Arnolds Secret Enron Deal & the Recall

[marvinbarcelona]

I don't have anything to add to this, the article says it all;

"Arnold's Enron Secret

By Greg Palast, AlterNet
October 5, 2003

It's not what Arnold Schwarzenegger did to the girls a decade back that should raise an eyebrow. According to a series of memoranda our office obtained today, it's his dalliance with the boys in a hotel room just two years ago that's the real scandal.

The wannabe governor has yet to deny that on May 17, 2001, at the Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles, he had consensual political intercourse with Enron chieftain Kenneth Lay. Also frolicking with Arnold and Ken was convicted stock swindler Mike Milken.

Now, 34 pages of internal Enron memoranda have just come through this reporter's fax machine tell all about the tryst between Maria's husband and the corporate con men. It turns out that Schwarzenegger knowingly joined the hush-hush encounter as part of a campaign to sabotage a Davis-Bustamante plan to make Enron and other power pirates then ravaging California pay back the $9 billion in illicit profits they carried off.

Here's the story Arnold doesn't want you to hear. The biggest single threat to Ken Lay and the electricity lords is a private lawsuit filed last year under California's unique Civil Code provision 17200, the "Unfair Business Practices Act." This litigation, heading to trial now in Los Angeles, would make the power companies return the $9 billion they filched from California electricity and gas customers.

It takes real cojones to bring such a suit. Who's the plaintiff taking on the bad guys? Cruz Bustamante, Lieutenant Governor and reluctant leading candidate against Schwarzenegger.

Now follow the action. One month after Cruz brings suit, Enron's Lay calls an emergency secret meeting in L.A. of his political buck-buddies, including Arnold. Their plan, to undercut Davis (according to Enron memos) and "solve" the energy crisis – that is, make the Bustamante legal threat go away.

How can that be done? Follow the trail with me.

While Bustamante's kicking Enron butt in court, the Davis Administration is simultaneously demanding that George Bush's energy regulators order the $9 billion refund. Don't hold your breath: Bush's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is headed by a guy proposed by ... Ken Lay.

But Bush's boys on the commission have a problem. The evidence against the electricity barons is rock solid: fraudulent reporting of sales transactions, megawatt "laundering," fake power delivery scheduling and straight out conspiracy (including meetings in hotel rooms). So the Bush commissioners cook up a terrific scheme: charge the companies with conspiracy but offer them, behind closed doors, deals in which they have to pay only 2 cents on each dollar they filched.

Problem: the slap-on-the-wrist refunds won't sail if the governor of California won't play along. Solution: Recall the Governor.

New Problem: the guy most likely to replace Davis is not Mr. Musclehead, but Cruz Bustamante, even a bigger threat to the power companies than Davis. Solution: smear Cruz because – heaven forbid! – he took donations from Injuns (instead of Ken Lay).

The pay-off? Once Arnold is governor, he blesses the sweetheart settlements with the power companies. When that happens, Bustamante's court cases are probably lost. There aren't many judges who will let a case go to trial to protect a state if that a governor has already allowed the matter to be "settled" by a regulatory agency.

So think about this. The state of California is in the hole by $8 billion for the coming year. That's chump change next to the $8 TRILLION in deficits and surplus losses planned and incurred by George Bush. Nevertheless, the $8 billion deficit is the hanging rope California's rightwing is using to lynch Governor Davis.

Yet only Davis and Bustamante are taking direct action to get back the $9 billion that was vacuumed out of the state by Enron, Reliant, Dynegy, Williams Company and the other Texas bandits who squeezed the state by the bulbs.

But if Arnold is selected, it's hasta la vista to the $9 billion. When the electricity emperors whistle, Arnold comes – to the Peninsula Hotel or the Governor's mansion. The he-man turns pussycat and curls up in their lap.

I asked Mr. Muscle's PR people to comment on the new Enron memos – and his strange silence on Bustamante's suit or Davis' petition. But Arnold was too busy campaigning to answer."

The Enron memos were discovered by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, Los Angeles, www.ConsumerWatchdog.org.

[baafie]

LOL

[whitie6969]

that needs to be more broadly reconized

[Fickle]

oh yeah, that's right. The people didn't actually Vote for Arnie, it was really the Republican presidency that rigged the election. Oh boy. Lookout. Make way for the idiotmobile.

[marvinbarcelona]

The article dosen't say the vote was rigged in any way. It simply says that the recall may have been put forward by these companies as away of not paying the $9 BILLION that they own the state of California.

Lets look at that again;

California has a debt of $3 BILLION
The power companies owe California $9 BILLION....so, California, with this $9 BILLION is actually $6 BILLION in profit.

Gray and his Lt go after the companies for the money...suddenly theres a recall. These companies then pour money into the Arnie campaign.

Is this clear now? Do you see the reason why this is of concern? I'm not saying this happened this way, but Schwarzenegger's campaign is running away from answering the questions...why? The right-wing media isn't asking the questions...why?

Worth thinking about when California's financial problems get worse.

Arnie's policy?

California is in debt...cut taxes - real smart

[zootm]

if true, this is a highly disturbing development.

people don't seem to realise that people who direct companies to steal such large sums of money - directly or not - are still criminals. it's like mass murderers... when the numbers get so high, we just can't deal with it any more. people who protect such people are criminals too, in my opinion. justice affects the rich as well as the poor.

[xzxzzx]

Yawn. Prove it.

As for cutting taxes - if it increases the economy, then you'll wind up with more money going to the government. Buisnesses ARE leaving California. Hell, I can see that driving around. Therefore, to make money, you need to inject some of it back into the economy.

[zootm]

Originally posted by xzxzzx
Yawn. Prove it.

quoting saddam hussein again, are we?



and if the legislation to let off the people who are already convicted as guilty goes through, i'd say that was about as close to proof as you'll get. at the very least, i'd like to see their excuse for not putting it through. i'd like to see the legislation itself, too.

[xzxzzx]

Originally posted by zootm
quoting saddam hussein again, are we?

And what did we learn there?

[marvinbarcelona]

Originally posted by xzxzzx
Yawn. Prove it.

As for cutting taxes - if it increases the economy, then you'll wind up with more money going to the government. Buisnesses ARE leaving California. Hell, I can see that driving around. Therefore, to make money, you need to inject some of it back into the economy.

Forget about the taxes part of your post, thats a whole other thread, but your replay "Yawn. Prove it." is quite shocking to me. It seems you don't care that the person just elected govenor maybe about to write of $9 BILLION of much needed public funds, that is tax payers money, to his friends. If this had happened in the UK, people would have lost their jobs, careers would be ruined and goverments would fall....in other words, it would have been taken seriously.

[zootm]

Originally posted by xzxzzx
And what did we learn there?

that we don't need proof to persecute people.

just so long as their foreign or poor.

[xzxzzx]

Originally posted by marvinbarcelona
Forget about the taxes part of your post, thats a whole other thread, but your replay "Yawn. Prove it." is quite shocking to me. It seems you don't care that the person just elected govenor maybe about to write of $9 BILLION of much needed public funds, that is tax payers money, to his friends. If this had happened in the UK, people would have lost their jobs, careers would be ruined and goverments would fall....in other words, it would have been taken seriously.

I said that because for some reason, this whole thing sounds more like BS than reality.
People are touchy about Enron, it conjures up scary demons, and it's supposedly proved by a scanned PDF of a printed out email.

Yeah, uh, right.

So prove it. Arnold can't do much worse of a job than Davis, even with that. Let's see. IF this is true, then so far we have:
Arnold ~= -9Bil.
Davis ~= -20Bil to about -30Bil.
And so Arnold's "deal" is sooo bad? Give me a break. How would Enron pay it back, anyway? Didn't they go bankrupt?

zootm: Hehhe. Ok, but Arnold is a citizen and rich. So now what?

[marvinbarcelona]

@xzxzzx : Yep, Enron went bankrupt, but the money is also owed by the other power companies. If Schwarzenegger does forgive this debt, how would this be in the interest of California?

We shall see. I really do hope that Schwarzenegger isn't what I think he is, because if he is, then California is a serious trouble.

[zootm]

Originally posted by xzxzzx
zootm: Hehhe. Ok, but Arnold is a citizen and rich. So now what?

he has an accent, and hence is sucking public funds and giving nothing in return...

time for a smear campaign! someone wake up rupert...

[laz]

A very interesting read. Thank you.
I have no smart reply, none of you would read it anyways.