Sign of the Times: Arthur Laffer Reverses Jed Clampett’s Trek

California legislators were slapping themselves on the back last week for having passed a $35 billion infrastructure bond measure that will go before the voters in November. Predictions filled the air that all the building would spur job creation. Aides to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger say his success in pushing the bond package may help seal his re-election this year.

But one of the 16 members of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s council of economic advisers isn’t nearly as optimistic. Supply-side economist Arthur Laffer says the biggest threat to the national economy — which… Read More

The editorial cartoon that the Oakland Tribune ran today is great (it’s syndicated from the Detroit News). This cartoon particularly hits home here in California after an Oakland judge struck down the state’s exit exam yesterday, calling it unfair. Of course, what’s unfair is allowing students to graduate from our public high schools who don’t even have a grasp of sophomore-level English, which is what the exit exam requires.… Read More

The ‘Making Sure the Corrupt Mexican Government is Happy’ post published an hour or so struck a nerve. Cheers to Congressman Darrell Issa’s office for firing off a letter to Homeland Security. In the letter Congressman Issa requested that the US Department of Homeland Security "immediately suspend all activities that provide the Mexican government with inappropriate surveillance information about law abiding American citizens" and that the reporting of Minutemen locations to the Mexican government "would intentionally the efforts of patriotic American citizens who seek to provide information to Federal agents about illegal crossings and other activities." Best line from the Congressman, and one that hits the nail squarely on the head: "Mexico has not been a partner in creating a safe and secure border region. Providing Mexico with information that can help smugglers and illegal border crossers evade capture is absurd."… Read More

Today’s news revealed that while the Minutemen patrol the border, the US Border Patrol are patrolling the Minutemen, and revealing their positions to the Mexican government.

As noted in the Daily Bulletin article by Sara Carter "A US Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants’ rights are being observed."

To repeat: instead of spending taxpayer time and money patrolling the border, our federal government is spending the time and money TO REASSURE THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT that MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS ARE BEING OBSERVED.

Somehow I doubt that you could find many American’s who give a rat’s behind about reassuring the corrupt Mexican government anything. Instead, the Mexican government should be reassuring us that their oligarchy will stop using our nation as a safety valve for their poor and their criminals.

And "migrants" – by that I assume the US Customs and Border Protection spokesman meant "illegal aliens."

Three cheers to TJ Bonner, president of the… Read More

Under the header of “things I never thought I’d say,” comes this question. Anyone know a good trial lawyer?

I propose some savvy trial lawyer start contacting immigrant families and file a class action lawsuit against the California State Board of Education for negligence and racial discrimination for refusing to insist that immigrant children learn to speak English.

Alameda Judge Robert Freedman, a Pete Wilson appointee, made a devastating ruling Monday by issuing a temporary injunction to bar schools from withholding high school diplomas from students who fail to pass the high school exit exam. His ruling was based in part on the fact that many of the children who have failed the exit exam are not proficient in English.

The test covers English-language arts and Mathematics. Students take the exit exam for the first time in the 10th grade and have five, count them 5, subsequent opportunities to pass the exam before graduation. Additionally, the exit exam tests 8th-10th grade comprehension levels, depending on subject.

To be sure, no one is expecting high school seniors to be proficient in trigonometry or to write the great American… Read More

Oakland logged it’s 48th homicide of the year over the weekend (story here). Last year, the city had 28 homicides at this time. Two thoughts come to mind.

1) There is just no way that the good people of California could elevate Jerry Brown from the mayor of the state’s most crime-ridden city to be the top cop. If they do, they deserve what they get. And I may become the Flashreport’s new Texas correspondent.

2) This story is another reason we need to get control over our borders. The man who was killed the other day was here illegally and shot by Hispanic gangs (police say that he was not involved in any gang activity.) The paper does not state that he was an illegal immigrant (of course), but he came here from Guatemala five years ago and worked in construction. His family is sending his body back to Guatemala for burial. Odd are the man was here illegally.

My point is this–his illegal status did not get him killed. But I’m sure that many of the people in the gang that shot him are also illegal immigants. If the federal government… Read More

I spent the day in Sacramento yesterday, partly on personal business, partly catching up with political friends. But I must have been asked ten times why I was in Sacramento instead of greeting the Governor and Jerry Brown at the Big Bond press event they were holding in Oakland. While Team Arnold personnel effectively got their message out via Jon and the Flashreport that this was more a Don Perata event than a Jerry Brown event, this had better be the last event that Arnold shares the stage with Jerry. What part of "ticket" don’t they understand? I don’t remember Governor Gray Davis doing major press events with Secretary of State Bill Jones!

I’m beginning to think that the governor simply doesn’t believe that the GOP base matters… Read More

Here’s another way to look at the four bonds recently passed by the legislature, which will appear on the November ballot. You don’t have to vote for them. Or you can vote for some and against others.

I’m just relieved that the bonds were split up and not thrown together like a jumbled load of dirty laundry onto one ballot initiative.

If you want more details about where the money is going and how it will be spent, go to www.StrategicGrowthPlan.com.

For instance, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s $2.85 billion housing bond dedicates $135 million for farm worker housing. I’ll let you decide for yourselves if you think taxpayer money is going to provide affordable housing for illegal immigrants while middle-class families struggle to find an affordable mortgage.

I can’t wait to see who campaigns in favor of the housing bond and which groups endorse it.

What’s that I see on the horizon? Is it, could it be, and endorsement from ACORN? www.ACORN.org

Just when I thought California politics was getting boring, the… Read More