Odds and Ends
A few Odds and Ends from the weekend and this morning:
- Please welcome Matt Klink, who joins the F&H blog starting today. His first post today comments on the LAUSD Teachers’ Strike.
- F&H Editor Joel Fox penned a piece on the 30th Anniversary of Prop 13 for the San Francisco Chronicle, which ran this past Friday – Click here to take a look.
- The Sacramento Bee ran a story today entitled Governor’s economic adviser helps shape fiscal policy, which profiles Schwarzenegger Advisor and F&H Blogger David Crane.
- Board of Equalization Member and F&H Blogger Michelle Steel has written a piece today for the FlashReport detailing how taxes could possibly be raised without a 2/3 legislative vote. Click here to take a look.
- Finally, an article in today’s Wall Street Journal written by John Fund comments on the McClintock-Ose primary that recently took place in the 4th district and what it might mean for the future of the GOP in the legislature.
One hour of time highlights a larger problem
In the grand scheme of things, what difference does one hour make?
For the Los Angeles Unified School District’s school-aged children, it’s one hour out of an otherwise mediocre education experience.
For teachers and the union leaders who control them, they believe it’s an important statement to make in protest to Governor Schwarzenegger’s latest budget proposal.
The issue at hand is that this past Friday, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) teachers staged a "walk out" to protest the money allocated to public education in Governor Schwarzenegger’s current budget. The Governor’s proposal would provide a $193 million increase over last year’s $56.6 billion in education funding. The UTLA believes its teachers "must" protest, despite the proposed current fiscal year funding increase, because the revenue increase doesn’t keep up with the so-called cost of living. These "cuts," (only cut in government budgeting) will necessitate some tough choices.
Conservation, Exploration and Innovation
"If Saudi Arabia were to increase its production by 1 million barrels per day that translates to a reduction of 20 percent to 25 percent in the world price of crude oil, and crude oil prices could fall by more than $25 dollar per barrel from its current level of $126 per barrel. In turn, that would lower the price of gasoline between 13 percent and 17 percent, or by more than 62 cents off the expected summer regular-grade price – offering much needed relief to struggling families. "
So said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York recently at a hearing designed to embarrass, berate and attack the oil industry and not to find real solutions to our energy problems. This ersatz oil industry expert knows as much about energy markets as I do about brain surgery. Schumer reminds me of Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" who breathlessly stated as she was led to a mental institution, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." In this case the strangers are the Saudis.
Representative Government?
First, there was the Public Policy Institute of California Statewide Survey, which asked voters if Proposition 13 thirty years after it passed had been a good thing or a bad thing for the state. 59% said it had been mostly good; 27% said it had been mostly bad for California.
Then came Arnold Steinberg’s poll, which had Prop 13 favored by 48% to 20%. When Steinberg described the features of Prop 13 – placing limits on property tax increases and requiring voter approval of tax increases — the numbers jumped to 60% in favor of Prop 13, 26% opposed.
Then came the Field Poll. Prop 13 had an advantage here, too, 57% to 23%. When the voters were asked if they wanted to change some features of Prop 13 like raising property taxes more than 2% a year or reducing the two-thirds vote to raise state taxes, these proposals were rejected by over 70%.
Meanwhile, in the Legislature resolutions were proposed that would honor Proposition 13 on its 30th anniversary. The legislative majority buried these resolutions.
Which begs the question—Who do the representatives in our representative government represent?
Issues, Elections Will Set the Stage for Entrepreneurs
Throughout the history of American politics, small business owners, which many of our Founding Fathers were, have played a pivotal role in the nation’s public life.
Entrepreneurs still deeply care about their government and its activities. A National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation Poll about political participation found that a disproportionately large percentage of small business owners-95 percent-are registered to vote and an almost equally large share-84 percent-usually do so.