Our developers are cranking away on the new FlashReport Mobile version, to make it oh-so-easy to access the wisdom available on this website from your pda. But I want to ask for your help. If you use a PDA that is NOT a Blackberry, a Treo or an iPhone, and would be willing to help BETA test this mobile feature, please send me an e-mail with your name, and the type of pda you use. Our developers have the above mentioned three pda types covered. The goal is to make sure it works for everyone. We’re looking to take the new feature live sometime next week!… Read More

Today we feature a guest commentary from Lew Uhler, President of the National Tax Limitation Committee: REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS ARE CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS’ FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE By Lewis K. Uhler, President, National Tax Limitation Committee All California taxpayers owe a debt of gratitude to the Republic legislators who are standing resolutely against tax increases. Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines typifies the Republican attitude and commitment in his recent comment: “Consistently we’re listening to the Democrat leadership and, frankly, the governor, talk about raising taxes. And I’m just tired of hearing it. We’re… Read More

Jerry Brown vs. Chuck Shumer.

Gentlemen, to your corners!… Read More

UPDATE: 5:06pm — CONFIRMATION — The Senate Rules Committee has confirmed to a source that the Senator’s office has been closed because of the Senator actions concerning a staff member. Nice. The doors to the office of the Senator are locked. Papers laying about outside are dated for yesterday. This is at least partial confirmation of a story that I’ve heard several times in the last hour. In fact, we’re bringing out the trusty "FlashReport Rule of Five" (if we hear something from five reasonably good sources, we’ll throw it into the public marketplace of thought)…

We’ve heard that there was some sort of personnel-related blow out between the Senator and her staff — and while the details I have been given are varied enough to not want to throw them out (they conflict so obviously someone’s got it wrong) — the… Read More

I am always fascinated by what is described as a "compromise" in politics. Is it a compromise when the Democrats demand a bad policy, and they get some of it? It’s still bad, and saying no to bad policy is not being "unreasonable." More important, saying yes to a bad policy is not being "reasonable." A bad policy is a bad policy, and a leader says no to a bad policy, no matter what the political consequences

Second, did the Democrats sign an "I promise to be a Spendthrift" Pledge? I mean, they increase spending every year, and they claim that any reduction in that increase is a "cut." The budget in 2002-03 was $77.4 billion, $78.3 billion in 03-04, $79.8 billion in 04-05 (the last three years of the last budget crisis) and $91.6 billion in 05-06, $101.4 billion in 06-07, and $103.4 billion last year. Yet in each of those years, Democrats screamed about "cuts" in spending. More important, if you look at special fund spending during that same time, it has grown from $20.5 billion in 01-02 to $41.9 billion in 06-07. After the Sinclair Paint decision, state bureaucrats have been shifting… Read More

Most FlashReport readers don’t realize it, but out website development and hosting team, Cloudspace, is actually located in Orlando, Florida. I’ve been emailing and talking to members of the team out there as we are working on some major (such as the soon to be release FlashReport Mobile site for easy use with your PDA) and some minor changes (now photos appear of bloggers next to the title of their posts).

Well Hurricane/Tropical storm… Read More

As the state budget continues to unfold I am struck at how the only ways that we have to deal with the problem is to take power away from our elected leaders.

Speaker Nunez previously argued (Prop 93) that we don’t allow Legislators enough time in Sacramento to be able to figure things out. Many of us often talk about how elected leaders need more discretion. Despite this, when they are given discretion it is abused.

In an ideal world I would oppose spending limits because I want to allow elected leaders to make good choices. Yet time and time again that has not happened.

Revenues to the state have rocketed up over the past eight years or so. If we were looking for a cushion to be able to set the ship straight that opportunity has passed.

The spending limits being advocated in this budget solution move us to "State Budgeting for Dummies". In this case it will not even be taken by the voters through… Read More

Wouldn’t it be nice to give yourself a huge pay raise, take as many vacation days as you want, and eat at fancy restaurants on someone else’s dime? Well, that is precisely what is happening at the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation (SEDC)–a non-profit city agency that is supposed to be helping redevelop the east part of downtown San Diego. The agency is charged with transforming the area into a successful and flourishing economy. But instead, taxpayers are paying for a public servant to flourish and flaunt her own success while misusing public funds. The San Diego Tribune (August 7, 2008) reported,“Staffers at the nonprofit city agency enjoyed fine meals and multilevel bonuses at taxpayer expense, according to documents the city released yesterday. The documents show that [the] SEDC President … used… [her] authority to… Read More