When considering the labor movement in the United States, there is a huge distinction between government unions and private sector unions. Government unions elect their own bosses, they operate within agencies that collect taxes instead of having to make a profit by enticing consumers to buy their products, and they operate the machinery of government which means their more zealous members have the ability to intimidate their political opponents. Private sector unions have none of these advantages. They negotiate with managers hired by CEOs who report to shareholders. They negotiate with companies that will go out of business if they over-compensate their workers. And with rare exceptions, workers in private companies are not approving our business permit applications, inspecting our workplaces, or auditing our tax returns.

So where does this put construction unions who compete for government contracts?

This question matters a lot to reformers, because private sector unions, properly regulated, not only have a vital role to play in American society, but their members have the potential to lobby effectively against many of the special interests who are killing… Read More

I’ve just updated here a salient comparison of the median household income of California vs. hated Texas. My last figures were from 2009. Since then it’s gotten even better — for Texas.

According to recent U.S. census figures, the 2014 median household income in California is significantly higher than Texas.

CA — $60,487

TX — $53,875 — 10.9% less than CA (vs. 18.1% less in 2009), though slightly above the national average of $53,657

https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/household/2014/h08.xls

But, ADJUSTED FOR THE COST OF LIVING, the Texas median household income is significantly higher than California.

TX — $58,816

CA — $44,706

https://www.missourieconomy.org/indicators/cost_of_living/index.stm

BOTTOM LINE: TX COL-adjusted median household income is 31.6% higher than CA.… Read More

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Californians running their own businesses are accustomed to having an invasive government. They are also used to the government taking the side of their employees and being considered guilty until proven innocent on any claim asserted against them. But when your company is outside of California, you certainly do not expect these things to happen to you. That is apparently no longer true.

I was contacted by a man named Ben from New Jersey who was referred to me by a client from New York. Ben tells me he had contracted a man to do a website for him that happened to originate from California. He tells me that the man had his own corporation, but for a time during the contract the Computer Maven (Maven) had to be paid directly because his corporation was in formation. Ben tells me he was contacted by Jennifer McPeak from the Employment Development Department (EDD), who asked him a series of leading questions that made him very uncomfortable. Ms. McPeak was asserting Maven had been an employee of Ben’s company and that he had to file for payroll for Maven. My first instruction to Ben was never speak to a California employee as a businessman without a hired gun like… Read More

Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones Announces Bid For Congress

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, one of the most outspoken critics of President Obama’s lackadaisical immigration policy, announced Monday he is running for Congress as a Republican against Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove.

Jones was elected sheriff in 2010. While Jones said today’s immigration and national security issues are a priority, his platform includes economic issues.

Following the deadly shootings and murders of two Sacramento Sheriff deputies last… Read More

Finally, those leaving property to their heirs will be able to avoid the expense of hiring an attorney. There is no need to make the inheritance of real estate so costly that it becomes a hardship on homeowners, especially low income families and seniors.

Currently, for a single person to pass on property to designated heirs requires a will or trust. A will, of course, must be administered through a Probate Court, a process that can be both costly and time-consuming. Trusts – for those who seek to avoid probate – usually require legal advice from an attorney and should be updated periodically. For homeowners on a fixed income, both methods can be prohibitively expensive. (Married individuals can avoid probate when passing property on to the surviving spouse by holding title to their home as community property with right of survivorship or joint tenants with right of survivorship.)

To read entire column click here http://www.hjta.org/california-commentary/%E2%80%8Blawyer-tax-on-real-estate%E2%80%8B-removed-for-now/… Read More

Thomas Del Beccaro, a former chairman of the California Republican Party, is seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated in 2016 by Democrat Barbara Boxer. The burning question most people have for Del Beccaro is WHY? The district is a Democrat stronghold, having elected and reelected Boxer since 1993.

“There are people who run for office, and people who run for ideas,” Del Beccaro said in an interview.

“California has had one-party rule in the U.S. Senate and the California legislature for most of the last twenty years,” Del Beccaro said. “The result has been a state that is number one in poverty, at the bottom in… Read More

A common canard is that government doesn’t work. It DOES work — just often not the way intended.

If we pay people not to work (including SSI and SSDI), fewer people opt to work. It works EXACTLY as any honest economist would predict.

With SSI, one has to PROVE that one can’t work in order to receive the benefits. Ignoring the fact that the system has become too corrupt — dispensing such status far too easily — it’s an incredible anti-work incentive program. Sadly, such programs work all too well.

Salient opening paragraph of article below: Paul Hippolitus, the director of the UC Berkeley Disabled Students’ Program, recalls that when he entered the disability employment field in 1971, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 33% of adults with disabilities worked either full or part time. In September 2015 that estimated rate was down to 20%. “After 44 years of laws, education efforts with employers, tax credits, accessibility efforts, education access—how can this possibly be?”, he asks.

How indeed.… Read More

Following an unsuccessful bid for Congress in November 2014, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Elan Carr is running for Los Angeles County Supervisor in the 5th District, in the November 2016 election.

When asked in an interview why he is running for Los Angeles County Supervisor, Carr said, “I have three young children. My job as a parent is to protect them, imbue them with good values, and then turn over running the state to them.”

“However, if we don’t make the right decisions now, we’ll be handing over to my kids a less safe, less prosperous state,” Carr added.… Read More