In an ironic movement, the Gov. of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed the SB1565, which would have forced the CIRM to keep Proposition 71’s campaign promise to help the poor.SB1565 passed the Senate unanimously and by an overwhelming 64-7 in the Assembly.

To describe, the Proposition 71 asked voters to establish the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and authorize borrowing $300 million annually to pay scientists to conduct embryonic stem cell and therapeutic cloning research. Ever since, the CIRM has been mired in controversy - including charges of conflicts of interest, and shameless executive pay raises. And proving the old adage about the ease of spending other people’s money, earlier this year, the CIRM shelled out $271 million - not for research into cures - but to help finance construction of plush biotech research centers.

Schwarzenegger, inspite of chiding the administrators to spend the people’s borrowed money more prudently, the governor instead enthusiastically applauded the agency’s opulence in a CIRM press release. The head of CIRM Robert Klein, also stands against SB1565. Other than naming freeways after dead luminaries, it is rare to find such agreement in the ideologically divided California Legislature.

In backing the CIRM’s fiscal profligacy and giving the back of his hand to the poor and the ill through his veto, Schwarzenegger made a joke of his reputation as a fiscal conservative and bipartisan consensus builder. How sad that the once mighty Arnold, who came to Sacramento vowing to smash boxes, has instead assumed the role of a mere industry retainer.

Source: San Franscisco Chronicle