RedMango's blog

Last month Californians were shocked to find that the state stealthily jacked up payroll taxes by 10%.  Republicans in the legislature voted overwhelmingly against it, but of course, there were like 2 of them left.  Sly accounting tricks couldn't save the state again for a $21 billion budget deficit projected for 2010.  The Democrat in charge of the budget in the Assembly has given up,

"I can't think of any good solutions," said Assemblywoman Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), who chairs the lower house budget committee. 

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget-deficit18-2009nov18,0,7647152.story

She's a lot more honest than the Dems in every level of government have been so far .  

Another Democrat statehouse in trouble as Baldacci (D) sinks in Maine with only a 38 percent approval rating.  In contrast, the Maine ladies (you know which ones) have stratospheric approval ratings.  Baldacci is term-limited.  Polling in October shows the Republican, State Senator Peter Mills is leading the Democrats best candidate, State Senator Libby Mitchell, 34-31 (Public Policy Polling) 

Maine

Favorable / UnfavorableBarack Obama: 56 / 29

Job Approval / DisapprovalSen. Collins: 68 / 22Sen. Snowe: 70 / 21

Gov. Baldacci: 38 / 52 

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/me_ratings_critical_insights_1.php

As recently as September Gov. Culver (D) had a 50% approval rating.  Now he is down to 40% approval rating and getting beaten by former GOP Gov. Brandstad by a whopping 24 points.  Brandstad isn't the only Republican leading Culver, perennial statewide loser Bob VanderPlaats leads Culver by 8 points. 

www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091114/NEWS09/911150335/Iowa-Poll-Low-rating-for-Culver-reveals-vulnerability&theme=IOWA_POLL

 Where are my nexter's at?  As you already know, your city will not get stimulus money if your city doesn't have a flag.  Post yours below.  

My county's population > yours

City of Los Angeles

 Today the LA Times' homepage blares a seemingly inoccuous headline, in fact, it sounds like good news:  State's in a drought, but it's not the worst ever

Hot-diggity-damn, ain't that swell?  However, this being LA Times, a seemingly harmless story turned into needless GOP-bashing.  Reporter Bettina Boxall weaves a conspiracy by anti-environmentalists concocting this drought myth to advance a radical right-wing agenda of building levees, reservoirs, and dams in the state's agricultural Central Valley.  And I quote:

"Those who would like to build new reservoirs and canals and to weaken environmental regulations have invoked the drought like a mantra in recent weeks.

A recently introduced congressional bill that would allow federal officials to relax endangered-species protections in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is titled "The California Drought Alleviation Act."

...Sen. Dave Cogdill, a Republican who represents agriculture-dependent Modesto, called the drought "epic" when he introduced a $10-billion water bond package last week that includes funding for new reservoirs and other infrastructure.State and federal water managers earlier this year sought to relax delta water quality standards, arguing that because of the drought, it needed to hold more water in upstream reservoirs to preserve cold water flows for salmon in coming months."

BOO!  Her words in bold.  

If the drought is a myth, then the LA Times contradicts its self for printing several stories just DAYS before this one saying that the drought is indeed one of the worst in state history.

2/28/2009 (written by Boxall):  Schwarzenegger proclaims statewide drought emergency

"The proclamation amplifies a drought emergency that Schwarzenegger declared last year in several agricultural counties, where more than 100,000 acres of farmland have gone unplanted for lack of water."

2/27/09:  Lawmakers seek billions to expand, improve California's water supply

"With California's budget crisis resolved for the moment, state lawmakers Thursday turned their attention to another emergency: a three-year drought that has left key reservoirs at 35% of capacity."

2/21/2009:  U.S. to tighten tap for farmers

"In a blow to the state's producers of almonds and other crops, federal officials announced Friday that they may not be able to provide water for the upcoming growing season in parts of the Central Valley.

To cope with the continuing drought, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will not provide water for agriculture beginning in March to at least 200 local water districts in that region, agency spokeswoman Lynnette Wirth said. Municipalities and industrial customers will receive half of their allotments."

2/18/2009:  Storm didn't help California drought conditions 

"“You have to understand we are coming off of two dry years to begin with,” said Cynthia Palmer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. “We’re still playing catch-up, but every little bit helps.”

Rainfall levels in Southern California are running at about 80% to just-under-100% of normal levels, but the statewide snowpack is only at 71% of the norm, Palmer said."

 This all just from last month.

Report: AIG bailout to add on billions more

$30 billion in government loan guarantees; fourth time to receive aid

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29455792

It

needs

to

die

It's killing the taxpayer.   

From the LAT 1/31/09:

"The State Personnel Board’s website lists 2,975 current vacancies. Of those, 1,172 were posted in the last two weeks. One local entrepreneur, Ken Mandler, continues to hold popular workshops on how to get a state job. He said he was too busy in meetings with clients to be interviewed."

WTF is wrong with my state?

It took almost 150 years, but finally a non-Southern state can claim to be the shittiest state in America.  Michigan, a state's whose idea of setting economic trends is to be in a recession seven years before everyone else, capped off a craptacular year with the Detroit Lions being the first NFL team to not win a game in a single season.  To rub it in, Georgia has overtaken Michigan in median household income, the first southern state outside Virginia to do so.  By next year, Texas and Florida will almost certainly surpass Michigan.  In a generation, Ohioans would be heard saying "Thank God for Michigan, or we'd be last in everything". 

You think a state cratering so fast would be enough to jolt the voters in to critical thinking, but the lamentable loyalty to the corrupt ineffectual Democrat-rule this decade started is a self-inflicted wound that the country is now being forced to pay the medication for.  The failure of Michigan Democrats and assorted constituencies to govern Michigan has given us the another Detroit mayor in the slammer, a $17 billion bailout (with more to come), record homicide rate, budget deficit, continued job losses, Detroit, Detroit, Detroit.  Mitten's mitten-shaped home state needs conservative leadership NOW!  Unfortunately, Michigan voters can't be helped if it doesn't want to be saved. 

From new Rasmussen poll 12/16/08:

But two-thirds of U.S. voters (66%) say the teachers’ unions – the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers – are more interested in protecting their members’ jobs than in the quality of education.

Only 23% of voters say educational quality comes first for the unions, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Twelve percent (12%) are undecided.

....

While 78% of Republicans and 66% of unaffiliated voters say teachers’ jobs are the chief focus of the unions, only 55% of Democrats agree.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/issues2/articles/most_voters_say_teachers_unions_more_focused_on_jobs_than_education

I have teachers and school administrators in my family and judging from their antipathy towards their own unions, I still can't imagine how extremely powerful the unions are here in California. 

The Illinois Republican Party is a joke of a joke of a party.  It is bar-none, the worst state party out of 100 in existence.  Pussified beyond belief, it rolls over for the Dems more often than Lassie did for her owners.  So it is to my surprise to read this article and learn that Lincoln's great-grand bastards are, gulp, OBJECTING to the monstrously corrupt Illinois Dems for backtracking on holding a special election for Obama's senate seat. 

"David Dring, spokesman for House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said Republicans will step up the pressure on Democrats to remove Blagojevich.

"If they won't work with us, you'll probably see some good theater," Dring said.

The GOP also plans to run television ads pressuring Democrats to approve a special election to replace Obama. Blagojevich still holds the power to appoint a new senator, and if he resigned, that power would go to Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn.

Illinois Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna told reporters the ads will "make the point that this is the people's seat, and the people deserve a special election."

A spokesman said Madigan, who has often clashed with Blagojevich, will discuss impeachment with Cross on Monday.

Franks said Madigan — a methodical man who never rushes decisions — listens to House members and will probably respond to public cries for impeachment. But Franks also said members will not be satisfied with a wait-and-see response."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/ap_on_re_us/illinois_governor

I know that there are many paths for the GOP to reform like changing its message to not scaring people, but first and foremost, ALL should be busy in making sure others know that they exist.