Governator on the right track *
18 October 2004 - Palm Springs Desert Sun

Gov. Schwarzenegger was presented with over 1000 bills to sign or veto, and it was a simple task to separate them into those that increased freedom, and those that reduced freedom. He didn't always sign the former or veto the latter, but letter-writer Steven Maviglio’s disappointment is entirely for the wrong reasons.

Without exception, the vetoes Mr. Maviglio decries were courageous actions taken in defense of liberty. Gov. Schwarzenegger understood better than most that forcing businesses to pay higher wages and benefits (AKA reducing freedom) would not result in people’s lives being bettered - rather, it would result in increased unemployment as the cost of an extra employee would exceed the value that employee provided. He understood better than most that the onerous regulations and restrictions on businesses based in California is what is driving jobs, investment, and entrepreneurship out of the state, and that reducing regulation (AKA increasing freedom) is the action that will improve the lives of all Californians - business owners, employees, retirees, students - everybody.

The governor’s on the right track - more freedom is always better than less.

* The Palm Springs Desert Sun has since changed their file structure, rendering the saved URLs of my printed letters obsolete