For California taxpayers, the good news is Tax Freedom Day came 10 days earlier this year — mostly due to the economic downturn, including the housing bust. The bad news is that Californians still pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. Read the story here in the Victorville Daily Press. Will Tax Freedom Day arrive even earlier next year? With the recent increases in sales tax, the near doubling of the car tax and income tax, I am doubtful. To find out how much extra money your family will pay in taxes, check out the tax calculator on my website.… Read More

Former California Republican Party Chairman Mike Schroeder had to navigate his black Humvee through five different security checkpoints through an exclusive community in the hills of Glendora, on the west end of the 59th Assembly District represented by Anthony Adams, to get to an exclusive mansion where over a hundred guests would soon gather for a high-priced fundraising event benefitting Adams. While these multiple checkpoints, manned with a combination of private security, Glendora police, and California Highway Patrol, were erected to ensure that none of the protesters gathered at the bottom of the hill, irate about Adams’ recent vote for the largest tax increase in state history, would be able to get up to the event – Schroeder was given clearance at each checkpoint, and was let up to the house around 5pm, a little before most guests would arrive for the event. Schroeder, however, did not have a ticket to the event. On the contrary, Schroeder is one of the last people in the world that would write a check to help Adams stay in office. So why, you might ask, was Schroeder… Read More

Former California Republican Party Chairman Mike Schroeder had to navigate his black Humvee through five different security checkpoints through an exclusive community in the hills of Glendora, on the west end of the 59th Assembly District represented by Anthony Adams, to get to an exclusive mansion where over a hundred guests would soon gather for a high-priced fundraising event benefitting Adams. While these multiple checkpoints, manned with a combination of private security, Glendora police, and California Highway Patrol, were erected to ensure that none of the protesters gathered at the bottom of the hill, irate about Adams’ recent vote for the largest tax increase in state history, would be able to get up to the event – Schroeder was given clearance at each checkpoint, and was let up to the house around 5pm, a little before most guests would arrive for the event. Schroeder, however, did not have a ticket to the event. On the contrary, Schroeder is one of the last people in the world that would write a check to help Adams stay in office. So why, you might… Read More

We received this response from Loren Kaye, the President of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education (the CalChamber’s policy organization) — in response to the Claremont Institute’s analysis of Propositions 1A-1F. Claremont rated the measures poorly — the CalChamber supports them. Kaye’s points are below, responding the the Claremont post here.

The Claremont Institute embarrassed itself today by associating its name with a pseudo-analysis of the May ballot measures. The analyst, Tom Karako, used a hackneyed PR device – Letter Grades! – to dress up what otherwise was careless analysis and warmed-over rhetoric. Once again, critics of Proposition 1A should… Read More

On Tuesday we carried a piece by the Claremont Institute’s Tom Karako, Director of CI’s Golden State Center, that was quite critical of Prositions 1A-1F. You can see that here.

Loren Kaye of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, the policy arm of the California Chamber of Commerce, which is supporting the ballot measures, responded with a stinging criticism here.

When I received the Kaye piece, I forwarded it along to the folks at the Claremont Institute for their perusal and potential response. Karako did pen a rebuttal, which is included below…

Perched in the hills of Glendora, behind appointed gates, sits the spacious home of Michael and Sandy Valentine-Matthews. Tonight, the Valentine-Matthews family is hosting an “elegant evening” with Assemblyman Anthony Adams. For a mere $3900, you can be a “platinum sponsor” of this event, which will feature none other than the Terminator himself, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Governor Schwarzenegger is taking time out from his aggressive schedule of promoting his May Special Election Ballot Propositions to say “thank you” to those daring Republican legislators who threw their voluntary “no new taxes” pledges out the proverbial window and acceded to the Governor’s request to balance the state’s out-of-control spending with income and sales tax increases (and more) – hitting the average family with between $1,000 and $1,500 in new taxes for the next couple of years, and even longer of the public passes Proposition 1A. Last month Schwarzenegger headlines a Sacramento fundraiser for tax-increasing, pledge breaking State Senator Dave… Read More

The Yes on 1A-1F campaign just sent out an e-mail entitled Flash Facts About Proposition 1A where they take issue with a number of assertions made by a number of columnists here on the FlashReport — Jon Coupal with HJTA, Lew Uhler with NTLC, Ben Zycher with PRI, Grover Norquist with ATR, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and our own Ray Haynes.

I guess it is a "we are right and they are all wrong" e-mail…

Their preamble reads…

There have been a lot of columns on the Flash Report over the past month regarding Proposition 1A filled with less-than-truthful accusations and assumptions. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about the propositions, but the debate should be an honest and open one – one in which correct data and information is provided. This document seeks to correct the record and provide accurate information about this measure….

I have attached their full document with their rebuttals to all of those above as a Word document, linked below. If any of those parties "called out" by Yes on 1A-1F would like to rebut, just let… Read More

My title isn’t true – it’s not my rant I’m sharing today, but another blog post that is worth reading.

I found this post on Cincinnatus Blog. Enjoy the read.