There is America, and then apparently there is California. Despite hiccups from the Secretary of State’s website, everyone in the media (AP, FNC, CapWeekly, SacBee, and more) are calling the Governor’s race for Jerry Brown, and the U.S. Senate race for Barbara Boxer. Blech.… Read More

We’ve been hearing all about the Harmer – McNerney race all year long, as very quietly, with a major assist from a Lincoln Club expose on Congressman Jim Costa’s left wing voter record, CD 20 challenger Andy Vidak, despite a 20 point voter registration advantage, has made his race one of the top upset districts in the country. Real Clear Politics now has CD 20 in the lean Republican column for the first time, as Hispanic voter turnout is expected to be lower than usual, and higher than usual for the Republican challenger.

Also in the Fresno area, our race for Country Supervisor featuring Lincoln Club backed Phil Larson against left wing, SEIU backed Cynthia Sterling is proving to be the most expensive Supervisor race in County history, with SEIU pouring in over $1.5 million to defeat Larson and shift the board from fiscally conservatiive to wholly owned by the unions. This is probably the most important election in our area Tuesday, and the Fresno Bee has… Read More

If I had to rank-order public employee union bosses from evil to less so, clearly on the top of the list you would have to put the California Teachers Association. Like all of the other unions they have a voracious appetite for pursuing the "standard" trio of union goals: higher wages and benefits for their members, job security for their members, and the creation of new public employee positions that are members of their union.

That said, the CTA is particularly awful because they pursue this pro-public labor agenda under the banner that somehow all of this is somehow "better for children" and helps kids to have a better education. For anyone who wants to understand how hurtful teachers union bosses can be, go see the movie Waiting for Superman, which illustrates quite well the road blocks that teachers unions put up to keep bad teachers around. Bottom line: a good teacher can make the world of difference for child, and a bad teacher can do the opposite. But the CTA protects and defends all teachers, as if they are all of equal ability.

Anyways, a friend of mine who lives in Senate District 1 just sent me a… Read More

How many employers out there in the private sector provide Cadillac healthcare benefits to their part time employees? The answer, of course, is virtually none. Welcome to the “good life” of many part-time local elected officials…

As economic times have gotten extremely tough in the private sector, a lot of attention has been paid to the gold-plated salaries and benefits going to many public employees at both the state and local levels. Whether it extreme defined benefit retirement plans that in many instances (especially for public safety employees) to retire making more money than they did when they worked, or salaries that are no longer comparable to the private sector which has seen so many reductions with the economic recession) or just the fact that those in government have not had to face the kinds of layoffs and unemployment issues.

While these important issues have started to dominate discussions in the public square, one of the issues that is about to… Read More

California is at a crossroads. We have reached a level of government in our state that is completely unsustainable. We have reached a point where our taxpayer dollars, yours and mine, are being so frivolously spent that there are billions upon billions of dollars in waste within government programs. We have reached our breaking point as a state. Things must change.

Californians are tired of false hopes, gimmicks, phony rhetoric and politicians taking bows for simply doing what we elected them to do. We need leaders in Sacramento who will speak straight and act proactively to better our state.

This coming Tuesday it should be clear, we need to make a real change. And that change should start at the… Read More

This just in from Grover Norquest at Americans for Tax Reform… … Read More

Jerry Brown spokesman Sterling Clifford "The Liar," issued a press release yesterday attacking Meg Whitman, Jon Coupal and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers PAC for the PAC’s endorsement of Meg Whitman. Clifford, whose performance as Brown spokesman brings to mind Jon Lovitz’ character "Tommy The Liar Flanigan," claims Jarvis endorsed and voted for Jerry Brown in 1978. Well I was there, and Clifford is lying to you, again.

The fact is Brown was a semi-hysterical opponent of Prop. 13 in 1978. After Prop. 13 passed by a 2/3rds margin in the June primary election, Jarvis endorsed the Republican candidate for Governor and even cut a TV spot for him. But after that, Gray Davis, Brown’s chief of staff, made a greasy secret deal with the Jarvis organization consultants at the time (long gone they are now from HJTA) and a meeting was scheduled to be held in a Hollywood residence between Brown and Jarvis. Jarvis thought the meeting was to discuss Brown’s implementation of Prop. 13. But the consultants knew better. When Jarvis got to the residence, a private camera crew was already set… Read More

Three days to go.

What the heck are you doing on the blogs?

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All of Barry’s enlightening advice…and other posts. _… Read More