I usually don’t respond to what others have said here on the Flash Report, because usually no response is required, but as I was doing my morning reading (for me it is morning, since I am on the other side of the world right now, and yes, the Flash Report is the first thing I read when I wake up here). I saw Jennifer Nelson’s comments, and I thought, I really understand the frustration.

In 1991, Pete Wilson raised taxes, and pushed legislators to do the same, basically saying what Ms. Nelson said–Democrats exploded spending in the 1980’s, and when George Deukmejian resisted, the Dems went out and passed Prop 98, which has literally destroyed any semblance of spending control since then. Republicans were blamed for the tax increase.

Between 1998, in the midst of a then record increase in spending (from $43 billion general fund in the 1996-97 budget to $57 billion gf in the 1998-99 budget), Republicans pushed for and received a $4 billion car tax cut. Spending in the next two budget cycles (1999-2000 and 2000-01) increased $22 billion, from $57 billion gf to $79 billion gf. Guess who and what got blamed for the deficits of $11 billion… Read More

Sometimes you really can’t make this stuff up.

As has been reported online in the Sacramento Bee, and blogged about briefly by me, last night I quickly penned a resolution for the upcoming GOP convention that is kind of a "fill in the bank" censure of GOP legislators that potentially will have voted for a tax increase before our February 20th gathering. There’s another resolution, by the way, praising our legislators for opposing taxes. It’s my hope and expectation that my resolution will get tabled, and that it will be the other that is unanimously adopted.

Now on the Bee’s Capitol Alert blog, Democrat Assembly Speaker Karen Bass responds to my introduction of this resolution, saying:… Read More

Just got done on the floor. The Assembly approved on a party line vote (AJR 4) supporting the almost trillion dollar "stimulus" federal package. The package has money for ACORN, smoking cessation, digitial TV coupons,honey bee insuranceand over $4 billion for "neighborhood stabilization activities"and who knows what else.

I was proudthat no Republican voted for theresolution.… Read More

Over on the Capitol Alert blog of the Sacramento Bee, Shane Goldmacher has penned a piece on a "place holder" resolution that I have submitted to the State GOP Convention for its potential consideration in a few weeks. Goldmacher’s piece doesn’t mention that there is another companion resolution that praises our GOP legislators for holding the line on taxes, to go along with mine that is a framework for censuring GOPers in the Capitol that vote to impose higher taxes in Californians in response to our state’s overspending crisis.

The resolution was submitted yesterday because the State GOP rules require that resolutions be submitted three weeks prior to the convention to be considered timely.

I really have no reason to believe that legislative Republicans plan on being enablers for higher taxes here in California. If, as some have said, there are Republicans who think there is a better "deal" for taxpayers in the form of some sort of spending cap and other concessions from the left, I guess if that ever develops and is voting for by… Read More

This morning a press conference was held, conducted by a group of taxpayer advocacy organizations and pro-taxpayer state legislators. They included Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Tom Hudson, the executive director of the California Taxpayer Protection Committee, Ted Costa, president of The People’s Advocate, Chris Hunt, executive director of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, and Assemblymembers Ted Gaines, Curt Hagman and Roger Niello.

The commentary below was penned by Assemblyman Gaines, who is pictured speaking at the conference at the State Capitol… (Also in this particular photo, from left to right are Jon Coupal, Curt Hagman, Roger Niello, and Tom Hudson)

It’s interesting to follow the budget crisis from afar. It’s starting to hit home with regular folks, as I witnessed in a conversation last week at my kid’s school. One parent was stressed because she runs homes for disabled children and she is looking at losing state funding this week. She was upset not only because she didn’t know what that would mean for her clients, but because she carries a monthly payroll of $100,000 and she wasn’t sure how she was going to continue to pay her employees. Not to mention that the business is her only means of income.

At the same time,there are lots of frantic e-mails going out from the public schools begging parents to call the Legislature and Gov. Schwarzenegger and tell them to spare the schools from any cuts. I tried to tell a parent who was handing out a form letter that the schools have one of the most monied and powerful lobby in Sacramento and the letters wouldn’t have any real effect on the process. I think she thought I was the devil.

As I… Read More

The California State Lottery Commission approved a $185 million design contract for a new building. $185 million. The Legislature has already approved going asking voters to chnage management of the Lottery.

Why do we need this huge new building now. The cost per office is aorund a half a million pieces. I just put in Legislation to stop the contract and divert the money to education.

The money saved will be diverted to help our public schools.

During this budget crisis, the last thing we should be doing is wasting money and time on a building we don’t need.

How can we justify this spending, while schools are sending layoff notices to our teachers? Children in classrooms need the money more than the lottery bureaucrats need a new building.

Taxpayers should feel insulted when they pick up the newspaper in the morning and read stories about stuff like this.

It’s unconscionable and this bill will stop it.… Read More

Last week Americans United for Life (AUL) released its sixth annual ranking of the most pro-life states in America. Unsurprisingly, California ranked dead last. This ranking is well deserved considering liberal California legislators are notorious for their blind allegiance to the abortion lobby.

A perfect example of this devotion was last session’s SB 850, Senator Abel Maldonado’s bill to give still birth certificates to mothers with still-born children. I recall during a committee hearing on the bill the gut-wrenching testimony of several mothers who described the excitement about their pregnancies, the anticipation of their sons or daughters’ birth and then the devastation at what should have been a joyful moment. No sooner had the mothers finished their testimony than Planned Parenthood, NOW and ACLU lobbyists marched forward to protest the bill’s attack on Roe v. Wade. (It would be unconstitutional to acknowledge the child was alive before it left… Read More