Ever heard of Californians Sharing In The Solution?

This morning Shane Goldmacher over at the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert has posted up a letter signed by 48 Californians who invite a state tax increase, and point out that they feel they each make enough money that they would be impacted by such an increase (according to Goldmacher, each makes over $164,500 a year — see Goldmacher’s post here, see a .pdf of the letter here).

To these folks, I would say that if they want to "chip in" more money from their disposable income to contribute to the state’s general fund — let’s get contribution envelopes out to these folks.

But it is a bit pretentious, and in fact outrageous for these folks to presume that because they can afford to pay more money to the government (to offset overspending) that it means that others can afford and should be willing to do so as well.

Ahhh, what could be more welcoming to legislature than a letter from people… Read More

FR Blogger Adam Probolsky recently traveled to El Salvador. Typical of Adam, while the rest of us would be lounging about, Adam can be seen in the clip below, in a suit, being interviewed on local El Salvador television. Since I don’t know Spanish, I can’t tell you what Adam is saying as he has been translated into El Salvador’s national language — but clearly he is labeled as being a "Republican Senator" — which is great. Maybe at least in El Salvador, we’ll have someone to offset the liberalism of Feinstein and Boxer. If only we could get Adam a vote in D.C… … Read More

Courtesy of the pent-up angst of some of Senator Bob Dutton’s interns. Too bad this isn’t a game. The efforts to raise your taxes are very, very real. Thank goodness for the resolve of our legislative Republicans!… Read More

Yesterday I blogged on rumored circumstances surrounding the very real mid-day locking up of Senator Carol Migden’s Capitol Office.

Well, ace-Capitol reporter Shane Goldmacher turned his talents on finding out what actually took place. You can read the fruits of his labor here (free registration required).

The nickel tour — Migden was apparently yelling at her staff so loudly (who does that?) that Senate officials came over, informed employees of their rights, and sent everyone home. Today a bunch of temp workers are in the office.

I’m no fan of Mark Leno — I think he (and Migden) are whacked out liberals who think socialism is the wave of the future. That said, Leno may be a liberal, but he is not emotionally unstable, which may very well be the case with Migden. So in the context of this whole incident, I guess it’s best that he "took her out" — I don’t think California taxpayers can afford to… Read More

While the central budget debate is focused on how high the Legislature will raise your taxes, Democrats are attempting to sneak in numerous dangerous public safety measures under the radar.

As part of Democratic leaderships’ budget solution, inmates will receive one day’s early release credit for every day served in state prison – just for being alive. The plan would repeal the existing statute, which allows inmates to earn up to a day’s credit for each day served but only if they participate in work or education programs.

As proposed by the Democrats, no work or classroom participation would be required. An inmate sentenced to four years could be back on the street in two years without working or earning educational credits.

Under this “welfare-program-for-prison-inmate” plan, the concept of working to earn credits under existing laws will be repealed. Credits will simply become an entitlement granted to anyone simply for committing one or more felonies that result in a prison sentence. For most high school students who have passed an exit exam, this would appear to be a 50 percent… Read More

"I’ll oppose higher taxes…" proclaimed then Assemblyman Lou Correa in a letter (see it here) he mailed to Central Orange County voters as he made his case for why he, and not his opponent, should be elected to the State Senate. If his promise, emphased in boldfaced text, in a personally signed letter to voters wasn’t emphatic enough, in terms of where Correa promised he would be on tax increases, then there was the glossy full-color mailing, with the words emblazed on the front: "Where I stand on… Taxes." Open up the mailing (see it here… Read More

"I’ll oppose higher taxes…" proclaimed then Assemblyman Lou Correa in a letter (see it here) he mailed to Central Orange County voters as he made his case for why he, and not his opponent, should be elected to the State Senate. If his promise, emphased in boldfaced text, in a personally signed letter to voters wasn’t emphatic enough, in terms of where Correa promised he would be on tax increases, then there was the glossy full-color mailing, with the words emblazed on the front: "Where I stand on… Taxes." Open up the mailing (see it here… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

Hasta La Vista, Arnold

Some things never change in the Golden State. Seven weeks into the fiscal year, California still has no budget and faces a Pacific Ocean-sized $15 billion deficit. On Wednesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger offered a "compromise" plan that kicks the legs out from his own party with a big new sales tax increase. "It’s time to put ideology aside," he insisted.

Now he faces a revolt from Republicans in the legislature who think this is precisely the time to be ideological. "Any tax increase plan won’t pass with Republican votes — absolutely not," a… Read More