Well, we don’t have a happy ending to the Farm Bill follies. As we have written about, this Farm Bill before Congress is TERRIBLE public policy. It typifies everything that is wrong with our Congress. It takes BILLIONS of dollars and doles it out around the country to agricultural interests (from the family farm — many of which are huge) to big ag conglomerates. Anyways, the idea is that at the most basic level, this is the federal government taking from your pocket to place that money in someone else’s.

Is it shocking that such a bill would pass a Democrat-controlled Congress, no? Should it be shocking that a majority of REPUBLICANS voted for this dog with fleas? Yes. Is it really shocking. Unfortunately, no.

It is proof that Republicans in Congress don’t get it — that we lost Congress because we are no longer the party that stands for a limited federal government, lower taxes and returning the power to the people.

You can’t beat the Democrats by being 95% like them. This Farm Bill was an important vote because it helped to reinforce in my mind that our GOPers back there (well, the ones who voted for… Read More

If you haven’t already, be sure you check out the article on the main page today where former Assembly Speaker Fabian “Louis Vuitton” Nunez in essence accuses those of us who took issue with his lavish spending as being anti-Mexican — what a load of hooey. Anyways, here’s what Hector Barajas and Kevin Roberts of the State GOP have to say about it —

“There is little to be surprised by in Fabian Núñez’ outlandish statements that those who questioned his expenses were not looking out for the public’s best interest but rather was motivated by race.

In an interview with the Spanish-language program Voz y Voto on Univision, Núñez railed against the “anti-Mexican, anti-Latino” sentiment he claimed motivated the probe into his questionable expense reports. Even his spokesman, force-fed himself the racial Kool-Aid, stating, “You cannot deny there’s some overtly racial overtones to this.”

Let’s remember, as the representative of one of the poorest districts in California, the Los Angeles Times reported that Núñez spent more than $47,000 in airfare, more than $5,000 at… Read More

Back in May 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to expedite the sale of an estimated $5 billion in surplus state properties. It was an ambitious plan designed to help the state raise money it badly needed.

That November, voters backed the governor with Proposition 60A, directing proceeds from the sale of those properties be used to pay down deficit bonds. Now, four years later, the state has yet to sell off most of the targeted surplus properties, according to the Los Angeles Daily News (April 8th).

The state Finance Department indicates that the state sold off no surplus property in the 2004. And while property sales climbed to $12.9 million in 2005-06, they fell to just $1.4 million in 2006-07.

Beth Mills, spokeswoman for the Department of General Services that handles surplus state land sales, said that during the current 2007-08 fiscal year, the state is expecting to take in $31.7 million from two sales. “‘About $21 million is a payment the state is receiving from the sale of… Read More

A few minutes ago, Harry Sidhu wrapped one of the most interesting press conferences to which I’ve ever been.

It was basically two parts. First, he addressed the "Orange County Grand Jury Report" mailer sent out by the Mimi Walters for Senate campaign, attacking it as deceptive and defending his record regarding working with OCE to screen Anaheim City Jail prisoners for illegal immigrants.

Pretty standard.

Then, Harry went on to discuss the negative tone of the SD33 race, said he took responsibility for his campaign’s part in it, and then renounced any further negative campaigning, pledging that henceforth his voter communication would all be positive. Nearby Harry were boxes of negative mail produced by his campaign, which he then proceeded to feed into a big shredder next to the podium.

A cynical interpretation is that it’s easy to renounce negative campaigning two weeks before the election when you’ve already carpet-bombed your opponent with negative mail and ads, and SD33… Read More

Need another reason to not trust lawyers and the Bar Associations. Conservatives have known that at the federal level the American Bar Association play politics with their rating system.

Need proof at the local level. Look at poor Bob Henry. Henry is Democrat and has been a Deputy Attorney general for two decades.

In 1992 he ran for judge and came in second. The bar rated him “qualified”. He ran again in 2004 and was rated as“well qualified. Two years ago he ran and was rated “qualified”. 2008 he runs and is now “not qualified”. To get it straight. The bar rating system four years ago had him as “well-qualified”. Since then he has been in a spiral downward dropping to “qualified” and then now to “not qualified”.

Iknow being a Democrat didn’t hurt him. So what’s changed?

Other than the make up of the review committee probably nothing.… Read More

Jon just posted a blog about President Bush vetoing the pork-laden farm bill. As Jon explained, the bill was rightfully vetoed because of all the subsidies for wealthy farmers. This issue is particularly important here in the 4th CD race. Former congressman Doug Ose (and current candidate for the 4th CD) has been the recipient of such federal farm subsidies for wealthy farm owners.

Doug Ose not only accepted $600,000 in farm subsidies (more than former Enron CEO Ken Lay), he approved those subsidies as a voting member of the House Agriculture Committee. Republicans are suffering from an image of corruption, and self-serving votes like Ose’s enforce this image, especially in a district where corruption is a hot issue. Republican voters should ask themselves if they want a millionaire congressman who will take their tax dollars to pay for his personal property.

Last week Tom McClintock launched a devastating TV ad regarding Ose’s self-enriching votes on farm subsidies while in Congress. I’m disappointed that my current congressman, John Doolittle, voted for this irresponsible bill. Based on Doug Ose’s record, Tom McClintock is the clear choice. I’m… Read More

Today I am proud of my President. He used his veto pen and sent the fat, bloated and irresponsible Farm Bill back to Congress. Bush rightfully said that the bill contained too many subsidies for wealthy farmers and “budget gimmicks” to hide its most egregious spending.

That said, it is expected that the U.S. Senate and the House will vote to override the President’s veto. To do so, a whole lot of Republicans need to do take part. And in doing so, while they "feather the nests" of the many who are financially assisted by the Farm Bill, they further take the GOP out into deep water without a life preserver. We again become the party of big government.

I reported last week that there were only four California Republicans who voted for this terrible bill — John Doolittle, Wally Herger, Elton Gallegly and George Radanovich. This veto provides each of these Republicans with a second opportunity to reflect on all of the billions in terrible spending in this bill, and now add to it the message being sent by overriding the veto of a… Read More

Back when Ridley-Thomas burst on the political scene, he promoted himself as a black first politician.As an LA city councilman, leaders of the Southern California Organizing Committee [SCOC] sent its members, mostly Latinos, to a meeting where Mark Ridley-Thomas was hosting a meeting for 8th District residents. The meeting erupted into a shouting match, with some charging Ridley-Thomas with alienatinghis constituents inthe ethnically and religiously diverse district. This took place back in 1993. Ridley-Thomas hasn’t changed much since then.

Mark Ridley-Thomas

The SCOC drew its membership from churches, block clubs and community organizations in South-Central LA. SCOC leaders say theywere incensed by what they felt were disparaging remarks made by Ridley-Thomas while voting againsttheir anti-gang program. The councilman denied SCOC’s charges that he favored… Read More