I’m starting to wonder how much Austrian is in the "Austrian Oak" — apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger actually believes that Californians no longer should have the freedom to choose whether they want to be healthy, or unhealthy in what they eat. I was shocked and dismayed when last Friday he actually signed legislation "banning" trans fats in the preparation of food in restaurants. It is hard for me to fathom what changes have come over this man, who once introduced libertarian economist Milton Freedman on a video, that he would think that the government should be regulating the food options (and ingredients) available to us. Using the very same logic that the Governor used in signing this terrible bill, it would appear that if Democrats in the legislature put a bill banning the serving of ice cream — or maybe just desserts as an entire catagory — that he would sign it. The bill that he signed, AB 97, was passed out of the State Senate with NO Republican votes at all. In the State Assembly, two Republicans voted… Read More

A couple of weeks ago, Orange County Lincoln Club President Rich Wagner and fellow OCLC Board Member Chip Hanlon penned a hard hitting column in Red County Magazine concerning the current leadership of Republicans on Capitol Hill — calling for new leadership regardless of the outcome of elections this November. I wrote extensively about it here.

Below is a video clip of Wagner along with Lincoln Club Chairman Tracy Price on a local Orange County cable news program, Real Orange, talking about the strong (and admirable) stance of this venerable Republican donor organization… (h/t to the OC Blog) … Read More

Long time conservative columnist Bob Novak, whose columns we have featured a lot on this site, has been rushed to the hospital with a brain tumor. Please keep him in your prayers. Look for updates on the Human Events website.… Read More

Lame duck Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata has announced that the floor session scheduled for tomorrow to vote on the joint proposal by legislative Democrats to try to foist over $9 billion in new taxes on hard working Californians has been cancelled. He’s probably too distracted reading yet another major story (linked on the main page) about the long FBI investigation into his personal and campaign activities to focus on a floor session. Of course the vote on the massive tax increase would have ended in failure, since every Republican in the Senate has signed a pledge not to vote to increase taxes one penny, let alone billions of dollars.… Read More

Did you hear the shocking tale about a San Francisco illegal alien/gang banger who shot a father and his two sons in cold blood last month?

You probably have since national media outlets like Time and Fox News have covered the story.

If you haven’t, the story goes like this: Witnesses say Edwin Ramos, 21, was perturbed that his car was temporarily blocked by 48-year-old Tony Bologna’s car. So Ramos opened fire on Bologna and his sons Micheal, 20, and Matthew, 16, killing all three.

This heinous crime could have been prevented. Ramos, an El Salvador citizen and a member of the violent MS-13 gang, should have been sent to state prison and then deported a long time ago given his record of criminal activity in San Francisco and his illegal alien status. But because of systematic problems within California’s criminal justice system, Ramos was freed to roam the streets of San Francisco.

Here’s a look at his criminal activities prior to the vicious slaying of the Bologna family:

In 2003, Ramos, 17 at the time, beat and kicked a passenger on a San Francisco city bus. Ramos was briefly incarcerated as a juvenile for the gang… Read More

Over the weekend it was announced that the title and summary for Proposition 8 had been changeddue tothe recent California Supreme Court marriage ruling. My post on the topic pinned blame for the change on Secretary of State Debra Bowen. In fact, legal anaysis and language for initiatives and ballot measures come from Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office. In light of this fact, our outrage and frustration would probably be better directed to the AG, not the SOS’s office.… Read More

I would appreciate any thoughts you may have (potentially for attribution) on the following, for a possible follow-up piece on the issue. See the questions at the end…. California law is pretty clear. Public funds can’t be used for political campaign purposes. So, yesterday’s article in the Union-Trib, "Activists fault two cities over sales-tax brochures," again raises an interesting and ongoing issue of debate – the use of public funds in advance of a potential ballot measure to educate and solicit public opinion, although technically not for campaign purposes.

As a former La Mesa City Councilmember and current San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA) board member, my interest is heightened due to my city’s situation as noted in the article, yet my purpose in querying you the reader goes beyond my past and current involvement with the two entities.

Although some public agencies have no doubt exceeded a "gray area" threshold by using public funds for campaign purposes, let’s… Read More

On July 26 Carole Star, long time Republican activist in San Diego and Imperial Counties, passed away. When I was assigned to Imperial County by the California Republican Party in 1996 Carole, who at the time I believe worked for Congressman Duncan Hunter, helped me learn the county. She was a regular at California Republican Conventions, and a friend to many. RIP, Carole. DDD

This obituary was submitted by Joel Jacklich:

Five foot nothing with long auburn hair she usually wore in a pony tail, Carole Starr had the energy of a whirlwind. She prided herself on her ability to meet any challenge. Whether she was putting together a fundraiser for a political campaign at last minute’s notice; shopping; or traveling abroad and spending full days visiting museums, attending the theater, and sightseeing, Carole seemed tireless.… Read More