Vat Kahms Ah-rount Gohs Ah-rount

With political deadlock in Sacramento, a state budget billions of dollars in the red, a new state budget plan a record 67 days late, with California's state government on the verge of meltdown, California Governor Gray Davis found himself the target of a recall initiative.

With political deadlock in Sacramento, a state budget billions of dollars in the red, a new state budget plan a record 77 (as of today) days late, with California's state government on the verge of meltdown, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finds himself the target of a recall initiative.

Some things never change; some things just get worse. We've got some problems here in California; the budget is a disaster, so much that last month, Governor Schwarzenegger suggested cutting state workers' salaries to the federal minimum wage temporarily and laying off part-time and contract workers. Instead of raising income taxes or other state fees (something 'Roid Reagan is loathe to do), he has chosen to borrow money over the last few years, mortgaging the future of California (and we all know how well mortgaging works in California...) Still, the state budget is worse off than when we had Good Ole Gray around. This has led one of the state's most powerful unions, the California Correctional Peace Officers Union, to launch a recall effort. Once filed with the Secretary of State, the union will have 160 days to get a million signatures to force a special election.

I don't know how I feel about recalls. My gut feeling is that we ought not get bogged down in always trying to kick someone out of office when things get bad; it forces the 'recallee' to stop doing the people's business and focus on defending the office. Obviously, for gross negligence and/or criminal activity, we have the impeachment process. But what about ineffective leadership? Incompetence? General executive boobery? Is it good to have the opportunity to "change our minds" as an electorate midstream? I don't really know.

I guess I'm reserving the right to not make a decision about recalls in general at the moment. This recall effort, however, is a little different-- it seems fitting that Arnie could be ousted via the same method by which he came to power.

So, California prison guards, sign me up. I'm ready for Total Recall.