case, $14 billion worth, as he declares that to be the taxpayers' responsibility in his massive health care government program.

Sounding like the family of New England liberals into which he married, the Governor is using a classic liberal argument to justify his leftward lurch, that somehow by raising these taxes, we actually cut "hidden taxes" -- so somehow this isn't really a tax hike.  Make sense?  Of course not.

If you have ANY DOUBTS that this tax increase is, in fact, a tax increase, take a moment to read this column on the FlashReport, penned by Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, entitled The Governor's Proposal Is Still A Tax Increase.

I have to say that I am tremendously disappointed.  Many of us donated a lot of hours to help Governor Schwarzenegger get elected, and his championing of such a massive growth in state government, and sticking it to smokers, doctors, and hospitals to pay for it is shameful.

We now can just place Arnold Schwarzenegger up on high as another hypocritical politician -- the kind who add to cynicism in politics.

Is it old fashioned to think that if someone makes a promise, that they will keep it?  Arnold Schwarzenegger is one heck of an actor.  Because he had me convinced.

Because I chose to believe him, my hands in some way are stained with this tax hike.  This is terribly embarrassing for me, and even more so for the California Republican Party.

Well, as hard as I worked to elect and re-elect this Governor, that's how hard I will work to oppose $14 billion in new taxes.  Presumably the CRP will be equally as resolved.

(h/t to KQED's Jon Myers who has more details on tax increase initiative filed by Schwarzenegger/Nunez.)