The Gas Tax is Going Up—Treat or Trick?
How can anyone call a tax increase a “treat?” One would think increasing taxes on an essential product like gasoline is definitely a trick to fit today’s holiday theme. Of course, whether trick or treat depends on where one stands on the issue. If you are in infrastructure construction; if you believe improvements made to […]
CTA’s Endorsement of Newsom Deserves Scrutiny
The biggest news of the governor’s race came and went with relatively little notice: The California Teachers Association endorsed Gavin Newsom for governor. CTA is the most powerful and sophisticated interest group in state politics. And with their endorsement, Newsom is the all-but-official governor in waiting. For the past 20 years, getting elected governor in […]
Ugly Political Hypocrisy in California
The recent release of Ken Burns’s Vietnam documentary transported me back to the politics of my youth and the ugly hypocrisy of Lyndon Johnson, whose story contains a critical lesson for California today. It’s no secret that Johnson lied about events in the Gulf of Tonkin and about progress in the Vietnam War as he […]
Small Businesses Haunted by New Taxes and Mandates
As many Californians prepare for a night full of fright this Halloween evening, small business owners have much more to fear than spooky costumes and decorations. Our final The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly update of the year illustrates some of the most severe taxes and mandates which are sure to haunt small businesses […]