You may be wondering why you did not hear from me during the last few weeks of the “fiscal cliff” machinations in Washington. For one thing, I figured that many of you were enjoying the holidays with your families and friends and did not want me to interrupt that with depressing news. Additionally, however, things were moving so fast that anything I wrote you would have been obsolete by the time you read it. I had about a dozen “laptops” in my head each day, but, by the time I sat down to write them, the circumstances had already changed.

Well, unless you were abducted by aliens or have just gotten back from your Mayan end-of-the-world worship ceremony in South America, you know about the deal that was passed by the Senate and the House on New Year’s Day. To say I didn’t like the “deal” would be to understate the case. I hated it.

I don’t want to raise taxes. That feeling is not driven by a pledge, as many liberals would like to argue in order to portray we conservatives as the mindless lemmings that some of said liberals are. I think that having the federal government take roughly 20% of all the production of the… Read More

As the new legislative session starts, as Republican legislators, you find yourself in the unenviable position of being at “super-minority” status for at least the next two years. Could it be longer? You bet. Could it get worse? Go ahead and Google search the partisan makeup of the legislatures in Hawaii or Massachusetts. Below I would like to offer ten pieces of advice if you would like play a role in achieving significant gains in GOP held Senate and Assembly seats in 2014.

Job #1 – The Loyal Opposition. Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association pens an entire column on this in the FlashReport today. No matter what committee you are in, and especially on the floor, take it to the Democrats. Be forceful, and be clear that the policies they are putting forward are bad for the people of California. Emboldened by their gains, Democrats will over-reach. You’re job is to call them on it — every day — loudly.

Partisan Politics Is A Team Sport: Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.… Read More

As you all have been following, this week was the minting of the new Congress of which I have the incredible-to-me honor and experience of joining from up here in the 1st District of NorCal. Eight years in our California legislature have and will be a tremendous baseline to work and learn from and indeed have helped me so far not to be TOO wide eyed and staring like a tourist at the tall buildings. That said, the deep feeling I get walking these halls and having a voice and vote in shaping our nation’s, and even world, policyand doing so as one takes in the names, the statues, the memorials to those great names that so honorablyput our system of governing in place is very heady stuff for this country boy. No doubt I take it very seriously to do all I can to upholdthe course the Founders have set and I see has been deviated from somuch in the way government has grown and overreached.

We have a huge task. Taking the oath of office on the House Floor, with my family nearbyor in the gallery and so many friends watching at our Cannon office and at home is an irreplaceable moment and memory. I have my member pin, #400 in seniority and my Floor voting… Read More

The California Legislature will be back in business on Monday Jan. 7. As the new and returning legislators prepare for legislating a very damaged California, I recommend they read “Rich States, Poor States,” published by theAmerican Legislative Exchange Council.

Prosperity is no laughing matter when the fate of a state is on the line. The numbers don’t lie. With 50 years of solid economic data, what makes a state prosperous is as evident as what kills a state’s economy.

California is not dead yet, and the fate of the state can be determined by the 2013 Legislature.

Jonathan Williams, one of the authors of the 2012 “… Read More

Like many politicos, I was watching the quasi-debate on the floor and subsequent vote by the House of Representatives on the ugly fiscal cliff legislation that both in process as well as content exemplified why so many are cynical about the politicians on Capitol Hill.

It seemed that just after that vote, like a wildfire, another story spread — that Speaker John Boehner was not going to be bringing up the nearly $60 billion spending bill passed by the U.S. Senate that was to provide financial support to those states, cities, communities and residents hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy — primarily in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Mostly I heard outrage from pundits, and many in the media declaring this a terrible mis-step by Boehner right on the heels of the fiscal cliff debacle. Of course rather infamously now, New Jersey’s Republican Governor, Chris Christie, ripped Boehner and the House Leadership a new one in a nationally televised press conference. Christie is notoriously good gutting those with whom he has issues, and I am quite certain Boehner did not enjoy the experience.

Well… Guess what? When you take a closer look at the Hurricane… Read More

It’s 2013! To celebrate, below is a list of 873 NEW California laws that (in most cases) took effect on 1 January. Good luck not violating any of these.

According to one pundit, nationwide, in 2012 about 40,000 new state laws were put in place. http://investmentwatchblog.com/2012-new-laws-take-effect-40000-of-them/ Imagine you are a nationwide business — try to get your arms around that. And remember, these are only the NEW laws.

How many TOTAL California state laws are there? No clue. Google was no help. I suspect no one knows — as many laws modify (and often expand) previous laws.

And of course, the 50 state legislative cumulative total starts to generate the same headache we experience trying to grasp infinity.

Oh, I forgot. What about all those county and city laws? Uh oh.

And, of course, the rogue elephant trampling on our rights — all those federal laws.

Previously I’ve written about how we are all criminals. With this many laws (many of which are vague or contradictory), how could you… Read More

I hope you don’t need $1,635, because that is what the average tax increase will be on the majority of Americans.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, 80 percent of American households with incomes between $50,000 and $200,000 will be out more than $1,600 next year. And that’s just the starter.

The much hyped last-minute fiscal cliff deal negotiated Jan. 1 between Vice President Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and President Barack Obama, cuts only $15 billion in spending but increases tax revenues by $620 billion. The 41:1 ratio of tax increases to spending cuts is no deal for Americans.

The tax increase is primarily due to the expiration of a payroll tax cut, according to the Tax Policy Center in Washington.

While the bill, known as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, will protect millions… Read More

(I’m playing around with Storify to create content with embedded stories.)

[View the story “Fiscal Cliff Disaster” on Storify]… Read More