Arnold's Idea
He delivered his State of the Union address in the midst of an incredible, $42 billion budget crisis that has become a bellwether of other state budget battles. He didn't offer any easy fixes, lamenting the way partisan politics have divided his state legislature. "Conan's sword could not have cleaved our political system in two as cleanly as our own political parties have done," he said.
He did, however, put one suggestion on the table. He said, "We should make a commitment that legislators - and the governor, too - lose per diem expenses and our paychecks, for every day the budget goes past the constitutional deadline of June 15th."
"If the people's work is not getting done, the people's representatives should not get paid either," he added.