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Jon Fleischman

FR PODCAST – An Exclusive Interview With Governor Pete Wilson

Earlier this week, former California Governor Pete Wilson officially declared his opposition to Proposition 93 on this February’s ballot. As FR readers will recall, Prop. 93 is what we call "the big lie" and it is the measure placed on the ballot by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez as a rather naked effort to extend his own political career. Governor Wilson also has come out strongly against the campaign to recall State Senator Jeff Denham, an orchestrated effort by Senate President Don Perata to try to "take out" Denham for his opposition to this year’s state budget. Also, Governor Wilson has endorsed and is a strong supporter of Rudy Giuliani for President. Yesterday FR Publisher Jon Fleischman conducted an interview with Governor Wilson, which is presented below as a featured Podcast. In the interview, Wilson and… Read More

Jon Fleischman

Secretary Paulson comes to CA – Will the Grinch ruin everyone’s Christmas?

Yesterday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, former chief over at Goldman Sachs, appeared in Stockton yesterday to talk about the challenges facing many who took out subprime loans. The question you have to ask Secretary Paulson is whether he plans on playing the part of the Grinch, stealing Christmas from all of those who did not decide to engage in riskly loan taking. Because that seems to be what he and other advocates of taxpayer support/bailouts of those adults to decided to take out sub prime loans for whom that decision is not working out. Government intervention into the mortgage lending marketplace will result in two things. The first is that it will artificially keep home prices higher, keeping a whole group of non-risk takers who have been waiting for the market to come down from being able to buy or upgrade their homes. The… Read More

Shawn Steel

Korea moves to the Right

After twelve years of misrule by arch Leftists in South Korea, Koreans repudiated the pro North Korean anti American government by electing conservative Myung Bak Lee, President by capturing more votes that all 9 of his opponents combined.

Korean Americans in California are vitally interested in the US having good relations with their mother country. With over 500,000 Korean Americans living in California, many now reliable voters, the hope that the left wing government would be removed was rewarded last night. Many of the… Read More

Congressman John Campbell

Still More Money to be Saved

There is finally a budget deal. The Democrats agreed to only spend the total budget amount that the President had asked for. That saves you nearly $150 billion over the next 5 years (because the base for future increases is lower) which is enough to avoid the increases in the Alternative Minimum Tax that many want to see. I feel particularly happy about this because this all really started with the letter I circulated this spring on which 147 members of Congress agreed to uphold the president’s veto of any spending bill over his requested amount. Bills went to the president, he vetoed them and the vetoes were upheld which is why majority Democrats had to make a deal. That all worked out quite well. However, I still voted against the spending bill, and here’s why:

•First of all, I actually thought the President’s spending number was too high also. We cannot continue to increase spending by, or in excess of, the growth in the economy or we will never get to a balanced budget. •Secondly, the deal included $11 billion in one-time new spending. •Third, it has at least 8000 earmarks in it for nearly $20 billion. Much of this… Read More

Congressman Doug LaMalfa

Sacramento Moves To Seize Private Property

Today,as reported in the Sacramento Bee (here and here), the Sacramento City Council voted to moveahead with a threatened eminent domain proceeding to be commenced on property downtown, just 2 blocks from where the Legislature tramples the rights of the rest of California, the State Capitol.

Under previous eminent domain threatby the city, Mr Moe Mohanna had agreed to swap land and buildingswith adjacent lands that the city had bought up and allow the city redevelopment gang to do their thing. But the properties the city wanted to deal him caught fire, were ordered demolished, and of course suffered a great loss of value due to its "material adverse change" thereby rejecting the swap without some greater consideration. The city claims to not have money lying around [good, it should be going to pay for cops, fire fighters and fixing streets] to sweeten the threat/deal for Mr Mohanna.

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Jill Buck

Nine Years Ago Today…

December 18th is a special day in the Buck household: it’s my youngest child’s birthday! (It’s also the end of the "Birthday Season" in my house…my other two children have birthdays on Dec. 12th and 13th…we always breathe a sigh of relief when the youngest opens her gifts, and we’ve survived another year of mayhemand merriment.)

But each year when I open my youngest’s baby book to add new things to commemorate her special day, I see the newspaper from the day she was born. (Even in labor and delivery I asked that 2-3 newspapers be delivered to my hospital room…)

Nine years ago today, I was holding a precious new life in my arms, and feeling unspeakable joy.

Nine years ago today,newspapers around the world announced America’s shame: President Clinton was impeached. I wonder what Senator Clinton was doingnine years ago today…… Read More

Jennifer Nelson

Ghost of Governors Past

Why does it feel like the Ghost of Governors Past is haunting the Governor’s Office? It is painful to think of how much time, energy and money was spent replacing the failed Gray Davis with the hope of a freedom-loving, pro-free market Arnold Schwarzenegger. But it is even more painful to experience the current governor’s complete sell out for the sake of good press and popularity with the opposition party.

Ooops…there I go again, sounding all partisan again. Isn’t this the era of post-partisanship? I guess post partisanship is when the Republicans have more hope of Senator Don Perata of doing the right thing (insisting that the state budget crisis be dealt with before any health reform plan is passed) than their “Republican” governor.

Back to the Davis-Schwarzenegger contrast—I’m certainly not the fir… Read More

Barry Jantz

Over Under Sideways Down

A nod to Joe Justin on the song title inspiration.

As a lobbysist asked me today, "Can you believe this stuff. You have a Republican governor promoting massive tax increases and the Democratic Senate leader talking about fiscal responsibility. What’s next?"

I’m taking guesses on what’s next, New Year’s predictions if you will. What is the Shape of Things to come?

Post them below or email me here.… Read More