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Arnold: Do My Errands, Lead a State Panel

As Josh blogged on March 8, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's promises to rid state government of its insider ways have been given the lie by, of all things, his handling of the state chiropractic panel. The panel's role has historically been to protect Californians from unqualified or maverick manipulators, but the governator seems to think its role is to "represent the chiropractors"—many of whom cracked and popped his famous bod in his bodybuilding days. The board has taken that mandate and run with it, as Josh's post and this Los Angeles Times article reveal in spades.

Arnold's bone-cracking nepotism is also evident in his appointments to other state panels—many of which he promised to eliminate in his war on bureaucracy:

In February, Schwarzenegger named his appointments secretary, Timothy A. Simon, to the Public Utilities Commission, which regulates the multibillion-dollar telecommunications and energy industries.

Simon isn't just unqualified to sit on one of the most important state bodies: He was actually four years in to personal bankruptcy at the time Arnold nominated him, and his ex-wife claimed he was still taking expensive international vacations.

Also in February, Arnold appointed his personal dentist to the state dental board. So much for conservatives being more ethical than liberals: This one needs a good flossing.

Posted by Cameron Scott on 04/02/07 at 12:35 PM | Comments (0) | Email | Print

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