Now, yes, the fees wouldn't have to be increased if it wasn't due to some agreement with the UC system to raise fees or else lose funding. And Arnie could have given that money to the schools to begin with instead of sending it somewhere else. It's also a one-year-only type thing with nothing being promised for next year. Still, when the deal was made with the UC system, he promised that he'd stop raising fees if more money was to be had, something that sounded an awful lot like political hooey at the time. Turns out that in this case, he gave his word. We would also like to point out that he could have given the money elsewhere. Like to his corporate buds. Or, like someone we know, give some huge tax cut to the wealthy. Hey, we can ding the Governor as much as anyone, but in this case, he deserves some praise.

The announcement brought universal praise from pretty much everyone, including students and some Democrats in the legislature. The Melifously Named Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez even said it could be a sign of peace in our time. Other Dems, however, have only offered muted praise and said they hoped it was a sign of things to come, not the only sign.

We would also like to point out that this is all happening at the same time as the UC system has been under fire for cheesy compensation packages and big-ass raises. Whether or not this is just an attempt to ward off a pitchford-wielding mob, we'll leave to you.