Besides the foundering State budget, one of the biggest debates “raging” in Sacramento surrounds a handful of proposals for Universal Healthcare.

But first, let’s be clear – these proposals have little to do with improving healthcare – they are about who is going to pick up the tab (no pun intended) – and who can get a few headlines.

The Governor wants businesses, hospitals and physicians to pay; the Democrats want government to foot the bill. Both plans will result in taxpayers shouldering most of the burden.

Both are trying to sell the proposals as providing kids and families the healthcare. Both are wrong — and they probably know it.

None of the proposals will improve the quality of healthcare. None of them will contain escalating costs. None of them will reduce long waits at overcrowded doctor’s offices or the shortage of trauma centers, specialty doctors (especially OB-GYN) or healthcare workers.

Everyone should be concerned with the outcome of this debate, because implementing either the Schwarzenegger or Democrat plans will result in healthcare being rationed by same people who run the DMV, long delays… Read More

What an incredible past few days for California political news. First, the fundraising disclosure reports were unveiled, state budget deliberations ongoing, and a surprise development in a targeted Congressional seat.

In what clearly was the harshest week for freshman Democratic Congressman Jerry McNerney (CD 11), McNerney learned that he continues to frustrate his strongest base of supporters: the far-left grassroots activists and liberal internet denizens who last November helped the political neophyte topple 7-term incumbent GOP Congressman Richard Pombo in one of the nation’s most shocking Republican Party defeats.

Earlier, McNerney angered his supporters and donors when he voted against Congressman James McGovern’s proposal to order an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. On Democratic Party-affiliated websites, former supporters and campaigners for McNerney blasted the frosh lawmaker for “voting with Bush enablers on Iraq.” Although subsequent votes on Iraq policy may have soothed ruffled left-wing feathers; last week, McNerney cast a… Read More

Seems to be that it would be a pretty big honor, at the relatively young age of 27, to be named associate deputy director of communications in the Office of the Governor. And I am sure that in the five or so months that Amanda Fulkerson has worked with communications veterans like Adam Mendelsohn and Aaron McLear (Aaron, you’ve come a long way from working for the RNC), she has learned a tremendous amount in what amounts to a ‘trial by fire’ job as Arnold Schwarzenegger draws media coverage from all around the world, on a constant basis.

Naturally, in the course of doing her job (which I hear from folks she does very well), she has a responsibility to work with third-party messaging (that is to get ‘strategic partners’ on efforts by the Governor to weigh in publicly, on message, in support of the Governor’s agenda, and in support of the Governor). That said, you have to wonder what her reaction was when Mendolsohn and McLear, stalwart Republicans both, pulled Amanda aside and said, we want you to go out to some of the Governor’s loyal GOP appointees out there and do like you do with our other efforts, get them talking points,… Read More

Seems to be that it would be a pretty big honor, at the relatively young age of 27, to be named associate deputy director of communications in the Office of the Governor. And I am sure that in the five or so months that Amanda Fulkerson has worked with communications veterans like Adam Mendelsohn and Aaron McLear (Aaron, you’ve come a long way from working for the RNC), she has learned a tremendous amount in what amounts to a ‘trial by fire’ job as Arnold Schwarzenegger draws media coverage from all around the world, on a constant basis.

Naturally, in the course of doing her job (which I hear from folks she does very well), she has a responsibility to work with third-party messaging (that is to get ‘strategic partners’ on efforts by the Governor to weigh in publicly, on message, in support of the Governor’s agenda, and in support of the Governor). That said, you have to wonder what her reaction was when Mendolsohn and McLear, stalwart Republicans both, pulled Amanda aside and said, we want you to go out to some of the Governor’s loyal GOP appointees out there and do like you do with our other efforts, get them talking points,… Read More

Throughout California, schools are scrambling to find money to help under-performing students meet federal and state educational standards. Getting the funds to help students in a given school year can determine whether a school district hits or misses its yearly progress goals. There are limited funds and no shortage of school districts that need them. That’s why the "grab and stash" actions of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), a district that already gets the lion’s share of many educational money pots, is particularly egregious.

According to the LA Daily News (July 5, 2007), "Over [the last] four years, [LAUSD)] filed claims for and received $46.6 million in state money under the Pupil Promotion and Retention Program." But, according to a recent state audit, only a fraction of that money was actually justified. Now, the State Controller’s Office says, 97.4 percent of those funds, $45.4 million, must be returned.

How could such a large… Read More

There should be a report out this afternoon on what the Secretary of State will require for California’s voting systems for next years 3 elections. The law requires that any changes must be done 180 days before an election, which means today is it for next February’s Term Limit Extension Election…oh, that the Presidential primary election is piggybacking upon.

Elections require a process that voters can be confident in their fairness and accessibility. California has had 8 statewide elections since the 2000 Presidential election, plus numerous local and special elections in between the statewides. During that has been the transition to more electronic/paperless ballots at polling places as required by HAVA, the Help America Vote Act, federal law passed after the Florida election fiasco. Much money has beenspent to change out election systems nationwide, including here, to hopefully boost security and confidence in election results, lower costs with much less paperballots being printed etc. and laudable improved accessibility for the blind and others withdisabilities

There are as many as 8 different election… Read More

With a lot of the spin (especially in the liberal media) out there being that, "the Republicans are holding up a state budget," I thought I would take an opportunity to walk FR readers through this budget process, and how this simply isn’t the case. The reality is that the process of negotiating a budget acceptable to all parties simply fell apart. Let us start with the understanding that the California State Constitution provides that a state budget must receive the votes of two-thirds of the votes in both chambers of the State Legislature. Then let us look at the budget process as it took place (such that it did) during the Spring. First of all, and most unfortunate in this process, is that Governor Schwarzenegger introduced a budget that contained billions of dollars in deficit spending. From there, the ‘formal’ process of approving a budget through hearings and such was a partisan game, where as part of posturing on the eminent budget negotiations, every decision made was in favor of liberalism and spending. Make no bones about it, Republicans have and continue to have the same concerns about the size and… Read More

With a lot of the spin (especially in the liberal media) out there being that, "the Republicans are holding up a state budget," I thought I would take an opportunity to walk FR readers through this budget process, and how this simply isn’t the case. The reality is that the process of negotiating a budget acceptable to all parties simply fell apart. Let us start with the understanding that the California State Constitution provides that a state budget must receive the votes of two-thirds of the votes in both chambers of the State Legislature. Then let us look at the budget process as it took place (such that it did) during the Spring. First of all, and most unfortunate in this process, is that Governor Schwarzenegger introduced a budget that contained billions of dollars in deficit spending. From there, the ‘formal’ process of approving a budget through hearings and such was a partisan game, where as part of posturing on the eminent budget negotiations, every decision made was in favor of liberalism and spending. Make no bones about it, Republicans have and continue to have the same concerns about the size and… Read More