Divided by more than an ocean

[tinyjo]

So Californians have elected Arnie to run their state. Good luck to them. The report on the radio left me with the impression that his qualifications for this are slim to none but the fact that people liked the Terminator films means they're happy to vote for him.* Like the difference in our reactions to David Blaine, this illustrates the very different ways we view our celebrities over here. Can you imagine the mockery and derision if David Beckham stood as an MP? Americans seem to revere their celebrities. Here, we're all too aware of their shortcomings.

* I'm happy to be corrected on this point.

Comments

Re: Wibble

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

It's a lot more important than Mayor, if I understand rightly. Perhaps closer to running one of the devolved assemblies.

Re: Wibble

[snowking.livejournal.com]

It's rather more important than that, especially considering the size of California's economy.

Re: Wibble

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure of the exact responsibilities of the devolved assemblies, but that sounds much closer to the mark than mayor.

In our federal system, the state governments have responsibility for everything that's not specifically a national government responsibility. For example, the federal government may lay out very general overall requirements for the schools, but the states have a great deal of latitude on how the schools are actually run. Schools receive their primary funding from taxes that are assessed on a local or state level (often property taxes), rather than from nationwide taxes.

Many important policies are determined on a state level, rather than a national level. Although the national government provides funding for social safety-net programs such as health care, food, and housing for the poor, the states have a high degree of control over how that money is spent. State governments are able to pass a wide variety of laws affecting residents of their state -- as an example, in some states, abortions are available with relatively few restrictions, while in others, there is a waiting period, or a spousal notification/consent requirement, or a parental notification/consent requirement (if underage). In some states, poor women can obtain abortions with public funds, while in others this is restricted or not available.

One of the key political distinctions in the U.S. is between people who believe that the national government should have more control over what happens in the states, vs. people who believe the states should retain more of their historical independence. A study of our constitutional convention provides an interesting perspective on how this has been an issue throughout our history.

Anyway, getting back to the California election, I think that, like the election of Jesse Ventura (a former professional wrestler) to the governorship in Minnesota a few years back, what this mainly indicates is that the public is heartily sick and tired of the way politics is run in this country. Someone with very little relevant experience thus seems like he can't possibly be any worse than the career politicians already in office.

I mean, this is a nation where George W. Bush could be elected president -- and I'm not convinced his prior experience was any more relevant than Arnold's.

Re: Wibble

[applez.livejournal.com]

What aquariumgirl said; the best way of understanding a Governor is somewhere between 'president of the state' and a provincial governor of ancient Rome, albeit with less overt corruption and dependency on the Emperor.

With an economy about the size of France's, and being the primary engine of economic growth in the US - the output of California is crucial.

Some examples of Governor's responsibilities and powers:
- Direct pardoning of death row criminals
- 'State of the state' speeches to review the condition of the state.
- Can call up federal reserve troops in case of emergency
- Can call on State-level police forces (as was used in Texas to seek and return the missing Democratic legislators)
- Propose, negotiate, sign, and in some cases veto state laws and proposed laws.

--> Also, depending on the state, local authorities may be very dependent upon state budget apportionment for their operations ... and may be expressly forbidden from doing things like 'council taxes' to independently fund themselves. Ah, federalism. ;-)