Unless aliens abducted you to their planet this week, you are probably aware of the "deal" struck between the President and Congressional Republicans and Democrats to extend the 2001/2003 tax cuts for 2 years for everyone. However, it is not just an agreement to extend current tax rates. The plan pegs the death tax (currently at zero) at 35% for estates over $5 million. It also includes a one year reduction in the employee’s share of the social security tax by 2%; a 13 month renewal of unemployment benefits, which maintains the 99 week total cap; a 2 year extension of most of the tax provisions from the 2009 stimulus bill, including the earned income tax credit which gives people a "tax rebate" when they have not paid any taxes; and various other provisions, like a 100% write-off for business equipment for one year.

As I write this, the bill to reflect this agreement has just come out. But, of course, no one has read it yet. So, all analysis of this bill must necessarily be an estimate. It appears, though, that the "cost" of this bill will be close to $1 trillion over the next 2 years. Some of this is the "cost" of letting… Read More

On Monday of this week, I stood in the back of the State Senate Chambers and watched, in somewhat stunned disbelief, as I watched the leadership election for President Pro-Tem of the Chamber — not happen. Ultra-left-wing Democrat Darrell Steinberg’s name was placed into nomination by some of his Democrat colleagues, as he should have been as he is the elected leader of State Senate Democrats…

But not one Republican legislator rose to place into nomination the name of Bob Dutton, the Senate Republican Leader, into nomination. On the contrary, not only was Steinberg the only name placed into nomination, but he was elected on a unanimous voice-vote of the entire Senate. Not an objection was sounded by any of the Republicans in the Chamber. So, effectively, the first vote this session by Republicans was to put their stamp of approval on Darrell Steinberg (the five new freshman Republicans can put that in their inaugural newsletters).

This didn’t just happen in the Senate by the way, I am told that over in the Assembly, John Perez was re-elected Speaker on a voice vote as well, with not one GOPer asking to have a vote of… Read More

California is about to embark on an interesting adventure. It is an adventure of the voters’ own choosing. They went retro with Jerry Brown. They decided to put an entire state government in the hands of the most leftist leadership, if not in the country, certainly in the history of this state. The voters, while handing the day to day operations of the executive branch into the hands of these collectivist comrades, also enacted a majority vote requirement for the budget. Since that majority is also mainly leftist Democrats, it appears that the state and its operations are in the control of those who believe that there is no limit to the good government can do, if it is just in the right hands. Since they think they are the ones with the right hands, be careful, we are in for a wild ride.

The voters, however, didn’t fall completely off the turnip truck. While handing over responsibility for day to day operations, and well as the policy functions, to a bunch of utopia-crats, they left some adult supervision of that effort, by putting a veto over the "tax-raising" function in the hands of the Republicans.… Read More

When the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors voted last month to ban plastic bags in unincorporated areas of the county, it was forced at the last moment to deal with an unfolding controversy about toxic levels of lead contained in reusable bags recommended as an environmentally-friendly alternative.

Experts warn that exposure to lead in reusable bags could harm the intellectual and neurological development in children and infertility in adults, among other serious health issues. Senator Chuck Schumer has called for investigations of the bags and according to a press release from the Senator’s office, “When disposed of in landfills, these bags can leak toxins into the soil and water and have the potential to create even more environmental problems.

”Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas introduced an amendment to address the potential health crisis regarding exposure to toxic lead in reusable bags: “Reusable bags should not contain levels of lead, cadmium or heavy metals in toxic amounts, as defined by applicable State and Federal standards and regulations for packaging or reusable bags.”

In their quest to appease environmentalists… Read More

The whole issue of illegal immigration is so thorny, and everyone is seemingly "in their corners" (I’m in mine) that I don’t really write about it that much. That said there is a lot of chatter going on about the so-called "Dream" Act. The policy that would be enacted with this federal legislation, to my understanding, is to provide amnesty, legal residency, and a pathway to citizenship for certain illegal aliens. Specifically, people in this country illegally who came into the United States at the age of 15 years or younger, who complete high school, and who agree to either serve in the United States military or go to college would qualify (for at least two years of a six year period).

The prevailing arguments in support of this bill include that these minors are not responsible for the actions of their parents (or grandparents) who committed the crime of entering our country in violation of our laws, and thus they should not be held responsible for that criminal activity, and that given that these kids are here, they should be encouraged to go to school and go on to have productive lives.

Let me make it… Read More

With the big gains nationally for Republicans, after a four year hiatus, voters have returned a Republican majority to the United States House of Representatives. Back in 2006 Republicans lost the majority, in part, because the GOP had lost touch with voters, and embraced federal spending. Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, did a great job in describing this in a September column in the Wall Street Journal…

Song of the week: “It’s America” by Rodney Atkins "It’s a high school prom, it’s a Springsteen song, it’s a ride in a Chevrolet. It’s a man on the moon and fireflies in June and kids selling lemonade. It’s cities and farms, it’s open arms, one nation under God. It’s America!" My new, favorite, inspiring, patriotic song. If you haven’t heard it, go online and listen. Back here in DC, the "lame duck" session continues to trudge towards its end, likely with little resolution of much because lame ducks are rarely very productive. So, since there is nothing definitive to report on the lame duck at this point, here are some random thoughts of mine about recent developments on other topics:

Deficit Commission: I do not… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail… … Read More