No this is not a theological essay. But I can go there if you want me to.

I am constantly amazed at the blind faith that so many people have in government. Government can and does make colossal mistakes. So do businesses, charities, and religious organizations but the big difference is that these other institutions are not monopolies. A business does you wrong and you move on. A government does you wrong and you have no choice but to get in line again.

The post office has stolen from me. I ordered a lamp and did not check the shipper. When it did not arrive I found out that it was shipped USPS the monopoly bureaucracy. By their own website I was able to track the shipment to the local postal station. At that point it disappears never delivered. I called the office and later submitted a postal theft complaint form. Nothing. Not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement.

CalTrans is risking lives. Sherry and I just returned from a trip to Spokane. Traveling I-5 in the summer is always a challenge. I appreciate that summer is the best time for road work but I also see how CalTrans is not held accountable for its errors. Too often there were… Read More

The left of center Center for Government Studies, based in Los Angeles, has released yet another study where they wax on about the positive benefits of further limiting the amount of contributions that can be made to candidates, and once again calling for taxpayers to finance the campaigns of candidates.

There are a lot of principled reasons as to why this proposal is a very poor one.

But there is one very practical reason as to why it will never be a political viable one. No one wants to have their tax dollars used to subsidize the political speech (campaign mailers, television, radio, etc.) of candidates who do not represent their views.

Wait a second, there are some taxpayers who might like this idea. The ones who thought this guy should have been elected President of the United States…

… Read More

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We are pleased to share this original commentary…

AS CALIFORNIA GOES, SO GOES THE NATION? By Assemblywoman Diane Harkey If you believe that our state’s influence is waning, take a second look. While California may be declining in economic power, our political muscle is unfortunately being felt in Washington, DC. The brinksmanship, confusion over who is in charge, constantly changing, last minute negotiation of legislation, and the final outcome of the debt ceiling debacle is vintage California hard-core, partisan left, San Francisco politics.

The ultimate outcome depends on what type of government can be sold to the American people. Do we beleive in equal outcomes or equal opportunities? Should we redistribute private wealth or encourage private wealth creation?

Never let a good crisis go to waste, is a key component of the California and DC strategy. At this pivotal time in our nation’s history, the answers to the two questions posed above depend on what you beleive about the 2007 market crash. Was the bubble and subsequent crash caused by… Read More

I have received many emails asking who voted to send a draft platform that eliminates several conservative planks. Here is your answer. Below is the list of elected drafting platform committee members present at the meeting. Only two, myself and the Honorable Craig DeLuz. Voted against the neutered draft and in favor of amendments that restored deleted sections. Don’t be fooled the first vote was to send the draft to the full committee that had no language on marriage, guns, and a vague one on life. That is the official draft. The rest are “suggestions”.

Those listed below voted against thos amendments or were silent during the voting. This attendance list is from the CRP.

Hector Barajas Claudia Bermudez Rob Bernosky Hon.Bill Berryhill Greg Conlon Paul Cummings Jim DiSanto Margaret Dominici Jim Faison Gregory Grandrud Doris Gentry Ryan Hatcher Eric Hickok Dr. Marvin Jones Morgan Kelley Virginia Kiraly Leonard Lanzi Hon.Jim Nielsen Michael Osborn Laura Peter Dana Reed Brad Torgan Ryan Trabucco Dan Trimble… Read More

The problem with us obsessing about the national debt is that this flap detracts us from the FAR larger TOTAL government debt and unfunded liability obligations. By normal human being standards, the $14.5+ trillion national debt is unimaginably huge. As of 5 August, the constantly growing per citizen obligation for that debt comes to $46,844.12 – according to the National Debt Clock. http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

The average number of people in an American “household” (defined as people living together) is 2.11. http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb11-cn132.html Hence the per household piece of the official national debt is $98,924.49.

But according to an April 2011 USA TODAY article, the TOTAL per U.S. household debt owed to governments is now $531,472 – the household’s piece of the estimated $61.7 trillion U.S. federal, state and local government debt/liability obligation. At 5% interest, the household bill is $26,573.60. EVERY year — foolishly assuming zero future… Read More

A couple weeks ago CalPERS and other government pension funds released glowing reports about their earnings, which had “soared” in the last fiscal year. Most pension funds reported in excess of a 20% return on investment. The inference was that the pension managers were back in the saddle, riding great returns to pension fund recovery.

The unions and their apologists went into full attack mode, ridiculing those who have been expressing deep concerns about defined benefit pension plans and the lackluster returns this past decade (among several others problems) — when pension funds averaged under 6% returns per year.

The pitch from obnoxious labor posters and bloggers has been that “happy days are here again,” and that essentially we can now look forward to a string of similar annual returns that will make up the massive unfunded liability deficit that ALL such funds face.

Gee — what a difference two weeks makes. At this point, the stock market has lost all gains since the beginning of the year — and then some. Yesterday’s 500+ point DJIA drop was only the latest down day — though (so far) by far the… Read More

Abram Wilson recently sent an email about the California Republican Party Platform and the current proposal to eliminate important parts of the platform that appeal to conservatives.

First let me say the Abram Wilson is a decent man. He ran twice in an Assembly District that had been previously represented by Republicans. Unfortunately despite the investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars he lost both times. And while Wilson REFUSED to fill out a pro-life questionnaire during those elections and his website never mentioned Proposition 8 nor the Second Amendment and he defended banks during the fiscal crises in 2010, I’m sure he would have been a better legislator that Assemblywoman Buchanan is.

I admire Wilson for realizing after his two losses the need for a conservative platform. In the email he asks people to read a draft different from the actual approved drafting committee version and “note its strong conservative ideals that are pro-life, pro-family, pro-second amendment, and anti-tax while focusing on the issues that will be most important to Californians such as jobs, the economy and education. “

But this is my question that has… Read More

AB 1215 Harms Consumers, Business & Doesn’t Make Sense By Bob Pacheco, State Assemblyman, Retired

Ronald Reagan once joked that an economist is someone who sees something happen in the real world and wonders if it will work in theory.

His point was that policymakers spend too much time focused on theory and too little focused on what really works. A prime example of this is going on in the State Legislature right now. AB 1215 is supposed to be about giving consumers the information they need to buy a car. Except it doesn’t do that. Instead, it mandates that car dealers only obtain a federal government issued report known as the NMVTIS vehicle history report. But the NMVTIS system was never intended for use as a sales tool for sellers of used cars. Its best use may be to just assist government and law enforcement in fighting vehicle fraud.

Dealers know that other more comprehensive and more accurate reports are available from privately-owned commercial databases that provide incentives to mechanics and insurance companies to keep detailed records of cars that have… Read More