A Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled that the Terminator himself must adhere to state laws regarding campaign finance. On Monday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was found guilty of violating a state law, which prohibits personal loans of more than $100,000 by candidates to their own campaigns.

According to The New York Times, Schwarzenegger legally committed “money laundering” when he used a $4.5 million bank loan to fund the final days of his campaign during the California recall election.

Money is always an issue during campaigning. It is impossible to reach every voter without paying for advertisements, campaign managers and travel costs. Schwarzenegger already had an unfair advantage over the other candidates because of both his Hollywood status and his wife’s well-known family ties. Getting an edge over eight candidates is difficult enough – let alone 135.

Face time is extremely important for candidates and an additional $4.5 million would have helped anyone win a campaign, especially those who don’t have their own star on Hollywood Boulevard.

Campaigns have changed dramatically and money plays a bigger factor today than ever before. Both Sen. John Kerry and former Gov. Howard Dean denied matching funds from the Federal Elections Commission in order to raise an enormously large amount of money on their own. With Super Tuesday mere days away, that extra money will come in handy to fund additional commercial spots and flights across the country.

Campaign finance laws must be enforced in order for the election process to be fair. There are many loopholes in the current campaign finance system and if they are not fixed, the election process will continue to give unfair advantages to certain candidates.

Schwarzenegger’s situation demonstrates political maneuvering at its worst. He must be punished for violating campaign finance regulations. A slap on the wrist will result in nothing but a news story. California officials must make an example out of him, and steps toward the termination of the problem must quickly follow suit.