Arnold the Bold

摘要

Never doubt the salesmanship of Ar-nold Schwarzenegger. This week, the Golden State's governor was in Tokyo letting "Japan and the rest of the world know that...this is a new California. We ate going to promote California as pro-business, pro-environment and pro-workers." California's tax receipts never having recovered from the dotcom bust, and with a likely budget deficit of $7 billion next year, a bit of business-luring promotion is understandable. But, one year into his tenure, is the salesman's product as good as his pitch? According to the non-partisan Milken Institute, California's business climate is still far from benign. Electricity costs are higher than in any other state except Hawaii; only four states have higher labour costs and more expensive office and industrial space. All in all, California is the second-dearest state for business.