Club for Growth has a post today on their blog about Brian Bilbray’s about face on the issue on congressional earmarks. They point out what he said in the campaign and his FOUR votes againt ammendments proposed to curtail congressional pork. See post here.

One of the reasons CRA opposed Bilbray in the primary was his past history as a congressman. Despite the many assurances that things would change they didn’t. Business as usual

Bilbray wasn’t alone in continuing these congressional practices. Only Dan Lungren voted for a couple of the ammendments. The rest of the GOP delegation voted four times to protect secret earmarks and pork spending projects. Then they all voted for a bill that had 1500 earmarks.

When Democrats were in power, the GOP stood as the check on uncontrolled wasteful spending. But who will check the GOP???… Read More

Well, we just adjourned a bit ago, losing a chance to make some positive history, passing the budget by the true constititional deadline.

The June 15 constitutional deadline will expire at midnight on the $100,000,000,000.00+ California State Budget proposal with no actionover onthe Senate floor or on our side on the Assembly floor. The sticking points being cutting back over a billion in late spending additions and the inclusion of $24 million for health care benefits for children of illegal immigrants…the latter being a huge philosophicalproblem for Republicans and a non-starter for pretty much any Republican support of a budget proposal with such funding in it.

The trouble is both sides know that the 2/3’s vote required to pass the budget won’t happen with that in there. Potentially, it could’ve been on time without this game being played but the mentality is that the effective deadline is really June 30 as after that,people, state employees, contractors with the state, start not to be paid on July 1 and the complaining then moves the legislature to act.

The fight over the illegal immigrant children… Read More

The state constitution requires that the legislature pass a budget by June 15, which is today. Will our well-paid, full-time legislature fulfill to its constitutional duty? Not according to the Democrat’s fearless leader, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. What’s holding up the budget? According to Nunez, it’s the Republicans’ darned obsession with illegal immigration. The Assembly Reps have said that they won’t vote for the Democrats’ effort to expand the state-funded children’s health programs to include illegal immigrant children.

In the Governor’s revised budget proposal, he added an additional $23 million in general funds and personnel to expand coverage to 24,000 uninsured children of the working poor. According to the Assembly Republican Caucus, the Democrats, in negotiations leading up to a legislative vote, expanded the Healthy Families program to cover illegal immigrants and families of four with annual incomes of about… Read More

What do Phil Angelides, Gerry Parsky, public employee retirement pensions and the Cayman Islands have in common? Good question. And one that someone might want to ask the state’s treasurer turned gubernatorial hopeful.

In his bitterly self-righteous and antagonistic style, Angelides has been railing against corporate tax loopholes as part of his campaign for governor of California. The Phil for Guv campaign website encourages supporters to sign a petition to Schwarzenegger with the following language:

"Did you know there is a California tax loophole that lets some corporations do business in California and elsewhere without being taxed?

"That’s right. Because of one loophole, some companies can do business in California and avoid paying taxes anywhere!"

The petition suggests that by closing these loopholes, the state (or more to the point, Phil if only you elect him governor) could use the money to “offer a… Read More

The state constitution requires that the legislature pass a budget by June 15, which is today. Will our well-paid, full-time legislature fulfill to its constitutional duty? Not according to the Democrat’s fearless leader, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. What’s holding up the budget? According to Nunez, it’s the Republicans’ darned obsession with illegal immigration. The Assembly Reps have said that they won’t vote for the Democrats’ effort to expand the state-funded children’s health programs to include illegal immigrant children.

In the Governor’s revised budget proposal, he added an additional $23 million in general funds and personnel to expand coverage to 24,000 uninsured children of the working poor. According to the Assembly Republican Caucus, the Democrats, in negotiations leading up to a legislative vote, expanded the Healthy Families program to cover illegal immigrants and families of four with annual incomes of about… Read More

Congratulations to my Young Americans for Freedom compatriot Brandon Powers for having Martin Wisckol’s favorite quote from the Flag Day Dinner. There were a lot of good quotes from which to choose. It is up on Total Buzz, the Register’s political (non-editorial) blog.

Powers said this of Governor Schwarzenegger:

"He’s a Republican and he happens to be governor, but he’s not a Republican governor."

And I’m sureit will spark discussion.… Read More

You know you’re getting serious in a relationship when you meet the parents. So I guess you could say my relationship with The FlashReport has gotten serious. I have, in a way, met Bob and Linda Fleischman. They were both thrilled by last night’s Flag Day festivities. They gave me a short recounting of how they met the Governor and Dennis Prager.

Jon’s fatherremembers, "When I was introduced to the Governor, I told him I was Jon Fleischman’s father. At first it didn’t register. But then I turned around and I was about to leave and the Governor said to me, ‘Mr. Fleischman, Mr. Fleischman, I’m sorry. Now I know who you are. You have a wonderful son and he does a great job for California. You should be very proud of him.’ Then he shook my hand and said, "Would you like to take a picture with me?’"

The Governor also made an impression on Jon’s mother. She told me, "When the Governor was walking… Read More

Last night I had the pleasure of sharing thoughts on the Governor’s impromptu speech on the American flag with a few of my friends (?) in the print media business. I gathered from our short discussions that the one lasting image they came away from the speech with was: teenage Arnold Schwarzenegger in American flag posing trunks.We had a good chuckleover it.

The Governor spoke about how a fellow professional body building aspirant counseled him to wear black posing trunks in competitions because they appeared to reduce the size of one’s waste while accentuating one’s musculature. Arnold had a hunch that because America stands for victory and power, that American flag posing trunks would make him appear victorious and powerful and – surprise! – he won his competition.

It was a humorous, if not a little inappropriate right before dinner,anecdote that went along with Arnold’s speech theme of his history with the American flag and how he,even coming from a foreign country, has alwaysappreciated it. The room and I laughed and clapped.

But after hearing… Read More