Today we’re pleased to bring you this Guest Commentary from Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield)…

We’re Not Waiting Any Longer to Bring Common Sense Earmark Reform to the House By Congressman Kevin McCarthy Enough is enough. People are fed up with Washington spending their tax dollars to pay for wasteful earmarked spending, like:

One year before becoming Speaker, Nancy Pelosi promised the American people that under her leadership, the House would “bring transparency… Read More

Flashpreport readers, I invite you to be play a new game.

"Who Said It?"

No, it is not quite as challenging as Jeopardy, but, just like Wheel of Fortune, anyone can play along.

The rules are simple. I am going to list 20 statements. Some were spoken by Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his address before an audience at Columbia University. Other quotes are from members of internet website Dailykos.com, the Democratic Party’s most influential electronic organizing tool. Dailykos, which is affiliated with the Democratic Party, is so influential among that party’s activists corps, leading Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards made time to address the website’s annual membership convention just over a month ago.

I think you’ll be amazed at what… Read More

I would like to send a big “thank you very much” to all the Delta smelt lovers who are responsible for what looks to be an eminent rise in my water rates. When the state recently received a court order to change its pumping operations in the Delta to protect the endangered fish, state officials estimated that the order would result in reducing Delta water deliveries to the equivalent of 2 million homes. For homes in the East Bay served by the Zone 7 water agency, that meant that 80% of our usual water supply that comes from the Delta would be diminished tremendously, and that we would have to import water.

Residents and businesses responded to the crisis with excellent water conservation behavior…and now we’re going to pay for it.

Zone 7 is now looking at a 6% decline in their water demand for 2008, and instead of shaving off bureaucracy no longer needed to serve the needs of a population that did exactly what we were asked to do by conserving water, they are looking at raising our rates so their general fund can continue to hire the same number of people they needed for a greater water demand. The combination of saving fish and conserving our water… Read More

I wonder if it is a coincidence that the Giuliani for President campaign has released a list of it’s California Finance Team leaders in the mist of a five-day California swing by one of his opponents, former Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney. Below are the Giuliani money folks — FR readers should also mentally ad Bill Simon, who is the State Chairman of Rudy’s California effort, and a rather wealthy man in his own regard… It is also worth remembering that the Deputy Campaign Manager for the campaign for Fundraising is none other than the Golden State’s own Ann Dunsmore…

I caught up with Dunsmore this morning to ask her about the list of folks below… Here’s what she said: "We’re really excited about this outstanding group of leaders that have stepped up to head our Finance Team in California."

"They are actually heading up a large and extensive fundraising network that is an integral part of our state and national finance efforts.… Read More

I wonder if it is a coincidence that the Giuliani for President campaign has released a list of it’s California Finance Team leaders in the mist of a five-day California swing by one of his opponents, former Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney. Below are the Giuliani money folks — FR readers should also mentally add Bill Simon, who is the State Chairman of Rudy’s California effort, and a rather wealthy man in his own regard… It is also worth remembering that the Deputy Campaign Manager for the campaign for Fundraising is none other than the Golden State’s own Ann Dunsmore…

I caught up with Dunsmore this morning to ask her about the list of folks below… Here’s what she said: "We’re really excited about this outstanding group of leaders that have stepped up to head our Finance Team in California."

"They are actually heading up a large and extensive fundraising network that is an integral part of our state and national finance efforts.… Read More

At a press conference today in Beverly Hills, Assemblyman Joel Anderson stood alongside legislative and other state leaders in advocating for AB 221, the Iran divestment legislation now awaiting Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature.

Hosting the event was Beverly Hills Mayor Jimmy Delshad, the nation’s first Iranian-American mayor. Iranians now account for over 20 percent of the city’s population, a good reason for Beverly Hills to have such a stake in this issue, a large segment of the citizens wanting to see their homeland stripped of the financial aid fueling terrorism around the world. If CalPERS needs a clue as to what constitutes true patriotism, they only need look to Mayor Delshad and the good people of Beverly Hills.

Also in attendance:

-Assemblymembers Mike Feuer and Lloyd Levine -Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center

-Saeed Jabbari, Senior Analyst Center for Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights -Ron Leibow, Chairman, Jewish Community Relations Council Jewish Federation of Los Angeles

Rabbi Cooper told the media in attendance, including NBC, ABC,… Read More

Jonathan Constantine over at Red County/OC Blog did some blogging from the recently-concluded Western States Republican Conference in San Diego. He had the OC Blog "Cam" in hand, and captured Governor Schwarzenegger’s luncheon remarks. You can check it out, in three parts, here.

For those who don’t want to watch it, it is characterized by Constatine as, "nothing less than a defense of his progressive political shift to Republican voters."

No surprise there.… Read More

Here are some quick comments on a several items: Secretary Paulson and Fed Chairman Bernanketestified again before our Financial Services Committee last Thursday. There were no bombshells. But it is becoming increasingly evident that there will likely be legislation to increase the participation of the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSE’s – Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, et al) in the home loan market. They will be allowed to guarantee and hold more loans, required to participate some more in some subprime loans, and be allowed in high-cost markets (like the greater LA area) to make loans in excess of the current $417,000 limit. In other words, more loans will be "conforming" and less "jumbos." This increased authority will becoupled… Read More