Know of a liberal college student needing summer work? At U.C. Santa Cruz , my daughter’s school this Fall, i found this announcement posted throughout the campus.

Wow, for helping kicking out the GOP of the White House, any student can get up to $8000 as a summer campaigner. After observing politics a while I’ve never seen such a deal. This year the Dems are swimming in money. Barak just announced his take in June was over $50 million, outdistancing McCain 2-1. Even the hapless DNC, forever broke under Chairman Dean is matching nicely against the RNC, just a few weeks after the Obama takeover of those operations.

And that money doesn’t even includethe fabulous 527s, those underground secretive money laundering operations, which are overwhelmingly in the dem camp. Strange ironies for McCain-Feingold. Billionairesfor Obama, re their donating history includesEli Broad, real estate [93% for dems], Ron Burkle, supermakets and FOB [ 98%]; Charles Kushner, real estate and felon, [98%]; George… Read More

The City of Newport Beach has one of the most threatening and unconstitutional campaign ordinances on its books I have ever seen. And by golly, they just might repeal it tonight!

I blogged about the law here last February and provided four detailed reasons why it was unconstitutional. The lawis Municipal Code section 1.30, which criminalizes all "writings," direct-mail and flyers distributed to 200 or more people in Newport Beach within 14 days of an election, unless copies are filed with the City Clerk within 2 hours of distribution, and supported by evidence of how they were distributed. The penalty is six months in jail, a $500 fine, or both.

The law is aimed atlast minute "hit pieces" and is specifically intended to force public disclosure of such mailings, and all late mailings, to give opponents the opportunity to "respond to statements" that are "untrue, or believed to be untrue." The law became an issue in the February municipal election in Newport Beach when supporters of Measure B, the successful "City Hall in the Park" initiative, which was opposed by the majority of… Read More

Know a college student needing summer work? At U.C. Santa Cruz , my daughter’s school this Fall, i found this announcement posted throughout the campus.

Wow, for helping kicking out the GOP of the White House, a student can get up to $8000 as a summer campaigner. After observing politics a while I’ve never seen such a deal. This year the Dems are swimming in money. Barak just announced his take in June was over $50 million, outdistancing McCain 2-1. Even the hapless DNC, forever broke under Chairman Dean. is matching nicely against the RNC, just a few weeks after the Obama takeover of those operations.

And that money doesn’t even includethe fabulous 527s, those underground secretive money laundering operations, which are overwhelmingly in the dem camp. Strange ironies for McCain-Feingold. Billionairesfor Obama, re their donating history includesEli Broad, real estate [93% for dems], Ron Burkle, supermakets and FOB [ 98%]; Charles Kushner, real estate and felon, [98%]; George Soros,… Read More

Back in January, when the McCain campaign was going around soliciting supporters to serve as potential delegates to a Republican Convention nearly 8 months, and a competitive primary later, it was a challenge, I’m sure. Especially since back then, McCain was not on the top of the polls.

As the rubber now meets the road, and those who agreed to be submitted as delegates have to actually figure out of they can go (you know, take a week of off work, and come up with a bunch of money for lodging, delegation fees, etcetra), there have been plenty of changes and substitutions from the original list of delegates and alternates.

Attached you will find (as a .pdf file) an updated list (as of 7/11) of California’s McCain Delegation* to the Republican National Convention.

Senator Ackerman – we see you’ve made the list. If the Democrats in Sacramento are willing to accept more significant cuts in state spending, perhaps you’ll even get to go! … Read More

State Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill has an editorial on our friend Joel Fox’s Fox and Hounds website where he talks about the urgency of placing a water bond measure on the November ballot — because the crisis facing California in terms of the ability to store water and move water around the state is quickly reaching a crisis point (some would say we’re already there).

I agree that something needs to be done.

But first we need to acknowledge two important reasons why we are at this crisis point, and then we need to look at the likely reason why it may be impossible for conservatives of conscience to support a November measure placed on the ballot by the legislature.

Why are we in this crisis? First and foremost is the screwed up long term budget priorities of the Democrats who have controlled the legislature, pretty much for decades. They have not been allocating a significant percentage of general fund dollars annually for any infrastructure investment, let alone for water. These… Read More

State Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill has an editorial on our friend Joel Fox’s Fox and Hounds website where he talks about the urgency of placing a water bond measure on the November ballot — because the crisis facing California in terms of the ability to store water and move water around the state is quickly reaching a crisis point (some would say we’re already there).

I agree that something needs to be done.

But first we need to acknowledge two important reasons why we are at this crisis point, and then we need to look at the likely reason why it may be impossible for conservatives of conscience to support a November measure placed on the ballot by the legislature.

**There is more – click the link**

View Full Commentary… Read More

Santa Clara Valley Water District officials claim they are saving the state money by employing a chief executive for the agency part-time, but the action is actually costing taxpayers more money. At a time when California is experiencing a record $16 billion plus budget shortfall, government officials must be more responsible with taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars. However, the tax-fund tap has been left running for a couple of years at the Santa Clara Water District.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, (July 8, 2008), “Olga Martin Steele was brought in to temporarily lead the Santa Clara Valley Water District in January after its former CEO Stan Williams resigned under a cloud of controversy for excessive spending.” The facts tell the story: “…[U]nder a contract that the board will consider extending today, Steele is making more money than Williams – $252,000 a year – while working less, only 32 hours a week.” Furthermore, “[s]he maintains part-time status so she can continue drawing her $180,000… Read More

Things are not always what they appear to be…..particularly in Washington. Sometimes, the real reason that a bill is changed, or shelved, or amended is not what the spin and press reports say. Two such instances have occurred here recently. The first has to do with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which was finally passed by the Senate and was signed into law by President Bush last week. This bill has been held up in negotiations and partisan fighting all year. Most people believe that the hold up was because civil libertarians were fighting to insure that no wiretapping of phones is done without appropriate court orders or that the privacy ramifications of this bill were being debated. Not true. A compromise was reached on all of those issues months ago. The hold-up on this bill was for an entirely different reason. After 9/11, the phone companies were contacted by the federal government and asked to provide certain phone records that the government would use in its surveillance activities. The phone companies, remember that this is in the aftermath of 9/11, complied. Recently, a group of trail lawyers determined that these… Read More