• The top story in the Washington Post today is about how support for the President and Congress are losing support from conservatives in a big way.  Two of the main reasons are out-of-control spending, and failure to deal with the illegal immigration issue.  If you figure that any Republican, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, needs conservatives to turn out in November, what is the GOP campaign going to be to conservatives who want SPENDING cuts (note, that is different than tax cuts) and strong action on the illegal immigration issue?
• It is no surprise that the House Appropriations Committee yesterday passed out language ending the legislative prohibition on offshore drilling for natural gas (not for petroleum).  With gas prices rising, and with increasing concern about dependence on gas from the middle-east, constituents of Members of Congress from all around are calling on Congress to do something.  The $100 tax credit for gas purchases was a dumb idea.  However, opening up the supply of American-produced natural gas or petroleum will bring down prices, and reduce our need for foreign oil.  These are the reasons why drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and well off of the coastlines of the United States is going to become more and more politically enticing to Congress. 
• It is amazing to note the voracious appetite of the California Teachers Association and related ‘educrats’ for money, money, money for the California education system.  But the one thing they don’t want is innovation, free-market, principles or to introduce the idea of more parental control in education.  The problems facing the education system in California are that it is centralized, over-regulated, and not open to competition at the local level (through school choice).  I have trouble applauding money being thrown at education without meaningful reforms — reforms which the CTA and company oppose at every turn.
• Shrouding the Governor in a “if we build it, they will vote” message may get bonds passed in this Democratic state, but will a “what government do for you” campaign by the GOP be able to elect any Republicans if conservative voters continue to disapprove of a GOP that is not cutting spending.  An austerity stand-off with big spending liberals over the state budget coupled with a ballot measure for November to cut off state resources to those who cannot document legal residency and tough sanctions for employers who knowingly hire someone who is in American illegally – now those two things package into a strong message to turn out disaffected conservative voters!
• On offshore oil drilling, California Congressman Richard Pombo has a great idea.  He has introduced legislation to remove any federal pre-emption decisions about offshore drilling, so that each state shall have the say over whether it takes place off of its coast.  This would shift the decision making on this issue away from a Congress dominated by elected officials who do not have any coastline in or near their districts, and instead place the decision with each state.  Plus, his bill would allow for regulation by a state up to 300 miles off of their coast, much more than is currently prohibited.  Of course, this also gives California or any state the right to allow the drilling IF THEY WANT, and share in that revenue.
• The President and House Republicans seem to have a “U.S. Senate” problem on their hands, big time.  The President has called for tax cuts, and the House has passed them.  Year after year, actually, they have passed them.  But the American people are going to judge the President and Congress (all of the members of which are up for election) on RESULTS.  Saying that the “House passed out a permanent repeal of the death tax and I voted for it” is rhetoric to a conservative voter that knows the GOP has a majority in both Houses.  A conservative wants his or her CPA to say, “Hey – guess what?  There is no more estate tax!”

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 11th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.