Tackling the issue of responding to a plan to "rescue" California with massive tax increases in a reasoned commentary, co written by myself and fellow State GOP Board Members Keith Carlson and Steve Baric has been time consuming. We’ll have that up soon, and the main up page closer to 9am.… Read More

The following commentary is co-authored by Steve Baric, Keith Carlson, Tony Krvaric Paul Bruno, Shawn Steel, Doug Boyd and Jon Fleischman, the Secretary, Treasurer, Budget Committee Chairman, Vice Chairman, Central Coast, Vice Chairman, Los Angeles, National Committeeman and Vice Chairman, South of the California Republican Party respectively.

To say that we were disheartened upon news that the GOP’s primary negotiators in seeking a solution for the massive over-spending induced state budget shortfall, Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill and Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, had reached a “deal” as a product of the secret back-room “Big 5” process, and had come back to present plans to their respective legislative caucuses that contain roughly $14 billion in new taxes on Californians would be an understatement. It was almost a surreal experience – because the plan that was laid out was so much worse than any one of us could have imagined – and because the plan, from our understanding of it, is… Read More

The education lobby continues to work parents into a frenzy over the state budget. Today, my kids’ school sent out an email asking us all to call the offices of the "Big 5" to voice our concerns over a proposed "spending cap." The message they are asking parents to send is this:

"Hard Caps on spending will devastate our education system and be a deterrent to our economic recovery. Dollars toward education are an investment in California’s future, not an expense." If the CTA and the rest of the education lobby were truly responsible, they’d educate parents about what the real tradeoffs are in the state budget. They’d tell parents how the staggering cost of health care and retirement for teachers and state workers are contributing to the state’s budget crisis. They’d also tell them that Legislature’s spending spree for the past 10 years has now caught up with us. So instead of a silly message about a spending cap hurting the economic recovery, they’d be… Read More

The following commentary is co-authored by Steve Baric, Keith Carlson, Tony Krvaric Paul Bruno, Shawn Steel, Doug Boyd and Jon Fleischman, the Secretary, Treasurer, Budget Committee Chairman, Vice Chairman, Central Coast, Vice Chairman, Los Angeles, National Committeeman and Vice Chairman, South of the California Republican Party respectively.

To say that we were disheartened upon news that the GOP’s primary negotiators in seeking a solution for the massive over-spending induced state budget shortfall, Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill and Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, had reached a “deal” as a product of the secret back-room “Big 5” process, and had come back to present plans to their respective legislative caucuses that contain roughly $14 billion in new taxes on Californians would be an understatement. It was almost a surreal experience – because the plan that was laid out was so much worse than any one of us could have imagined – and because the plan, from our understanding of… Read More

Remember back in 1995, when GOP Assemblywoman Doris Allen denied her fellow Republicans control of the Assembly by allowing the Democrats to make her Assembly Speaker?

The same thing has has happened to Tennessee Republicans, per today’s Political Diary:

Tennessee Republicans may soon find out if the public thinks a willingness to relinquish political power on principle is a reason that Republicans ought to be trusted with more power down the road. In effect, the Tennessee GOP has denied itself the speakership of the State House by kicking the speaker out of the Republican Party.

Here’s the backstory: In November, the GOP won control of both houses of the state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. That victory was one of the few bright spots for Republicans across the country in 2008 and seemed to set the stage for a GOP resurgence and possible capture of the governor’s mansion in 2010. Then, on Jan. 13, the wheels started to come off. Republicans had rallied behind Rep. Jason Mumpower for House Speaker, and he appeared to… Read More

No… It wasn’t us. It was the Los Angeles Times (or as former Congressman Chris Cox like to refer to them, Pravda West).

Breaking her long self-imposed silence on many state policy issues while she was "considering" a run for Governor, Meg Whitman, now officially a candidate, gave an interview to Michael Finnigan with the Los Angeles Times. The interview is worth reading, although I must admit that after reading it with the idea that an interview might actually clear up a lot of the "mystery" surrounding Whitman and her positions on major issues of the day. Instead, I found that the interview left me with a lot of questions.

I have my own request into the Whitman campaign talk with the ersatz Governor, and haven’t heard back yet. I actually had assumed that Whitman was not doing interviews, yet. Clearly she wanted to give an exclusive "first interview as a candidate" to a major California newspaper. Conservative blogger interviews are somewhere down the journalistic food… Read More

What suicidal impulse would lead any Republican legislator to believe it is a good for either California taxpayers or the California Republican Party to support: Raising the sales tax by an additional 1%? Nearly doubling the vehicle license fee? Raising income taxes? Spiking the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon?

Honestly, any Republican legislator who votes for this deal ought to re-register as a Democrat, because making the problem worse — which is what this deal will do — is an activity best left to legislators of that persuasion.

I saw somewhere today where Governor Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Aaron McLear, claimed the "state is running out of money."

This is simply, manifestly untrue. It’s a fib, a fable. The state of California rakes in an absolutely enormous amount of money each and every year. The size of the ginormous haul gets bigger every year. in fact, the amount of tax revenues for this year was sufficient to fund the state budget just two short years ago.

Obviously, logically, the problem… Read More

No… It wasn’t us. It was the Los Angeles Times (or as former Congressman Chris Cox like to refer to them, Pravda West).

Breaking her long self-imposed silence on many state policy issues while she was "considering" a run for Governor, Meg Whitman, now officially a candidate, gave an interview to Michael Finnigan with the Los Angeles Times. The interview is worth reading, although I must admit that after reading it with the idea that an interview might actually clear up a lot of the "mystery" surrounding Whitman and her positions on major issues of the day. Instead, I found that the interview left me with a lot of questions.

I have my own request into the Whitman campaign talk with the ersatz Governor, and haven’t heard back yet. I actually had assumed that Whitman was not doing interviews, yet. Clearly she wanted to give an exclusive "first interview as a candidate" to a major California newspaper. Conservative blogger interviews are somewhere down the journalistic… Read More