The California Taxpayers’ Association recently reported the Commission on the 21st Century Economy is proposing an 18 cent tax increase on gasoline and diesel fuel to “encourage energy conservation.”

This is bad news for California families and small businesses that already pay some of the highest taxes in the nation.

The new tax would be in addition to the existing state gas tax of 18 cents per gallon, the federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, and the sales tax that is assessed after gas taxes are added to the price. California consumers also ultimately pay the costs of the state’s high taxes and regulatory costs on businesses that produce and sell gasoline, said Cal Taxpayers.… Read More

Most politicos don’t usually socialize with terror apologists. Generally, theyare cautious to a fault. Which is whya politicalevent today in Sacramento raisesserious questions of what were they thinking. The extremist group CAIR (Committee for American-Islamic Relations)recently issued a press releaseannouncing its6th Annual Ramadan Iftar inside the Capitol Rotunda (see the release with a full list of legislative co-hosts attached to the bottom of this post).… Read More

Yesterday a furor erupted over a pretty extensive blog post by former MSM reporter turned blogger Greg Lucas, on his California’s Capitol site entitled, Schwarzenegger Administration Floats 25-cent Fee on Single-Use Plastic and Paper Bags. Lucas is viewed as being a pretty credible writer on the goings-on of California politics.

Well, if there was a trial balloon being floated, consider it popped. We just got off of the phone with the Gov’s peeps — who confirm that the Governor has not, does not, and will not sign into law a tax on plastic grocery bags.… Read More

Most politicos don’t usually socialize with terror apologists. Generally, theyare cautious to a fault. Which is whya politicalevent today in Sacramento raisesserious questions of what were they thinking. The extremist group CAIR (Committee for American-Islamic Relations)recently issued a press releaseannouncing its6th Annual Ramadan Iftar inside the Capitol Rotunda (see the release with a full list of legislative co-hosts attached to the bottom of this post).… Read More

I am not quite sure how to react to the information, given to me by Aaron McLear (the Governor's Press Secretary) that his boss flat out opposes taxing grocery bags — but that he would support a complete ban on plastic shopping bags.

I guess I am half-pleased and half-not. That the Governor is maintaining his anti-tax stance is awesome.

But… Banning plastic bags? That seems to me to be a big over-reach by state government. There is no doubt that limiting the selection of available options to stores for choice of bag options will end up being costly for consumers.… Read More

This morning I wrote about efforts to pass Speaker Karen Bass’ AB 1422, and why Republicans should not support it. The bill seeks to restore some of the welfare cuts that came out of the June budget revision by going after, as some would characterize it, "free money" — referring to grabbing federal tax dollars (hardly "free" to the taxpayers). Through slight of hand, the bills INCREASES STATE TAXES in order to qualify for federal money. Then uses some of that money to "make whole" those stuck with the higher taxes. The remainder is — "free money" courtesy of Uncle Sam, right?

Better yet still, those to be taxed (and reimbursed) WANT this, as they will profit when the "free money" is spent.

So it’s all good, right?

WRONG.

This devilish arrangement is bad in many ways, both on a policy level as well as politically.

I make the policy argument in my commentary, but to reiterate — the so-named Healthy Families program is sick. It doesn’t work well, and is in need of an overhaul of the sort that liberal ideologues are not in a hurry to do.

It is also… Read More

Some PAC’s try to conceal who they really represent, others are quite open about the interests they represent. I came across a PAC that now has my support for favorite name.

Their ID number is 1302807.

Their name is "POLITICAL REFORM FEDERATION PURPOSE: TO STOP ILLEGAL PROLIFERATION & USE OF DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS, MICROWAVE RADIATION WEAPONS, THAT ARE BEING USED FOR ELECTRONIC HARASSMENTS, MIND CONTROL, ETC.".

Unfortunately, they didn’t electronically have to report donations or at least no one used mind control to make them report it.

I don’t know what PAC’s are supporting such weapons, but this PAC is either a shill for the aluminum foil industry or it explains why too many Republicans vote for bigger government when they get elected.

The voices are telling me to be supportive of their effort.… Read More

On Friday I joined thousands of Californians in a Tea Party protest on the west steps of the state capitol.

We came together to protest high taxation imposed by Liberal Democrats, and government’s burdensome regulations on water and energy. The bottom line is California taxpayers and business owners are sick to death of government intrusion. It’s ruining their livelihoods and quality of life, and they’re not going to take it anymore.

I spoke at the event, along with Republican Congressmen Tom McClintock, Northern California radio jocks Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty; Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’ Association and Peter Foy, Ventura County Supervisor and the California chairman of Americans for Prosperity. Sacramento radio host Eric Hogue served as emcee.

Of the thousands of protesters, many were farmers and small business owners who have been particularly hit hard by the devastation of Central Valley farmlands in environmentalists’ effort to protect a 2-inch long minnow. The rally also attracted many… Read More