More influence peddling on Schwarzenegger’s Canada Trip

The Sacramento Bee has covered Governor Schwarzenegger’s three day mission to Canada, and noted that of the fifty-two business delegates on the trip “a third of those going represent interests that have donated to Schwarzenegger’s campaign”. As with his other “trade missions” this has been funded by the “California State Protocol Foundation” a special “non-profit” set up by some of California’s major corporations to pay for these junkets. The trip includes many of the usual suspects- among those attending will be a lobbyist for Pacific Gas and Electric, former California Republican Party Chairman Duf Sundheim, and of course California Chamber of Commerce President Allan Zaremberg, who is an officer of this “Foundation”.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said- apparently with a straight face- that the political donations “had nothing to do with the selection of delegates”, and Zaremberg expects us to swallow the same thing, “”There are people on the delegation who might have given to the foundation and people who didn’t give to the foundation,” he said. “It isn’t a part of the criteria to go on the trip.” Yeah, right.

It seems as if it doesn’t matter how many reputable publications cover the corruption that has crept into the State’s international business policy under the Schwarzenegger administration. They are not listening, and they apparently don’t care. It is important for people to know that this administration is not “pro-business” as they want you to believe – they are “pro-corporation” – and there is a big difference. The State government is absolutely sick with sole source deals and no-bid contracts, and this administration is completely closed to outside input and ideas. These guys are so administratively incompetent they can’t even manage to answer letters written to them by ordinary citizens. Don’t take our word for it, call or write them yourself and see what happens- if you are not a big shot, they are simply not interested.

The Schwarzenegger administration is driven by publicity- not by good public policy. They apparently have no concept of “the greatest good for the greatest number”. It is possible to organize a trade mission in the public interest, especially if it is part of a larger coordinated program, but that is not what this administration is doing- this Canada trip, and Schwarzenegger’s other “trade missions” really have been “junkets” – in the worst sense to the term. What the seem to want is more of that fawning media publicity that seems to feed this behavior. This time, let’s not give it to them.