OUR VIEW: Recall approval affects everyone

The Terminator is now governor of California. We have heard the jokes and sexual assault claims; we have heard about California’s giant deficit and their taxation problems. That is all very interesting, but we figure it does not affect us.

Maybe the Aggies won’t have to deal with a governor who has biceps bigger than his brain, but that does not mean politics in Utah will not be affected by the recall.

If the new governor actually knows what he is doing, then recalls could become more common. Governors across the nation could become less willing to take risks that have undesirable short-term consequences and larger long-term benefits in fear they will be thrown out of office.

If Schwarzenegger is not successful, Utahns will still be affected by the recall because of California’s size. California is the most populous state in the nation, and more people means more taxes. If Californians do not make money, then the government cannot tax them, and the national deficit grows along with California’s.

Either way, Schwarzenegger has a lot to deal with for a man who is inexperienced in politics. It is one thing to elect a celebrity to office when the economy is high, but quite another when there is a large deficit. Hopefully, Californians have not turned what was initially a bad situation into an economic disaster.