Foreign Affairs: Many of you may have heard me say before that the most important function of the federal government is, as the preamble to the Constitution says, "to provide for the common defence" and to deal with issues involving our relations with nations around the globe and our place in the world. It is one of the few provinces ofgovernance which is reserved exclusively for the federal government and not for state or local governments. Furthermore, if we mess it up, the consequences of major war or some other national crisis can make our everyday domestic issues pale in significance. Lately, there has been, and I think there always will be, lots of activity in Congress on issues relating to foreign affairs. Here is just a sampling of some of the debates going on currently: … Read More

(Obligatory confession: Jack is a friend of mine.)

Last night I attended a fundraiser for Jack’s campaign for Newport Beach City Council. Newport Beach –for those unaware –has a potentially earthshattering election coming up in November, one that will see six out of its seven city council seats on the ballot. Four of the current councilmembers were appointed to their positions by colleagues or former colleagues. Loads of moneyare expected to be spent on the campaigns. And Newport’s elections are odd, requiring the prospective councilmember to live inthe geographic district for the seat they’re seekingwhile the voting is at-large (meaning any one of the roughly sixty thousand registered voters within the boundaries of the City of Newport Beach can vote for any candidate, regardless of the district).

Jack is a terrificimage ofCalifornia’s next generation of political leaders. He surfs with his local congressman (Rohrabacher), takes an interest in his community (I know he wouldn’t want… Read More

With his decision to support new spending for health care and insurance coverage for illegal alien children, Governor Schwarzenegger has in essence poured a vat of honey on legislative Republicans and pushed them into the grizzly bear habitat.

The Republican members of the State Assembly and Senate are now once again the only thing standing in the way of this poor excuse for public policy. And as Karen Hanretty has already pointed out, they will be on the receiving end of relentless attacks through the rest of the budget process.

The governor has also successfully further alienated the vast majority of voters, regardless of party. Perhaps the Governor doesn’t care about public opinion and good for him. But back in the real world where public opinion matters, especially in an election year, his words are problematic.

**There is more – click the link**… Read More

With his decision to support new spending for health care and insurance coverage for illegal alien children, Governor Schwarzenegger has in essence poured a vat of honey on legislative Republicans and pushed them into the grizzly bear habitat.

The Republican members of the State Assembly and Senate are now once again the only thing standing in the way of this poor excuse for public policy. And as Karen Hanretty has already pointed out, they will be on the receiving end of relentless attacks through the rest of the budget process.

The governor has also successfully further alienated the vast majority of voters, regardless of party. Perhaps the Governor doesn’t care about public opinion and good for him. But back in the real world where public opinion matters, especially in an election year, his words are problematic.

Compassion is the word that comes mind after several that the G rated nature of the Flash Report won’t allow me to exclaim. I know some will claim that providing health care to all children is the compassionate thing to… Read More

[With updates]

It appears that Governor Schwarzenegger and the liberal Democratic legislature have made a calculated decision to hold up the $100 billion state budget over taxpayer funded health care to illegal immigrants.

I don’t know who’s advice the governor is taking, what focus group told his senior staff (government and/or campaign) that expanding bureaucracy for illegal immigrants is a winning issue, or what the horseshoe’s exit strategy is for getting a budget passed, but kudos to the Republican members of the California state legislature for holding firm on 1) not passing a budget that ignores the structural deficit and 2) not passing a budget that increases bureaucratic spending on health care for illegal immigrants.

The Sac Bee reported today at 1:46 PM:

“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger disagreed with his fellow Republicans in the Legislature over the issue of health care for undocumented children Thursday, saying the state should… Read More

Of all the ways of attacking the problem of illegal immigration in our country, identifying, arresting and deporting the illegal alien criminal element is the most responsible and noble.

It is a cause that virtually all Americans can get behind.

This week the U. S. Dept. of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did exactly what they ought to be doing…arrested thousands of illegal aliens who are known criminals. Their plan is to prosecute them, incarcerate them and then deport them once they have done their time..

You’ll notice that this was in no way a Mexican-centered sweep. Illegal alien criminals were arrested that hailed from Columbia, Senegal, China, Poland and my favorite…Cape Verde apparently a country according to the CIA.

From the ICE Press Release:

Houston, Texas – Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), today announced that ICE agents and officers have apprehended approximately 2,179 criminal aliens, illegal alien gang… Read More

Club for Growth has a post today on their blog about Brian Bilbray’s about face on the issue on congressional earmarks. They point out what he said in the campaign and his FOUR votes againt ammendments proposed to curtail congressional pork. See post here.

One of the reasons CRA opposed Bilbray in the primary was his past history as a congressman. Despite the many assurances that things would change they didn’t. Business as usual

Bilbray wasn’t alone in continuing these congressional practices. Only Dan Lungren voted for a couple of the ammendments. The rest of the GOP delegation voted four times to protect secret earmarks and pork spending projects. Then they all voted for a bill that had 1500 earmarks.

When Democrats were in power, the GOP stood as the check on uncontrolled wasteful spending. But who will check the GOP???… Read More

Well, we just adjourned a bit ago, losing a chance to make some positive history, passing the budget by the true constititional deadline.

The June 15 constitutional deadline will expire at midnight on the $100,000,000,000.00+ California State Budget proposal with no actionover onthe Senate floor or on our side on the Assembly floor. The sticking points being cutting back over a billion in late spending additions and the inclusion of $24 million for health care benefits for children of illegal immigrants…the latter being a huge philosophicalproblem for Republicans and a non-starter for pretty much any Republican support of a budget proposal with such funding in it.

The trouble is both sides know that the 2/3’s vote required to pass the budget won’t happen with that in there. Potentially, it could’ve been on time without this game being played but the mentality is that the effective deadline is really June 30 as after that,people, state employees, contractors with the state, start not to be paid on July 1 and the complaining then moves the legislature to act.

The fight over the illegal immigrant children… Read More