Yesterday I received an e-mail from longtime FR friend Jeff Greene. Jeff and I are both alumni of Young Americans for Freedom (the conservative youth organization founded by William F. Buckley, Jr. that played an instrumental role in the development of the modern conservative movement) — in fact we each served as Chairman of California YAF at one point in our lives. I had the honor of voting for Jeff in the Republican primary for Governor in 1990 — though most people didn’t realize there was a primary, since Jeff didn’t get too many votes compared to his primary opponent, incumbent U.S. Senator Pete Wilson! (You have to love the moxie of YAFers!).

Anyways, I digress. The e-mail that Jeff sent was in response to this article by Carla Marinucci that ran in the San Francisco Chronicle over the weekend, in which the Governor, again, makes the case that if Republicans want to win in California, we need to "cross over the center" (his words) — and I guess be more like Democrats… I suggest you click through and read the article… Read More

As Californians continue to feel the effects of the state’s $14 billion free-fall deficit, it seems the state’s student loan underwriter, EdFund, has created a soft landing for its own senior executives worth millions of dollars.

According to the Sacramento Bee (May 13, 2008, “EdFund executives seek at least $3 million in severance”), “Seven members of EdFund’s executive staff could each receive two years’ worth of salaries, bonuses and medical coverage.” The high-ranking officials “would be entitled to as much as $20,000 each to help them find new jobs. EdFund would also be on the hook for any “golden parachute tax” the lucky few “would have to pay the state and federal governments.” EdFund’s golden parachutes will undoubtedly undermine Governor Schwarzenegger’s attempt to sell the nonprofit agency for cash to decrease California’s multi-billion dollar budget deficit. Currently, the plan is to “sell the… Read More

Now that I am in the private sector, I have learned an important lesson. Last month, I was in Costa Rica on behalf of a company that I have been doing some work for. We found that one of our distributors had been taking our product and diluting it. It still worked, just not as well, and our customers were blaming us. To protect the brand, and the quality of our product, we got rid of the distributor. The company had spent a lot of time and money developing the brand, and had developed a market share based on that brand. This distributor was trying to take that brand, and sell an inferior product, trying to make a short term profit at the expense of long term confidence in the quality of the product. Our distributor still claims he was making the product better. We thought he was sacrificing quality. We just couldn’t let that happen.

You don’t need to rebrand a successful brand, but you do need to ensure the quality of that brand.The most successful brand of Republicanism in the last 50 years has been the Reagan, "conservative" brand of Republicanism. Even Schwarzenegger took advantage of that brand in 2003, runningas… Read More

FlashReport readers are probably starting to become more familiar with the group Americans for Prosperity. Earlier this year they kicked off their California chapter (I had the honor of introducing Hugh Hewitt at that event) and they have been charging hard since then. I would like to share more with FR readers about AFP’s current big project here in the Golden State — and an important one…

AFP has started the Already Taxed to the Max (ATM) Statewide tour, with a kickoff event last week at the State Capitol and then an trip up to Chico in the North State. The tour, featuring conservative leaders and a huge 12-foot inflatable ATM machine will send a message to Lawmakers that California Taxpayers are not their personal ATM machine. Their next stop: The liberal bastion of San Francisco tomorrow.

… Read More

FlashReport readers are probably starting to become more familiar with the group Americans for Prosperity. Earlier this year they kicked off their California chapter (I had the honor of introducing Hugh Hewitt at that event) and they have been charging hard since then. I would like to share more with FR readers about AFP’s current big project here in the Golden State — and an important one…

AFP has started the Already Taxed to the Max (ATM) Statewide tour, with a kickoff event last week at the State Capitol and then an trip up to Chico in the North State. The tour, featuring conservative leaders and a huge 12-foot inflatable ATM machine will send a message to Lawmakers that California Taxpayers are not their personal ATM machine. Their next stop: The liberal bastion of San Francisco tomorrow.

… Read More

Lionel Van Deerlin, RIP… A partisan political opponent, perhaps, but definitely a noble adversary. Some of the news reports indicate former Congressman Van Deerlin had a heart attack on March 1 and was receiving home hospice care. That didn’t keep him from getting out of bed only two weekends ago to come to La Mesa and pay a memorial tribute to his longtime friend, Dr. Jack Hardebeck, who also recently passed away. From the good humor and stories he shared at Harry Griffen Park that day, few were the wiser that he himself had only a few days remaining.

I won’t miss reading his skewering of Republicans in the Union-Trib. I will miss his presence and his wit. Read the U-T report.

Quote of the Week… After I posted the Sycuan survey results last Tuesday showing Duncan D. Hunter leading the 52nd Congressional District GOP primary with 79 percent… Read More

I received my Kiplinger Tax Letter (subscription required) today and thought Flashreport readers would find this interesting:

IRS is expanding its look at politicking by exempt groups in 2008. Unions and social welfare organizations will be eyed this year, as well as charities. Although churches and charities are prohibited from participating in election campaigns, unions and social welfare groups can take part in the political process. But if their primary function is political activity, then the Service can revoke their exemptions.

Not sure who this hurts or helps. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see who gets caught.… Read More

I’m out at the Ontario Convention Center where a large turnout is on hand for one of the many Gun Shows that come through convention centers around America.

The American people own more guns than any army on the planet, and that is a good thing. A cornerstone to our republic is a healthy respect that power should rest, ultimately, with the people. While this colloqual expression typically refers to the role of the voters, there is no doubt to the implied power of a well armed American public (I am sure that criminals wish the public was unarmed).

What is that expression? “A government powerful enough to give you everything you want is powerful enough to take it all away.”

Now I am not some sort of anarchist, and believe in the lawful possession and use of firearms (although government has gone too far in infringing on the rights of Americans to keep and bear arms-

But its just comfortably reassuring that we live in a country where — people have guns.

Anyways, looking at all of the commerce taking place here — guns are big business. Which takes us to the dumb legislation winding its way through… Read More