Governor Schwarzenegger this morning announced that instead of waiting until after the results of the May 19th Special Election to issue his required proposed May Revisions to the State Budget, that instead he will go ahead and issue his proposals later this week — in fact, he will offer two different proposals, one in the unlikely event that the May ballot propositions pass, and one for the more likely outcome that those ballot propositions will fail.

The Governor, never one to admit defeat until the body is cold, is apparently not done with the last minute efforts to try and bully the public into voting for his ballot propositions by painting for them some sort of draconian picture of where the state will be if they have to trim an additional $6 billion of costs because of the failures of 1C, 1D, and 1E.

Have you ever heard of the Washington Monument theory? As the story goes, every time someone says that the National… Read More

So when the Legislature decided to take more money out of your pocket to fix the state budget in February, they got out their calculators and plugged in higher tax rates. Their calculators told them they would get more money. Despite the fact that I, and others, were shouting from the rooftops that higher costs affect consumers’ behavior and they would not get the revenues they said they would, they went ahead and raised the Sales and Use Tax by 14 percent.

I just got the rough totals for April, the first month of the increase, and sales tax revenue is down 12% from last year. And even more dramatic, the revenues are 7% below the estimates made by the government less than two months ago when the big budget and tax increase deal was adopted. Tax increases again seem to exacerbate the effects of a declining economy. I will have much more on this next week, but I see no justification for extending this harmful tax increase by voting for Prop 1A.… Read More

Publisher’s Note: Both of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for Governor next year are in the process of putting together their campaign structure to carry them through to the primary, and each campaign would tell you, through the general election. Recently, both campaigns have brought on new campaign managers, and today and tomorrow we’ll be spotlighting each of them, starting today with Poizner’s new hire, Jim Bognet.

FR readers should understand that a campaign manager is typically not a campaign “strategist” or a consultant (which is not to say that a CM wouldn’t have a seat at the campaign strategy table). This position is usually the senior staff spot on a campaign, and typically it falls to this person to ensure that all of the aspects of a campaign are being executed upon and are moving forward. Needless to say, this role with a Gubernatorial level campaign is quite complex and time consuming, and requires a top notch operative… Flash… Read More

Publisher’s Note: Both of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for Governor next year are in the process of putting together their campaign structure to carry them through to the primary, and each campaign would tell you, through the general election. Recently, both campaigns have brought on new campaign managers, and today and tomorrow we’ll be spotlighting each of them, starting today with Poizner’s new hire, Jim Bognet. FR readers should understand that a campaign manager is typically not a campaign “strategist” or a consultant (which is not to say that a CM wouldn’t have a seat at the campaign strategy table). This position is usually the senior staff spot on a campaign, and typically it falls to this person to ensure that all of the aspects of a campaign are being executed upon and are moving forward. Needless to say, this role with a Gubernatorial level campaign is quite complex and time consuming, and… Read More

The Lincoln Club of Fresno County has put together some comprehensive information on the upcoming May 19th ballot initiatives. You can find it at www.fresnolincolnclub.org..

Thanks.… Read More

Mom, wife and daughter today. No time for more than some kwik thoughts….

Rolling Gray Davis out of mothballs in support of the tax/excuse measures on the May 19 ballot? Inanely laughable.

Just so I have it straight, the big guy who ran against the budget mess created by Gray Davis,then exacerbated the mess himself, now taps Davis in a last ditch effort to fool the voters into what he claims will fix the mess? A recalled and pummelled Davis is going to help pass this six-pack of Austrian backwash?

I’ve seen lots of campaign desperation over the years. (Think Michael Dukakis in the final days admitting to being a liberal in an attempt to solidify the core base, when the campaign knew the rest of the nation wasn’t with him.)

But, how any consultant worth anything can actually think Davis could assist to get a tax package passed is beyond me. The yes folks already had the firefighters. Pretty difficult for the no forces to attack that. Now, Arnold and Co. have Gray Davis, the equivalent ofhanding a stick to the opposition.

Good luck with that.

Just about the most ridiculously dumb thing I’ve… Read More

For some weekend reading, I am pleased to present this commentary from freshman Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue…

PROP 1A: DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS Assemblyman Dan Logue

I recently led a legislative fact finding mission to Nevada where we heard from businesses that fled California’s burdensome taxes and regulations for a more welcoming environment across the state line. We now face 11.2% unemployment in our state, the highest on record, with only three other states worse off. In the midst of this crisis, on May 19th Californians will vote on Proposition 1A, a $16 billion tax increase that will cost the average family an additional $1100 per year.

Undoubtedly, Prop. 1A is a step in the wrong direction. The measure raises income tax, sales tax, almost doubles the hated car tax and costs families with children another $200 per year by eliminating the child tax credit.

Proposition 1A… Read More

For some weekend reading, I am pleased to present this commentary from freshman Republican Assemblyman Dan Logue…

PROP 1A: DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS Assemblyman Dan Logue

I recently led a legislative fact finding mission to Nevada where we heard from businesses that fled California’s burdensome taxes and regulations for a more welcoming environment across the state line. We now face 11.2% unemployment in our state, the highest on record, with only three other states worse off. In the midst of this crisis, on May 19th Californians will vote on Proposition 1A, a $16 billion tax increase that will cost the average family an additional $1100 per year.

**There is more – click the link**

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