MARK WYLAND – A GREAT LEGISLATOR
Yesterday’s news that Assemblyman Mark Wyland, the well-respected legislator from northern San Diego County will not run in the GOP primary for Congress (the seat currently occupied by the sullied fighter ace, Duke Cunningham) will certainly impact that Congressional race. But it should not be lost that Wyland, who will likely face little or no competition for the State Senate seat for which he has opted to run, will make a great addition to the State Senate GOP caucus. State Senator Bill Morrow is term-limited out of his office, and is a leading candidate for the Cunningham seat.
In his time as a State Assemblyman, Wyland has garnered a reputation for being a smart, political savvy, and policy-wise legislator. He has been a leader within his caucus for philosophical conservatism, and he also has put together a great group of staffers who are dedicated to the same limited-government cause which Wyland champions. As an Orange Countian myself, I am thrilled that Wyland will soon represent some of my county, as the State Senate seat overlaps two counties.
A MISTAKE? OR TRUTH IN REPORTING?
I got a chuckle this morning when I was reading the Sacramento Bee’s website. Like all papers, they run an occasional blurb where they correct any mistakes that had been made in previous stories (reporters, editors, and the like are hired from the human race, they are not perfect – trust me!). Anyways, in today’s little blurb, they point out that Assembly Keith Richman had been incorrectly identified in a photo-caption as being a Democrat. This made me chuckle because it was an easy mistake to make. Richman, who seems all together too comfortable with the idea of a large and central role for government in the lives of the individuals (random off of the top of my head example — let’s legislate requiring that everyone carry insurance!). Richman doesn’t seem to see the size and scope of government as being a problem. THAT is a problem. Perhaps he wasn’t mislabled after all… (I should note, by the way, that Richman has taken some notably sane stands on issues such as pension reform – but it seems like you really need to figure out which way he got out of bed to figure out where he is coming from. He seems to be lacking a discernable governing ideology.)
LYN NOFZIGER INTERVIEW
For those of you not familiar with Lyn Nofziger, Lyn was a close friend of former Governor and President Ronald Reagan, serving as a close advisor to Reagan in both roles. Lyn has always been looked up to and admired by conservative activists because within Reagan’s inner-circles, he could be counted on as a consistent, ideologically conservative voice. Given Reagan’s natural leanings, Lyn was always there as a reminder to the President to trust his inclinations. In today’s Washington Times, veteran reporter Ralph Hallow interviews Nofziger.
A precient thought? Or too cynical? You read the interview and decide. It is linked off of the FR main page. Also, Lyn does have his own personal website.