It was announced last week that UC is increasing student fees by 32%.This is from an institution that makes the bogus claim that it does not charge tuition.As private colleges often point out, when the sum of all school fees are compared to tuition at private colleges they are much more equal than advertised. So if I am a UC student and I somehow manage to pay 32% more will I be getting smaller class sizes, more library books, or better computer access?No, around a third of the student fee money, including the increase, will subsidize the fees of poorer students.Here we see the classic effect of distributive schemes: Raise costs on one group so that money can be given to others.The higher costs result in greater numbers who cannot afford to pay. Eventually the enterprise runs out of other peoples’ money.Lost is the simple notion that if the fees were … Read More

ACORN and other assorted nuts appear to be on the run in recent days, if you haven’t noticed.

This just in. San Diego County Supervisors Pam Slater-Price and Bill Horn have agendized a board item, requesting the CAO conduct an audit of the 2008 area elections so as to fully investigate any voter problems associated with ACORN, and to consult with the DA as to whether any recent allegations of misconduct by ACORN employees warrant criminal investigation.

This follows calls in the last two days by the Governor, the Califirnia Republican Party, the local GOP and others for similar investigations of ACORN.

See the attacked memo/agenda item from the two county supervisors.… Read More

Once again all rational people in California cane take a deep sigh – the legislature has finished up it’s regular legislative session. Things can’t get any worse for us. Or can they? The Governor has hundreds of, frankly, very bad bills on his desk and we hope that “Arnold 3.0” will put his veto pen in overdrive (today FR presents its annual Top Twenty Bills The Governor Should Veto column).

As the Governor is busy contemplating of these bills before him, I want to share an observation about an interest group central to many of those pieces of legislation, and an important player in campaigns for Democrats — the unions!

Years ago, a very smart and visionary leader reached out to union and non-union workers and told them that he cared about their jobs and would do all he could to restore America. Working people responded and joined conservatives to elect and re-elect Ronald Reagan.… Read More

Once again all rational people in California cane take a deep sigh – the legislature has finished up it’s regular legislative session. Things can’t get any worse for us. Or can they? The Governor has hundreds of, frankly, very bad bills on his desk and we hope that “Arnold 3.0” will put his veto pen in overdrive (today FR presents its annual Top Twenty Bills The Governor Should Veto column).

As the Governor is busy contemplating of these bills before him, I want to share an observation about an interest group central to many of those pieces of legislation, and an important player in campaigns for Democrats — the unions!

Years ago, a very smart and visionary leader reached out to union and non-union workers and told them that he cared about their jobs and would do all he could to restore America. Working people responded and joined conservatives to elect and re-elect Ronald Reagan.… Read More

This is a short and sweet observation that I will make on a Friday afternoon. People keep talking about “fixing” Californias troubled state government by calling a Constitutional Convention.

Forget it. Drop it. Don't bother.

Until the outrageous and pervasive influence of our state's public employee unions can be curbed, the vast amount of money at their disposal ensures that, relative to a Constitutional Convention, they will either co-opt it and use it to try and further feather their nest, or they will completely demolish the results of the Convention when they are before the public for a vote.

Any time spent chasing this pipe dream (and similar ones) of making state government work again are going to be almost impossible until paycheck protection, or maybe a measure to just outlaw public employee unions altogether is passed. And THAT necessary battle will be WWIII.… Read More

[Cross-posted from RedCounty.com]

Several days ago I learned Steve Greenhut would be leaving the editorial pages of the Orange County Register to take a job with the Pacific Research Institute, a venerable conservative think tank in SanFrancsico. Ididn’t write anything because I thought Steve deserve the opportunity to announce it on his own schedule.

However, the news is already leaking out in the blogosphere, so with Steve’s blessing I’ve decided to let Red County readers know (Steve is going to talk about it in his columkn this Sunday).

I’m excited for Steve — this is a great opportunity for him with a great organization where he’ll be able to work with some first-rate minds (such as Steven Hayward, whose… Read More

Longtime FR friend Chuck Bell is a highly-regarded attorney specializing in political law. He serves as Counsel to the California Republican Party and is currently serving as President of the Republican National Lawyers Association. Bell wanted to share the following with FR readers… Leading National Republican Lawyers Group Calls on HUD & DOJ to Investigate & Defund ACORN By Chuck Bell, Republican National Lawyers Association

On September 15, 2009, the Republican National Lawyers Association filed a formal complaint with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the… Read More

Gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner has signed the Americans for Tax Reform No New Taxes Pledge — awesome. Before I get to the part of this blog post that is about Poizner challenging his opponents to do the same, let me weigh in on this. Meg Whitman and Tom Campbell should ABSOLUTELY sign the pledge…

We are never going to be the majority party in California, or again nationally, if we cannot clearly articulate basic core differences from the Democrats. One of the essential lines that we need to draw in the sand is that Democrats think that government is too small, and that your taxes should be higher. Republicans think that government is too big, and it should be lower. All of the PR geniuses can talk about how that can be articulated to the voters in "real life" terms that are less ideological and more practical — but it is what it is.

Republicans are going to be fighting a losing battle for the Governorship if we get caught up in an intra-party fight over whether or not we should be raising new taxes. The best way to take that… Read More