At the time of this writing, with 30 percent or so of the precincts reporting, it appears that 44 percent of voters voted to retain Gray Davis as Governor. It also appears that 45 percent voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him. If you know nothing about margins of error for voting methods and machines, then the above will mean nothing to you. The NYTimes is running an article with some of the best quotes from Californians that I have yet seen. Please observe the logic and reason in the following:

"Gray Davis really made a mess out of California, so I was definitely yes on the recall," said Robin Cruse, 45, a stay-at-home mother from San Clemente. "Arnold, I'm not 100 percent on him, but I thought he was still my best choice."

Marc Vasquez, 58, said after casting his ballot in Fresno: "The recall is something that we're privileged to have in this state. It's high time we have officials realize that they can be held accountable."

Skip McCown, 56, a Republican from San Diego, voted for the recall and for Mr. Schwarzenegger. "It's curious that this spate of accusations came out three or four days before the election," Mr. McCown said. "If anything, it makes me want to vote for him more. This is a Davis ploy. He's the king of dirty tricks."

Deborah Gittes, 42, a school administrator in Coronado, Calif., is a registered Democrat who voted to oust Mr. Davis and replace him with Mr. Schwarzenegger. "Davis just messed things up," Ms. Gittes said. "It's good to see Californians empowered themselves." As for the charges of sexual misconduct against Mr. Schwarzenegger, she said, "There's all this debauchery in the film industry, and it's all brought up at the last minute when he's ahead in the polls."

Gray Davis is the king of dirty tricks. Californians are empowered and privileged. The film industry is debauched, not Arnold. I have another conclusion. While mystery and intrigue may compel me to leave it unsaid, I choose not to: California is the stupidest state in the Union.

stu·pid ( P ) Pronunciation Key (stpd, sty-) adj. stu·pid·er, stu·pid·est 1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse. 2. Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes. 3. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake. 4. Dazed, stunned, or stupefied. 5. Pointless; worthless: a stupid job.