Criminals Rejoice; Public Alarmed by Supreme Court Decision
This decision is a historic attack on the constitutional rights of states and the liberty of all Californians.
By flooding our neighborhoods with criminals, the Court will make one of highest taxed states in the nation among the most dangerous as well, further tarnishing the California dream.
At a time when law-abiding Californians cannot find jobs, it’s hard to imagine how convicted felons will do anything other than return to a life of crime.
But at least Justice Kennedy can sleep easier at night knowing that none of these dangerous felons will be released in his neighborhood.
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Less Government, Please
Treasurer Bill Lockyer caused waves last month when he suggested that given Republican lawmakers’ opposition to higher taxes, their districts should bear the brunt of spending cuts. He said, “The people who want less government ought to be at the front of that line to get less government.”
Senate Democrat Leader Darrell Steinberg expressed openness to the idea, saying, “You don’t want to pay for government, well then, you get less of it.” He added that any district-targeted cuts should not hurt “kids or the vulnerable” but instead be limited to “convenience services that affect adults.”
Outrage to the proposal—appropriately so—came fast and furious.
Senate Vice-Chair Bob Huff said the proposal was “just nuts.”
Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation compared the idea to the strong arm tactics of an organized crime protection racket. He also suggested it might violate the equal protection guarantees found in both our state and federal constitutions.
Even the Los Angeles Times called the plan “ham-fisted and wrong.”
Unintended consequences – Repeated attempts to boost sales tax collections hurt California’s economy and cost jobs
They’re at it again.
Lawmakers in California, in a desperate attempt to generate revenues are again seeking to force out-of-state retailers to collect taxes for online purchases made by California shoppers. If they are successful in passing this legislation, not only will they fail to raise even one more nickel in tax revenue, they will cost the state thousands of jobs.
It’s a bit complicated, but allow me to explain: California has a cutting edge industry of internet entrepreneurs called “affiliates.” You’ve seen “affiliates” while surfing the web: blogs and websites that provide “click through” ads to online retailers. If you click through and make a purchase, the affiliate gets a small percentage in payment from the retailer.
According to the Performance Marketing Association, there are nearly 25,000 California-based affiliate businesses that provide information to California consumers and improve the ease and thrift of their shopping experience online or with remote retailers and their catalogs.
Don’t Kill California’s Recovery
With jobless numbers still at record highs, it wouldn’t be right to declare California’s economic downturn over anytime soon. Even so, glimmers of hope are beginning to emerge that the Golden State is inching its way toward economic recovery.
Let’s hope the politicians don’t mess it up.
In his recent State of the State address, Governor Jerry Brown said “we will not create the jobs we need unless we get our financial house in order.”
Unfortunately the Governor’s proposals to put California’s financial house in order are starting to look more like a wrecking ball than a rescue plan. His budget proposes billions of dollars in taxes on the private sector—the very folks he wants to create more jobs.
It may seem like a distant memory, but merely two years ago, a different Governor and Legislature tried taxing their way out of a similar budget mess. Since then California has lost more than half a million jobs and our state’s unemployment rate has grown by 20%.
Make California an Enterprise Zone
The budget recently proposed by Governor Jerry Brown contains difficult, but much-needed spending cuts. It more or less seeks to balance revenues with expenses—a challenging task for a state confronting a $25.4 billion budget gap.
That being said, Brown’s budget is foolish. Why? Because it does nothing to improve California’s dismal jobs climate. Instead it would make California even less competitive in the battle for jobs.
For six straight years, California has ranked dead last in an annual survey asking CEOs which state is the best for business. A growing number of businesses are fleeing the state or choosing to expand elsewhere. It should come as no surprise that California’s double digit unemployment rate continues to be among the worst in the nation. We are losing the battle for jobs.
As jobs go, so go state revenues. But most policymakers and academics in Sacramento don’t seem to understand that in order to have revenues, we need a healthy, vibrant economy that creates well-paying jobs for Californians. Tax hikes only serve to worsen California’s long-term budget woes. Voters instinctively understand this, which is why they’ve rejected every proposed tax increase on the state’s ballot since 2004.
Californians Buried in Government Debt
Remember the federal "economic stimulus" bill that was supposed to
curtail job losses and prevent our economy from failing?
Well, despite
the rosy assurances from President Obama and Congress, unemployment
remains high and the economy is teetering on the verge of a double-dip
recession. The only thing that appears to be "stimulated" is the
national debt, which is now a jaw-dropping – and record high – $13.2
trillion.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently laid out a
sobering potential future for America as part of its long-term budget
outlook, in which the national debt reaches 90 percent of Gross
Domestic Product by 2020. Aggravated by increasingly higher interest on
increasingly higher debt, that figure rises to 180 percent by 2035,
leading to a fiscal crisis that destabilizes the national economy.
Facts Get in the Way of the Truth When it Comes to ‘Feel-good’ Legislation
In Sacramento, liberal politicians have a history of dismissing logic
as something that merely gets in the way of the truth. As Vice Chair of
the Senate Environmental Quality Committee I see have seen my fair
share of these bills. It’s clear this year is no different as
legislation based on skewed facts and faulty science work their way
through the Legislature.
The latest piece of "fact-based" legislation to clear the Environmental
Quality Committee is Senate Bill 1212 by Senator Mark Leno. The bill
would require cell phone manufacturers to place warning labels about
the "specific absorption rate" (SAR), otherwise known as radio
frequency radiation, on all cell phone devices sold in California.
These labels would appear on the outside of cell phone packaging and
inside the instruction manual.
Supporters of SB 1212 believe that a customer has a right to know the
level of radio frequency in their cell phone so they can make an
informed purchasing decision. Supposedly, this information is important
because of the small possibility that cell phones could have a negative
impact public health. However, there are no facts to back that idea up.
Dope Is Good, but Happy Meals Are Bad?
When it comes to politics, there’s never a dull moment in California.
And when it comes to California, there’s never a shortage of kooky
political ideas.
In the past week alone, we learned that in November California voters
will decide if pot should be legal in our state. Then there’s the
proposal by one legislator to ban fast food restaurants from selling
Happy Meals in an effort to sway kids to choose tofu and yogurt over
cheeseburgers and fries.
One thing is clear: Government priorities have run amuck.
Distraction – it’s a time-honored strategy
Kids do it when they’re in trouble. Husbands do it when they want to watch a game instead of doing chores. Dogs do it when they bring you a toy after they’ve had an “accident.” Even army generals do it when they want to disguise their retreat or find a devious way to win. And, according to Machiavelli, so do politicians.
That’s what is happening with the California Forward budget reform proposals introduced by Democrat legislative leaders – they are a distraction to facilitate deception.
Maybe we should call the proposal a diversion – a game or smokescreen – instead of reform. The real goal of this effort is to allow Democrats to raise taxes with a majority vote and eliminate the power Republicans have to stop their overspending.
The proposed “reforms” are riddled with loopholes that will render them useless, but the major hole in budget policy – the reduced vote count to raise taxes – will allow Democrats to carry on with their drunken spending barrier free–despite what voters have said they want in every poll taken since Proposition 13 was passed in 1978.
Liberal California Senators Pass Universal Health Care Legislation
Senate Bill 810 has unfortunately passed the Senate yesterday on a 22-14 party-line vote.
The measure would create a single-payer, government-controlled health care plan for Californians. The same government that has mismanaged your money now wants to control your health care.
Does anybody believe a state that bleeds red year-after-year could possibly control the costs of health care?
As I said on the Senate floor: This plan is to the Left and radical of ObamaCare. It’s this type of big-government idea that caused an earthquake of an election in Massachusetts in recent weeks. Yet, my liberal colleagues in Sacramento don’t seem to care about the needs or concerns of the people or the state of our economy.