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

California’s Never-ending Crisis

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So when the Legislature decided to take more money out of your pocket to fix the state budget in February, they got out their calculators and plugged in higher tax rates. Their calculators told them they would get more money. Despite the fact that I, and others, were shouting from the rooftops that higher costs affect consumers’ behavior and they would not get the revenues they said they would, they went ahead and raised the Sales and Use Tax by 14 percent.

I just got the rough totals for April, the first month of the increase, and sales tax revenue is down 12% from last year. And even more dramatic, the revenues are 7% below the estimates made by the government less than two months ago when the big budget and tax increase deal was adopted. Tax increases again seem to exacerbate the effects of a declining economy. I will have much more on this next week, but I see no justification for extending this harmful tax increase by voting for Prop 1A.… Read More

The Lincoln Club of Fresno County has put together some comprehensive information on the upcoming May 19th ballot initiatives. You can find it at www.fresnolincolnclub.org..

Thanks.… Read More

For some weekend reading, I am pleased to present this commentary from freshman Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue…

PROP 1A: DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS Assemblyman Dan Logue

I recently led a legislative fact finding mission to Nevada where we heard from businesses that fled California’s burdensome taxes and regulations for a more welcoming environment across the state line. We now face 11.2% unemployment in our state, the highest on record, with only three other states worse off. In the midst of this crisis, on May 19th Californians will vote on Proposition 1A, a $16 billion tax increase that will cost the average family an additional $1100 per year.

**There is more – click the link**

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For some weekend reading, I am pleased to present this commentary from freshman Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue…

PROP 1A: DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS Assemblyman Dan Logue

I recently led a legislative fact finding mission to Nevada where we heard from businesses that fled California’s burdensome taxes and regulations for a more welcoming environment across the state line. We now face 11.2% unemployment in our state, the highest on record, with only three other states worse off. In the midst of this crisis, on May 19th Californians will vote on Proposition 1A, a $16 billion tax increase that will cost the average family an additional $1100 per year.

Undoubtedly, Prop. 1A is a step in the wrong direction. The measure raises income tax, sales tax, almost doubles the hated car tax and costs families with children another $200 per year by eliminating the child tax credit.

Proposition 1A… Read More

Mom, wife and daughter today. No time for more than some kwik thoughts….

Rolling Gray Davis out of mothballs in support of the tax/excuse measures on the May 19 ballot? Inanely laughable.

Just so I have it straight, the big guy who ran against the budget mess created by Gray Davis,then exacerbated the mess himself, now taps Davis in a last ditch effort to fool the voters into what he claims will fix the mess? A recalled and pummelled Davis is going to help pass this six-pack of Austrian backwash?

I’ve seen lots of campaign desperation over the years. (Think Michael Dukakis in the final days admitting to being a liberal in an attempt to solidify the core base, when the campaign knew the rest of the nation wasn’t with him.)

But, how any consultant worth anything can actually think Davis could assist to get a tax package passed is beyond me. The yes folks already had the firefighters. Pretty difficult for the no forces to attack that. Now, Arnold and Co. have Gray Davis, the equivalent ofhanding a stick to the opposition.

Good luck with that.

Just about the most ridiculously dumb thing I’ve… Read More

I received an interesting email from the Assembly Caucus this week. It asked me for "budget solutions and ideas," and said they would be distributed to the caucus.

I figured out one thing from my time in the Legislature. The budget analysts in the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office use English words to analyze the budget, but those words don’t have English meanings. The words are budgetese, completely unintelligible to anyone for whom English is the primary language. They can only be interpreted by another budget analyst, whose usual motivation in the budget process is to maintain the status quo. As a result, Legislators, who spend a lot of their time racing around Sacramento trying to catch up to the task they were supposed to do yesterday, have no idea what is going on, and, especially in this era of term limits, they just do what they are told to do by the analysts.

So, I am going to make a proposal for the next budget. It will be in English, and I think it will be understandable. It will require a degree of concentration, so I want each Legislator who reads this to shake their hands and their feet, roll… Read More

The Obama administration has threatened to rescind billions in stimulus money if Governor Schwarzenegger and state legislators do not restore wage cuts to unionized home healthcare workers. These cuts amounted to less than $100 million in cuts, but they represent an important initiative by state government to try and reduce its size during an unprecedent budget shortfall.

Simply put, California needs to call the bluff of the President. If anyone thinks that President Obama and the Congress won't make whatever emergency modifications in order to accomodate our situation is nuts.

Resolve is necessary because an important principle is at stake – home rule. Who is in charge of California's spending priotities? Washington, D.C., or Sacramento?

Oh yeah — there is also some shame due to the SEIU, who have complained (typically) against any cuts, and have promulgated the Obama Administration's blackmail move.… Read More