I’ve known Shawn and Michelle Steel since 1988.  Both have been kind any generous to me over the years.  In fact, Shawn played a key role as a mentor and a role-model for me back in my college days when I was an activist and a leader in Young Americans for Freedom, Shawn having served as State Co-Chairman of Cal-YAF with Dana Rohrabacher back in the day.  This year, Michelle is running for the State Board of Equalization.  She would make a fine board-member.  Ironically (and inconveniently for many people, including myself) another strong conservative, Ray Haynes, is also running in the same race for BOE.  I’ve known Ray since 1990 and also consider him a close friend.  Ray has been in the legislature for many years, and has been a consistent voice of sanity in the liberal chaos that dominates the State Capitol.

I penned an early analysis of this Haynes/Steel donnybrook back in August of last year, and in that piece, I wrote: