In the comments to my post about the deceptively named Middle Class Taxpayers Association, Lucas O’Connor makes three points worth responding to: One false, one irrelevant, and one true. The false claim is that I criticized the union- and Democratic-backed group because of its ideology. No, the deception is what I criticized. When groups advertise themselves under a false flag …
Stop the “Cat Tax”
Shameless Revenue Grab, Intrusive Bureaucracy Today I urged the Mayor and Council colleagues to “send to the litter box” a proposal unveiled at the City’s Audit Committee which would require every San Diegan who owns a cat to register their cat and pay a fee – roughly $25. The goal of the proposal is to generate a half-a-million dollars for …
UPDATED: Union Backers, Democrats Behind ‘Nonpartisan’ Middle Class Taxpayers’ Association
UPDATE, 1:50 pm July 11: Here’s a revealing Tweet from Murtaza Baxamusa, a board member of the Middle Class Taxpayers Association: Why is a supposed protector of middle class taxpayers advertising a Daily Kos story that claims Americans want higher taxes? Answer: Because according to Baxamusa, it’s a “fact” that Americans are undertaxed! How about a truth-in-advertising name change to …
Deficit Reduction – The Voters Will Need to Speak Clearly
The collapse of talks between Boehner and Obama on a “grand bargain” on the debt ceiling and future deficit reduction can be blamed on many things, but ultimately, the perceived self-interest of all parties makes such a deal impossible. There is no solution that will get enough Republican votes to pass the House that would also get enough Democratic votes …
Filipino-American and Vietnamese-American voters trending Republican in San Diego — Democrats are now in 3rd place!
Two ethnic groups with growing power (Filipinos and Vietnamese) are breaking bad for Democrats in San Diego, a new report reveals this week . Figures in the above chart are from a novel SD Registrar of Voters study, combining requests for foreign-language ballot materials with other ethnic identifiers. The high impact of Fil-Am voters in the South Bay, and Mira …
Private Donations And Public Interest In Balboa Park
Lucas O’Connor over at Two Cathedrals has raised some interesting questions about the implications of private donors exerting influence over public space and services. His post begins: A new front opened last night in the saga of Balboa Park, with the Old Globe’s Executive Producer emailing the theater’s email list with a pitch for the Plaza de Panama Committee’s recommendations …
The Good, the Bad, and the Costly
The San Diego County Taxpayers Association recently took a look at the new labor agreements approved in a number of cities within San Diego County setting terms for wages and pension benefits as part of new budgets for this fiscal year. SDCTA reviewed these new agreements to determine how they stack up against their pension reform recommendations. Better them than …
DOJ working fast and furious to cover its gun walking program
A July 4 meeting between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) front man Kenneth Melson and Congressional investigators revealed the Department of Justice has actively engaged in a “cover-up” and “remain silent” campaign concerning the controversial firearm program that allowed U.S. weapons to cross into Mexico in the hands of criminals. The hush, hush meeting revealed a couple …
Attention, Class: This WILL Be On The Test Monday
Rostra columnist Jim Sills posted a question on my recent post “Calling San Diego Taxpayers: Oppose the “Jobs Tax” asking San Diegans to oppose a proposal by the San Diego City Council to double linkage fees. Sills had the courage (and the smarts) to ask an obvious question. What the heck is a “linkage fee”? I called on Chris Cate, …
San Diego’s District 5 council seat — Republican Mark Kersey announces $75,000 cash-on-hand
Businessman Mark Kersey reports today he has $75,000 cash-on-hand for his bid to succeed Carl DeMaio as SD City Councilman, 5th district. Kersey already claims endorsements by Councilmembers Lorie Zapf and Kevin Faulconer, and senators Joel Anderson & Mark Wyland. Respected campaign consultant Stephen Puetz is also on board with Kersey. If other S.D. City candidates wish to release preliminary fundraising results before …
Breaking: Goldsmith to Run for Re-election
Four years after surviving a crowded primary, then trouncing incumbent Mike Aguirre in the run-off, San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith will seek re-election in 2012. The Goldsmith announcement is not quite the story it was four years ago, admittedly, but newsworthy nonetheless, considering that until now he has made no definitive comment he would run again. Since taking office, …
Fletcher: $300,000 — Reactions
From San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher… A little over a month ago, I launched my campaign to be the next Mayor of San Diego. Surrounded by hundreds of friends and supporters, I pledged to bring a new approach and new generation of leadership to San Diego. The energy of the announcement continued throughout the first month of the campaign. …
My Recent Trip to San Diego: What happened to the Magic Carpet?
Guest Commentary by Robert E. Bennett I grew up in Burbank, California and in the late 1950s, global warming was always present in the summer. That’s why my mother and father would get us in our 1957 Ford Country Sedan station wagon and head on down to La Jolla. I had four aunts and a grandmother living there. We would …
Socialists and Fascists, Gathered Merrily
Union thugs and greedy corporate oppressors are people too. And pretty nice ones, judging from the crowd last night at the third meetup between what Erica Holloway aptly referred to as “Rostrafarians, our liberal darling blogger friends at Two Cathedrals, and those hipster CityBeat cats.” While the national media bemoans excessive partisanship and political polarization, it’s nice to see some …
TODAY! Son of a… Howard Dean
Oh my, the shenanigans continues. It’s a darn good thing that it does for those of us who like to share airspace with other poliwonks, politicos and press-pass junkies. In a bi-partisan, put down your swords, have a beer for goodness sake and sign a peace treaty effort, our little gatherings between Rostrafarians, our liberal darling blogger friends at Two …
Calling San Diego Taxpayers: Oppose the “Jobs Tax”
The San Diego County Taxpayers calls upon San Diegans to voice their opposition to a proposal by the San Diego City Council to double the so called “linkage fee” charged to construction projects in the City of San Diego. This fee is yet another short-sighted job killer and SDCTA is strongly opposed to this increase. The Council will also consider …
Bachmann’s Gaffes: Should We All Just Chill Out?
Some of Congresswoman Bachmann’s supporters defend too many of her statements but the popular presidential candidate does not own a monopoly on gaffes. Such is the subject of my latest column for Communities At Washington Times. This article, similar in some ways to a piece I did a few weeks ago about Sarah Palin for the San Diego Rostra, goes …
‘Operation Intimidation’ Aims to Sink Comprehensive Pension Reform
Union Campaign Built On Intimidation, Desperation, Lies There are few certainties in politics, but pension reform is quickly becoming one of those rare slam dunks. In the City of San Diego, 70 percent of voters said they would vote for the Comprehensive Pension Reform (CPR) ballot measure, according to a poll conducted by Competitive Edge Research & Communication. Twenty …
Union-Trib names Richard Rider and Larry Stirling as two top Carl DeMaio mayoral backers
Another sign of SD Rostra’s growing influence … two men often heard from in these pages (Judge Larry Stirling and Hon. Richard Rider) are the two featured supporters in a U-T description tonight of the Carl DeMaio mayoral campaign. Read their hard-hitting quotes here. Judge Stirling says only DeMaio proposes a series of reforms that will balance the City budget …
Taxpayers to give $1 billion to HUD to bail out 30,000 hand-picked homeowners
Are you having trouble paying your bills? Did your money tree perish in the backyard? If so, members of Congress have given the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), $1 billion to help a small group of homeowners avoid losing their homes. It is no secret that the lagging economy is connected to the nation’s collapsing housing market, …
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