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[10/11/05 Tuesday]

[Bill Leonard, contributor, Member CA Board of Equalization] 12:03 am [permalink]
Prop. 75: Compulsory Political Donations I am so torn on Proposition 75. This is the proposed law that would require labor unions of public employees to get written permission from each member before using that member's dues to make political contributions. Normally I would argue that any association has the right to make any rules on its members that it wants to. If I join a church I must confess my faith. If I join a veterans group I have to show my veterans status. If I join a service club I have to commit to giving hours of service. So why should a labor union be barred from using its members dues on politics?

The reason is another older law and if it were not for this law I would not be supporting Proposition 75. This law is the union or closed shop law. The state government of California has agreed to not hire any person who fails to join a labor union. This is a bad law and forces people to become members of a group against their true wishes. Its also leads to abuses like a union leadership that uses union money to support political candidates without the consent of the members.

If I thought there was any chance in the near future that the union shop law would be overturned then I would defend associations where members set their own rules. Where people are forced into associations not of their choosing then it is very appropriate for the government to intervene and set some standards of fairness.

[10/10/05 Monday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:05am [permalink]
LA Times Opposes Parental Notification for Abortion The LA Times gives all the convoluted reasons possible for opposing Proposition 73, the constitutional amendment requiring parental notification for a minor's abortion, and adds others: Such laws don't work, and the abortion rate is declining anyway.

The parental consent laws do work, as poliltical scientist Michael New has shown in his studies. For an overview of his work see here. New is correcting an LAT report that would have him on the opposite side of the issue. See this excerpt from his unprinted letter to the LAT.

[A] study I presented at this summer’s meeting of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change specifically examined the effect of parental involvement laws on the incidence of abortion among minors. I analyzed the minor abortion rate for all 50 states for a span of 15 years, holding constant a variety of demographic and economic factors. Not surprisingly, in every statistical model, parental involvement laws were correlated with a statistically significant decline in the minor abortion rate. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[10/7/05 Friday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:05am [permalink]
Are Indian Tribes Governments or Corporations? Dan Walters notes the intolerable disparities created by Indian "sovereignty"--wanting simultaneously the advantages of governments and private corporations. Moreover, Indian tribes contribute to political campaigns. These difficulties in California underscore the problem with granting tribal status to native Hawaiians; see our earlier post on the Akaka bill. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[10/6/05 Thursday]

[Jim Kouri, contributor] 12:03 am [permalink]
Thousands of Criminals Nabbed by Border Patrol Since October 1, 2004, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson, AZ Sector have apprehended 27,834 illegal aliens with criminal records, 74 of which were for homicide. Last fiscal year, the Tucson Sector apprehended 14,506 illegal aliens with criminal records. These figures do not include the thousands of criminal aliens apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or those in other Border Patrol sectors.

For example, Border Patrol agents of the Tucson Sector apprehended an illegal alien with an outstanding murder warrant for his arrest in New York City. The suspect killed his victim, escaped back into Mexico and then re-entered the US at a later date.

Last month, Border Patrol agents from the Casa Grande station apprehended a group of 13 illegal aliens west of Sells, Arizona. All 13 subjects were transported to the Nogales Processing Center where their fingerprints were entered into the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), for comparison with the FBI fingerprint database.

One of the individuals, Jose Luis Castaneda-Cardenas, a 23-year-old Mexican National, was identified as having an outstanding felony warrant for “Felony Murder” and “Misdemeanor Criminal Possession of a Weapon,” in New York City. The New York City Police Department verified the warrant, and confirmed extradition of Castaneda. Castaneda remains in federal custody while he's awaiting extradition to New York.

The technology, the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System or IAFIS, enables Border Patrol agents to search fingerprint databases simultaneously using the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) and the FBI fingerprint database. It provides rapid identification of individuals with outstanding criminal warrants by electronically comparing a live-scanned fingerprint with a nationwide database of biometrically indexed fingerprints.

In other incidents, Border Patrol agents of the Tucson Sector arrested two sexual predators. One of which was a United States Citizen, wanted for violent sex crimes. Border agents from the Douglas Station arrested Jose Rodriguez, a 29-year-old illegal alien from Mexico.

At the station, agents identified Rodriguez as having a criminal record in Denver, CO. He was arrested on November 30, 1998 for “Felony Sexual Assault on a Child.” Rodriguez plead guilty and was sentenced to three years incarceration. As a result of his conviction, he was subsequently Ordered Removed from the United States on February 18, 1999.

Rodriguez is currently in federal custody pending removal proceedings and prosecution. Also, agents from the Ajo Station encountered Jorge M. Sam, a 20-year-old United States citizen from Prescott, AZ, on the Tohono O’odham Nation during a vehicle stop. Records checks through the Tucson Sector Communications Center, revealed that Sam had an outstanding warrant for his arrest issued by the US Marshals Service, as a sexually violent predator. The charges on the warrant were “Sexual Assault against a Child” and “Carnal Abuse of a Juvenile under the Age of 14 at Time of Assault.” Sam was arrested and turned over to the Pima County Sheriffs Office to await extradition.

Sources: US Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, US Marshals Service, American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens

[10/5/05 Wednesday]

[Thomas Del Beccaro columnist] 12:02 am [permalink]
History Awaits Him . . . Does it Await You ? When I spoke to Arnold recently, I told him “History awaits you – just stay true.”

I said that because in a few short weeks, he has the chance to change Sacramento, our State and our Country.

His reforms strike at the heart of the problems that affect our governance and they seek real change.

Arnold has paid a price for such leadership. Having to pay such a price for suggesting real reform is not new. Consider this five centuries old quote:

“The reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws in their favor; and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have actual experience of it."
-Nicolas Machiavelli, The Prince

In that same vein, candidate for CA State Controller Tony Strickland told me that "if you have not attracted enemies in politics, you have not accomplished much."

So now that we understand why Arnold has enemies, the real question is what his friends will do.

Some have complained about the purity of his leadership and therefore offer lukewarm support. But each must ask themselves, if 3 years ago someone told them they could have a Republican governor replace Gray Davis, no new taxes, a balanced budget and a chance for real reform – would they take it? None could honestly say no.

Nor can it honestly be said that Arnold's reforms can be accomplished by him - without the help of many.

So the question arises about whether you, we, us will stand with him in this quest and convince others to help as well.

If you are fed up with the growth in government, then Prop 76 is for you. Make government live within its means. If you want to de-fund the Democrats and the unions, Prop 75 if for you. And it you think we should have fair voting districts, then Prop 77 is for you.

The breadth of those reforms is considerable. So too will be their impact on History.

Don’t let your place in history pass you by.

[10/4/05 Tuesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:05am [permalink]
"Flash Report" Goes Live, Happy Birthday!  Congratulations to John Fleishman, today his 'new political website' called The Flash Report went 'live'. You can bookmark  The Flash Report by checking his first day of publication.

John is one of the brightest political minds in the state of California. Know for certain, each morning when I rise, I will be logging onto The Flash Report for the latest commentary, political news and behind the scene strategies.

[10/3/05 Monday]

[Ken Masugi -- Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01 am [permalink]
OJ Simpson Reemerges Steve Lopez gives us some details of the reemergence of OJ Simpson, on the tenth anniversary of his acquittal.

But don't let wrongful death [the civil suit] keep you from collecting a souvenir from the most elusive and slashing runner in history.

For $125, you can get O.J. to sign a USC helmet. For a mere $80, an autographed copy of the Simpson book "I Want to Tell You" will make a great holiday gift for a loved one. I once saw a remaindered copy in which someone had changed "Tell" to "Kill," but it's not clear whether O.J. would sign such a book.

"It's only for sports-related items," Riccio said. "He won't sign pictures of him in the courtroom, or him running around in the Bronco, or him holding up a glove."

It gets worse. Riccio told me O.J. won't sign a knife, either.

When you're on the trail of your ex-wife's killer, you don't want to come off like some kind of carnival act. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[9/30/05 Friday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:05am [permalink]
Claremont's Dreier Rejected for Leadership Role House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, whose district has always included Claremont, was proposed by Speaker Hastert to take over for Tom DeLay in his absence as Majority Leader (Shailagh Murray and Jim VanderHei, Wash Post).

There was one big problem: When DeLay's indictment was unsealed yesterday, conservatives in the GOP caucus immediately erupted in anger over rumors that the selection of Dreier, whom they regard as too moderate, was being presented as a fait accompli.

As the conservatives met to vent frustrations and plot options, Hastert was changing course in a separate meeting on the second floor of the Capitol. Rep. Roy Blunt (Mo.), the majority whip, was making a personal appeal for the promotion. Hastert agreed, forestalling a possible revolt by conservatives, who regard Blunt as one of their own.

Michelle Malkin has a host of links on Dreier and DeLay, including this one from Mark Levin, former Lincoln Fellow of the Claremont Institute and author of Men in Black (reviewed here): "I can't find a single sentence [in the indictment] tying Tom DeLay to a crime. That is, there's not a single sentence tying DeLay to the contribution."

Another former Lincoln Fellow, Michael Ramirez, is not amused. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[9/29/05 Thursday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:05am [permalink]
The "Moderation" of "Union-Busting" Prop 75 Dan Smith (Sacbee) observes that for all the talk about restricting unions' political rights:

The restrictions [of Prop 75], however, would apply only to members' dues diverted to political committees, according to the initiative. Unions could continue to use money from employees who refused to sign the consent form to advocate on issues before the Legislature or the governor.

Thus Prop 75 does not eliminate the fundamental flaw in union use of member dues. We need a rethinking of the nature and role of labor unions. One place to start is here, a Claremont Institute briefing on the problem in the wake of the last initiative over union politicking. Our last blog on this subject is here; follow the links back. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[9/28/05 Wednesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:05am [permalink]
Once Agan, the Matricula Consular This is the card that buys an illegal immigrant de facto amnesty, as Mark Krikorian puts it. It's an old story, but here is an update on the growth, use, and abuse of the matricula consular identity card (Delson and Gorman, LAT).

To get a card, which is good for five years, an applicant must pay $27 and produce an original birth certificate, a photo ID from Mexico (such as a voter card), and provide evidence of U.S. residency (such as a water or gas bill). The card lists the bearer's U.S. address, whether the person is here legally or not.

At Beyond Borders Blog Conor Friedersdorf's remark on an illegal who attributes her possessions (including a $1000-dollar gold watch) to her m.c. card: "If I had that kind of money I’d hire an immigation attorney and figure out how to get legal status. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[9/27/05 Tuesday]

[Found in the ebag-CalTax] 12:21 [permalink]
California Taxpayers Association and the Propositions: The California Taxpayers’ Association Board of Directors has endorsed November 8 special election ballot propositions that will reform the state’s broken budget process, empower public employees to say how their political dues can be spent and take the drawing of political boundaries out of the hands of politicians.

Meeting September 23, the board considered the eight propositions on the ballot and decided to support these initiatives:

Proposition 75 – Paycheck Protection. This initiative requires public employee unions to get annual written permission from members to spend any of their dues for political purposes.

Proposition 76 – Budget Process Reform. This initiative is designed to prevent huge budget deficits by tying spending to available revenues. It enhances the state’s ability to fund schools. It stops stealing from special funds, such as the transportation account, to balance the state’s budget. It allows the governor to make mid-year emergency spending reductions to maintain budget balance.

Proposition 77 – Reapportionment. Ending the conflicts of interest inherent when legislators draw their own district boundaries, in essence picking their voters, this initiative puts the reapportionment of voters in the hands of an independent panel of retired federal judges.

Directors decided to oppose Proposition 79, which would create a new state program of price controls on drugs, resulting in shortages and increased costs to taxpayers, and “shakedown” lawsuits.