Over at the Sacramento Bee website, they are featuring a story that highlights the fact that State Senator Tom McClintock has had no legislation signed into law in the last two years. They go on to point out that he is the principal author of only two pieces of legislation that have become law in eight years in the State Senate.
There are two major reasons why the conservative Senator, who is an icon to many of us for his steadfast commitment to limited government and individual liberty, has not passed many bills. The first is that the California legislature is dominated by ultra liberal majorities in each chamber. The second is that McClintock spends his time in support of substantive and real reforms that, simply put, don’t have a prayer of passing. What kinds of bills are these? You can probably guess — tax cuts, regulatory relief, etcetera.
Because McClintock is passionate about shrinking the size and scope of state government, he raises the ire of his liberal opponents, who then aren’t in a hurry to pass his bills anyways. Tom is one of the most skilled — and pointed — orators in the legislature.
I have always criticized the annual barrage of articles that come out that "rate" legislators based on the "passage rate" of their bills, almost like giving a "batting average" with the idea that the more you pass, the better. These critiques never take into account that because liberals control the process, legislators like McClintock who focus on substantive reforms, with the idea that Republicans should present a strong contrasting view to the expensive and failed liberalism of the Democrats just don’t pass many (if any) bills.
Well, I am proud of Senator McClintock, and think that he has been one of the greatest legislators I have know (thanks to term limits, and 20 years of involvement, I have known a lot). I challenge more legislators to join the "Goose Egg Caucus" — all you have to do is introduce about 30 tax cuts as your legislative package. Guess what? The Democrats will kill them all!
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