California
Blog
More Government Spending Won’t Make Our Country Successful
As he celebrated Democrats’ November election wins, California’s overwrought Tom Steyer took a moment to sound a bit like someone from the other party — before he reverted back to form. “When we think about what a more prosperous, healthy America would look like, we really have to start again ...
Business & Economics
Lower mortgage interest tax break: “All-out assault” or glancing blow?
By Jeff Ostrowski If there’s one thing that’s certain to mobilize the nation’s largest trade group, it’s any talk of reining in tax breaks for homeowners with mortgages. House Republicans on Thursday passed a tax plan that caps at $500,000 the amount of debt eligible for the mortgage interest deduction. ...
Commentary
Don’t Give Up The Fight To Repeal Obamacare’s Individual Mandate
Senators Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., recently introduced a bill that would effectively repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate, which fines people for going without health insurance. Their effort has its share of fans. President Trump has called on Congress to include repeal of the mandate in whatever tax reform ...
Blog
If You Think U.S. Politics is Wild, Check out Australia and New Zealand
I just returned from a two-week trip to Australia and New Zealand. During my trip, my friends and I spent a few days each in Sydney and Auckland, and went on a cruise across Tasmania in between. We had a wonderful time experiencing the culture and history of all the ...
Commentary
Advice for Secretary DeVos: Remember the Trump Base
The continuing campus protests by the Left against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos may grab the headlines, but another real political concern for her and the president lies with her relationship with the Right. The importance of the base for President Donald Trump cannot be overstated. Mark Penn, the ...
Blog
A Novel Way to Educate Californians About State Gas Tax Increase
Everyone who drives in California suspects that fuel prices here are painfully high. And their suspicions are well-founded. Only Hawaii has more expensive gasoline. Or did. Thanks to the 12-cents-a-gallon tax hike on gasoline that went into effect on Nov. 1, California now has the highest average price in the ...
Blog
Another regulation could put more truckers out of business
The clock is ticking for trucking companies in the U.S. to comply with a federal mandate requiring drivers to stop logging their hours on the road with paper logs and switch to electronic logging devices (ELD) – and not everyone is happy about the change. Starting December 18, drivers ...
Blog
Should We Pay Teachers the Same as Legislators?
California’s initiative process is imperfect. We cherish the right to circulate citizen’s petitions when the Legislature refuses to act on matters of critical importance. But give any Californian the right to submit a ballot measure, and you’re sure to have some wild ideas in the bunch. The latest is a ...
Blog
A Voice Every Californian Should Listen To on Pensions
When I was a junior speechwriter working in Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration, one of the great pleasures I had was working with and getting to know David Crane. David was the Governor’s advisor on economic issues and his office was right next to the speechwriting office. Time after time, many self-proclaimed ...
Blog
New Report Shows Legislature’s “Housing Day” Won’t Increase Affordability
California’s Legislature made a run at fixing the state’s housing crisis as the session was ending a bit more than a month ago. But it won’t solve anything next year, as home prices are expected to rise in 2018. In fact, lawmakers’ poor-faith effort isn’t likely to help moderate home ...
More Government Spending Won’t Make Our Country Successful
As he celebrated Democrats’ November election wins, California’s overwrought Tom Steyer took a moment to sound a bit like someone from the other party — before he reverted back to form. “When we think about what a more prosperous, healthy America would look like, we really have to start again ...
Lower mortgage interest tax break: “All-out assault” or glancing blow?
By Jeff Ostrowski If there’s one thing that’s certain to mobilize the nation’s largest trade group, it’s any talk of reining in tax breaks for homeowners with mortgages. House Republicans on Thursday passed a tax plan that caps at $500,000 the amount of debt eligible for the mortgage interest deduction. ...
Don’t Give Up The Fight To Repeal Obamacare’s Individual Mandate
Senators Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., recently introduced a bill that would effectively repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate, which fines people for going without health insurance. Their effort has its share of fans. President Trump has called on Congress to include repeal of the mandate in whatever tax reform ...
If You Think U.S. Politics is Wild, Check out Australia and New Zealand
I just returned from a two-week trip to Australia and New Zealand. During my trip, my friends and I spent a few days each in Sydney and Auckland, and went on a cruise across Tasmania in between. We had a wonderful time experiencing the culture and history of all the ...
Advice for Secretary DeVos: Remember the Trump Base
The continuing campus protests by the Left against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos may grab the headlines, but another real political concern for her and the president lies with her relationship with the Right. The importance of the base for President Donald Trump cannot be overstated. Mark Penn, the ...
A Novel Way to Educate Californians About State Gas Tax Increase
Everyone who drives in California suspects that fuel prices here are painfully high. And their suspicions are well-founded. Only Hawaii has more expensive gasoline. Or did. Thanks to the 12-cents-a-gallon tax hike on gasoline that went into effect on Nov. 1, California now has the highest average price in the ...
Another regulation could put more truckers out of business
The clock is ticking for trucking companies in the U.S. to comply with a federal mandate requiring drivers to stop logging their hours on the road with paper logs and switch to electronic logging devices (ELD) – and not everyone is happy about the change. Starting December 18, drivers ...
Should We Pay Teachers the Same as Legislators?
California’s initiative process is imperfect. We cherish the right to circulate citizen’s petitions when the Legislature refuses to act on matters of critical importance. But give any Californian the right to submit a ballot measure, and you’re sure to have some wild ideas in the bunch. The latest is a ...
A Voice Every Californian Should Listen To on Pensions
When I was a junior speechwriter working in Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration, one of the great pleasures I had was working with and getting to know David Crane. David was the Governor’s advisor on economic issues and his office was right next to the speechwriting office. Time after time, many self-proclaimed ...
New Report Shows Legislature’s “Housing Day” Won’t Increase Affordability
California’s Legislature made a run at fixing the state’s housing crisis as the session was ending a bit more than a month ago. But it won’t solve anything next year, as home prices are expected to rise in 2018. In fact, lawmakers’ poor-faith effort isn’t likely to help moderate home ...
