Readers of my periodic Rants know that I have been highly critical of the way the Bush Administration and Republicans in Congress spent their way to ignominy in the past few years. Like crack-addicted junkies, it seemed like the answer to virtually every problem was more federal spending. When the economy began to slow in 2007, we had the first economic stimulus plan that was based on the brilliant economic principle of giving “targeted” tax refunds to millions of people who didn’t pay taxes in the first place. We were told that this federal spending was necessary to help consumers inject billions into the economy, thus saving jobs and preventing a recession. The stock market was at 12,337 when the first stimulus plan passed a year ago this week to great fanfare. By July it was down by 11 percent to 10,997. Next came the bailout of various financial institutions with the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). This was a $700 billion boondoggle based on the same flawed logic of the stimulus – since the stimulus plan didn’t work to actually stimulate the economy, let’s do more of it. Passing TARP was essential, we were told, to stabilize the nation’s financial… Read More

Yes, you read that title correctly. According to a piece by John Simerman in yesterday’s Valley Times, the state spent $22 million to help sex offenders pay their rent in 2008. In some cases, the payout to individuals was over $2,000 per month. This money was evidently spent to help the parolees abide by Prop. 83, Jessica’s Law. By that same logic, we should be spending millions for paroled thieves to give them everything they want, so they won’t steal anymore. And while we’re at it, perhaps we should spend a few mil on cocaine and give it to paroled drug offenders so they won’t have to buy it and get in trouble.

Since when did the government bear the burden of paying for people to comply with the law? The government didn’t pay for my last speeding ticket, or give me vouchers for taxis so that I couldn’t possibly break the law by driving myself anymore.

I am astounded that someone receiving a taxpayer subsidized salary thought that those same taxpayers should pay for some creepy… Read More

Remember back in 1995, when GOP Assemblywoman Doris Allen denied her fellow Republicans control of the Assembly by allowing the Democrats to make her Assembly Speaker?

The same thing has has happened to Tennessee Republicans, per today’s Political Diary:

Tennessee Republicans may soon find out if the public thinks a willingness to relinquish political power on principle is a reason that Republicans ought to be trusted with more power down the road. In effect, the Tennessee GOP has denied itself the speakership of the State House by kicking the speaker out of the Republican Party.

Here’s the backstory: In November, the GOP won control of both houses of the state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. That victory was one of the few bright spots for Republicans across the country in 2008 and seemed to set the stage for a GOP resurgence and possible capture of the governor’s mansion in 2010. Then, on Jan. 13, the wheels started to come off. Republicans had rallied behind Rep. Jason Mumpower for House Speaker, and he appeared to… Read More

No… It wasn’t us. It was the Los Angeles Times (or as former Congressman Chris Cox like to refer to them, Pravda West).

Breaking her long self-imposed silence on many state policy issues while she was "considering" a run for Governor, Meg Whitman, now officially a candidate, gave an interview to Michael Finnigan with the Los Angeles Times. The interview is worth reading, although I must admit that after reading it with the idea that an interview might actually clear up a lot of the "mystery" surrounding Whitman and her positions on major issues of the day. Instead, I found that the interview left me with a lot of questions.

I have my own request into the Whitman campaign talk with the ersatz Governor, and haven’t heard back yet. I actually had assumed that Whitman was not doing interviews, yet. Clearly she wanted to give an exclusive "first interview as a candidate" to a major California newspaper. Conservative blogger interviews are somewhere down the journalistic food… Read More

What suicidal impulse would lead any Republican legislator to believe it is a good for either California taxpayers or the California Republican Party to support: Raising the sales tax by an additional 1%? Nearly doubling the vehicle license fee? Raising income taxes? Spiking the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon?

Honestly, any Republican legislator who votes for this deal ought to re-register as a Democrat, because making the problem worse — which is what this deal will do — is an activity best left to legislators of that persuasion.

I saw somewhere today where Governor Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Aaron McLear, claimed the "state is running out of money."

This is simply, manifestly untrue. It’s a fib, a fable. The state of California rakes in an absolutely enormous amount of money each and every year. The size of the ginormous haul gets bigger every year. in fact, the amount of tax revenues for this year was sufficient to fund the state budget just two short years ago.

Obviously, logically, the problem… Read More

This just in from longtime FR friend Jamie Fisfis over at Chariot Research, a respected public opinion research company from the Bay Area that actually does quite a bit of world all over the globe. They are just out of the field with some survey data on California issues, and I think that the results are definitely worth looking over in the context of the current debate in Sacramento over how to deal with the financial shortfalls due to chronic overspending.

From Fisfis:

Chariot LLC just completed another statewide omnibus survey and the budget debate was one of our main focuses. We have fresh budget debate numbers and they are pretty decisive on the issue of how Californians want the crisis solved. By a 63%-25% margin, Californians believe in spending cuts rather than tax increases to solve the budget crisis – even when education is mentioned specifically. … Read More

Capitol staffers experienced some unique lobbying today: Valentine’s condoms courtesy of Planned Parenthood. In recent years I had heard Planned Parenthood takes the opportunity of Valentine’s Day to distribute condoms to capitol offices. But this year’s valentine didn’t just wish its recipients affection and love on February 14th, it also lobbied for continued funding. The packet pictured below contained several information sheets touting Planned Parenthood’s accomplishments, including just how much money it saves the state every year by preventing unintended pregnancies ($1.35 billions).

Using the tag line “a health budget = a healthy California,” the valentine implores lawmakers, “don’t break our hearts,” which one assumes means by cutting their piece of the budget pie.

And just in case legislators were concerned about having to answer to their spouses about listing condoms… Read More

This just in from longtime FR friend Jamie Fisfis over at Chariot Research, a respected public opinion research company from the Bay Area that actually does quite a bit of world all over the globe. They are just out of the field with some survey data on California issues, and I think that the results are definitely worth looking over in the context of the current debate in Sacramento over how to deal with the financial shortfalls due to chronic overspending.

From Fisfis:

Chariot LLC just completed another statewide omnibus survey and the budget debate was one of our main focuses. We have fresh budget debate numbers and they are pretty decisive on the issue of how Californians want the crisis solved. By a 63%-25% margin, Californians believe in spending cuts rather than tax increases to solve the budget crisis – even when education is mentioned specifically. … Read More