I have to admit to having been a bit nervous and distracted all week. You see I was asked by popular conservative radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock (the former Mayor of San Diego) if I would be willing to guest-host a day of his program, as he would be on vacation. Of course I agreed, but it was only a few days ago that I started to understand how much work goes on “off the air” in order to put on a great radio program for three hours. That having been said, I think that we pulled it off. And when I say we, it is not the “royal”” we — I want to thank longtime FR friend Jennifer Jacobs, who works with Hedgecock, and was very helpful (especially yesterday in studio) in keeping me sane.

The show is cut up into three segments — Hour 1, Hour 2, and Hour 3 — and was recorded yesterday from 3pm – 6pm and is now available for your listening pleasure, if you missed out on it live. I will provide the direct links the the MP3 files below, but all of Roger’s shows are on iTunes, and also available on his own website, RogerHedgecock.com.

Hour… Read More

According to the Los Angeles Times, Governor Jerry Brown is “leaning against” a proposed deal to bring an estimated 7,000 Amazon.com jobs to California. The Governor is concerned that a deal would somehow cost the state revenue.

If the Governor truly believes the ‘Amazon Tax’ is going to generate millions in revenue for the state this year, he’s mistaken. Board of Equalization staff have determined that the projected $200 million in revenue will not materialize this year.

As of today we’re not aware of a single online retailer that has registered with BOE to collect sales tax because of AB 28X. According to Board of Equalization staff, the number of out-of-state registrations in July 2011 was actually lower than July 2010.

Additionally, should a referendum qualify for the ballot, the law would be suspended until a vote of the people in June or November of next year. That would mean the ‘Amazon Tax’ would be a guaranteed money loser this fiscal year, since terminated affiliates will pay… Read More

My good friend Rex Hime recently penned a column for the Flash Report citing several instances where conservatives in other states supported “e-fairness” legislation.

That’s an interesting debate for another day. The issue before us today is not about the “Amazon Tax” itself—that bill already passed the Legislature this summer with only one Republican vote.

The issue before us is whether or not Republican lawmakers should support Assembly Bill 155—a blatant attempt by Democrats to block California voters from holding a referendum on the “Amazon Tax.” By cementing this failed policy into law with a 2/3rds vote of the Legislature, California voters would be denied the opportunity to overturn the “Amazon Tax.”

AB 155 is a slap in the face to the nearly one million California voters who have already signed petitions calling for a referendum of the “Amazon Tax.”

The Democrats know California voters aren’t on their side on this issue. A recent… Read More