… Read More

Today’s Guest Commentary is penned by Hector Barajas is Communications Director for the California Republican Party… As the California State Democrat Party concluded its annual convention, it is clear that the parade of speeches that filled the convention halls of San Diego offered no more than obscure and recycled promises that Californians have grown tired of hearing. “Commander in Chief” candidates continue their finger pointing and apology tour. As with the South Carolina debate, seven of the eight presidential candidates that attended the San Diego convention spent their time pointing fingers, apologizing, and trying to find out who would be the first to abandon the people of Iraq.

Absent in both the debate and convention was a discussion or plan detailing how they would deal with the… Read More

Why would otherwise intelligent and practical men create a new political party? They might if times were extreme and the social fabric was deteriorating. California after it was admitted in 1850, elected two pro slavery democrat governors, and one anti-Chinese democrat governor, although it was a "free" state.

Democrat Governor Peter Burnett [1849-1851 – pictured to the left] was not only pro slavery but vigorously pushed legislation to prevent freed blacks tolive in California.The second Governor, Democrat James McDougall 1851-1852 supported the pro slavery Kansas-Nebraska Act. The third democrat John Bigler, while not aggressively pro slavery , supported laws against Asians and"vehemently denounced Chinese immigration."

Such sentiments were not the thinking of enlightened free souls.

By 1856 California had three political parties, Democrats, Whigs and the anti Asian KnowNothing Party. Coming to the… Read More

My husband and I were getting coffee this morning at our hotel in San Francisco after enjoying a grown-ups only weekend in the city to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary when we saw televisions with pictures reminiscent of the Loma Prieta earthquake when the 880 freeway collapsed. We were amazed to learn that a tanker truck had crashed and caught fire, causing a portion of the 580 freeway above it to collapse. Thank goodness, we said, that we had decided to BART into the city on Saturday—the collapsed, burnt freeway was the freeway we would have needed to take us back home.

But there was no denying the huge impact this disaster would have on the lives of our friends and neighbors in Oakland. My husband commutes everyday to… Read More

I’m still reflecting back on last week’s Prison "Deal" and the fact that it included over six BILLION dollars in additional indebtedness for California taxpayers. Especially heinous about this mega-debt is that it has been completely authorized by Sacramento politicians and apparently requires no vote of the people. Why wouldn’t they bring this amount of prolific spending to the voters? After all, lately, the electorate has been pretty accepting of big borrowing — having approved all of the Governor’s "big bang bonds" package last year. I am not an expert on intricate and arcane state laws when it comes to borrowing, but I can tell you that using "lease revenue bonds" just smells awful. The name implies that the bonds are issued against specific revenue returns from leasing the property that is built. But who leases state prisons? It’s the state, right? So if the state is responsible for paying itself for these bonds, I don’t see how that is any different from general obligation bonds. Clearly politicians will come up with any way to increase government spending,… Read More

Hunter vs. Reid… The FlashReport had the Washington Times article yesterday on Duncan Hunter’s call for Harry Reid’s resignation, but I thought you might be interested in the full text of the Hunter release. I love "your-my-friend-but-your-also-an-idiot" political statements, and Hunter pulls it off with aplomb:

Hunter Calls on Senator Reid to Step Down as Senate Majority Leader

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Republican Duncan Hunter (R-CA) today called for Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to resign as Majority Leader following his controversial comments stating that the war in Iraq "is lost."

"In commenting on ongoing operations in Iraq, you recently stated that ‘this war is lost.’ This unfortunate statement is both inaccurate and damaging," opened Hunter in a letter to Reid.

"It can have no effect but to demoralize the brave men and women, who are honorably fulfilling their mission in Iraq, and… Read More

I’m still reflecting back on last week’s Prison "Deal" and the fact that it included over six BILLION dollars in additional indebtedness for California taxpayers. Especially heinous about this mega-debt is that it has been completely authorized by Sacramento politicians and apparently requires no vote of the people. Why wouldn’t they bring this amount of prolific spending to the voters? After all, lately, the electorate has been pretty accepting of big borrowing — having approved all of the Governor’s "big bang bonds" package last year. I am not an expert on intricate and arcane state laws when it comes to borrowing, but I can tell you that using "lease revenue bonds" just smells awful. The name implies that the bonds are issued against specific revenue returns from leasing the property that is built. But who leases state prisons? It’s the state, right? So if the state is responsible for paying itself for these bonds, I don’t see how that is any different from general obligation bonds. Clearly politicians will come up with any way to increase government spending,… Read More

Good work by the California College Republicans over the weekend — one of their members dressed up as the Pander Bear to protest the California Democratic Convention over the weekend. You can read the story and watch the clip from CBS8 here. I love the part where the Edwards supporters take a photo with the Bear.… Read More