The New Population Bomb…More on Joe Wilson from the Black Caucus…and Obama’s Duvall Moment

A pundit once told the ABC News "This Week" panel that he was not distraught at the ways of Washington because anyone who has read history knows that there is very little that is truly "new." And so it could be said for the "population bombers" at it again, courtesy of a new study from the London School of Economics. The Washington Post carries it atop page three today, "Every new life, the report says, is a guarantee of new greenhouse gasses, spewed out over decades of driving and electricity use. Seen in that light, we might be our own worst emissions."

"…the study found that $220 billion, spent over the next 40 years, might prevent half a billion births and prevent 34 billion tons of carbon dioxide. The cost measured in 2020, would be about $7 for each ton reduced, the report said–far cheaper than solar power at $51, or wind power at $224." I can think of three ways to prevent a birth,… Read More

This year, I am the Board Chair of the Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District. Last Wednesday we had our monthly meeting. One of the information items was about the Air Resources Board program for Drayage Truck Regulation.

I had not heard the term "drayage truck" before but these are the trucks that go in and out of California ports and intermodal rail yards. You can read more about the Drayage Truck regulation program here.

After listening to the presentation I am convinced that this is exactly the kind of thing that is killing business in California. It is what we elect pro-business candidates to stop.

The concept of the program is that ports and rail yards need to have even more stringent requirement for particulate matter (PM) than other areas of the state. As a result only certain trucks are allowed entry into these facilities to transport goods and material out the gates.

What ultimately happens to trucking outfits with a diverse fleet is that the newer vehicles go in the gate to pick up the haul and… Read More

[Cross-posted from RedCounty.com]

Conservative talk radio host/blogger Eric Hogue has done yeoman’s work charting the political evolution of Steve Poizner from 2004 Assembly candidate to 2009/10 gubernatorial candidate. Poizner and his campaign have been candid about his evolution, and judging from what I’ve read and my own conversations with Poizner, I’m reasonably satisfied his progression on issues of political economy such as taxes has been genuine.

I’m not so sure when it comes to abortion, or at least I’d like some more information.

All three GOPcandidates for governor are pro-choice on abortion. So, in the maneuvering for the allegiances of the GOPgrass roots — which are generally more conservative on the social issues than the donor class — the preferable position is… Read More

There’s a common presumption that the more money government spends on a program the better the outcome. This simply is not so. And nowhere has the failure of massive spending been more evident than California’s education system.

California spends more money on education than any other program in the state — roughly half of the entire budget. Last year, in fact, taxpayers spent close to $69 billion on education.

What has this bought us?

California’s academic performance ranks among the bottom ten in the nation. Drop out rates are appalling. In Los Angeles, home of the largest school district in the state, for every student who graduates, another one drops out.

If additional money were the answer, why do we have so many cases of education’s abysmal performance? To illustrate the point, Elk Grove and Sacramento City Unified, the two largest districts in Sacramento County, enroll similar numbers of English learners, but Elk Grove outperforms Sacramento City by nearly 10 percentage points in English and eight percentage points in math. At the same time, Elk Grove receives nearly $2,200 per student less than Sacramento… Read More

The California Tax Commission is coming close to finalizing a package of so-called reforms to the way Californians pay for their government, and to my amazement, a center-piece of the current likely proposal is what is called a Business Net Receipts Tax (BNRT), which is similar to a value added tax. As proposed, it would apply to all businesses in California, expanding the scope of what is currently taxed in the state from just goods now to services.

This particular element of the Commission’s proposal is clearly something that should be excised. It is criticized from the left this morning in a thoughtful piece from Jean Ross of the big-government supporting California Budget Project over at CalBuzz, and right here on the FlashReport conservative Michelle Steel, one of the two Republicans on the State Board of Equalization, takes the BNRT proposal to task in a piece broadly concerned with the pending report of the commission. Joel Fox also pointed out the concerns of the BNRT to… Read More

The California Tax Commission is coming close to finalizing a package of so-called reforms to the way Californians pay for their government, and to my amazement, a center-piece of the current likely proposal is what is called a Business Net Receipts Tax (BNRT), which is similar to a value added tax. As proposed, it would apply to all businesses in California, expanding the scope of what is currently taxed in the state from just goods now to services.

This particular element of the Commission’s proposal is clearly something that should be excised. It is criticized from the left this morning in a thoughtful piece from Jean Ross of the big-government supporting California Budget Project over at CalBuzz, and right here on the FlashReport conservative Michelle Steel, one of the two Republicans on the State Board of Equalization, takes the BNRT proposal to task in a piece broadly concerned with the pending report of the commission. Joel Fox also pointed out the concerns of the BNRT to… Read More

John Diaz the Chronicle’s editorial page editor has written an interesting and thoughtful column about the dysfunction in the Legislature. He accurately points out that repealing term limits, and going to majority votes for taxes will not solve anything unless other changes take place. If Legislators want to gain more public approval for their actions it will not come by giving them more power. Diaz suggests a number of common sense improvements: no ghost voting, no vote changing, no vote add-ons, let the record of votes stand; no expunging records so that actions disappear; no fundraisers during deadline weeks if for no other reason it is distracting; and not tolerating absent legislators from votes. His suggestions are good ones. But I have more. Bills should be in print for 72 hours before they are voted on. The worst part of legislative mindset is that the end justifies the means. If a legislator has a bill that will save the world or end the common cold, or mandate kindness it still does not justify waiving all the … Read More

Some tidbits, moments of brilliance and just plain funfrom the past seven days…

Politics 101 of the Week… He will forever be known as Hot Mic Duvall, but whether the resigned California assemblyman was telling tall tales of exploit out of turn, or being the male Anaïs Nin of the legislature, the incident did result in more than a few snickers from several corners. "Overheard" on Facebook from an unknown original source is this profound political lesson:

"Always know when the microphone is on. Oh … and don’t have affairs and stuff like that." Sports 101 of the Week (or, a lesson on the ones you don’t take home to mom)… My message to a San Diego Chargers defender regarding his recent alleged domestic flap with a reality TV "star":

"Hey Shawne! First clue this would mean… Read More