Nothing puts politics and the cost of public policy in perspective like the numbers–especially when reviewing the cold hard cash costs of doing business.

Most of us are Facebook users and also recognize its brand of social and interactive networking media are the future of communications and relationship building. But it’s success shows what an increased cost of doing business might mean.

According to a post I saw by Michael Arrington, Facebook "is likely to be spending well over $1 million per month on electricity alone…[B]andwith is likely another $500,000 or more per month on top of that. The company has earmarked $100 million to buy 50,000 servers this year and next…. At up to $2 million each, that adds up quickly–we’ve heard estimates that they may have spent as much as $30 million thi syear alone…earmak another $15 million per year in office and datacenter rent payments."

He continues: "And don’t forget those human assets. With 750 employees and growing, Facebook is epsnding at least another $10 million per month on payroll.… Read More

No matter what you think about Prop 1A no reasonable person could read the latest e-mail alert from the High Speed Rail Commission and not conclude that it is politically motivated. This one is just over the top.

It is taxpayer funded communication that even includes quotes from a US Senator from Illinois and a US Senator from Delaware that happen to be running on the Democrat ticket for President and Vice President of the United States. It might as well just have an endorsement list for Prop 1A and a "contribute here" button.

This is advocacy for Prop 1A courtesy of the taxpayers of California. It may still be legal but it is still very wrong.

You can read the latest campaign newsletter here.

They were kind enough to take me off their mailing list but enough people forwarded it to me that I got copies anyway.… Read More

La Mesa, California, which is east of San Diego, is on the radar screen of many statewide politicos because it has produced a couple of East San Diego County’s conservative leaders – FR blogger Barry Jantz and former Assemblyman Jay LaSuer, both of whom served for many years on the City Council there. It’s also the home town of current Assemblyman Joel Anderson.

Well, if you ever needed a sign that taxpayers are only safe when the guardians are at the gate, the current iteration of the La Mesa City Council voted by a 4-1 margin to place massive ¾ cent sales tax increase on the November ballot (kudos to Councilwoman Ruth Sterling for voting no).

Fortunately, advocates of the taxpayers in the community are rallying big-time against this dumb idea* of a tax hike. The La Mesa Taxpayers Association has dropped a large mailer citywide opposing the tax. Also, the San Diego County Republican Party has dropped a piece to La Mesa… Read More

In an election shocker, 52nd Congressional candidate Duncan D. Hunter’s lead in recent polling has dropped to a mere 21 percentage points, down from 23 only about three weeks ago!.

See the memo attached below.

I think I’ll take a nap now.… Read More

The California Republican Party has released a new web video: "Joe The Plumber And Millions Like Him" — See it below… … Read More

Early last summer, my husband and I moved the kids 10 miles east of Oakland, “through the tunnel” as they say around here, to the town of Lafayette. We decided to start to get a little benefit of our tax dollars and take advantage of Lafayette’s excellent public schools. (There was no way they were going to public schools in Oakland.)

While we knew that we would still be surrounded by blue state voters, we hoped that Contra Costa County would feel a little more balanced and normal than Oakland. We were thrilled to be leaving Ron Dellums and the mess that is the City of Oakland behind. But, alas, it is still a sea of Obama stickers and signs out here, although there are a few McCain/Palin signs and bumper stickers as well.

As soon as the national campaign started producing “McCain/Palin” signs, I took my children down to the local GOP office in Walnut Creek and got our sign and bumper stickers. On the way home, we talked about the importance of free speech and the responsibility of voting (today, my 13-year-old’s history class is holding a mock election on the presidential race and a handful of state propositions—results will be… Read More

I watched broadcast between 8:30 and 9:00am this morning, flipping to find commercials. Here is what I saw, with comments.

Goldsmith for City Attorney: 1 Aguirre for City Attorney: 1 (something was wrong with the color of the ad) Block for 78th AD: 3 McCann for 78th AD: 4 Bilbray for Congress: 3 Liebham for Congress: 1 Prop 2 No: 3 Prop 7 Yes: 3 (strong ads) Prop 7 No: 4 (strong ads) Prop 8 Yes: 1 Prop 8 No: 1 Prop 4 Yes: 1 (strange ad) Prop 4 No: 1 Prop 5 Yes: 2 No on B: 1 Yes on Prop S: 2 (strange ad)… Read More

It was about 5:30pm on a cool Tuesday evening, Election Night, 1980. I was managing the reelection campaign of a freshman GOP legislator and we were getting the headquarters ready for what we hoped would be a Victory Celebration (it was) later in the evening. The polls had just closed on the east coast, but California voters still had several hours to cast ballots. Many were headed to polling places from work. I had the television tuned to the local NBC news affiliate, when anchorman Tom Brokaw came on screen

“NBC News has just projected that Ronald Wilson Reagan from the state of California has been elected President of the United States.”

Wow. Reagan was my hero, a man I admired as much for his conservative stand on issues as for his extraordinary skill as a communicator. I also felt a personal connection to him. I was just 24, but many of my parents’ friends had known Reagan personally from his time as governor. And a woman on our campaign staff, 8 years my senior, had been Reagan’s secretary when he ran for president in 1976.

Soon after Brokaw’s announcement,… Read More