Just in case there’s anyone in San Diego actually believing anything is more important today than the AFC Divisional Playoff Game, some tidbits and analysis from the past week… Municipal Fire Consolidation in the Works?… La Mesa Councilman Dave Allan gets a full-page Q&A in Saturday’s Union-Trib, regarding the apparently very early discussions by some cities to analyze a fire department consolidation. Allan, a friend, a one-time County GOP-selected Local Elected Official of the Year, and now a Democrat, is due some kudos for pursuing some outside-the-box thinking. “I believe not only for our communities in our East County, but for the region, regionalization in fire protection is the way to go,” said Allan in the article.

Along with the kudos, I’ll also toss out a caution to my former colleague. Often over the years, many government officials have confused the well-intended goal of efficiency through consolidation with the broader-meaning buzzword, regionalism. In some cases,… Read More

I had a most interesting conversation yesterday.

I was in Sacramento, and I was asked whether I thought a tax increase was in the cards for Republicans to get a budget deal. I said no. The key problem, I said, was that the Governor and the Democrats were asking Republicans to betray a key principle of a key constituency and get nothing in return. The result to any Republican who voted for that tax increase would be the end of their political career. I know, because, I said, I would do everything in my power to make sure of it for anyone who voted for that tax increase, and I know there are a lot of Republicans who think like me.

The fellow who asked me this, a key lobbyist for the education interests in Sacramento got it. He said it would be like asking a Democrat to vote to eliminate collective bargaining. What do you think the unions would do to a Democrat who did that?

He also told me the story about a conversation with a union leader. When asked about eliminating the rule against contracting out enacted when Gray Davis was Governor, the union thug said No Way!!!! In my entire career, this union leader said, I have only had one Democrat… Read More

The race for Republican National Committee Chairman is an important one. Like all of us who care deeply about the future of the Grand Old Party, I have been intently following the intricacies of this competition. I was humbled when Grover Norquist asked my question first at last week’s debate hosted by Americans for Tax Reform — which asked what the RNC Chairman could and would do given that this decade we held the White House, and the Senate and the House simultaneously, yet presided over massive growth in federal spending?

I am still scratching my head at why the Chairman of the Republican National Committee has been, in his role, remarkably silent during his tenure about so many key issues, including the Wall Street bail out, the Automaker bail out, and I haven’t heard one critical word from him about the GOP rejections of earmark moratoriums.

I have always assumed that RNC Chairman… Read More

The race for Republican National Committee Chairman is an important one. Like all of us who care deeply about the future of the Grand Old Party, I have been intently following the intricacies of this competition. I was humbled when Grover Norquist asked my question first at last week’s debate hosted by Americans for Tax Reform — which asked what the RNC Chairman could and would do given that this decade we held the White House, and the Senate and the House simultaneously, yet presided over massive growth in federal spending?

I am still scratching my head at why the Chairman of the Republican National Committee has been, in his role, remarkably silent during his tenure about so many key issues, including the Wall Street bail out, the Automaker bail out, and I haven’t heard one critical word from him about the GOP rejections of earmark moratoriums.

I have always assumed that RNC Chairman… Read More

I thought FlashReport readers would get a kick out of my friend Grover Norquist’s (Americans for Tax Reform) letter to President Bush late last month about all the bailouts, auto, bank, and otherwise. Grover’s letter is extremely short, encapsulates the "true conservative" view, and is attached!!!… Read More

California’s new legislative analyst issued a report yesterday in which he suggested that legislators might want to place a tax increase on the ballot. Quickly the idea has been embraced by some as some sort of epiphany – a breakthrough on how to get past the political impasse on how to solve the state’s overspending-induced financial crisis.

Not so fast. The legislative analyst (the one who, along with his predecessor, has joined in the “we need new taxes” chorus) seems to be drawing the most bizarre of trivial distinctions – the difference between voting to raise taxes, and casting your vote to place a tax increase on the ballot. That may seem like a huge difference to some liberal with a razor sharp focus on what is always the goal – increasing the size of government. But from where I sit on the conservative – libertarian side of the isle, they are one and the same.

We live in a democratic (small d) republic, we the citizenry select, through elections, people to represent them in office, and make decisions.… Read More

California’s new legislative analyst issued a report yesterday in which he suggested that legislators might want to place a tax increase on the ballot. Quickly the idea has been embraced by some as some sort of epiphany – a breakthrough on how to get past the political impasse on how to solve the state’s overspending-induced financial crisis.

Not so fast. The legislative analyst (the one who, along with his predecessor, has joined in the “we need new taxes” chorus) seems to be drawing the most bizarre of trivial distinctions – the difference between voting to raise taxes, and casting your vote to place a tax increase on the ballot. That may seem like a huge difference to some liberal with a razor sharp focus on what is always the goal – increasing the size of government. But from where I sit on the conservative – libertarian side of the isle, they are one and the same.

We live in a democratic (small d) republic, we the citizenry select, through elections, people to represent them in office, and make… Read More

Why give building permits for free?

The Los Angeles D.A. seized tapes illegally made by a developer. The tapes which can be admitted as evidence may show thatthe Mayor Cathe Wilson and council members Judy Wong and David Capra of demanded a condo and thousandsof dollars in cash paymentsfrom a developer. Otherwise no project.

Now that is an economic stimulus package.… Read More