A Tail of Two Politicians
“If you want a friend in Washington,” Harry Truman once famously said, “get a dog.” That doesn’t always work out in politics. Ask Mitt Romney. But when it does it, it can do more for a politician than a lapel full of flag pins. Ask California Governor Jerry Brown; he proved that can work in […]
Kevin McCarthy on that Senate Seat, Shared Power, High Speed Rail and More
The question I had for Congress’ majority leader Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles last Friday: When he learned that Senator Barbara Boxer was not running for reelection did he even for a moment consider running for the seat? He said he did not want “to go to the back of the line.” In other words, […]
CA Fwd Report: Financing California’s Future Means Thinking Beyond Prop 30
After more than a decade of red ink, California is finally celebrating—and being celebrated for—leaving its rocky fiscal past behind. With voter confidence rising, state leaders are turning at last to the state’s daunting retiree health obligations. With the operating budget in balance, lawmakers are slowly increasing spending, while using billions of dollars in temporary […]
Knee Jerk Tax Hikes
For the second time in as many weeks Californians got the news that Sacramento politicians are proposing yet another big tax hike. The truth is that new taxes would never be required were it not for Sacramento’s mismanagement of existing tax dollars. Last week, it was the proposal to deal with the very real problem […]
The Rise of Health Care Nation
To see a vivid illustration of how our employment base has changed, take a look at this map from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The static image above tells the story, but to see the evolution of the national economy, you really should click on the animated version at the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web […]