Governor: Cutting the budget, buying new motorcycles

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been talking a lot about how the state’s leaders need to live just like ordinary citizens do: within their means. To that end, he has proposed addressing billions of dollars in  projected deficits by selling off state landmarks, cutting off healthcare to children and adults, closing parks and more.

But the movie star turned governor clearly isn’t one of the ordinary Californians he is talking about. Before giving a speech about the budget crisis in Sacramento this morning to small business leaders, he took a few seconds to banter with an audience member about making a deal to buy some new motorcycles.

“And so I heard even there is someone out there that is from a Harley-Davidson shop in Orange County. Who is that? It's you? OK, I'm going to come to your table very soon after my speech and we'll make a deal to buy an extra few hogs, because I love motorcycles and I ride them every Sunday, OK? So it's good to have you here.”

Later in his speech, Schwarzenegger spoke of the people in the state who, unlike him, are unable to afford the motorcycles they already have.

“This is something that businesses have to do and individuals have to do in California. When they are in financial trouble they have to sell off their motorcycle or their boat, because they know that it doesn't make any sense to have a boat at the dock when you can't feed your family.… And that's exactly what California has to do and this is why we are having on the block today for sale San Quentin, Cal Expo, the Coliseum and the list goes on and on and on.”

-- Michael Rothfeld

Comments

[LA Woman]

At least the governator is spending his OWN money. The legislature is spending TAXPAYER money.

[ay]

Slow news day huh? Yes we know Arnold is rich. But I fail to see how this has anything to do with what he's trying to say, that the state needs to cut spending.

[Frankenbike]

Schwartzenegger is doing what people who are doing OK in this horrible economy *should* be doing: he's buying American products to keep Americans working. Even if many of the parts are foreign made. Even if they weren't American motorcycles, he'd still be helping to employ sales people and the distribution infrastructure.

And he'll be paying sales tax and licensing fees on those machines, contributing to the state's economy in a personal way.

It's Americans who are tightening their belts when they don't need to who are helping to keep the overall economy sluggish.

[Matt]

INSTEAD OF CRITICIZING THE GOVERNOR YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR HAVING A WEALTHY CALIFORNIA RESIDENT INJECTING MONEY INTO YOUR ECONOMY!!!! It's public spending that is the problem, in tandem with consumers who are over-leveraged financially with america's personal debt-to-GDP ratio at 96% compared to less than 50% in 1980. If people have accumulated savings, let them spend freely! If you're broke, you need to save and reduce your debt to a reasonable level.

[adp]

Sure he is rich. but the comment at a time like this is HIGHLY insensitive and shows he has long forgotten what it is like to be just barely scraping by. Shame on him.