Today marks day seven of the new fiscal year — a week without an adopted budget for the state of California. Much has been said already, and will be said over the coming weeks and possibly months about how we’ve ended up with such a budget challenge — but Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters summed it up nicely in a column yesterday when he said, "…today’s crisis primarily stems from voters and politicians spending more money than the revenue system can produce, even in a good economy." Last week it was reported that Assembly Speaker Karen Bass had sent legislators home until July 14. That is ridiculous. The (unfortunate) reality is that California has an overdue budget AND a full-time legislature. That means that, frankly, all of our state legislators, having taken their three day weekend for America’s birthday, should be returning today to the State Capitol to roll up their sleeves and work towards a fiscally prudent state budget… Read More

Today marks day seven of the new fiscal year — a week without an adopted budget for the state of California. Much has been said already, and will be said over the coming weeks and possibly months about how we’ve ended up with such a budget challenge — but Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters summed it up nicely in a column yesterday when he said, "…today’s crisis primarily stems from voters and politicians spending more money than the revenue system can produce, even in a good economy." Last week it was reported that Assembly Speaker Karen Bass had sent legislators home until July 14. That is ridiculous. The (unfortunate) reality is that California has an overdue budget AND a full-time legislature. That means that, frankly, all of our state legislators, having taken their three day weekend for America’s birthday, should be returning today to the State Capitol to roll up their sleeves and work towards a fiscally prudent state budget… Read More

On this quiet Saturday of a holiday weekend, we are pleased to offer this outstanding column from Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association…

Here’s a riddle. What is 150 years old, but has less self control than a toddler? That’s right, it’s the California Legislature, whose profligate spending has put our state almost $20 billion in the red. Over and over again it has proven Ronald Reagan’s maxim that "government is like an infant — an insatiable appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other." Fiscal incontinence is nothing new to Sacramento. Back in 1979, Proposition 13 co-author Paul Gann put a reasonable limit on the ballot that tied new spending to inflation and population growth.… Read More

On this quiet Saturday of a holiday weekend, we are pleased to offer this outstanding column from Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association…

Here’s a riddle. What is 150 years old, but has less self control than a toddler? That’s right, it’s the California Legislature, whose profligate spending has put our state almost $20 billion in the red. Over and over again it has proven Ronald Reagan’s maxim that "government is like an infant — an insatiable appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other." Fiscal incontinence is nothing new to Sacramento. Back in 1979, Proposition 13 co-author Paul Gann put a reasonable limit on the ballot that tied new spending to inflation and population growth.… Read More

On the occasion of America’s Birthday, I wanted to share with you a special 4th of July message that was e-mailed out by our friends at the Claremont Institute. It’s certainly worth a few minutes of your time to read…

Happy Independence Day from the team here at the FlashReport! American children are not born understanding the principles of their country, and most American college students—if reports can be believed—are still largely unfamiliar with them when they graduate. So it is a useful tradition, as the Fourth of July comes around each year, to reflect again—and again—on the American political principles famously proclaimed on the original Independence Day, which, as many college graduates know, happened sometime in the past, possibly during summertime. Lest we seem to rest all our political expectations on the capacity of the next generation for self-government, let us admit that the grownups, as well, can benefit from an annual refresher.

As Thomas Jefferson said late in life, when explaining the genesis of the… Read More

On the occasion of America’s Birthday, I wanted to share with you a special 4th of July message that was e-mailed out by our friends at the Claremont Institute. It’s certainly worth a few minutes of your time to read…

Happy Independence Day from the team here at the FlashReport! American children are not born understanding the principles of their country, and most American college students—if reports can be believed—are still largely unfamiliar with them when they graduate. So it is a useful tradition, as the Fourth of July comes around each year, to reflect again—and again—on the American political principles famously proclaimed on the original Independence Day, which, as many college graduates know, happened sometime in the past, possibly during summertime. Lest we seem to rest all our political expectations on the capacity of the next generation for self-government, let us admit that the grownups, as well, can benefit from an annual refresher.

As Thomas Jefferson said late in life, when explaining the genesis of the… Read More

Since the budget talks are pretty slow, with most of the talks going on in the Joint Budget Conference Committee, plus a little bit of Big4talks, and the rest of us are out of town until the 15th, I just thought I’d pass along a glimpse of the Assembly Appropriations Committee Action from Wednesday.

SB 1301-Financial Aid-to grant more financial aid to students who are offspring of illegal immigrants, was heard in committee-Passed

SB 1322-Communism in Schools-[which could seem redundant] Would relieve schools of requiring a form that essentially says that communism would not be taught or glorified…you know, since the Wall came down it’s no longera worry.[Didn’t seea provision thanking Ronald Reagan.]-Passed

SB 1422-High Cost Rail Authority-turns over a lot of the decision process to the Authority from CalTrans for the High Cost Rail whose bonds haven’t even been approved by voters in November yet.-Passed

SB 441-Vending Machines on State Property-would be required to contain 35% "nutritional products", juices, snacks etc. Regardless of price or market demand or perishability, if a product… Read More

Well, it is with some pleasure that I report to you, dear readers, that my Bill, AB 259, is on its way to the Gov’s desk. This Bill would make it a crime for anyone to sell the LSD-like hallucinogenic drug Salvia Divinorum to a minor.For those whoaren’t familiar with the drug, it is plant grown traditionally in the Mazatec region of the Sierra MadreMountains in Oaxaca Mexico. In America the drug is mostly sold as a smoking product. The results of using the drug vary but include alleged changes in consciousness, uncontrolled hysteria, lack of motor skillsand out-of-body experiences.

But before we start celebrating, I want to give a little shout out to the four biggest liberals in the Senate and to rhetorically ask, "what the hell?" Senators Don Perata, Sheila Kuehl, Carol Migden, and Pat Wiggins all voted NO on AB 259 when it was on the Senate floor yesterday. So to them, which part of selling drugs to minors do you find objectionable? Is it your earnest desire to protect the economy, or maybe your deeply held belief in the need to experiment with mind… Read More