Tim Russert: An Appreciation
If ever there were any truth to the superstition that Friday the 13th brings
bad news, then Tim Russert¹s untimely death proves it. All of us who
work in media mourn the passing of this giant in broadcasting. Russert wore
many, many hats professionally and personally. He was the Washington
bureau chief for NBC News, anchor of NBC’s "Meet the Press," and a regular
on various MSNBC news programs, to name but a few of his reporting duties.
Russert took over "Meet the Press" from Laurence Spivak in 1991 and has been
an agenda setter ever since. Spivak handed him a winning show and shared
his four-part "secret sauce" for making it great: learn everything about
your guests position; take the opposite position in your own questioning;
be persistent; and, always be civil.
With Russert at the helm, "Meet the Press" turned into a resounding
powerhouse hour for anyone interested in politics in America. For those who
live in Los Angeles, it airs at eight o¹clock on Sunday morning. What a
bracing way to wake up! No matter how late my Saturday night ended, I was
always glued to my TV the next morning because I craved my weekly fix. I
knew the guests would be excellent; the discussions, stimulating; Russert’s
research and background information would be impeccable and come from a
variety of sources; and he wouldn’t shy away from confronting anyone who
shirked his hard-hitting questions.
The Sales Tax Base is Just Fine, Thanks
Dan Walters’ recent column perpetuates a persistent myth about the sales tax. According to Walters, "(T)he 75-year-old sales tax’s stolid image, however, masks long-term erosion of its revenue-producing ability … " Other elected officials, such as BOE Chair Judy Chu, use this argument to support a broad proposal to apply the sales tax to numerous business and personal services.
There’s a small problem with this erosion myth … it’s not true!
Walters compares money raised from taxing retail sales unfavorably to taxing personal income, but personal income has always been a more dynamic revenue producer than retail sales. The more recent phenomenon is the greater volatility of personal income tax revenues, compared with the relative stability of sales taxes.
We Get What We Pay For
For those of us who believe that the Constitution of the State of California means what it says and is not just a set of suggestions, yesterday June 15th was the constitutionally mandated date that the state budget was due. As of this writing it remains overdue and according to Senate President Pro Tem Perata will not be done for quite awhile.
To quote a story from last week by veteran Capitol reporter Timm Herdt of the Ventura Star, “Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, said a long, hot summer lies ahead. He said there is no chance that the state will have a budget in place by the beginning of a new fiscal year July 1, but that negotiators will be focused on meeting a more meaningful deadline of Aug. 1.”
2008 National Small Business Summit Highlights Contributions of Small Business Entrepreneurs
This past week, the national spotlight was on the impact small businesses have on America. Small business entrepreneurs are the backbone of the American economy and create tens of thousands of jobs every year in America.
I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 National Small Business Summit in Washington D.C. this week and saw, first–hand, the dedication and commitment of small business owners to having their voice heard by policymakers. The organizers brought together a wide range of speakers to give our members an opportunity to hear about economics, politics and other issues that small business owners care about.