Trojans & Terminators

I’m not a football fan though I did watch USC destroy Oklahoma last night. I have watched enough football games in my lifetime to know that USC put together a complete team effort – offense, defense, special teams, kicking. The Trojans gang-tackled on defense, stifling Oklahoma’s high-powered offense, and when they had the ball, SC executed its plays with precision, befuddling the Sooners at every turn. Give due credit to USC’s coaching staff – they did an excellent job preparing their kids. Most college football “experts” picked Oklahoma. It’s a good thing these games are played on the field instead of on paper.

I even watched the overblown halftime show, wondering as I always do when I see these events, why the sound system so often fails. Kelly Clarkson appeared to be singing her heart out but I couldn’t hear a word. The country guy who came on after Clarkson seemed pissed, as if he too couldn’t believe the foul-up. And then the truly horrible Ashlee Simpson took the stage. Watching Ashlee try to be edgy was painful. Word to AS: find a day job.

Ah, but we live in a goofy age, where marginally talented people become rich and famous, smile at us mere mortals from the glossy covers of People and Us, and get lots of press for wearing Dolce and Gabana or Vera Wang.

I’ve got a few beers in the fridge at home and I’m going to need every one to watch the Terminator make his State of the State speech tonight. I didn’t support the recall of Gray Davis, considering the entire effort a blatant abuse of the process. Davis was wimpy and ineffective, though he was a staunch supporter of public employees; the union I belong to loved him. We fought the recall effort but Arnie’s star power and the general dissatisfaction with Davis proved too big a hurdle to overcome. Arnie swept in with his gleaming smile and orangey tan, his famous wife, promising action, action, action, but beyond that, nothing specific.

Arnie declared that as an outsider beholden to no special interest he would change the way business is done in Sacramento. This made for a nice sound bite but in reality it’s business-as-usual for the folks in Sacramento.

What Arnie has done very well is defer tough tax and spend decisions to the future, when he will be gone from the scene. Like other politicians, professional or dilettante, Arnie refuses to confront the systemic problems that can be traced back to Proposition 13. There are homeowners in this state who bought years ago, before prices skyrocketed, and pay property taxes based on the value then, not the inflated value of today. No wonder the state depends on sales taxes, fees, and other gimmicks to bring money in, and no wonder the projected deficit is somewhere in the hood of $8 billion.

But tonight Arnie will flash his brilliant smile, wow the politicos with his star power, take credit for all the good things happening in the state, blame the legacy of Gray Davis for the bad, and layout his roadmap for the near future. Such speeches always make for interesting theatre. Beer helps make them amusing.