Corruption in the United States can be seen everywhere. From illegal accounting practices to people finding loopholes to avoid paying taxes, we as a society always try to get around doing the right thing and avoiding the consequences of our bad decisions. Some politicians have made a career out of lying to their constituents to please the needs of their friends or for personal gain. Most of the time, we let it slide and see it as how the system works. Other times, we stand up and proclaim we will not take it anymore.ÿÿ
The California recall of Gov. Gray Davis is a highly unusual situation for our country. No time in recent memory has a leader in our country had the potential to be voted out of office before his or her term has concluded. Now that the Oct. 7 election is over,ÿthe country's interest in the campaign has revitalized how we think about elections.ÿWhile the outcome may not affect us directly, I believe it has the possibility to shape how we view politics as a whole. The main reason for the recall was because Gov. Davis knowingly lied to the people of California about the budget crisis in the state. During the last governor's race, Davis neglected to tell the citizens of the state how bad the budget deficit in the state really was. Like a true politician, he did not reveal until after he won that the state was over $38 billion in debt and that tax hikes across the board were goingÿto be implemented. ÿÿÿ
The citizens, obviously betrayed and lied to by their leader, felt that his actions granted him the privilege to be recalled. While some people complain about how it's an old law on the books since the early 1900s and that the costs of the election will only add to the already huge burden on California, I say that the ultimate outcome can only be good for the state. Big changes are needed and I think this is the best way for them to begin getting solved right now.ÿÿ
A common complaint against the recall dealt with the number of candidates running for the office. ÿThe gamut of people running stretches from established politicians, to average joes, to actors, to elderly people, to even a porn star. While they might say that the whole election turned into a circus act, I viewed this as why democracy works. Democracy is far from perfect, just reread the first paragraph. This system, however, is the best system in the world for allowing the common man to participate in the goings on and have an actual say in the government. ÿWhile money is needed most of the time to actually win the election, theoretically, anyone with a will and a message can run and win. Even though no outsider had a real chance of winning, at least they demonstrated their ability to participate in government. ÿ
As the election neared toward the final vote, the race was basically between three candidates, Lt. Gov Cruz Bustamante, Sen. Tom McClintock,andÿactorArnold Schwarzenegger. All three showed a willingness to step up and take over on day one of their term. ÿÿÿ
My personal pick for governor was McClintock. Of the three, he is the only one who has any real plans for fixing the state, eliminating overlapping government agencies, cut state spending increases to a minimum, just to name a few. Bustamante would have been Davis in different shoes. He stood by while Davis lied about the deficit and did little to help out situation. ÿIf he truly cared about helping out the state, he would have done so as Lt. Governor. Schwarzenegger is great at making speeches, but I'm unsure about his policies. His inexperience helps him by appearing not to follow the usual way of doingÿthings. In the end, however, they need someone with experience to fix a problem this big. I am ok with him as the governor, but McClintock would have been myÿpreferred choice.ÿ
ÿOverall, I think the California recall is a good thing for our country. We as a nation benefit from this because now our leaders will realize that they are going to be held accountable for their actions and deceptions they situate against us. While we as citizens have always had a say at the ballot box, we can now make sure our representatives are always in check and don't have to wait until the next voting cycle to get rid of them.
Nevertheless, I don't think that this election should be a regular event. We always need order and a recall every year would not do us any good over the long run. However, I think the citizens of our country realize this, hence the only successful recall as long as I can remember.ÿI think that, whatever the end result, the powerful might look upon this and realize their actions may not go unpunished. Who knows? They might have the watch out for the convenience store owner who is gaining in the polls someday. That's democracy for you.
