It is good that the Nature Conservancy accepts that the Peripheral Canal is needed to improve the Delta’s plumbing system. However, the Conservancy and other environmentalists also need to accept that a Canal cannot be solely an irrigation system to water the Delta. Such a Canal also needs to serve as a conveyance system to divert water around the Delta for export south to help fund the Delta’s restoration.

Even though the environmentalists agree that the Peripheral Canal would be the best environmental solution, their version of water allocation would mean no water moving south of the Delta. They want "surplus" winter flows to be used to flush the Delta in an artificial version of a flood, and they want the public to pay to store some water behind Shasta and Oroville dams to use in the summer to keep the Delta waterways high. This could not happen without halting exports. In 1982 in discussions with opponents of the Canal, I suggested and offered to support putting Delta flow standards into the state constitution. Standards were designed to be median… Read More

As the elected Republican National Committeeman from California, I plan on sharing information over the next few weeks on the race for the Chairmanship of the Republican National Committee. Who wins the RNC chairmanship will help propel Republicans or get us sidetracked intoa ditch.

The RNC Chair is only the official face and public opposition to the Democrat Hegemony.

Every time Obama, Reid and Pelosi speak, only the RNC chair was be the Republican voice. Not our guysin the House or Senate. The January 28 election for the new RNC chair is the most important vote for all 168 (3 per state plus 6 territories) RNC members. The vote will take place one week after the Obama Inaugural in Washington DC… and it’s getting mighty hot for all 168 members.

There aresix candidates. The guy who was in charge of the lastthrashingis running for re-election. He is the Bush holdover, having been hand-selected for the job by the President.Chances are you… Read More

The DC based Dem public affairs firm of Conklin Scott has compiled the unofficial list of events in the DC Metro Area surrounding the history making Inaugural on January 20th.

Some of the more interesting events include the Hip Hop Caucus pre-Inaugural concert on Saturday, the17th. On Sunday the 18th the Political Action Committee by Latinas for Latinas celebration at Rosa Mexican Restaurant.

Also on Sunday at Ohev Shalom, the National Synagogue will hold the Jewish Ball. I don’t think the President-elect will be there but they are going to have "Paul Shapiro’s Ribs & Brisket".

On Monday the 19th the Arab American Institute will host a ball that will feature "famous comedians". Are there any Arab comedians?

The Busboy and Poets & the National Postal Museum ball is also Monday where they claim they will have the largest group of peace activists gathering on Inauguration Day without a protest. Does that mean they will be wearing deodorant?

Click here to… Read More

I have known George Plescia and Bonnie Garcia (pictured below to the right, with the Governor) for many years. Both are great people and both are very capable. Both of them, during their six years in the State Assembly, were quite articulate about the need to cut state spending (rather prescient given our current woes, don’t you think?). I recall Plescia (pictured below, left), when he was Assembly Republican Leader, calling for the Governor to "dust off" the recommendations of the California Performance Review and to start implementing them.

Earlier this week I read on the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert blog that George and Bonnie had taken appointments from the Governor to serve as members of the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. This is one of those low-profile commissions where the appointees (hand picked by the Governor, Speaker and Senate… Read More

Now that the rescue/bail out of the big 3 automakers has been completed by President Bush, the Fed and the Treasury Department (with the support of President-Elect Obama), I would like to give you all some of my views on what has been said and is still being said, about this industry, it’s problems and it’s prospects. Because of my 25 years experience in this industry, I know a few things that many of those talking heads on TV don’t. It drives me crazy when someone pontificates with such surety about what went wrong and what is needed to go right, while their only experience with the car business is that they bought a car once. Please find my observations and comments below.

First, the Myths:

Myth #1: Domestic automakers are in trouble because they build poor quality cars – They used to. But so did the Japanese manufacturers in the 60s. But now quality in the car business is a price of admission and there is near quality parity among all manufacturers selling cars in the US market. While JD Power always ranks a first place and a last place, the difference between that first and last is much less than it used to be and in… Read More

Yesterday’s commentary by Dan Schnur regarding the budget situation seemed to suggest that a tax increase as a solution to the current budget crisis isa foregone conclusion. I guess my question is this: why?

The present budget disaster, which isn’t fixable anyway, is as a result of five years Republican compromise with clueless, and very liberal, Democrats. Why, after a 100% increase in spending, we should go back to hard working small business and other taxpayers with a tax increase is beyond my comprehension. Any tax increase will send this economy, already headed over a cliff, into the depths of depression. Even Obama delayed a tax increase – admitting in the process that there is an inverse relationship between taxes and the strenght of the economy.

Let me lay it on the table, for all to see: taxes are our last issue. We’ve thrown away ever other issue wehave. We’ve caved, compromised and been railroaded by absolute morons on the left and look where the GOP is at as a result.

I don’t know whether my friend, Assembly GOP Leader Mike Villines, is going to take this budget fight but I can assure… Read More

Politics is not like business. Making a deal in business makes sense if everybody makes money on it. Most of the negotiation in business is an attempt to maximize the benefit of a business deal to those trying to negotiate the deal, but in the end, if everyone makes money, the object is to make the deal. A business deal is a win/win deal (or at least perceived to be) or there is no deal

That is not so in government and politics. Political deals are by definition win/lose, or they would be business deals. You don’t have to force someone to do something that will make them money. Force is necessary only when one party or the other perceives that a deal is a loser. Politics involves winners and losers by definition.

That is why this coming year’s budget fight is a critical fight. The winners and losers are easy to define. If taxes are increased the winner is the government, i.e., the government unions and the permanent bureaucracy (the leaders of which actually drafted the budget). The losers are the taxpayers. It is just that simple.

Democrats get it. They want the government unions and the permanent bureaucracy to win.… Read More

Good Samaritans could get some much needed protection if State Senator John Benoit’s SB39 passes.

… Read More