To the editor:

Recent letters and stories in your paper have argued that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be a good choice as California’s new governor because he represents “the people.” That idea, like the recall election, is naive at best and irresponsible at worst.

First, believing that Schwarz-enegger would represent the public interest just because he is already wealthy and supposedly above “special interests” is plain wrong. A shrewd businessman like Schwarzenegger is not about to take a huge risk without lining up support from big politics and big business. His campaign staff is dominated by former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson’s staff, and billionaire investor Warren Buffett has signed on. These don’t sound like Joe Six-Pack kind of guys to me.

Second, no matter how unpopular Gray Davis is, Californians had the power to re-elect or reject him last year and they made their choice. Are those voters not part of “the people”? And what about “the people,” including many children, who may lose government services because of the tens of millions of dollars that this recall will cost a state that’s already in debt? These are “the people” who cannot afford the luxury of a frivolous vote.

Being frustrated with government is often understandable, but calls for “the people” to work for true change at the grass-roots level, and not to wait for someone who is all style and no substance to rescue them. This reckless and ridiculous recall deserves to fail because it will fail “the people.”

Ray Pence,

Lawrence