State Budget
Business & Economics
No roads to recovery in sight
With California teetering on insolvency, government union activists and liberal legislators are trying to whip the public into a “please tax us more” frenzy by scaring people about the consequences of spending cuts. At a union rally in Sacramento recently, one protester hoisted a “Raise Our Taxes” sign, which typifies ...
Business & Economics
The War Against Free Parking
From San Diego to Susanville, Californians know that a free parking space is hard to find. Such spaces may be even harder to find under SB 518, proposed by state senator Alan Lowenthal. Like much of what emerges from Sacramento, the measure is at least instructive. Free parking only encourages ...
Business & Economics
Repair California’s Fiscal Problems Ourselves – or the Capital Markets Will
Events in Washington, D.C. have overshadowed the ongoing fiscal calamity in Sacramento, where earlier this month state legislators basically rejected the governors reforms almost as soon as they were released. Despite the uncertainty shrouding the capital, the budget crisis will be solved one way or another. This certainty is ...
Commentary
The March of the Senate Democrats
As one early morning report put it, the Senate was marching to passage on Christmas Eve of its version of health overhaul. What does this Democrats-only bill do? What are the consequences? As it stands today, the health overhaul bill is a hoax. We all may know some part of ...
Business & Economics
Calif. Gov. Calls For More Federal Aid As States Bleed Red
Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should have said “I’ll be back” when the state got billions of dollars from the federal government last year. Because on Wednesday, he demanded another handout. In his state of the state speech, Schwarzenegger acknowledged California faces deep budget woes and called for federal assistance. He ...
Business & Economics
Plunder: New Book Exposes Power of Unions
Last month, the Legislative Analyst Office predicted a budget shortfall for Californias next fiscal year so large it shocked even seasoned observers. The projected $20 billion shortfall is larger than the entire state budgets of all but a handful of other states. The LAO also excoriated the continued use of ...
Climate Change
Oregon Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Subsidy Cut
The Oregon state legislature passed a bill reducing runaway renewable energy subsidies in an effort to help balance the state budget, but Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) killed the bill with a veto. Now Oregon, which already faced a budget shortfall, may have to find an additional $50 million in its ...
Commentary
California Assembly Expunges Santa Barbara Drilling Vote
The California State Assembly is refusing to provide the names of assemblymen who voted to ban oil recovery off the coast of Santa Barbara. Twenty-eight members supported the ban, but their votes cannot be found in the official state database. Assembly leaders expunged the votes in order to spare lawmakers ...
Commentary
Do We All Need to Be Like Massachusetts?
2. If it is instead a miserable failure, then why would we want to impose that failure from coast to coast? 3. If people can’t at all agree as to whether it’s a success or failure, which seems to be the case, then why not let the states that like ...
Commentary
Ten Things to Look for in Health Care Reform
Disguised as “reform,” numerous health care proposals are finding support. The result is a mishmash of plans that do little to improve access, quality or cost. There are at least 10 criteria that provide a foundation for reform. Fifty percent of the nation’s health care costs are attributable to lifestyle, ...
No roads to recovery in sight
With California teetering on insolvency, government union activists and liberal legislators are trying to whip the public into a “please tax us more” frenzy by scaring people about the consequences of spending cuts. At a union rally in Sacramento recently, one protester hoisted a “Raise Our Taxes” sign, which typifies ...
The War Against Free Parking
From San Diego to Susanville, Californians know that a free parking space is hard to find. Such spaces may be even harder to find under SB 518, proposed by state senator Alan Lowenthal. Like much of what emerges from Sacramento, the measure is at least instructive. Free parking only encourages ...
Repair California’s Fiscal Problems Ourselves – or the Capital Markets Will
Events in Washington, D.C. have overshadowed the ongoing fiscal calamity in Sacramento, where earlier this month state legislators basically rejected the governors reforms almost as soon as they were released. Despite the uncertainty shrouding the capital, the budget crisis will be solved one way or another. This certainty is ...
The March of the Senate Democrats
As one early morning report put it, the Senate was marching to passage on Christmas Eve of its version of health overhaul. What does this Democrats-only bill do? What are the consequences? As it stands today, the health overhaul bill is a hoax. We all may know some part of ...
Calif. Gov. Calls For More Federal Aid As States Bleed Red
Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should have said “I’ll be back” when the state got billions of dollars from the federal government last year. Because on Wednesday, he demanded another handout. In his state of the state speech, Schwarzenegger acknowledged California faces deep budget woes and called for federal assistance. He ...
Plunder: New Book Exposes Power of Unions
Last month, the Legislative Analyst Office predicted a budget shortfall for Californias next fiscal year so large it shocked even seasoned observers. The projected $20 billion shortfall is larger than the entire state budgets of all but a handful of other states. The LAO also excoriated the continued use of ...
Oregon Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Subsidy Cut
The Oregon state legislature passed a bill reducing runaway renewable energy subsidies in an effort to help balance the state budget, but Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) killed the bill with a veto. Now Oregon, which already faced a budget shortfall, may have to find an additional $50 million in its ...
California Assembly Expunges Santa Barbara Drilling Vote
The California State Assembly is refusing to provide the names of assemblymen who voted to ban oil recovery off the coast of Santa Barbara. Twenty-eight members supported the ban, but their votes cannot be found in the official state database. Assembly leaders expunged the votes in order to spare lawmakers ...
Do We All Need to Be Like Massachusetts?
2. If it is instead a miserable failure, then why would we want to impose that failure from coast to coast? 3. If people can’t at all agree as to whether it’s a success or failure, which seems to be the case, then why not let the states that like ...
Ten Things to Look for in Health Care Reform
Disguised as “reform,” numerous health care proposals are finding support. The result is a mishmash of plans that do little to improve access, quality or cost. There are at least 10 criteria that provide a foundation for reform. Fifty percent of the nation’s health care costs are attributable to lifestyle, ...
