coerced silence

As a Californian, I feel that it is essential that, from time to time, I address issues that revolve around state politics.

A few weeks ago, news came to light that Gov. Schwartzenegger (who, coincidentally, I did NOT vote for) was being paid "an estimated $8 million over five years to 'further the business objectives' of a national publisher of health and bodybuilding magazines."

During this time, the governor vetoed legislation that would have been detrimental to the financial well-being of the publishers he had contracted with. Regardless of Schwarzenegger's personal wealth or historic relationship with the company, this was a clear conflict of interest.

Like the skilled politician that the governator sometimes shows himself to be, shortly after the issue was raised, he severed financial ties with the company.

At the time, I was impressed with his political astuteness. Unlike the current president, here was a man who new when to cut his losses.

However, it looks like this story continues to have legs. According to an article in today's L.A. Times:

SACRAMENTO — Days after Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped into the race for governor and girded for questions about his past, a tabloid publisher wooing him for a business deal promised to pay a woman $20,000 to sign a confidentiality agreement about an alleged affair with the candidate.

Of course, said "tabloid publisher" is American Media Inc., the same company that Schwartzenegger had his multi-million dollar contract with. I don't know about you, but, to me, this seems especially fishy.

I rarely make predictions, but, right now, I predict that Schwartzenegger will never be elected to public office again.