I hope you all had a nice July 4 weekend.

Among other Independence Day festivities, last Sunday my family attended the final day of the San Diego County Fair. While entering what longtime locals still call the “Del Mar Fair,” I noted the U.S. and California flags at half staff. I wondered what I had missed. Yes, Jesse Helms had passed away, but somehow I just couldn’t imagine the State of California’s 22nd District Agricultural Association (operator of the fairgrounds) recognizing the North Carolina senator.

At home that evening, I shot off a quick email to Fair PIO Kina Paegert asking her to shed some light. An immediate response was elicited from her Blackberry: “A fireman passed away in northern Cal."

I responded to her saying thanks, that I had seen no other state or local flags anywhere at half staff (it was the weekend, with few government workers, so that was understandable), and added “It’s good you noticed and took the appropriate action.”

Her final response: “Thanks. We try to honor them when we can.”

Perhaps because I was busy with the weekend’s events, I also hadn’t noted any media coverage… Read More

When I look over the list of potential Vice Presidential picks being looked at by Senator McCain, I always see the name of Minnesota Governor Jim Pawlenty, who is said to be quite close to McCain personally. To be honest with you, until last Fall, when Pawlenty (along with Governor’s Crist, Huntsman, Perry and Schwarzenegger) spoke at the semi-annual California Republican Party State Convention. Right off the bat, I was concerned because a large part of Pawlenty’s remarks were praiseful of Governor Schwarzenegger’s battle against man-made carbon emissions which amounts to a mountain of new government regulations. I had an opportunity to chat with Pawlenty a bit at that convention, and he is a personable, and smart fellow. But after that weekend, and since, I have done some poking around concerning Pawlenty, and pretty much figured out that McCain and Pawlenty are not just friends, but in many ways are ideological comrades. If McCain reaches out and taps Governor Pawlenty to be his running… Read More

When I look over the list of potential Vice Presidential picks being looked at by Senator McCain, I always see the name of Minnesota Governor Jim Pawlenty, who is said to be quite close to McCain personally. To be honest with you, until last Fall, when Pawlenty (along with Governor’s Crist, Huntsman, Perry and Schwarzenegger) spoke at the semi-annual California Republican Party State Convention. Right off the bat, I was concerned because a large part of Pawlenty’s remarks were praiseful of Governor Schwarzenegger’s battle against man-made carbon emissions which amounts to a mountain of new government regulations. I had an opportunity to chat with Pawlenty a bit at that convention, and he is a personable, and smart fellow. But after that weekend, and since, I have done some poking around concerning Pawlenty, and pretty much figured out that McCain and Pawlenty are not just friends, but in many ways are ideological comrades. If McCain reaches out and taps Governor Pawlenty to be his running… Read More

That is the ABC News headline, not mine. You can read it here, or watch the Governor’s chat with George Stephanopoulis this morning here.

I’m sure Arnold’s former campaign manager Steve Schmidt, who is now quarterbacking John McCain’s campaign, is just "overjoyed" at this interview (not).

Then again, I don’t know any Republican who would be.… Read More

Two Southern Californianewspapers today featured excellent editorials on the state’s budget deficit.

Both the San Diego area’s North County Times and the Riverside Press-Enterprise dismissed Democrat proposalsof billions in newtaxes as being the answer to our budget woes, lambasting them to insteaddo more to getspending under control.

That position, otherwise known as the Republican position, has been firmly held and strongly advocated by our Republican leaders in Sacramento –who havebeen working overtime to get that message out.

Well, if even newspaper editorial writers are grasping the notion that it’s time to get tough on the out of control spending, it’s no doubt the voters are getting it too. And our Republican leaders deserve an awful lot of credit for getting that message across.

Just take a look at a bit of these two editorials. Great stuff.… Read More

On this quiet Saturday, we are pleased to offer this outstanding column from Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association…

Most high school students, at least in the old days, learned in civics class that there are three branches of government each of which has a discernible and distinct function. That is not to say that the lines of demarcation are always clear. There remains constant tension among these branches at both the federal and state levels and their respective powers ebb and flow with political changes and other events.

In addition to the Separation of Powers doctrine, there are profound issues of federalism that constantly arise with respect to the powers of the individual states relative to our national government. Here, too, the respective powers change; sometimes incrementally and sometimes dramatically, such as the shift in power resulting from the Civil War.… Read More

On this quiet Saturday, we are pleased to offer this outstanding column from Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association…

Most high school students, at least in the old days, learned in civics class that there are three branches of government each of which has a discernible and distinct function. That is not to say that the lines of demarcation are always clear. There remains constant tension among these branches at both the federal and state levels and their respective powers ebb and flow with political changes and other events.

In addition to the Separation of Powers doctrine, there are profound issues of federalism that constantly arise with respect to the powers of the individual states relative to our national government. Here, too, the respective powers change; sometimes incrementally and sometimes dramatically, such as the shift in power resulting from the Civil War.

These often academic issues are now having a real world impact on… Read More

I’ve always been interested in doing a family tree but it was one of those things I just never knew how to do or get around to. And as the last of my line with no living relatives the work seemed a pretty daunting task, with no one to talk to about family history anymore. But I saw the advertisement on television for www.ancestry.com last week and decided to invest just $29.95 for a month’s premium service to tinker around with public records and see what might come up. I wasn’t expecting much, but found that the website, supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was a hugely powerful research device, that helped me learn about each generation of the Lacy family by popping up "hints" as I worked through Census Data, Marriage, Death, and government service records.

And boy, did I find something! I learned that I am related to Henry Clay, the iconic three-time Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of State! My great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Eilzabeth Hudson, born in Hanover County,… Read More