Amidst the nation’s worst economic recession since the Great Depression, and continuing problems in California with health care, education funding, home foreclosures, and lack of jobs, how do you explain the obscene and wasteful spending by candidate Meg Whitman in her campaign to buy the governor’s office. By The California Nurses AssociationAccording to campaign finance reports filed yesterday, Whitman has spent $99.7 million the past two years, a figure that the Associated Press notes climbs to $100.3 million when including donated services.Those numbers, which shatter campaign spending records in California and believed to exceed the amount any candidate running for any office in the U.S. other than President has spent, signal a campaign that is out of control and that shows little regard for the real life of most Californians.With more than 2.2 million Californians are out of work (Employment Development Department, July 16, 2010), at least 6.4 million are uninsured (U.S. Census Bureau as of 2007), and California ranks 41st in the U.S. in per capita spending per pupil (National Education Association rankings), such massive resources could surely be put to better use.Those are just three of the many signs of crisis in California that show the appalling contrast with the disgraceful spending spree by one billionaire candidate who seems to be driven by personal ambition and little else.If Whitman, whose main qualification for office appears to be her unlimited wealth, really wants to help the state, there are many other ways she could use those resources to add real social value to our state, and help Californians who are hurting, who are sick, or to bolster our education system.(And her profligate spending is another reminder of why we have characterized Whitman as “Queen Meg.” You can check out the latest on Queen Meg at www.QueenMeg2010.com.)The California Nurses Association, with its research arm, the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, has some suggestions.Here’s what Whitman’s $100 million could done:• Pay monthly unemployment benefits for 82,237 unemployed Californians. Read more…