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.
Stick a Fork in Tom Campbell, His Senate Campaign is Done
Former
Speaker of the California Assembly Jesse Unruh once said, "Money is the
mother’s milk of politics." Without money, given California’s large
geographic size, diverse population and multiple media outlets, a
candidate cannot communicate his or her message effectively and,
ultimately, cannot win.
In March of this year, I wrote a Fox and Hounds column where I highlighted Tom Campbell’s Achilles’ heel – his proven
inability to raise money. I’ve also blogged on the subject numerous
times. It’s hampered his two earlier U.S. Senate campaigns and it’s
why he dropped out of this year’s gubernatorial race.
Yesterday afternoon, I set out to pen another column about California’s
GOP Senate primary, armed with fresh information that Campbell was,
indeed, losing ground to Carly Fiorina. Or, flipping the message on
its head, that Fiorina’s message had taken hold. My point in penning
the column was the same – that Tom Campbell cannot raise the money he
needs to win and that he has a credibility gap on fiscal issues.
Roses, Radishes and Squirrels Sighted in the OC
In the garden of OC what we need is some serious cabbage, but instead
we discovered last week some roses, radishes, and a few squirrels. Jobs
creation is job one. OC’s near 10% unemployment and the state’s near
13% unemployment, we see signs of economic recovery, but no jobs
creation. How do you create jobs? Reduce fees and taxes, cut
regulations and eliminate opportunities for frivolous lawsuits.
Anything else is a SQUIRREL, or a distraction, to the main event.
So what does our garden grow?
Gubernatorial Campaigns: A Look At Endorsements From Cities and Counties
Cross posted at PublicCEO.com
For
generations, gubernatorial candidates have been eager to gain
endorsements from local elected officials and tap their experience at
the retail level of politics.
The same is true in this year’s
election cycle, motoring into high gear with the statewide primary June
8. On their Web sites, Republican front-runners Meg Whitman and Steve
Poizner proudly cite hefty lists of local endorsements.
One
prominent county supervisor had the Poizner and Whitman campaigns
"aggressively" soliciting his endorsement, with initial interest
followed by personal calls from both candidates. From both campaigns,
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe was impressed by the
responsiveness and attention to detail compared to the past.
I Will Take the Fight to Boxer — and Win
This past weekend’s
Los Angeles Times/USC poll shows me beating Senator Boxer 45%-38%. It
also shows Carly Fiorina losing to Senator Boxer by six points – 38% to
44%. Those differences are huge, and far outside the margin of error.
Getting Senator Barbara Boxer out of the Senate should be the paramount
objective for voters in the Republican primary, since we can’t take
back the U.S. Senate unless Boxer goes. Carly Fiorina can’t defeat her;
I can.
It’s true I have a more libertarian view on some social issues. But
the contrast between myself and Senator Barbara Boxer is stark. Carly
Fiorina’s dubious and self-serving claim that I differ little from
Senator Boxer is easily refuted, as the Los Angeles Daily News, one of
the eleven newspapers that have endorsed me in this race, noted on
Friday. "Fiorina has called Campbell a liberal. That’s a view we don’t share. Campbell is absolutely a fiscal conservative."