This may sound unbelievable, especially in light of what may be as high as a $15 billion shortfall in needed revenues to cover budgeted state expenditures, but this Monday liberal Democrat Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez is hauling 80 members of the State Assembly to Sacramento to vote on a plan that purports to somehow improve access to health care in California by expanding the size and scope of state government’s involvement in this sector. There is no doubt that Nunez will get support from this proposal from his caucus, as raising taxes (did I mention this proposal includes MASSIVE tax increases?) and hoisting mandates and requirements on businesses and on people are what liberals love to do the most. There is not enough room in this whole website to go over all of the inherent problems with this plan, going beyond the obvious abandonment of key American traditions — the notions of individual responsibility and freedom. Once again, "big brother" is coming in to suck… Read More

This may sound unbelievable, especially in light of what may be as high as a $15 billion shortfall in needed revenues to cover budgeted state expenditures, but this Monday liberal Democrat Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez is hauling 80 members of the State Assembly to Sacramento to vote on a plan that purports to somehow improve access to health care in California by expanding the size and scope of state government’s involvement in this sector. There is no doubt that Nunez will get support from this proposal from his caucus, as raising taxes (did I mention this proposal includes MASSIVE tax increases?) and hoisting mandates and requirements on businesses and on people are what liberals love to do the most. There is not enough room in this whole website to go over all of the inherent problems with this plan, going beyond the obvious abandonment of key American traditions — the notions of individual responsibility and freedom. Once again, "big brother" is coming in to suck… Read More

John Zeigler, who until recently hosted a talk show on KFI Radio (his website is here) sent over this piece he penned. It is notable for his support for Fred Thompson. It is readable because John’s gift of communicating comes through loud and clear. A great conservative, it’s a pleasure to feature some thoughts from him for our readers…

Why Not Fred? The most mysterious reality of an utterly baffling race for the Republican Presidential nomination (Mike Huckabee is a frontrunner??!) is undoubtedly the failure of Fred Thompson’s campaign to gain any traction. … Read More

Actually, there are a thousand things you need to know about this budget crisis, but let’s do three, real quick:

1. We haven’t even sold the "infrustructure" bonds passed last November, and now we really can’t due to our budget situation. This is why the Lincoln Club of Fresno County opposed the bonds in the first place. Most journalist don’t know what a bond is, so this isn’t being mentioned in budget crisis coverage.

2. Working on a "health care deal" during this crisis isn’t even stupid – its just plain political malpractice. The resulting ballot initiative in November, 2008, aimed at raising our taxes, will be a defining issue for the GOP and actually give the State GOP something to do this year. Yes!

3. Assembly Leader Mike Villines yesterday to me: "tax increases are dead on arrival in the State Assembly, there isn’t a revenue problem." The Governor better get his meat cleaver out. Villines told me yesterday that even termed out Republicans won’t support new taxes.

Even the most elemental analysis of the state budget over the past several… Read More

It appears we will be taking up a highly amended form of AB 1X Monday, first in Appropriations Committee in the morning and, zowie, ‘if’ it passes out of Committee,the Assembly floor session is already scheduled for 1PM.

Not much detail yet on what the Guv’s office and the Speaker’s officeare including in the plan. Talk is the Senate isn’t too interested and will not be convening.… Read More

Apparently Governor Schwarzenegger, after much prodding, is going to declare a “State of Fiscal Emergency” for California. That is a good move because it moves the emphasis onto dealing with the state’s huge megabillion dollar fiscal problems.

In football parlance, its time to take the offensive team out of play and field the defense. The folly of blowing taxpayer funds on questionable scientific theories or massive expansion of the government’s role in healthcare will have to wait (yeah!).

That said, as pointed out by Senator Jim Battin on this blog, the actual declaration of fiscal emergency is much more style than substance. But if it indicates that the Governor is moving into austerity mode, then, it is a worthwhile declaration, indeed!… Read More

Now that I am not making a living at politics, I think I understand why people get so frustrated by what they see going on in politics. These guys must think we are stupid.

Nunez says yesterday he wants to raise the car tax. John Laird, chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, says "this problem cannot be resolved by cuts alone. It will take a combination of tax increases and spending cuts."

Raising the car tax was in the talking points of Steve Peace, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee in the Gray Davis years. He actually put in a bill to allow the Governor to raise the car tax unilaterally, without a vote of the Legislature. When the Governor tried to do that, he got recalled. Of course, the people that counseled the Governor to raise that tax didn’t lose their jobs, they just went to work for the next Governor.

Tax increases and budget cuts were in the talking points of John Vasconcellos, Chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee in the 1991-92 budget crisis. Then Governor Pete Wilson bought into that line, and in a $14 billion deficit (on a $41 billion budget as opposed to today’s $111 budget), supposedly cut… Read More

Today we are pleased to feature this guest commentary from Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association…

Shades of Gray Davis

The State Capitol is hemorrhaging red ink. The non-partisan legislative analyst’s office (LAO) has released a report showing that the revenue shortfall from the budget just passed in August could exceed $10 billion. Fortunately, the governor and the Legislature established a modest $4 billion reserve or the deficit would be much higher. How did we get into this mess? If this seems like déjà vu all over again, you’re right. It’s been just seven years since then Governor Gray Davis, who inherited a budget surplus, began to run up massive state deficits… Read More