GOP TO UNVEIL "NO TAXES" BUDGET FIX
Today State Senate and Assembly Republicans will unveil a proposal to resolve the state’s fiscal crisis without increasing taxes. Republican legislators are to be commented for putting ideas out there on the table. There has been a long-standing internal argument amongst GOP strategists about whether to put forward a GOP proposal or not. On one hand, some have said that putting up a list of GOP sponsored cuts serves only to alianate many for no reason, since Democrats would never let most of the proposed cuts see the light of day. On the other hand, to oppose tax increases without providing a road-map to resolve the crisis without them becomes a difficult argument to continue to make. I think it is a great idea, at this stage, for as many ideas as possible to reduce the size and scope of state government be put into the idea marketplace, and commend GOP legislative leaders in advance for their proposal due out today. We’ll share the details with FR readers as they become available.
THE UAW "SPIN" IS WRONG
I find it very annoying that the "spin" from U.S. Senate Republican Leadership is that the proposal to provide $15 billion in taxpayer funds to "bail out" American automakers is that the Union of Auto Workers wouldn’t agree to employee concessions. While it may have been the case that this major union would not agree to whatever demands were being made of them, the message from the GOP should be very clear — tax dollars taken forcibly from taxpayers should never be used to subsidize private companies, no matter their size. Republican Senators should be making the case for how filing bankruptcy, like any other companies that cannot pay all of their creditors, is the appropriate route for Chrysler, Ford or General Moters. By blaming the UAW, the implication (horrible if true) is that if the union did make concessions, Republicans would put up the votes for the bail out. If anyone deserves some blame, how about our President, who seems intent to put the American taxpayers head-first into the auto manufacturing business. Shame on him.
SURF CITY TO BUY UP HOUSES?
My home county of Orange is home to California’s "Surf City" — Huntington Beach. Apparently the City Council there is going to be considering tonight, and this is serious, whether to put the local government there in the business of buying up houses under foreclosure, fixing them up, and then making them available as affordable housing. This has to be one of the worst ideas I have heard in a long time. Sometimes politicians in local government shouldn’t ask whether they CAN do something, but whether they SHOULD. This is America, where we believe in a limited role for government at every level. Clearly the opportunity is available for the private sector to come in and buy up homes under foreclosure, and Surf City leaders should stay out of the way of that market-based process. Some have said that this kind of proposal is being floated to take advantage of federal funding that is available. Conservatives in local government should fend off efforts by Washington, D.C., to get local governments into areas where they don’t belong. We have some good Republicans on the council in "Surf City" — I only hope that there are enough of them to stave of this dumb idea.
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