If you watch the BBC-produced Downtown Abbey on PBS Masterpiece Theater, you can’t help but like the clan’s patriarch, Lord Grantham. Even when he’s doing the wrong thing, you hope that modernity will slap him in the face and detour him from the wrong decision.

As I watched this past Sunday’s episode, it occurred to me how analogous Lord Grantham is to the current state of the Republican Party.

For the uninitiated, I will explain. Downtown focuses on a family of British aristocrats in the early 20th Century and the trials and tribulations of feudal-style life for the nobility and their servants. Season three covers a period following World War I where enormous change is thrust on society, including women’s suffrage and the end of tuxedos at dinner.

Lord Grantham, as the lord of the manor, feels a sense of obligation to protect tradition and in so doing, often finds himself swimming against the tide and making decisions based on protecting the past rather than embracing the future. You root for Lord Grantham because you can see that he is intent on doing the right thing and that he is a good man, confused by societal change.

Such is… Read More

Much has been written about Democrats achieving “super majority” status in both the California State Senate and the State Assembly, where they can now pass all legislation with “urgency” (to take effect immediately), pass all tax increase measures, and even place measures on the ballot — all without a single Republican vote. I have spoken with many of the 36 Republican legislators in the Capitol since the beginning of session — and can tell you there is general consensus — being in in the “super minority” sucks.

That having been said, Republican legislators should be very concerned about the fact that things can get much worse they are now. Look no further than to states like Hawaii or Massachusetts to see how “super majority” can become “virtually non-existent” — scary stuff. Just for the heck of it, I went onto… Read More

This is a MUST in the Republican bill package for the upcoming session.

Democrats in the Legislature claim to be for the working man, to help people in their time of need. The problem is this — in the current economic times, lots of people have experienced serious problems paying for their homes, and in many (if not most) cases, the debt that is secured by their homes is much larger than the value of the homes. To solve this problem, people have begun negotiations with their banks to rewrite the loans, that is, to reduce the amount of the debt on their homes, or in some cases, they have sold their homes to third parties through a process known as a short sale, that is, selling their house for less than the debt, and having the bank agree.

The problem with this process is that, when the debt is renegotiated, there is debt “forgiveness.” That is, if the loan is for $400,000.00, and the house is sold, or the debt is reduced, to $350,000.00 (usually because that is what the house is worth), the borrower (the homeowner) experiences a $50,000.00 debt forgiveness. In the eyes of the California state government today that $50,000.00 of debt… Read More

While Gov. Jerry Brown announced a balanced budget and the magical economic recovery of California this week, too many Republicans fell all over themselves to praise him for it. It was difficult to see much of a difference between the two parties, yet there is a ideological chasm as wide as the state.

Brown’s State of the State address Thursday was predictable. He’s nothing if not consistent in his ability to give a speech. However, a fantastic opportunity was blown by Republicans to get out their message… any message…

What is evident is Republican lawmakers don’t seem to be on the same page.

There were a few tidbits worth noting, but most of the Republicans, whether newly elected or seasoned, espoused mediocrity. And we all know how that has been working for them.

There’s polite, and there is rolling over. Instead of agreeing with Brown’s “inner Republican,” more should have pointed out that what Brown says and does are often very different. And perhaps noting that Brown’s speech was peppered with Democratic talking points wouldn’t have hurt either.

Instead, statements praising the governor’s address were the apparent… Read More

Here’s a paid column I wrote for City Journal on the Phil Mickelson brouhaha. Included is a short discussion of the harmful effects of Prop30 on our California pro sports teams. Already one team — the Sacramento Kings NBA team — is being relocated to a tax-free state.

http://www.city-journal.org/2013/cjc0125rr.html

Golfer Phil Mickelson made a public relationsmistake, and thank goodness he did. While golf… Read More

It’s the end of another week observing California politics, and once again the state has proven a target-rich environment when looking for public officials acting like idiots. As has become our custom, we will first highlight the runners-up for the week, any one of which could have claimed the top honors but for the fact that someone was more of an idiot than them. So in no particular order…

Runner Up #1 – State Senator Leland Yee — A few years ago State Senator Leland Yee and his liberal friends pushed legislation banning the sale of violent video games to minors. Here at the FR we blasted the bill at the time as an assault on first… Read More

On January 6, the Sacramento Bee published a1000-word polemicby Dan Morain attacking my opposition to the “fiscal cliff deal.” To its credit, the Beepublished my responseto the public policy issues involved, but the innuendoes, inaccuracies and omissions in Mr. Morain’s column are so stark as to require a longer reply for the record. I have italicized Morain’s charges and followed them with my responses.

“Never one to build bridges, Rep. Tom McClintock has spent the better part of 30 years in office deriding the government that gives him his paycheck.” I revere our government. I have spent my entire adult life championing the genius of the American Republic and its unique principles of individual liberty, Constitutionally limited government and personal responsibility. I challenge Mr. Morain to cite one word that I have ever spoken or written in all my years that derides… Read More

Gov. Jerry Brown enjoys talking about local control. During his 2010 campaign, he mentioned it constantly. I’m sure it scores great in the focus groups.

However, seriously increasing local control in government decision-making has not been a part of his governing strategy, and there is even less indication that his Democrat colleagues in the legislature have any interest in this at all.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Faced with the imminent passage of a local ordinance to ban union-only Project Labor Agreements in San Diego, Democrats passed and Governor Brown signed SB 829, withholding state funds from cities that pass such measures. The new law was rushed through and promptly used in union-funded advertising against the proposition. San Diegans passed the measure, called Proposition A, anyway.

How about pension reform? Shouldn’t localities have the power to fix their pension problems without state interference? Again, no local control for you. Brown’s Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) initiated a lawsuit against the City of San… Read More