The commonly-heard term “anti-tax group” is interesting. If you oppose tax INCREASES, then you are labeled by the press as “anti-tax.”

Really? I doubt that almost any of the opponents of tax increases want to do away with taxes, but that’s the inference.

Okay, fair is fair. What should we call the groups that always want to RAISE our taxes? “Pro-tax groups”? You’d think so.

Do these pro-tax groups want ALL our money going into taxes? I doubt few if any do.

Yet it makes as much sense to conclude that tax increase proponents want 100% taxes as it makes to accuse those opposing tax increases as wanting 0% taxes. Funny, come to think of it, I don’t recall EVER hearing of a liberal media outlet referring to tax increase advocates as “pro-tax.” But if one side is “anti-tax,” SURELY the other side is “pro-tax.”

Apparently not.… Read More

There are four factors suggested for our nation’s relatively improving unemployment figures.

More private sector hiring. More of the “unemployed” dropping out of the labor market — they no longer count as unemployed. More companies making full-time jobs into part-time jobs — to reduce the costs of ObamaCare and other benefit expenses. It spreads the work around — and gives the illusion of improving unemployment. A federal effort to cook the books before the election by encouraging false responses to the monthly unemployment sample questionnaires.

I don’t think the last one is significant or even true. I’m not a believer in big conspiracies — someone always tattles. I guess we’ll find out after the election — as cooked books on this scale cannot be maintained. If it IS a conspiracy by Obamabureaucrats, we will see animpressive“unexpected adjustment” upward in unemployment rates in December or January.

As for the other factors, I would rank “2” and “3” ahead of “1” in importance, but it’s… Read More

Even after California State University instructors received a mild rebuke for campaigning for Proposition 30 during class time, Gov. Jerry Brown is now making rounds to the state’s colleges and universities trying to convince students to vote for his tax increase ballot measure.

Despite the rebuke, state college instructors and professors continue to promote Prop. 30 during class time, according to Daniel Harrison, a student at California State University Fresno, and president of the Fresno State College Republicans. “From talking about Prop. 30 during irrelevant class time, to student fees funding campaign materials, to giving an essay exam question mandating students explain the rationale and virtues of Governor Brown’s tax initiative, Fresno State is using taxpayer dollars for illegal political advocacy,” Harrison said.

In a press release this week, Harrison said, “The use of college campuses around California to promote Proposition 30, a current ballot initiative that people in California will vote on next month, has crossed the line of legality.”

Harrison said during a CalWatchDog.com interview that he became concerned about the college… Read More

This guest blog post is authored by Emily Ekins, who is the Director of Polling for the Reason Foundation… For our politicos, note that the jump below in the first graph goes to a new statewide survey with new polling numbers on Propositions 30, 32 and 38.

Poll Finds Californians Are More Ready for Wisconsin-Like Reforms Than You Might Think

No one is going to mistake Gov. Jerry Brown for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but our new Reason-Rupe telephone poll of likely voters in California finds emerging signs that even California’s Democratic-leaning electorate has grown weary of the state’s tax increases and may be ready for some Wisconsin-like reforms.

Adjusted for inflation, California’s government spending increased 42 percent per capita from 2000 to 2010, but the Reason-Rupe poll finds that just 14 percent of likely voters believe California’s government spending over that decade improved the quality of life in the state. In fact, 52 percent tell… Read More

This morning I will join other elected officials, community leaders and Amazon.com representatives at an opening ceremony for the company’s new San Bernardino fulfillment center.

As an elected member of the State Board of Equalization, I have the unique privilege of working with job creators like Amazon. I want to help these companies succeed in our state in the face of many tax and regulatory obstacles.

In my remarks, I will applaud Amazon’s decision to voluntarily invest in California, bringing thousands of jobs to our state. I will stress that working cooperatively with job creators like Amazon is the most effective way to rebuild California’s economy.

The new Amazon fulfillment center in San Bernardino lies just outside the boundaries of my current Board of Equalization district. However, in 2014 the district I currently represent will be reshaped by redistricting to include both Amazon’s new San… Read More

First there was “global warming.” Then it became “climate change” when warm temperatures cooled.

But in California, the California Environmental Protection Agency is promoting global warming again.

“State releases plan to deal with extreme heat caused by global warming,” the CalEPA press release stated. “In the wake of the hottest July ever recorded in the United States, California state agencies today released a plan to deal with extreme heat caused by global warming,” the CalEPA warned.

The hottest July ever recorded in the U.S.? What about California? It wasn’t that hot in our state in July.

“Every year people in California succumb to extreme heat,” said California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Matt Rodriquez, who chairs the state’s Climate Action Team, the press release reported.

Demonstrative of an agency looking for a problem to solve, the CalEPA’s proposed plan states:

“Some of the proposed recommendations in this draft document… Read More

I posted this on another website I blog for during the presidential election (roadtothewhitehouse2012.com). I don’t usually comment on national politics here, because that is not what my role in this blog is usually about, but I liked this article, and wanted to share it with as many people as possible. Enjoy.

I have to say that, after this second debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, that President Obama has nothing on Sir Mix-a-Lot. You remember him? He had a famous rap song in the 1990’s “Baby Got Back”, talking about what he appreciates about women. In a way, like Sir Mix-a-Lot, President Obama, in his debate performance, showed that he likes big buts… “I believe in free enterprise as the greatest job creator in history, but…..” “I believe in the second amendment, but…..” “I believe in curbing illegal immigration, but….” “I believe in a balanced budget, but…..” “I believe in developing new energy sources, but…” “My policies have grown this economy, but…..” “I believe in… Read More

The Proposition 37 campaign has released a new television commercial today, that hopefully nails it with voters. I have seen a lot of misguided and terrible ballot measures over the years, but I have trouble thinking of one as lame as this one. While at first glance you think, “Sure I want truth in labeling” for what I buy — you quickly realize that this measure, carefully crafted by both self-interested business interests and trial lawyers — really doesn’t do that at all. If you want to “wonk up” on the myriad of ways this measure sucks, everything you want to know (and don’t want to know) is here. Anyways, here is there latest ad…

… Read More