California

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - California - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Liberals - Republicans - Socialism - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

California’s Mass Job Loss… Except in Government

September 13, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A recent report by the Sacramento based California Budget Project shows that two out of five working-age Californians are out of work. The jobless rate has not been this bad since 1977. California’s unemployment rate is one of the worst in the country at 12 percent.

Yet, union membership has grown in California despite the recession. And it’s no wonder when looking at the CBP study. On page three, for instance, we see a notation that reports that unionization in government jobs has grown substantially and is also at a much higher percentage of the total sector workforce in California than it is in the rest of the country.

Unionization rates were consistently higher in the public sector than in the private sector in 2008-2009. As Figure 2 shows, public-sector unionism was especially strong in Los Angeles as well as in California: during 2008-2009, well over half of all workers in the California and Los Angeles public sectors were union members. In the nation as a whole, the unionization rate for public-sector workers was 37.0 percent; much higher than the 7.5 percent rate found in the private sector, but well below the rates for public-sector workers in California (57.4%) or Los Angeles (56%).

So, while regular citizens are losing their jobs by the millions, government workers are in clover, riding the gravy train, on easy street.
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California’s Mass Job Loss… Except in Government”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - California - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Jobs - Liberals - Security/Safety - Socialism - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Governator Vetoes Union Bill Again

September 4, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The United Farm Workers union wants to enshrine in law a new way for potential members to vote in representation. For years now, the UFW has tried to push Sacramento to OK a plan to allow potential union members to cast their vote away from their workplace.

The union claims that if union representatives can visit possible members at their homes to gather their vote it will prevent farm owners from “intimidating” their workers out of casting a yes vote.

But, the truth is that this will give the union representatives full reign to themselves be the intimidators. Not only that, but if union reps can go to voter’s homes to gather votes there won’t be anyone to guarantee whether those union reps were intimidating the voters or not. It’ll just be the worker and the union rep who will know for sure. Not only that but this bill will effectually eliminate the worker’s secret ballot and voter privacy.

Fortunately for the integrity of workers Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed this abomination… again.

Good for the Governator.
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Governator Vetoes Union Bill Again”

Budget - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Immigration/Immigrants - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

California’s Free Cash For Illegals, Coddling Lawbreakers

August 29, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here is just another example of why the State of California is in a budget crisis: The Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI).

What is this program, who qualifies? Well, it does no less than give free government money to any illegal immigrant that is either over 65 years of age or is disabled or blind and does not qualify for Supplemental Security Income (Social Security) due to their immigration status.

Why is California just giving money away to elderly illegals?

Your guess is as good as mine.
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California’s Free Cash For Illegals, Coddling Lawbreakers”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - California - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Thomas Brewton - Welfare

Obamacare: Quintessential Socialism

August 23, 2009 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

The overriding characteristic of President Obama’s National Socialist healthcare is forced equality of consumption, a major step in the direction of egalitarian distribution of income. Emphasis is upon the word forced.

As we see with the widespread town hall protests against the President’s proposed National Socialist healthcare proposals, people do not willingly surrender the fruits of many years’ labor to the government in the name of an undefined abstraction called the common good. Particularly is this true when it is liberal-progressive bureaucrats who decide arbitrarily what constitutes the common good.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed essay, Martin Feldstein, Harvard economics professor and former chairman of President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisors, sums up Obamacare: it’s all about the raw power to decide who gets what treatment, while cramming everyone into identical little boxes in order to eliminate any efforts in the direction of individuality. And the bureaucratic mechanism for eliminating individuality is rationing medical care.
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Obamacare: Quintessential Socialism”

Budget - Business - California - Conservatives - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - Elections - Freedom - History - Jobs - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Supreme Court - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

The Two Faces of California’s Steve Poizner

August 5, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

As the next Governor of California gears up his – or her – campaign we are witnessing a near complete collapse of state government in the Golden State. It is a situation that the next governor will be faced with immediately, leaving not a second to celebrate victory.

There are some obvious solutions to what ails California: lower taxes, an end to the opulent welfare state, cutting off the free ride for illegals, an end to the free ride that unelected, overly powerful state employees unions have been allowed to attain, and the like, but the question is do any of the candidates on the Republican side have the backbone for the tough decisions that will have to be made before it’s too late… if it isn’t already.

When I first began to look at California’s GOP candidates for governor, I was heartened by the fact that the one Republican elected to state wide office had thrown his hat in the ring. Unfortunately, the closer I look at State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, the more like a tax and spend Democrat he appears. It is becoming increasingly clear that Poizner does not represent the right direction for California, but more of the same failed liberal policies that have destroyed the state.
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The Two Faces of California’s Steve Poizner”

California - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Box-Of-Rocks Lefty Tells City Council of ‘Vegetable Trees’ and ‘Slavery on the East Coast’

July 26, 2009 by 6 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

You have to see this video to believe it. What you see here is a video of an open mike night at the Santa Cruz City Council. Unfortunately, the end result is not intentional stand-up comedy because this twit is serious. We see here an empty headed, box-of-rocks that thinks she has all the solutions for California and, in the end, proves why California is in such trouble. This is what you end up with when you mix our modern “educational” system with modern liberalism, folks.

One could not find a better example of the emptiness of lefty thinking… if “thinking” be the proper term.

Highlights of this brain dead liberal’s rant:

  • “…We need the food because it’s food and stuff…,”
  • “We can be rich in cotton and silk worms…”
  • “…on the east coast they have slaves and they believe in slavery and made in China, but on the west coast, the new west coast, we don’t believe in that, we believe in the union… and that is what we are…”
  • “… you can grow every kind of fruit and vegetable you want, that’s how they do it, they have fruit trees and vegetable trees that’s where fruits and vegetables comes from…”
  • “… you freeze the fruit and vegetables, it’ll last forever… well, it might go bad in a while…”
  • “… growing food is so good for the people because it’s free. All’s ya have to do is pay the farmers and pay for the land…”
  • “… um, the food’s free, so we should just sell it at the farmer’s market…”

Is it too much to hope for that the San Andreas fault sends California drifting off into the middle of the ocean somewhere?

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Box-Of-Rocks Lefty Tells City Council of ‘Vegetable Trees’ and ‘Slavery on the East Coast’”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - California - Congress - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Wants to Fine YOU for Not Bowing to HIS Wishes

July 14, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, one of the aspects of Obamacare that is not being talked about too much is the fines Obama will inflict on average, middle class Americans that don’t want to join his nationalized healthcare service.

At this point, Obama favors a $1,000 fine to those of you that don’t want any part of a nationalized system under his control. That’s $1,000 of your hard earned money swiped away from you for not knuckling under to his dictats.

For an interesting exercise, I thought I’d check around the web to see what fines around the country would be for other things, things that are far more egregious of a violation of the law. Things like illegal drug possession, assault, or drunken driving.

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Obama Wants to Fine YOU for Not Bowing to HIS Wishes”

Anti-Americanism - Business - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Jobs - Liberals - SEIU - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU’s Way or the Highway

July 7, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have a few questions for all you non-union employees out there (which is 80% of America). Can you lobby your employer for a raise any time you feel like it even when your company is nearly bankrupted? And, do you have employees that can get off work to do so when ever they want to? And do you have bosses that are also one of you and who can just bow to your every demand?

Sounds like a wonderful situation, doesn’t it? I mean, who wouldn’t want a situation where you can get whatever you want as an employee (including never getting fired) no matter if your company is bankrupt or not?

Well, that is the deal that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has with its employers. You see, they have folks that are so close with the employer that whenever they decide they want more benefits or a raise, they go demand it and it happens. It truly is the dream job.

The problem is, though, that WE are the employers. And WE are the ones paying the tab for that dream job because the SEIU represents government workers. And our politicians are the ones that give the SEIU anything it wants.

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SEIU’s Way or the Highway”

Budget - Business - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Jobs - Liberals - SEIU - Society/Culture - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Stand In Way of Calif. Budget Reform

July 6, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Governor Schwarzenegger said it exactly right. Unions and lap-dog, Democrat legislators in Sacramento are doing their best to make sure that everyone but they have to sacrifice to save California’s budget. The governor told reporters that unions and Democrats are telling Californians, “We want you to make the sacrifices but we in Sacramento don’t want to make any sacrifices or any changes.”

Unions are pointing fingers at everyone but themselves and refusing to budge on cuts in their overweening benefits, lush pay scale and perks but are insisting everyone else make the sacrifices to save union jobs. And, let’s face it, jobs is all the unions care about. They have no interest in what is good for the state or the taxpayers.

I’d suggest a little fix that might help. Instead of furloughing state workers, how about firing some of the most unnecessary jobs and getting rid of them altogether?

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Unions Stand In Way of Calif. Budget Reform”

Ann "Babe" Huggett - Business - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes

Ten Cost Cutting Suggestions for California

July 2, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Ann “Babe” Huggett

Poor Kal-ee-for-nee-ah Governor Ahnold Schwarzenkennedy! He may have an “R” after his name politically but he’s been running California like a liberal for years now. However, it is finally catching up with him; as of July 1st California went from a state of great weather and fabulous scenery to one of fiscal emergency. Facing a $24.3 billion shortfall in the state’s budget, Governor Schwarzenegger called a special session of the state legislature on June 30th to close the gap but the state’s Republicans held firm against the frantic demands of the tax-tax-tax, spend-spend-spend and spend some more Democrats.

Now California’s vendors and local agencies will be getting IOUs instead of state checks We can also expect needed services and providers like police, firemen and health care workers to get the axe while Sacramento fat cats on six-figure salaries bloviate about the need to cut corners “somewhere”.
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Ten Cost Cutting Suggestions for California”

Barack Obama - Business - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Talk Back: A Reply to the CNA Talking Points

July 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Unions are spearheading the attack on our healthcare system and none more so than the Service Employee’s International Union and its sister organization the CNA. The ten talking points that the California Nurses Association has put out in order to rev up its membership to support a universal, single payer healthcare system is interesting, to say the least. In this posting, I’d like to reply to each of them with a little rebuke of my own.

But first I’d like to remark on the ham-handed style in which these talking points were written. The class warfare rhetoric here is more reminiscent of a protest placard than any serious discussion of public policy. But, be that as it may, here we go…

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Talk Back: A Reply to the CNA Talking Points”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - California - Campaign Finance - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Jobs - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union President Stern the Hand in Obama’s Puppet?

July 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The L.A. Times had a very interesting piece last week on the unusually close relationship between Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern and President Obama. The story revealed how Stern “enjoys unusual access to the White House,” and how often Stern is invited to attend meetings the administration holds on policy even as other union heads are left out of the loop.

The piece does cast some doubt on just how much clout Stern might have with Obama as several of the initiatives he has pushed hard for have yet to come to fruition — but it should also be remembered that this administration is only 6 months old. There is plenty of time, here.

Though it does not develop the theme, here is where the Times piece shows the danger that Andy Stern’s close connection with Obama presents to the country and its various governments, federal and state both.

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Union President Stern the Hand in Obama’s Puppet?”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Liberals - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

Democrat Says Gov’t Doesn’t Have to ‘Live Within Our Means’

June 29, 2009 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, as a common citizen, what do you do when you are out of money and your credit is used up? Well, you go without don’t you? Like my Mother always used to say, “What are you gonna do, buy something with your good looks?”

Well, we are all getting woefully used to feeling that government can’t seem to understand that fraud, waste, and overspending is not a good idea. In fact, we are starting to realize that government is incapable of fiscal responsibility.

But, even as we realize this truth, politicians at least pretend that they are interested in fiscal responsibility. They pretend at laws that supposedly force government into a balanced budget, they make claims that they are fully funding their new causes, and they act as if they are concerned about the budget.

Well, apparently California Budget Conference Committee Chairman Noreen Evans (D, Santa Rosa) has decided to cast away the mask of fiscal responsibility. She has publicly announced that she believes that government does not have to “live within our means.” In fact, it is a duty to spend on just any old thing that government wants to spend on.

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Democrat Says Gov’t Doesn’t Have to ‘Live Within Our Means’”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Oh, Now the SEIU is FOR ‘Anti-Union Tactics’?

June 27, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We have been reporting on the clash between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and it’s California subsidiary the United Healthcare Workers (UHW). We have talked of the battle between the two, how the SEIU has strong-armed or dismissed the elected members of the UHW board, and how at last thousands of members of what was the UHW are attempting to leave to start a new union to rival the SEIU.

But, it appears that the SEIU is a tad unhappy that so many of its California members would quit to form a new union. And so, in order to stop the rival union’s birth, the SEIU is using what the L.A. Times is snickeringly referring to as “anti-union tactics” to stop the bleeding.

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Oh, Now the SEIU is FOR ‘Anti-Union Tactics’?”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Are you a ‘Healthcare Worker’ By Taking Care of Your Own Son?

June 23, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I suppose, strictly speaking, if you are a mother that takes care of a developmentally disabled son, well, I guess you might be considered a “healthcare worker” of a kind. Also, I could easily see the state being such a buttinski that it forces such a mother to get “training” to take care of her own son in order to receive state aid. That seems just the sort of twisted logic that might be employed by the nanny state(s) under which we suffer. It might even behoove a mother of a developmentally disabled child to get some training of some type, too, if she so chose, even if the state didn’t require it.

So, that being said I present to you mother Lisa Brown of Fresno, California who is seen in a new Republican ad threatening a meeting of lawmakers. She is in attendance speaking as a member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the public employees union that might see some budget cuts befall it due to California’s bankrupt treasury.

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Are you a ‘Healthcare Worker’ By Taking Care of Your Own Son?”

Budget - Business - California - Campaign Finance - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Liberals - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Will the Real Republican Please Stand Up?

June 18, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

“I am not beholden to any party.”
California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, candidate for governor

That must be true given Steve Poizner’s history of political donations. Poizner has given, and generously at that, to both Republican and Democrat candidates for office in addition to several Democrat controlled committees, this based on he and his wife’s publicly reported accounts, anyway. Oddly, Poizner’s wife happens to be a registered Democrat who Poizner has “blamed” for many of the Democrat contributions that have his signature affixed. Such donations include: a $10,000 contribution to the Democratic National Committee on 10/02/00; $1,000 to John Forbes Kerry on 02/15/01; and a $10,000 donation he made to the ’00 Gore/Lieberman Recount Committee.

In fact, there is quite a lot of chatter out there that seems to point to Poizner’s less than stellar Republican credentials. He has been termed everything but a conservative for the last 5 years.

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Will the Real Republican Please Stand Up?”