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

The Squirminator

My, what changes a few years can make. In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger ousted an indecisive governor in California’s recall election by pledging to be a different kind of leader — firm and principled. He told Cigar Aficionado magazine he liked President Bush because he was decisive. "The mood of the people changes all the time. The polls change all the time," he said. "But Bush is staying the course. Even though that pisses some people off, and then the polls go down, he stays on course. In the end that pays off, because people say, well, at least one thing we know: That guy is steady."

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There has been a lot of press recently about the upcoming November ballot big-bucks bond measure to establish public financing for a high-speed train service between Northern and Southern California.

Having a train that can wisk you up and down throught the state in just a few hours may, or may not be a good idea. But saddling ALL of California’s residence with bond debt for a service that with benefit relatively few of our state’s residents is wrong, and unfair.

If there is enough of a market for rail travel, then private companies that want to make a go of it can take their future-earnings studies to investors, and get financing to build the train routes and buy the trains.

I am getting sick and tired of people trying to raise taxes or sell bonds to get things paid for that should not be paid for with public moneys. Don’t get me going on public subsidies for sporting arenas.

The High Speed Rail Bonds are Proposition 1 on the ballot this November – be sure to vote no. And be sure that if you see a commercial in support of it, you’ll be able to trace the dollars that paid for the spot directly to those who will… Read More

The commentary below was penned exclusively for the FlashReport by State Senator Bob Dutton, the Vice Chairman of the State Senate Budget Committee…

Democrats Tax Plan Is A Tax On Job Creation And Economic Opportunity By Senator Bob Dutton

I try to be optimistic. I have always believed it is better to look at the positive side of things. Better to look at the glass as half full instead of half empty. But I never thought anyone would seriously suggest $10 billion dollars in tax increases when Californians are paying record high gas prices and home prices are in free fall. California also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country because good paying jobs are leaving this state.… Read More

Not since the Chia Pet or the Clapper has a commercial like the medical alert program featuring a lady that had fallen and couldn’t get help caught the fancy of untold thousands of Americans.

Always looking to be on the edge, the State Senate and soon the State Assembly will pass SCR 77 that would declare the first week of fall as “Fall Prevention Awareness Week”. Get it? First week of fall!

The bill has received no negative votes to date and will pass easily unless there is some activity from the pro-falling lobby (trial lawyers?).

What does it do?

“This measure would urge the California Department of Aging and the area agencies on aging to incorporate fall prevention in their upcoming state and local area master plans and recommend the California Health and Human Services Agency develop standardized definitions and reporting methods that will improve available information on falls. This measure would also recommend that fall prevention guidelines be incorporated into state and local planning documents that affect housing, transportation, parks, recreational facilities,

The commentary below was penned exclusively for the FlashReport by State Senator Bob Dutton, the Vice Chairman of the State Senate Budget Committee…

Democrats Tax Plan Is A Tax On Job Creation And Economic Opportunity By Senator Bob Dutton I try to be optimistic. I have always believed it is better to look at the positive side of things. Better to look at the glass as half full instead of half empty. But I never thought anyone would seriously suggest $10 billion dollars in tax increases when Californians are paying record high gas prices and home prices are in free fall. California also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country because good paying jobs are… 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

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