No. The quote above is not a recent one from Arnold. It’s from the movie, “The Running Man.” On some level, I think it define his management of California over the past few years - and I’m not referring to his personal aspirations.

On This Week, George Stephanopoulos questioned the Governor on his feelings about “nationalizing” banks and the threat of socialism we know the republicans have been repeating ad nauseum. Scharzenegger didn’t take the bait:

You don’t have to talk about nationalization. All it basically says is that if a bank doesn’t have the money to — to give their customers, so if it, you know, defaults in some way, that the federal government comes in, because it secures those moneys. And so they come in, and they help out, that they go with the bank, because they cannot make the payments anymore, and — and to business. So the federal government always had that right to take over. So it’s not nationalizing anything. I don’t see it as such. There’s a difference of the way it is in Europe, where the — where the federal government owns some of those banks, whereas here only if there is a problem financially that the federal government comes in and takes over and helps out.

…with some banks, [the bailout is] maybe necessary. I think the most important thing is, how do we create stability in this country? And I think this is why it is very important that the administration has a very clear message and not change it.

In this current crisis, where republicans play politics and further lies about the stimulus (full of pork) and the administration’s proposal for regulation of the banks (socialism), it’s refreshing to see someone on that side of the isle actually give a damn about the country ahead of their own narrow-minded concerns.

The more I listened to Schwarzenegger and his view of government, the more I agreed with him. As a made man in areas of weightlifting and entertainment, he is owned by no one. He has not followed the party line from the moment he took office, bucking Bush on climate change and gay rights, stem cell research and border control. He’s made some tough choices in California that were not always popular and values his independence from the party.

I can understand why he is still a republican. He holds true to the fiscal conservativism of Reagan and the distaste for Government programs as a solve-all for our nation’s ills. But unlike the lemmings in his party - a pathetic group of bottom-dwellers who continue to push an agenda that has failed - he will never become a George Bush republican. Sure, the others would tell you they’re not, either. But their actions over the past 8 years defy that statement.

It’s too bad this man cannot run for President 8 years from now. Never in my life did I ever think I’d say that about Schwarzenegger (primarily due to his political affiliation, not his choice of films like “End of Days”), but I’m becoming a convert.

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My grandmother was a very religious person and possibly the most decent person I’ve ever met. She believed the bible word for word. Gave money to Oral Roberts and Pat Robertson. Went to church regularly. Never swore or lied that I could tell and treated everyone equally her entire life, no matter race, creed, color. She believed that you’re put here to not simply help yourself, but others. Show compassion for everybody, not just those you wanted to, and that while money was vital, it was not worth living or dying for. She was also a lifelong democrat.

I think about that when I try to resolve how the ultra-religious, ultra-conservative dead-enders justify many of their beliefs. It seems to me that the conservative platform of the last 8 to 10 years conflicts greatly with the reality of being a good Christian. While I’ve had ridiculous arguments to the contrary, Christianity in essence is more than just a belief in Christ. It is a belief in his basic tenant:

Matthew 7: ¹²Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.

And, if that doesn’t confirm it for you, we have this quote:

James 2:² My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others…. ⁹But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.

Most of my conservative friends follow a belief that rounds out to this:

Those who are invalid and mentally ill deserve our help, but everyone else is on their own.

Tax systems should never be designed to appropriate one’s private property (income) for the purpose of distributing that property to another person who has done nothing to earn it.( i.e. My wealth is not meant to suppliment anyone else’s bad judgements, bad luck or circumstances beyond their control. Social programs such as Welfare, head start and others are government’s foray into that area and not welcome in my book).

Public services the government should provide for its citizens include a standing army, law enforcement and other such protections, roadways, and schools. The government should never raise more money than is required to find direct, basic services (i.e. If you can’t afford healthcare, that’s not my problem).

This is a Judaeo-Christian country (i.e. If you are muslim, hindu, atheist or any other form of religion that does not act or sound very American, you should be happy being a second class citizen here).

Now, as you can see, there are basic tenants of the conservative movement and what they mean to conservatives in every day society. The new Christian conservatives like to say they believe government can’t be trusted, but that’s really just a nice face put on the statement “I don’t want to be taxed anymore” or “The welfare of others is not my problem.”

I think that, even if we put aside everything else mentioned here, the idea that we live in a society where healthcare is a business for profit is grotesque. The fact that many Christian conservatives would consider a discussion about covering everyone a conversation-ender is pathetic. And for those who feel that human beings have no real responsibility for other human beings beyond our own personal bubbles is truly sad. Many other countries do not function this way. Their systems aren’t perfect - nothing is - but they have the welfare of everyone in mind - and on our shores we are able to make Medicare work pretty well. What is wrong with a system where those who choose to pay more can get some extra attention and those who choose not to (or can’t) get equally good attention?

I think if you’re going to call yourself Christian, you gotta walk the walk. Just like you question the validity of anyone who doesn’t believe the bible word for word, I question the validity of someone who doesn’t follow the teachings of that same bible word for word. In fact, the latter is more important than the former.

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