“Gov. Schwarzenegger’s financial disclosure statement shows that his
campaign is nearly half a million dollars in debt as the 2006 election year
gets under way. Is Schwarzenegger politically crippled by this lack of
resources? In his hunt for campaign cash, will he become a puppet of his big
donors, such as William Robinson, Alex Spanos and Jerry Perenchio, et al?”

“As the Jack Abramoff scandal develops in Washington, a question arises for
those who follow California politics. Do lobbyists have too much clout in
Sacramento? Should the Legislature–or voters at the ballot box–intervene to
curb the influence of lobbyists?”

Is Arnold Schwarzenegger really in trouble with his own party? Is the
drumbeat of GOP criticism against the governor in recent weeks coming from
the Republicans’ vocal right wing, or does it come from a broader Republican
base?

Should California place amoratorium on executions?

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No, no, no, no and no.”

“Yes. It’s probably time. It’s a barbaric practice. Hardly another civilizednation in the world still employs the death penalty, and it’s unclearwhether it deters much crime in this country. A moratorium would giveCalifornians the opportunity to rationally debate the practice, hopefully

Is the governor’s $222.6 billion mega-bond proposal nothing but an
election-year, smoke-and-mirrors act, or is it a meaningful plan that truly
addresses California’s problems?

What are your suggestions for New Year’s Resolutions for the governor, the
legislative leadership, political consultants, or others on your political
radar?

Is California’s electoral system in need of a top-to-bottom overhaul? Two lawmakers, Republican Keith Richman and Democrat Joe Canciamilla, want to create a citizens’ commission to propose changes in such things as redistricting, term limits and campaign finance and place the recommendations before voters. Is this a good idea?

“Will Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger face a challenger in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary? Given his recent appointments, is there any indication he should run as an independent?”

“Is there more than meets the eye in Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’sappointment of Democrat Susan Kennedy as his new chief of staff? Is this anelection-year ploy to please Democrats? Is it an admission that the‘Horseshoe’ has been disorganized? Has Schwarzenegger lost his compass? Doesanyone really care?”

“The proof will be in the pudding; if Kennedy

Lawmakers and others already are working on ballot initiatives for 2006,
including rival tobacco tax initiatives, infrastructure bonds, yet more
curbs on sex offenders, and many others. Have voters finally reached a
saturation point on ballot initiatives? Is our modern ballot initiative
process fulfilling Hiram Johnson’s vision?