Last week America lost a true hero when retired Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL) passed away. Hyde was an unquestioned icon in the conservative movement. We reached out to Congressman John Doolittle, who served with Hyde, to ask him to share his thoughts on Hyde’s passing…

Henry Hyde: A Giant Who Will Long Be Remembered By Congressman John T. Doolittle To know Henry Hyde was to know that you were in the presence of a special human being. He was a man with presence. He had confidence and the intellect to make a difference with his public service. In 1998, he was Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee when the House of… Read More

I don’t know Richard Edelman, but he has been quite successful in business, growing his public relations firm to be one of the largest and most influential on the globe. The reason why Edelman ended up tracking on my radar screen, as a publisher of a website on California politics, is that his company has just hired FR State Capitol Correspondent Dan Schnur to lead its California Public Affairs Practice.

What an outstanding pick by Edelman.

I have known Dan (pictured) for the better part of two decades now, and I know he is going to do a great job for Edelman, and its clients. But wait, before anyone assumes that my heaping of praise means that Dan is (like me) somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun, he is not. Dan’s somewhat more moderate in ideology than me, and definitely more moderate in his temperament. Nevertheless, it is a testament to Dan’s… Read More

I don’t know Richard Edelman, but he has been quite successful in business, growing his public relations firm to be one of the largest and most influential on the globe. The reason why Edelman ended up tracking on my radar screen, as a publisher of a website on California politics, is that his company has just hired FR State Capitol Correspondent Dan Schnur to lead its California Public Affairs Practice.

What an outstanding pick by Edelman.

I have known Dan (pictured) for the better part of two decades now, and I know he is going to do a great job for Edelman, and its clients. But wait, before anyone assumes that my heaping of praise means that Dan is (like me) somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun, he is not. Dan’s somewhat more moderate in ideology than me, and definitely more moderate in his temperament. Nevertheless, it is a testament to Dan’s… Read More

Capitol Resource Family Impact SaveOurKids.net campaign has reported that they have mailed or shipped over 300,000 petitions to Californians.

The campaign is trying to place on the ballot a referendum to overturn SB 777. SB 777 requires schools to view everything from textbooks and school events through the prism of almost every sexual preference imaginable. They are still sending out more petitions but only have 6 weeks to get them back. That will be the tough part. If they (we) fail our kids will learn more than how to spell transgendered in school.

… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Poltiical Diary…

Arnoldmander

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has revived an idea that his California voters already rejected just two years ago: giving an independent citizens commission the power to draw legislative districts. It’s a noble and useful concept, but the governor’s plan is fatally flawed and wouldn’t represent meaningful reform, even if it serves to spank a legislature that recently spurned his deals on health care and water policy.

Ted Costa, head of the citizen’s lobby People’s Advocate, has been agitating for decades to end the gerrymandered districts that mean California’s elections are… Read More

Freedom and liberty aren’t just words in America. They mean something. This is a country where you can start with virtually nothing, and achieve the dream of amazing financial success, whether it making hamburgers, or computers. But that freedom with a price — it is called individual responsibility. You see, the key to having a free country is that we have a truly limited government. Liberty means being able to take risks, and hopefully achieving tremendous success. But it also means that there is risk as well. Some people prefer to avoid risk, and that is their prerogative. But is a truthful statement that many of the self-made success stories in America occured because someone took a risk, and showed a willingness to potentially lose what they have to try to better their position in our society. It is with some level of amazement that I read that President Bush has unleashed his Treasury… Read More

At our request, State Board of Equalization Member and frequent FR Contributor Bill Leonard (pictured) penned these thoughts on the passing of California Taxpayers Association President Larry McCarthy… Larry McCarthy is gone and the world is a poorer place. It is right that conservatives honor his life and the dedication he had for each of us. Anyone involved in California tax policy over the last couple of decades knew Larry. Whether it was complex issues of unitary taxation of multinational corporations or simple principles that voters should be the final authority in approving tax increases Larry was in the thick of it. (And on both of these he helped me) His knowledge of taxes made him a resource for many and his unassuming generosity with his time made him high on that list of people you would want to call to get answers. His expertise… Read More

Freedom and liberty aren’t just words in America. They mean something. This is a country where you can start with virtually nothing, and achieve the dream of amazing financial success, whether it making hamburgers, or computers. But that freedom with a price — it is called individual responsibility. You see, the key to having a free country is that we have a truly limited government. Liberty means being able to take risks, and hopefully achieving tremendous success. But it also means that there is risk as well. Some people prefer to avoid risk, and that is their prerogative. But is a truthful statement that many of the self-made success stories in America occured because someone took a risk, and showed a willingness to potentially lose what they have to try to better their position in our society. It is with some level of amazement that I read that President Bush has unleashed his Treasury… Read More