The results of California's special election made it painfully clear that selfish interests of public employee unions, the media and the Democratic Party have retained and tightened their grip on state government, regardless of the best interests of the people. Indeed, it was a shameful epic of "wagging the dog" and whipping democracy.

Governor Schwarzenegger deserves an "A" for effort by attempting to keep his promise to reform inept state government. However, it was the usual suspect teachers union that led the charge to defeat reform Propositions 74, 75, 76 and 77 with deceptive, distorted political ads and personal attacks against the governor.

Joined by the militant nurses union, duped firefighter and law enforcement unions, biased media and Democrat Party operatives, the teachers union ensured the preservation of the status quo, the continuation of public education pumping out functionally illiterate students, and the slide of state government into fiscal chaos.

As if the get-out-the-partisan-vote and lack of self-informed, independent-thinking voter participation wasn't bad enough, school bonds were passed, and nearly all elected school boards continue to be dominated by former educators, easily manipulated by the system.

If nothing else, complacent voters ought to check their property tax bills for how much the education money-pit bonds will cost them for many years. Certainly, taxpayers should brace themselves for tax and fee increases to fill the enormous financial hole steadily deepened by the fraudulent members of the state legislature, simply because their re-elections have been assured by the defeat of Proposition 77.