The following is a floor speech I delivered on December 1st 2011:

Mr. Speaker:

In the Sierra Foothills in northeastern California lies the little town of Colfax, population 1,800, with a median household income of about $35,000.

Over the past several years, this little town has been utterly plundered by regulatory and litigatory excesses that have pushed the town to the edge of bankruptcy and ravaged families already struggling to make ends meet.

Colfax operates a small wastewater treatment plant for its residents that discharges into the Smuthers Ravine. Because it does so, it operates within the provisions of the Clean Water Act, a measure adopted in 1972 and rooted in legitimate concerns to protect our vital water resources.

The problem is that predatory environmental law firms have discovered how to take unconscionable advantage of that law to reap windfall profits at the expense of working-class families like the townspeople of Colfax.

In the case of Colfax, an environmental law firm demanded every document pertaining to the water treatment plant from the date of its inception. It then poured over those documents… Read More

Recently an article by Conrad Black looking back on the Presidency of Richard Nixon appeared on the National Review Online website. Longtime FR friends Tom Fuentes and Bruce Herschensohn both were moved by the piece. Herschensohn, who worked as a staff member in the Nixon White House once upon a time, penned a brief introduction to the Black people, and encourages you to read it…

The trouble with history is that it is written by historians.

Some of them are fine but too many contemporary historians have opinions of their own and have tried to justify their own actions and inactions during the period of time covered by their books by condemnations of those… Read More

Much has been said in the media about the incident at U.C. Davis where campus police used pepper spray on OccupyDavis protesters. Questions have arisen over the propriety of that level of use of force against “peaceful” protesters who were simply refusing to move. This kind of questioning is good and appropriate. When we give “police powers” to individuals, it is imperative that they are responsible in the use of those powers, and that the public holds these officers accountable for their actions.

That said, I want to draw the attention of FlashReport readers to the video below, sent to me by U.C. Davis College Republican Leader Marcus Shibler. At about eight minutes in length, this video puts the pepper-spray incident in some context — and demonstrates how a large group of “peaceful” demonstrators was not very peaceful at all. And for the first time it shows that U.C. Davis police may not have been just trying to get the OccupyDavis protesters to move, but the protesters may have, in fact, been trying to keep the police from leaving.

I encourage you to watch this full video, if you are investing time into… Read More

The country is in a recession. California has been hit particularly hard, with our situation being exacerbated by the poor housing market, and also being that we are the home to significant areas of wealth creation, such as the Silicon Valley. The poor economy has been very difficult for people. Many that had jobs now find themselves unemployed, and a good number of those still employed have had to suffer pay reductions or cut-backs in hours. The worsening of the economy has necessarily led to a significant reduction in tax revenues to state and local governments. If people are making less money, they are paying less in taxes – and if you aren’t making money at all, chances are you are not only paying no taxes, but are actually taking a government subsidy of some sort.

It is not rocket science to figure out that the number one priority for everyone should be economic recovery. When our economy is humming along once again, it will mean an increase in everyone’s standard of living – and it will also increase tax revenues to governments. The bad news for the liberals running the State of California is that the two things that state government can do to… Read More

Regular readers know that I am not surprised by the failure of the 12 members of the “Super Committee” to come up with an agreement for $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years. But, I am surprised that Speaker Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Reid did not come up with something. Now, because there was no agreement, the so-called “sequester” or automatic cuts are scheduled to become law on January 1, 2012, although the cuts do not actually begin to occur until one year later.

So, you might ask, what happens next? Because of the 23 Senate Democrats who are up for reelection next year, the Senate majority is extremely risk averse. They literally seem as though they don’t want to vote on anything with any controversy for fear that either a yes vote or a no vote will cost them popular support at home. Dozens of bills that have passed the House, some by large bipartisan majorities, have not and apparently will not even be considered in the Senate. So, it looks like nothing much is going to happen in dealing with the deficit for some time to come, right?

Actually, not right. Congress has become even more… Read More

One of the questions that I get most frequently from media reporters about the 2012 elections in California is whether or not Republican can defeat incumbent United States Senator Dianne Feinstein. Knowing that Feinstein’s polling numbers have been the lowest of her career, my response has always started with the quip, “Not if we don’t have a candidate.”

Elizabeth Emken may have the answer. This former National Vice President for Autism Speaks has been quietly assembling a campaign infrastructure and preparing for a run against the incumbent of nearly twenty years.

I first came across Emken as a candidate for the Republican for the GOP nomination for Congress in the 11th District, held by Democrat Jerry McNerney. While she didn’t win the GOP nomination in that race, she impressed me at the time.

My first opportunity to sit down with Emkin was at the California Republican Party’s Fall Convention this year in Los Angeles. I have to admit that I found her to be an impressive individual. While drive and determination won’t win you a U.S. Senate race, they are certainly two necessary qualifications — and… Read More

Longtime FlashReport friend Chris Reed, who wields a remarkably sharp pointed and witted pen, has returned to the blogosphere with his new blog, CalWhine.com. You should visit his site and bookmark it. Chris will be commenting on the passing political scene, and we will all be better for it! In his “day job” Chris works on the editorial team at the San Diego Union Tribune, and I actually first met Chris when he was working with the editorial team at the Orange County Register. I’m quite certain Chris would want me to make sure I mention that what he pens over at his own website is his own opinion, and not (necessarily) that of his employer.

You can be sure that our FR editors will be stopping by CalWhine and linking to great content. Below are a couple of headlines to stories that appear right now! — CalBuzz — Unsophisticated And Lazy? — Damned Right and Status Quo-Worshipping CTA Rejects Tax Plan… Read More

As the world passes through what is arguably the greatest period of instability since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Republican presidential contenders are providing Americans with a clearer idea of how they believe America should navigate these rough seas.

You can bet that our allies, as well as our adversaries, were watching last night’s CNN/Heritage Foundation/American Enterprise Institute foreign policy debate.

At the top of the list of the most unpopular states among Republican Presidential contenders are Iran and its satellite Syria. Newt Gingrich called for regime change in Iran while Governor Perry advocated for a no-fly zone over Syria. Perry spent the most time explaining, accurately, the link between the Syrian regime and the mullahs in Tehran.

There was little love shown for Pakistan’s government as well. Michelle Bachmann correctly pointed out, although somewhat awkwardly, that Pakistan is “too nuclear to fail.” Governor Perry took a particularly hard line on foreign aid to Pakistan, given the country’s pattern of not fully cooperating with the war on the Taliban.

Governor Romney… Read More