There’s a massive government program that has been sold to the American people with the help of a whole lot of shoveling by the Obama Administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress.

I’m talking about the “stimulus” program, which was supposed to get “shovel-ready” projects built right away, giving an immediate shot in the arm to the economy.

It’s no wonder, of course, as many a president elected during (and therefore almost invariably because of) economic downturns has, during his first 100 days, spent immediate political capital on stimulus. Our current situation has been no exception as job losses and personal net worth are declining at a pace not seen since the late 1970s. The national economy continues to lose jobs at a breathtaking speed, with about 1.5 million jobs lost just in the time since President Obama entered office.

The President’s Keynesian proposal to jumpstart the economy is ambitious in one dimension – size. The $700-billion-plus “stimulus package”, called the American Investment and Recovery Act, was sold as a “shovel-ready” plan intended to employ many of those out of work in… Read More

Line of the Week… All due respect to the City of Escondido, but I simply can’t pass this one up. At an event for Senator Dennis Hollingsworth in La Mesa on Thursday night, a few folks were talking about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announced appearance in Escondido the following day for a "budget presentation." The buzz was that the event, tobe held at the city’s large California Center for the Arts, would include a "special" announcement. Given Arnold’s stated budget solution to sell off the Del Mar Fairgrounds, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and several other properties of note, one quick-thinker couldn’t resist a conjecture:

"Maybe the Governor’s going to announce he’s selling Escondido to the Chinese to make a few bucks."

Oh, to be fair, at least to Escondido, here’s what Arnold did discuss on Friday.… Read More

I am very pleased to report that the State Assembly’s passage of legislation to create a California Blueberry Commission, in the midst of a fiscal crisis, is continuing to bloom into a full scale controversy. Juliet Williams with the Associated Press has now published a lengthy piece, which you can read, entitled, Blueberry board more pressing than state budget? I am no expert on the rules of the State Assembly, but one of the Republicans who voted for this turkey, who perhaps can now see in retrospect it was a bad idea, should ask for reconsideration.… Read More

As the Budget Conference Committee continues to discuss the state’s $24 billion budget deficit, Senate Republican conferees Bob Dutton and Mimi Walters are calling for less talk and more action. In an effort to bring transparency to the Conference Committee process, Senators Dutton and Walters will be offering regular updates on the committee’s progress until it concludes. “We have been meeting for nearly two weeks and it’s clear to us that the Democrats are not willing to make the reductions necessary to solve this $24 billion fiscal crisis,” said Dutton. “Spending reductions of this magnitude are not easy for anyone, but they are necessary. Time is running out.” Senator Walters added, “Raising taxes is out of the question. California’s government is too large and too expensive. We have to spend less and live within our means.” Senator Dutton and Senator Walters have repeatedly reminded their colleagues on the committee that energizing California’s economy—stimulating private sector job growth—is the long-term answer to the… Read More

FR readers should be advised that in order to catch a very early flight, the main page links were pulled together between 2-3am. It’s possible that some stories were not updated on newspaper sites that early. That is certainly the case with the San Francisco Chronicle, which you may want to check for yourself.

Sorry for any inconvenience.… Read More

Quote of the Week: “I don’t know anything about cars” – Edward Whitacre, new Chairman of General Motors. Saturn: As most readers of this missive know, before losing my mind and entering politics, I was in the car dealership business for 25 years. As many of you probably don’t know, I was the first Saturn retailer (Saturn was avoiding the term "dealer") chosen by the company back in 1987. I was on the "Franchise Operations Team" that helped develop and grow the retail system that has demonstrated its success in providing high levels of customer service. I opened one of the first 25 stores in 1989 and eventually owned and operated 5 Saturn Facilities in Orange County by 1997. I sold my business to a subsidiary of General Motors in 1998 when GM (in one of their many recent mistakes) decided that they could run dealerships better than individual dealers could, and my business was their first acquisition (That experiment failed a few years later and they sold the stores back into the market). As you can imagine, I have more than a little experience with the … Read More

I’ve had more than a few contacts over the passage of AB 606 that would allow the creation of a CaliforniaBlueberry Commission. I’ve been asked why can’t all the stuff they are proposed to do be done by a private association, like the current California Blueberry Association (and sponsor of the bill)?

First, I love blueberries from California. I have strayed occasionally and eaten them from other states. Maine’s are particularly good and the do have a commission as does Oregon and Michigan other tempters of my palate.

Blueberries are great morning, noon or night. There are blueberryjams, blueberry pies, blueberry pancakes, blueberry waffles, blueberry syrups, blueberry salsas,blueberry cobblers, blueberry donuts,blueberrysalad dressings, blueberry muffins,blueberry shakes, blueberry… Read More

This was just released to the public…

June 11, 2009

An Open Letter to Elected Officials: We, the undersigned taxpayer advocates, have grave concerns about the current effort to amend the California Constitution in a manner which would allow a simultaneous or subsequent initiative calling for a Constitutional Convention. Rather than being a panacea for California’s woes, such an effort could very well result in the weakening or outright repeal of vital taxpayer protections such as Proposition 13 and Proposition 218, the Right to Vote on Taxes Act. At the outset, we acknowledge the good intentions of many of the individuals and organizations who have previously supported the notion of a Constitutional Convention. Notwithstanding these good intentions,… Read More