True Lies

Call me crazy, but I doubt the best way to fix your falling poll is to accuse teachers of lying, even after you've admitted for months that you are the one who lied to them. But that's exactly what Action Hero Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided would be a smart political move:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has acknowledged for months that it broke its promise to restore more than $2 billion in base education funding this year, but Schwarzenegger insisted Tuesday he never made the pledge and said education leaders are perpetuating a "right-out lie" by criticizing him over it.

(snip)

The Republican governor, education leaders and the California Teachers Association announced with fanfare an agreement to suspend the automatic funding formula for education for a year. But the deal called for education base funding under Proposition 98 to be restored once state revenues increased. Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill now says that figure approaches $3 billion.

But when Schwarzenegger unveiled his budget plan in January the base funding was not restored despite the prospect of rising revenues.

(snip)

"His story keeps changing," [CTA President Barbara Kerr] said. "That happens a lot when you're not telling the truth or you forget. I don't know which it is. All I know is we were promised the money would be put back when revenues went up. Revenues are up and that hasn't happened."