Brandon Staggs .Com » california

What’s up with California?

Brandon — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:07:16 +0000

Here’s a good article on why California (where I called home for 19 years) is such a basket case:

THE PERFECT STORM
CALIFORNIA BEGETS A NATIONAL LOSS OF INNOCENCE
ONE-PARTY RULE IN CALIFORNIA
THE DISHONESTY OF SOCIALIST ONE PARTY-RULE
MUCH OF OBAMA’S AGENDA IS ALREADY IN PLACE IN CALIFORNIA
THERE’S HOPE FOR A SECOND GREAT CALIFORNIA TAX REVOLT

Although I am not so sure about there being “hope” for a tax revolt.

California courts doing what they can to ignore the law

Brandon — Mon, 15 Sep 2003 21:53:00 +0000

Appeals Court Delays Calif. Recall Vote – The California recall circus and the judicial oligarchy saga continue. Judges appointed by Clinton and Carter decide that the will of the people in California (and the law) don’t matter because six counties are using older voting machines. So where was this court when Gray Davis was elected and these same machines were used? If the recall election is allowed to be pushed into March, it is a clear victory for Davis who can count on more votes from Democratic primary voters. Once again the liberal left can thank their judges for thwarting the will of the people. It’s important to remember that while the recall process in California may be bad for a republican form of government, it is law. Again we have judges ignoring law when it suits them.

Judge Thompson’s Edict; California Recall

Brandon — Tue, 26 Aug 2003 22:33:00 +0000

Alan Keyes has written a thorough article on what is wrong with Judge Thompson’s edict, and why Alabama officials are obligated to disregard it. [Article] The issue has been wildly twisted away from its core in recent debate. This is not about imposing religion, this is about federal courts overstepping their authority.

It appears, according to recent polling, that there is a good chance that the California recall effort will result in Bustamante replacing Davis as governor. Bustamante has promised to raise taxes again rather than cut spending. I must admit to some perverse desire to see California liberals stew in the pot of their own experimentation, but then again, California represents a huge chunk of the US economy.

Gray Davis thinks recall is theft

Brandon — Wed, 20 Aug 2003 05:15:00 +0000

Gray Davis said that the recall was “part of an ongoing national effort to steal elections for Republicans who cannot win.” [Article] Interesting that he didn’t mention what role his rock-bottom 21% approval rating plays in the recall.

Liberal elites, hijacked Constitution, and that silly California mess

Brandon — Mon, 18 Aug 2003 20:57:00 +0000

The hypocrisy of liberal elitists is well known. Robert F Kennedy, Jr., goes on tirades about the dangers of people driving SUVs but thinks nothing of going to his speeches on private jets that burn more fuel during takeoff than any SUV soccer-mom could ever hope to burn driving her kids around. California governor hopeful Ariana Huffington seems to think SUVs should be banned because of fuel use but air-conditions a 10,000+ square foot house. And now we have an environmental wacko who preaches against logging but has broken the law by logging himself. [Article]

US federal judges have hijacked the Constitution. Case in point: An Alabama monument to the Ten Commandments has been deemed “unconstitutional.” Never mind that the first amendment prohibits the ESTABLISHMENT of religion (not the acknowledgement of it as a source for moral code or basis for a legal system). The larger issue would seem to be the Alabama state constitution — apparently it is unconstitutional, too, because it recognizes God as superior to the government. Activist judges don’t like the idea that there is anything superior to the government (or the judiciary, for that matter). [Article]

I must admit to becoming a little frustrated over the California governor race to replace Davis. Frustrated is probably too harsh a word… Annoyed is probably better. There is a big push for Bill Simon and Tom McClintock, the two conservative candidates, to drop from the race and support Schwarzenegger. But this only makes sence if you only value that “R” being next to the governor’s name. But if the “R” comes with a candidate who doesn’t seem to hold any Republican positions, what is the point? The only hope for the state, as far as a new governor goes, is someone who will make liberal (no pun intended) use of the line-item veto to cut all the garbage spending that the state legislature constantly passes. But so far, Arnold has not ruled out higher taxes and his only political experience is in getting a massive proposition passed turning the state government into an afternoon babysitter. Sigh. [Related article]

Schwarzenegger candidacy and unlikely voters

Brandon — Mon, 18 Aug 2003 04:57:00 +0000

Schwarzenegger’s candidacy energizes unlikely California voters

I know it is not politically correct to suggest it, but there really are people who shouldn’t vote. I don’t mean to suggest that people be prevented from voting. But be realistic. People who never cared enough about government to get to the polls are now getting “energized” because a megastar like Schwarzenegger is on the ballot. Not because they have considered any issues. Not because they believe strongly in a candidate’s platform (to date, Arnold has yet to delineate one). Is this supposed to be good? Gary Coleman (the smaller government candidate, yuck-yuck) was on Hannity and Colmes last week saying that if his candidacy could “drive people to the polls” he would be happy. Doesn’t anyone else think that voters who vote just because there are celebrities on the ballot are probably not the people California needs determining its future?

More on the California Recall circus

Brandon — Sat, 16 Aug 2003 06:56:00 +0000

More on the California Recall circus… Republicans hoping for some fiscal responsibility with Arnold as governor should take a long look at who he chooses for advisors. For example, Warren Buffet, who already has a ton of cash so he doesn’t care if taxes go up, is Arnold’s economic advisor. [More...]

Does recalling Davis matter?

Brandon — Fri, 15 Aug 2003 10:09:00 +0000

If the pilot of a doomed airplane were to be recalled from his position just a hundred feet before the craft plunged into the ocean, would it really matter who replaced him? Not even the Terminator would be able to get the plane on the right track. I can certainly understand the desire of the California electorate to fire their governor. He is truly an incompetent man, who is firmly in the pocket of special interests. He has no desire to manage his state out of the plunging dive it is in and would rather double the salary of a few state workers and give them 90% retirement pay for life at the age of 50 than trim one cent off the budget elephantiasis. But the problem is not just Gray Davis. The governor is a figure-head that is likely to get all the blame or all the credit for whatever happens. Certainly he deserves much of the blame and should be held accountable for defrauding the public and lying about the budget crisis during is re-election campaign. But what of the legislature that seems incapable of not hemorrhaging money that isn’t theirs? What of the Willie Browns of the state? If I still lived in California, I would likely vote to recall Gray, and I am not sure who I would vote for to replace him. But I have to wonder if it wasn’t a mistake to do this. (And I say wasn’t because it is inevitable now.) Wouldn’t there be more hope for change if the state was forced to live with the mistakes of the electorate, and a more sweeping “recall” was to take place in a few years when a “throw all the bums out” mentality takes hold? Maybe the next governor will get a “pass” when it comes to the next regularly scheduled election… it remains to be seen. But you have to wonder why any Republican would want to take over in the pilot seat just before the plane hits the water.

Massive power outage in California

Brandon — Fri, 15 Aug 2003 09:19:00 +0000

Gray Davis was probably initially thrilled that a massive power outage in the northeast would take the news off of his recall in California. But then again, a massive power problem serves as a reminder to the Gray Davis governorship.