High Flier

Folks who wish state government more closely resembled the lifestyles of the rich and famous will want to read this Sacramento Bee story about Arnold Schwarzenegger's jet-lease business. Apparently, in 1997 he bought a plane that he leases to Singapore Airlines, running up paper losses that offer him a healthy tax shelter.

Buried in the story is the fact that, shelters notwithstanding, Schwarzenegger paid $18 million in taxes in 2000 and 2001. You can hardly be surprised that the governator is a member of the no-new-tax club.

However, it appears that Schwarzenegger, having veered right in 2005, is beginning the new year by tacking back to the left. He's calling for a boost in the minimum wage, after having vetoed such a bill recently, and has just sent a letter to Congress calling for reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada.