SPONSIBLE CHALLENGE #3

Looks like we may have placed our foot squarely in our mouth. Last month we presented sponsible's year-end award winners and taking home the glory in the category of political leader was California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. We cited the Governor for his very active role in pushing an environmentally-friendly initiative not just through his state but the world. Could his recently acquired greenness be a rouse though? In the wake of his recently proposed legislation it would seem so.

Last week Schwarzenegger proposed closing 48 California state parks to help shore up money to balanced the state's woefully top-heavy budget. It's one measure in a group that also contains the cuts to schools statewise and early release for certain prisoners.

We understand that the Governor is in an unenviable position. With an expected fiscal deficit of $3.3 by this June he's got a huge hole to fill if he doesn't want to suffer the same fate as his predecessor, Gray Davis. But to our way of thinking education and natural beauty are two domains that should never be compromised to save a buck.

So our third SPONSIBLE CHALLENGE is to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr. Governor, we challenge you to rethink your budget cuts. Consider the intrinsic value of both education and our state parks. Challenge yourself to find other areas where spending can be reduced, think about tightening up the illegal immigrant loopholes that cost the state over $10 billion per year. Consider business taxes (yes, taxes!), but please leave our kids and trees alone.

We'll be issuing a formal challenge to the Governor and publishing his response, if any, right here.

The following link lists the 48 parks to be closed: http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/628440.html