A short little blurb from the Sacramento Bee told how California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the Stem Cell Affordability Bill this week.  This bi-partisan legislation passed overwhelmingly in the State House and Senate.  But the governor vetoed it citing the oversight would be too much of a burden on scientists.  Poor things.

The bill would have made sure that all Californians, regardless of their ability to pay, would have benefited from any treatments developed through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).  You may recall the six billion dollar price tag of Proposition 71 for state-funded embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) and cloning a few years back.  Apparently, all tax-paying Californians can pay for the research, just not benefit from it. 

The bill would also require more oversight for the CIRM, an idea to which they did not take kindly.  Why should they have to bothered with more oversight when they've been given $6 billion out of taxpayer pockets?  So let me get this straight: If they are rich enough to pay taxes, Californians have to pay for ESCR and cloning.  But if they can't afford it, they can't benefit from any of it if cures are ever to be found.  At least they can rest assured that the rich won't get any cures from the CIRM either.  All the treatment and cures, over 75 to date, lie in adult stem cell research.  Sounds like the interest of patients is close bedfellows with the interest of taxpayers in California.