"Arnoldbucks" Are Back Thanks To Gov. Schwarzenegger's Obstruction Of Responsible Budget Solutions

PRESS RELEASE

LOS ANGELES — The Courage Campaign today blasted Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget failures that will cause the state to issue IOUs for the first time in 17 years, re-releasing an online video to illustrate how Californians will struggle with the absurdity of “Arnoldbucks” — the IOUs the state will be forced to issue due to Arnold’s lack of leadership.

“We face the worst budget crisis in a generation. Instead of acting to save the state, Arnold is more intested in blocking responnsible solutions,” said Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the 700,000 member Courage Campaign, a multi-issue progressive advocacy organization. “As a result, Californians will be getting IOUs — Arnoldbucks — in the mail instead of tax refunds or financial aid checks, starting this Thursday. Arnold’s so-called leadership is worse less his funny-money Arnoldbucks. Five years after he swept into office promising to blow up the boxes, we see what he meant: a blown credit rating, closed parks, fired teachers, police and firefighters, and now, funny money.”

Download “Arnoldbucks” and watch how one Californians tries to use his IOUs as legal tender at a few local businesses at http://www.couragecampaign.org/Arnoldbucks.

The video asks Californians what they will do with their Arnoldbucks as the state will forced to issue IOUs as early as Thursday.

The State Senate met up until the midnight deadline last night to pass the three-bill package that would have delayed the state issuing IOUs for the first time in 17 years, but Senate Republicans withheld their support – at the behest of the governor -  to kill the proposal. As a result, the State Controller will be forced to issue IOUs starting Thursday, July 2.

“Taxpayers need to see the face of who is responsible when they get an IOU from the state. The governor’s failure to support responsible budget solutions has literally cost Californians billion,” added Jacobs, noting the State Senate failed to pass a package of $3.3 billion in cuts that would have saved the state from issuing IOUs.

“Arnoldbucks” was created by Andy Cobb and The Public Service Administration, a web-based satire group, both based in Los Angeles. The Arnoldbuck graphic was created by Miles Kurland, a web and graphic designer based in Santa Rosa. The video is the latest in series of online videos the Courage Campaign has produced on the state’s budget crisis. Last December, the group released “A California Carol,” where Schwarzenegger is visited by the ghosts of Golden State’s past, present and future in an attempt to teach the meaning of “The California Dream” to the governor.

The video can be viewed at: http://www.couragecampaign.org/CaliforniaCarol.