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Paul Marian asked the question, “Will the Real Reagan Republican Please Stand Up?” (“McClintock clearly the better choice,” Viewpoint, Sept. 26). Well, Mr. Marian, I heed your call and here is my stance.

Marian’s opinion is correct inasmuch as this is a Republican primary election between Tom McClintock and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Unfortunately, this is not a real Republican primary and McClintock and Schwarzenegger are not the only two candidates.

Most intelligent people realize this is a two-party, three-horse race and there is a chance that there is just not enough feed to guarantee a Republican victory if there are two Republican horses in the race. On all issues fiscal, Schwarzenegger and McClintock are virtually the same. So why does Marian call Schwarzenegger a liberal? Is it because he is pro-choice? In his short-sightedness, Marian missed the whole point of the recall. Californians are not angry because Gray Davis is pro-choice.

To steal a line from James Carville, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Davis turned a huge surplus into a huge deficit. That in itself is not the problem. For example, Ronald Reagan was known for deficit spending and he arguably had one of the best economic booms in recent history.

The difference is Davis recklessly spent money. He negotiated shoddy energy contracts, and many believe the state taxpayers were overcharged by as much as $10 billion. And the state may even have sold some power at a loss (according to John Woolfolk of the San Jose Mercury News, California sold thousands of megawatts of power at a loss in spring 2001).

Davis also padded the pensions of numerous unions at the expense of the taxpayers. Some state workers can now expect to retire at the age of 50 with 90 percent pensions.

These are only a few of the grievances that can be levied against Davis, and which led to our huge deficit – but all we get from Davis are lies about the state of the economy and increased taxes.

The recall is as much about Davis as it is about his policies. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, or as some would say, Gray Davis Jr., would not change the path of this ship. That is a dangerous prospect. We have a tripled car tax, higher UC fees and aside from property taxes, we are among the most taxed states in the union.

So what is Bustamante’s solution? “Tough love” taxes? A continuance of the policies that got us here? In a race between Bustamante, McClintock and Schwarzenegger, it is quite possible McClintock is the most qualified candidate to do the job. But politics are about compromises.

For most Republicans, voting for McClintock would be ideal, but in a race for plurality it could also mean giving the governorship to Gray Davis Jr. It is very important to know your vote does indeed make a difference and there is only one ideal conservative. But there is also only one candidate with a realistic chance of winning who will change the course of this ship gone awry. Vote wisely.

Garthoffner is a third-year computer science student.

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