This week, President Barack Obama visited the ZBB Energy battery factory in Wisconsin. The 30-employee company manufactures high-tech devices that stores renewable energy and ZBB Energy was also a benefactor of U.S. stimulus dollars. “Companies like this are showing us how manufacturing can come back right here in the United States of America, right back here to Wisconsin,” Obama explained. …
No on Prop D Campaign Announces Website Launch and Kickoff Event
The No on Prop D campaign has officially launched its website – and has announced a campaign kickoff event for August 25. The website is at www.StopTheSalesTax.com. In addition to providing information on why San Diegans should vote against Prop D, the website asks San Diegans to sign a “petition against higher taxes.” On August 25th, the campaign will formally …
Cautionary Mail Tale …… the Horrendous Howard Wayne — John Steel attack Mailer of 2000
The nightmare of all candidates and consultants is to get basic facts wrong in an election mail- ing, especially if it criticizes the principal opponent. But what if the mailer is not just wrong, but Spectacularly wrong ?! It happened here in 2000 when Howard Wayne (now running for SD city council) and John Steel (R) competed for the 78th …
A judge extends deadline for PTSD lawsuit
A lawsuit was established to get much-needed care and monetary compensation for veterans who suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the Middle East Wars has extended the deadline allowing more veterans to sign on to the pending ligation. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans by the National Veterans Legal …
Federal Employees Earn Double Private-Sector Pay
Food for thought from USA Today: Federal civil servants earned average pay and benefits of $123,049 in 2009 while private workers made $61,051 in total compensation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data are the latest available. Federal workers have been awarded bigger average pay and benefit increases than private employees for nine years in a row. The …
Proposition 8 gets New Life — Federal Appeals Panel Reinstates It Today pending a New Hearing
A 3-judge “motions panel” today overruled district court Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision to invalidate the voter-approved Proposition 8. It will remain the law of California on marriage pending further Federal review. Constitutional Law experts have long believed this case will not finally be decided until the 9-member U.S. Supreme Court gives its opinion. California resident Anthony Kennedy may have the deciding vote. Proposition 8 …
Despite Deceptive Editorial, SD CityBeat Supports Sales Tax Increase
In a recent editorial, San Diego CityBeat’s staff claimed to oppose Proposition D, the sales tax increase on the November ballot. But the purported opposition is just a convenient fig-leaf for the tax-and-spend CityBeat “liberals”, as they prepare to endorse the sales tax hike. The “liberals” (I don’t like calling them liberals, as they’re not – they are leftists) rule …
It’s Not A Tax Unless We Need To Win In Court
When Obama was running for president, he promised: “Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” -Barack Obama– September 12th 2008 Then, while trying to pass his “health care reform,” Obama came …
Jerry Brown pension may cost him the election
The story below could cost Jerry Brown the election this November. Brown gets a lucrative state pension for his relatively short time in state government. No surprise there. But what IS scandalous is that the state’s secrecy over such pensions. More important for Brown, he is credited with MANY more years’ state service than he seems to have earned, boosting …
Laredo Police Dept. confirms Zeta incident
After nearly three weeks of denials, the Laredo Police Department has confirmed there was a Zeta cartel incident and that the police blotter is authentic. Naturally this begs the question as to why law enforcement continued to deny the event. There are still many questions left to be answered and more details will be forthcoming from this reporter. (Not Blogger). …
No confidence votes plague ICE and Border Patrol
The recent 259-0 disapproval of ICE’s point man John Morton by his fellow coworkers lends itself to an unwanted pattern in federal law enforcement agencies. Just last year the U.S. Border Patrol’s union, National Border Patrol Council put forth a similar vote and declared “no confidence” in their leader, David V. Aguilar. The unanimous “no confidence vote” from the U.S. …
Alert the Media: San Diego County Taxpayers Association Opposes Proposition D
In a move that didn’t catch much of anyone by surprise, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association’s Board of Directors overwhelmingly voted to oppose Proposition D, the City of San Diego’s half-cent sales tax increase which will come before San Diego voters on the November 3, 2010 ballot. Proposition D imposes a half-cent sales tax increase on all eligible purchases …
Union intimidation in College Board race? Who’s really lying?
Read below about Orrin Kole, a candidate for an open seat on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD) board, who had some interesting “contacts” from labor reps in the days approaching the deadline to file for office. Interesting that the union head, Jim Mahler, claims that he and his operatives contacted Kole because, as he put it, “We don’t want …
Breaking News: Pfeiler Files for City Council
Current Mayor of Escondido, Lori Holt Pfeiler has just filed papers at the deadline to run for city council. Lori, who announced last year she would not be seeking re-election as mayor has decided to stay with politics. She joins a crowded field of 7 candidates vying for 2 council seats. Current incumbent, Marie Waldron is seeking re-election to her …
Taxpayers Not Even at the Table
This op-ed originally appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune Mildly optimistic about recent progress in negotiations with the state’s 21 unions, but disappointed in what appears to be the “deal,” we now need some answers. Roughly three months before California goes to the polls, why would a lame duck governor be able to bring parties that have heretofore been unwilling …
Headlines From The Future
Join me, as we break through the boundaries of time and space to visit newspaper headlines 20 years in the future. The first thing we discover is that there are no more newspapers, but their electronic counterparts do still have headlines, such as, “Supreme Court Rules The Entire Constitution To Be Unconstitutional” “Animal Rights Activists Demand Permission To Marry Pets …
Sheriff Joe attracts a crowd of critics and fans in San Diego
Leave it to Arizona’s top Sheriff Joe Arpaio to attract a crowd at a conservative luncheon held in San Diego yesterday. Not one to shy away from his critics, Sheriff Joe was more than happy to say a few words to the 100 anti-Arpaio protesters from a north county group called Escondido Human Rights Committee. Before Sheriff Joe gave his …
“Blue Chip” Recruit– East County Realtors name Alan Smith their new Executive Officer
You’ve heard the expression, “It’s nice when Good Things happen to Good People”? We have a story like that with news the East San Diego County Association of Realtors has named Alan Smith as new Executive Officer. That’s not just a 1st-round choice, it is a Lottery Pick for the East County Realtors. Alan Smith has worked for every good …
Planning for the Worst: A Lesson in How Not to Think Like a Bureaucrat
A local San Diego veterinarian recently informed me about an issue that veterinarians across the country are having with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) accreditation process. Accreditation by the USDA is required for any veterinarian wishing to issue health certificates for animals traveling between states or out of the country. In the past, once a vet was accredited, they …
DeMaio Releases Plan to Restore Browned Out Fire Stations
Councilmember DeMaio today released a plan to restore browned-out fire stations — using cost savings in the FY11 budget that his office uncovered. DeMaio issued the following statement along with the release of the plan: “Public safety does not and should not be a casualty of the city’s financial problems. My office has identified $4.2 million in immediate cost savings …
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