It seems that we are already starting to hear the "insider" crowd in Sacramento talking about a budget deal that includes more cuts combined with some sort of tax increase . It wasn’t so long ago that we heard this same idea. In fact, it was just last year when the Governor and the legislature concocted a plan to jam average tax payers with over $12 billion in higher income, sales and car taxes (as well as a cut in the child tax credit) in exchange for what? Yes, there were some spending cuts — but California can’t print money (thank goodness), so cuts will happen as a function of running out of spendable cash. The "big" reform put on the table by politicos was a very weak ballot measure that purported to be a spending cap but was proven to not be able to withstand a concerted effort by a future Governor and legislature to overspend. And to get that weak spending reform one had to vote to extend the massive tax increases for yet another two years. It’s also worth mentioning that in the 2009 budget was a sickening back-room side-deal where a portion of the new revenues captured by all of the broad… Read More

Almost three years ago I penned a blog on this very web site expressing my dismay that Republicans were participating in the “There Ought to Be a Law” contest favored by legislators in generating new ideas for bills. Just because a legislator can introduce a new law doesn’t mean he or she should. Every legislative session the Democrats burden Californians with excessive taxes and regulations. Republicans have the perfect opportunity to provide a stark contrast as the smaller-government party. I suggested a “There Ought NOT to be a Law” contest as an alternative for Republicans to show ways they are reining in spending and cutting bureaucracy. Well, freshman Senator (and fellow FR blogger) Doug LaMalfa has taken … Read More

A few random thoughts for your Tuesday amusement…

One has to wonder when observing the "Christopher Columbus Myth Free Zone" signs when entering Berkeley if there are any normal people left in that city, which has become a petri dish of left-wing experimentation. Tonight the City Council will consider a resolution that more or less heaps exalted status on Private First Class Bradley Manning, who is suspected of providing WikiLeaks with over a quarter-million confidential military documents, a new city policy concerning radioactivity from cell phones, and receive a staff report letting them know that their decision to create two "parking meter holidays" in December will cost the city $52,000 bucks. All in a nights work in whacky-town. This week State Senator Mark Leno, who hails from San Francisco, introduced legislation that would require that public school classroom textbooks be re-written with historical details about the gay movement, and to highlight GLBT people who have played a significant role in our country’s history. GLBT stands for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual. According to … Read More

There are two recounts in progress in OC.

One was initiated by a Fullerton planning commissioner Doug Chaffee, a Democrat who was down 90 votes in the certified results. After today, he is now down 91 votes. Maybe he’ll give tomorrow a try again, but with loosing a vote, I can’t imagine he’d want to keep paying to loose ground.

The other recount was started by Constantine “Dean” Zarkos, appointed Los Alamitos Councilmember who is down 20 votes. Not much to report there. I wish Zarkos had won. But it is very hard to make big swings in votes on recounts – especially in such a well run shop as OC Registrar Neal Kelley runs.

Political attorney Steve Baric is working for both McKinley, who is ahead of Chaffee in Fullerton and for Zarkos. Also on hand today at the Registrar were McKinley consultant Dave Ellis and GOP staffer George Andrews.… Read More

This just in from Mark Standriff, Communications Director over at the California Republican Party…

(Alternative working title: There’s nothing very funny about THIS Leno) During last summer’s budget debate on the state Senate floor, it was particularly disturbing to hear Senate Budget Chairwoman Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego) attempt to equate tax cuts with spending increases. I suppose from a balancing-the-books-on-a-squeaky-unicycle point of view, it makes some sense to look at tax cuts and government spending increases in the same light. Setting aside the fact that tax cuts actually spur economic growth while spending increases only increase spending, each makes it difficult to immediately balance a complex budget. That’s the problem with confusing the never was with the already has. But our lawmakers are supposed to be fiscally savvy. They are our public servants. When… Read More

The new Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway just announced the members of her leadership team:

Assembly Republican Caucus Chair:Brian Nestande Assistant Republican Floor Leader:Curt Hagman Assistant Republican Leaders: Steve Knight andCameron Smyth Chief Republican Whips: Bill Berryhill andDan Logue Republican Whips: Nathan Fletcher, Kristin Olsen Deputy Floor Manager:Brian Jones

Read the press release here.Republicans willface huge challenges this year, especially considering Democrats dominate the legislature and hold every statewide office. This leadership team will be taxpayers’ advocates as Governor Brown and his legislative cohorts try to raise taxes to cover the $25+ billion dollar deficit. Congrats to all nine of these lawmakers who will be serving in leadership–taxpayers are counting on you to hold the line and represent our interests in a very hostile environment.… Read More

Senate President Darrell Steinberg has been pushing the idea that as part of a retooling of our government. Specifically, he would like to offload some current responsibilities of state government onto local governments — presumably counties and cities. Needless to say, taxpayers should be very wary of Steinberg’s plan, because on its face it looks like a rather naked attempt to take more money out of your pocket to feed the always-hungry appetite of government.

Hmmm. It’s time to play a new game, "Are you smarter than a State Senate President?"

If the state offloads to local governments things for which it is currently responsible for paying, but does not also move revenue streams from state government to local governments to pay for them, who will pay that bill? Well, the answer to this is pretty straightforward. Part of Steinberg’s plan, as he will tell you, is to conjointly saddle local governments with new mandates, and also lower the vote threshold needed for local governments to raise taxes.

Or to put it more simply, Steinberg would like to balance the state’s budget… Read More

Unless aliens abducted you to their planet this week, you are probably aware of the "deal" struck between the President and Congressional Republicans and Democrats to extend the 2001/2003 tax cuts for 2 years for everyone. However, it is not just an agreement to extend current tax rates. The plan pegs the death tax (currently at zero) at 35% for estates over $5 million. It also includes a one year reduction in the employee’s share of the social security tax by 2%; a 13 month renewal of unemployment benefits, which maintains the 99 week total cap; a 2 year extension of most of the tax provisions from the 2009 stimulus bill, including the earned income tax credit which gives people a "tax rebate" when they have not paid any taxes; and various other provisions, like a 100% write-off for business equipment for one year.

As I write this, the bill to reflect this agreement has just come out. But, of course, no one has read it yet. So, all analysis of this bill must necessarily be an estimate. It appears, though, that the "cost" of this bill will be close to $1 trillion over the next 2 years. Some of this is the "cost" of letting… Read More