Legislative Democrats Want to Game the System (Again), this Time to Help Gov’s Tax Initiative
Democrats in the legislature plan to add language to SB 1039 that would rearrange the order propositions will appear on the ballot. No question, the reason for this is to move the governor’s tax measure to the top of a pile of measures that have qualified for the November ballot and separate it from the […]
Who Will Be Romney’s Running Mate?
Many people think that a presidential candidate must choose a running mate who provides the ticket with geographic, demographic, or ideological “balance.” During the past academic year, my student Jake Petzold wrote a terrific senior thesis debunking this notion. Since the days of FDR, he explained, the only time that balance played a decisive role […]
Dear Tobacco Companies
Dear Big Tobacco, Congratulations. You beat back Prop 29 narrowly, a $1-a-pack cigarette increase! But you had to spend north of $45 million to do it, and the vote was extremely close. Which raises a question: do you really want to do this again? Because if you don’t make a bold move, you’ll have to. […]
From Bad to Worse
In Sacramento, the appalling consequences of one party rule have become manifest. Last summer, I wrote about one party rule in the Legislature and pointed out the similarities with the early days of Fascist Italy, where the party gained control of the Italian Parliament through intimidation. I concluded, “Today in Sacramento, to impose one political […]