Today is an extremely light news day for those following California political news. I didn’t have the stomach to link to the seemingly endless array of Obama Inauguration stories (thank goodness we cover California politics)…

Some good news for those who are frequent readers of our blog — we will soon be carrying blog items for freshman Congressman Tom McClintock! McClintock, along with Congressman John Campbell, will give us a lot of great insights on the goings-on back there on Capitol Hill!

What did McClintock say in his first floor speech? It was short, and to the point: Here is the text of Rep. McClintock’s first speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.

With the desire to find compromise inwhat is now a year-roundbudget standoff, some of the same old ideas come back to the forefront after all the ‘creative’ ones are shot down.

The creative approach to go around Republican legislators, Prop 13, [placed into the Constitution in1978 by voters]and even Prop 218 [voter approved just 12 years ago in 1996] by voting in new taxes [known as new revenue] without a 2/3 vote via some creative [there’s that word again] legal wordsmithing has, thankfully for our economy and the rule of law, been stopped onceagain.

Soanother new old compromise idea takes center stage. "We can’t get the Republicans and the courts to let us trample the law on taxes…lets get the People to decide!" What the proponents of this approach forget is that the public thinks Sacramento and DC waste too much now and have spoken repeatedly on taxes.The brothers in the old cereal ads would be right this time as "Mikey hates everything." Just like term limit extensions…you keep asking, they keep telling you… Read More

As media stories increase regarding the State of California potentially issuing IOUs in coming months, many astute reporters seem to have completely missed a significant point.

News references have consistently lumped possible IOUs for State employees, vendors, taxpayers, and social services such as student aid, mental health and other welfare programs into the same basket. An IOU is an IOU, apparently.

However, an important distinction exists that simply should not be ignored in this “horn of un-plenty” situation. An IOU for a State program is quite different thanone for a tax refund.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

As media stories increase regarding the State of California potentially issuing IOUs in coming months, many astute reporters seem to have completely missed a significant point.

News references have consistently lumped possible IOUs for State employees, vendors, taxpayers, and social services such as student aid, mental health and other welfare programs into the same basket. An IOU is an IOU, apparently.

However, an important distinction exists that simply should not be ignored in this “horn of un-plenty” situation. An IOU for a State program is quite different than one for a tax refund.

Put aside for a moment the debate over whether many of the services being provided by the State should be provided by government at all, as well as the inefficiency with which California administers its programs. (Remember those “boxes,” Governor?) Just for now, place on the nearest shelf the question of whether our taxes are currently too high.

In the case of IOUs going out instead of checks, in nearly every instance it means… Read More

Officially, America still has a few days before Barack Obama is sworn in as president. But here in California, Obama is already president—of Legoland. The Carlsbad amusement park erected a Lego tribute to President Obama with a rather impressivedepiction of his swearing-in ceremony at the United States Capitol.

Hopefully Legoland didn’t have to declare a state of emergency to pay for this inauguration…… Read More

As the Obama Love Train makes its way from city stop to city stop to the inaugural in Washington, D.C., the idea of a budding "cult of personality" is becoming starkly real.

The Wikipedia definition of cult of personality or personality cult "arises when a country’s leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are often found in dictatorships. Acult of personality is similar to general hero worship, except that it is created specifically for political leaders. "

The major examples of "personality cult" leaders all come from one-party states where the leader controls all the media. Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and the "Great Leaders Kim" of North Korea.

Everytime that Love Train stops, and Joe Biden finishes his saccharine introduction, the high fldelity speakers start blaring some of the most pompous and bombastic music I’ve ever heard associated with a politician in America.Maybe Communist Romania, but not America.

And though the Goverment and Obama don’t… Read More

Yesterday’s Flash Report highlighted an excellent Golden Pen selection from George Will regarding the judiciary’s meddling in Proposition 8. Among his many keen observations, Will made the following comment about states’ use of the initiative process:

“Passing laws by referenda is an imprudent departure from the core principle of republican government – representation: The people do not decide issues, they decide who shall decide. But the right of Californians to make laws through the direct democracy of referenda is as firmly established as it is promiscuously exercised.”

Although Will doesn’t seem to agree with the initiative process—based on republican principles—he concedes its use has passed constitutional muster. Will’s position recalled to my mind an experience I had last year when I was helping collect signatures for the marriage constitutional amendment. One man I talked to said that although he agreed with the amendment’s definition of marriage, he would not sign the petition because he believed, as George Will argues, the initiative process violates the… Read More

Liberal election lawyers are calling "bold and dangerous" and a "potential blockbuster" a brief filed by former Solicitor General Ted Olson on behalf of Citizens United in a Federal election case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. Citizens United produced a critical film about Hillary Clinton during the presidential election, and marketed it as a commerical venture a la Michael Moore. Regulators didn’t like the idea and Citizens United couldn’t get a court to agree with them that their film should not be subject to Federal Election Commission regulation, such as the ban on corporate funding in any federal election. Now the issue of whether such an activity is an illegal "corporate" expenditure in a Federal election is one of several issues to be decided by the nation’s highest court.

The liberal pro-regulation lawyers are concerned that the Citizens United case might be a basis for the Roberts Court, which has proven itself to be deregulatory-oriented inFirst Amendment/election law cases, to overturn the case of Austin v.… Read More