Governor Takes Surprise Shot at Nanny State
In a Nixon-to-China moment, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown
reminded voters – and his party leaders – that they voted in a different type
of Democrat last November.
In a message vetoing SB105, a bill by Democratic state Sen.
Leland Yee that would have required helmets for all skiers and snowboarders
under 18, Brown took dead aim at his party’s long-standing belief that the
Legislature always knows best.
"I’m concerned about the continuing and seemingly inexorable
transfer of authority from parents to the state," the governor wrote. "Not
every human problem deserves a law."
Let’s look at that last line again: "Not every human
problem deserves a law."
Panel: The Key to CA Politics is Latino Vote
A panel at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library prior to the Republican presidential debate focused on the problem for Republican candidates in California — the Latino vote.
Dan Schnur, head of USC’s Unruh Institute and the USC Dornsife/LA Times poll called the Latino vote President Barack Obama’s “life preserver” in the state. Referring to the recent poll he oversaw, Schnur said while Obama leads amongst white voters in California by a point or two, he holds more than a 2-1 lead with Latino voters giving the president a 15-point overall lead over a generic Republican opponent in the Golden State.
While Schnur argued that Republicans positioning on the immigration issue is hurting the party with Latinos, California Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo suggested Republicans face another challenge to capture the Latino vote — a difference in political philosophy. DiCamillo said Latinos look more favorably on government for help in securing education and health care. DiCamillo said Latinos generally share Obama’s vision of a more expansive government.
Amazon Doesn’t Save Much Face
Just 48 hours ago, the online retailer Amazon was doing
battle against California to save the new economy from the tyranny of taxation.
They were spending millions on a referendum to block a piece of the budget.
They were fighting off a supposed legislative dirty trick to prevent such a
referendum. And they were arguing that high principle and jobs were at stake.
Now, well,
in the words of the 20-year-old Nirvana album: Never mind.
Amazon’s
deal to end its referendum – in exchange for a one-year delay before it begins
paying sales taxes – was designed to save face. But this was a deal in the same
way that the deal the Japanese signed on the U.S.S. Missouri was a deal. It was
a surrender, by an utterly vanquished company.
One man’s “trigger” is the same man’s “deflator”
The spending "trigger," passed by the Legislature at Gov.
Brown’s insistence, hedged a hoped-for $4 billion in new revenues spurred by a
recovering economy with up to $2.5 billion in cuts if those revenues didn’t pan
out.
This mid-year correction was a prudent response to balancing a budget on
notional revenues, when Democrats couldn’t bear to make more cuts and
Republicans couldn’t countenance new tax revenues.
With the economy still in the doldrums, and the trigger more likely than
not to be pulled, legislative Democrats are beginning to feel gun shy. They’ve
introduced legislation to minimize community college fee
increases and to pressure Brown to reconsider making the broader cuts should
the new revenues not materialize. A spokesman for Treasurer Bill Lockyer castigated the move, saying, "The triggers were one of the
strongest features of the budget. It’s unfortunate there’s a possibility they
will be weakened."
Debate Notes
Michele Bachman said at the Republican debate last night at the Reagan Presidential Library that repealing Obama health care along with jobs would be the chief issues of the 2012 presidential election.
Of course, that might depend on who the nominee is. Don’t count out the issue of Social Security, which gained prominence when Texas Governor Rick Perry called it a “Ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie” to younger Americans.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney jumped on Perry’s comments, declaring, "Our nominee has to be someone who … isn’t committed to abolishing Social Security but who is committed to saving Social Security."
The Social Security debate will remain prominent. Even the former president responsible for Social Security is getting into the debate. The Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library in New York currently has a special exhibit titled, “Our Plain Duty,” FDR and America’s Social Security.”