Read This

http://nyti.ms/9sbqlf

The takeaway: Don’t believe Republican snake oil merchants.

Getting Our Government Back

It’s been a decidedly mixed week. Much of the nation experienced a temporary lapse in judgment by electing Republicans to House and Senate seats.

But here in California, we caused Republican Meg Whitman to lose $140 million of her own money by declining to elect her for governor. This despite a personal appearance by Sarah Palin in our beloved Conejo Valley.

And we showed the good sense to refuse to delay implementation of a climate change bill.

Carly Fiorina never had a chance.

So much for the year of the Republican woman.

Many Democrats these days are down in the dumps. They shouldn’t be. The Republicans will disgrace themselves over the next two years.

They will drag their feet, dig in their heels, and scream “hell no” at the top of their lungs.

And that’s just fine. They will have nobody to blame but themselves when they lose the 2012 election. And their phoney mandate will disappear.

So relax, and let’s take the opportunity to reaffirm our principles.

Liliana Still in Limbo

The Ventura County Star ran an article recently about Liliana, the Mexican immigrant who is staying at a Simi Valley church to avoid deportation. The Star also filmed a brief video interview of her.

The bad news is that Liliana’s situation has not changed in two years: she is still afraid of returning home to Oxnard. The good news is that the protesters–who dogged the church and threatened to forcibly evict her–are gone and have apparently given up.

Simi Valley Mayor Paul Miller has given up too. “I’ve basically lost track. I guess at this point we don’t care,” Miller told the Star.

I suppose there are more important things to worry about than separating a woman from her family.

Tony Strickland to Face Public at Oaks Mall

State Senator Tony Strickland will be manning a table at the Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks today from 2 to 3, according to his website. He will be “at the card table next to the escalator in front of the Macy’s Men’s Store.” You can’t miss him. He’s about 6′ 5″.

This is a great opportunity for Democrats and liberals to get out there and let their state senator know what they think about the state’s budget crisis, tea parties, same-sex marriage, and Republican shenanigans at the state capitol. Too often Republican legislators get the wrong impression that they represent a conservative populace. It’s time to set them straight.

Elton Gallegly Asks for Your Opinion

Elton Gallegly is asking for your opinion.

On his website at the House of Representatives, he has posted a poll (http://www.house.gov/gallegly/forms/survey2009/survey2009-1.htm).

Here is what he asks:

1) In general, do you agree or disagree that the government bailout of Wall Street banks helped the economy and Main Street businesses?

Agree. Disagree. Don’t Know.

2) In general, do you agree or disagree that government investment in General Motors and Chrysler and government removal of CEOs will bring the industry back to profitability?

Agree. Disagree. Don’t Know.

3) Do you support or oppose relocating terrorists now based at Guantanamo Bay at prisons on U.S. soil?

Support. Oppose. Don’t Know.

4) Do you support or oppose providing a path for the approximately 20 million illegal immigrants now in the United States to eventually become U.S. citizens without having to return to their home countries?

Support. Oppose. Don’t Know.

5) Do you support or oppose extracting oil and gas from the Outer Continental Shelf off California’s coast?

Support.

Oppose. Don’t Know.

6) Please prioritize the three (3) issues of most concern to you:

Afghanistan/Iraq.

Agriculture.

Crime.

Economy.

Education.

Energy.

Environment.

Health Care.

Illegal Immigration.

Retirement/Social Security.

Small Business.

Terrorism.

Veterans Benefits.

Other.

7) Do you find this newsletter helpful?

Yes. No.

8. Please share any other thoughts you have on the above questions or any other issues of concern to you.

I urge all Democrats to log on today and give him a piece of your mind.

As for Item number 8: this is what I originally wanted to say:

With all due respect, Congressman Gallegly, I think you are on the wrong side of most issues. You recently voted against funding for the troops based on a trivial objection to the IMF; you opposed removing our troops from Iraq and were a steadfast supporter of the war, despite its being waged on false pretenses; you trumpet most conservative talking points at every given opportunity. I’m sure that I cannot change your core political beliefs, but I urge you to retire soon from the Congress. Thanks for your service, but we’ve had enough.

But I deleted this reply in favor of a less emotional approach expressing my opinons on the specific issues he asked about. Instead, this is what I wrote:

1. The bailout, as frustrating as it is, has been widely credited for avoiding a depression. You should support the bailout and vote to tighten regulation on banks and financial firms. You should also vote to strengthen the powers of a few regulatory bodies and reduce the numbers.

2. The two companies in question may still not survive, but the government did the right thing by trying to save the firms.

3. Not all of the people housed at Guantanamo are terrorists. Many have been released; some have been cleared of wrongdoing; some are terrorists. Those remaining should be removed to the United States. Trials should occur for those who can be tried. Others should face something like a properly constituted military tribunal.

4. Some illegal immigrants should be allowed to gain citizenship; others should qualify for a guest worker program; those who have committed felonies should be returned home. Families should not be split up.

5. Attempts to drill for oil off California’s coast are a bad idea for two reasons (1) drilling for oil will not lower gas prices and (2) drilling for oil will harm the environment and contribute to global warming instead of reducing it. You should focus your efforts on weaning our nation from fossil fuels.

Thanks for asking! Please do more of these surveys in the future.

Let’s hope he does give us more chances to communicate directly with him. He hasn’t been the most responsive of legislators. He never debates opponents during elections. He never responds to emails.

I would ask all my readers to visit Gallegly’s site and let him know what you think. If you’d like, you can post your response to him as a comment to this blog post. I’d like to know what you think, too.

Three Political Podcasts You Should Be Listening To

I am a big fan of podcasts. This is partially because I am primarily an auditory learner. But I also relentlessly multitask, and listening to a podcast provides a good way of accomplishing something intellectually, like learning about Judge Sotomayor, while doing something mindless and physical, like painting the hallway.

So here are my top three political podcasts, in order of preference.

1. The Slate Political Gabfest. Intelligent, informed, snarky, and left of center, this weekly podcast is hosted by John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz. All three are experienced reporters. Dickerson covers the White House for Slate, Bazelon reports on the judiciary, and Plotz is editor of Slate. The style of the podcast is conversational and witty. John is straightlaced and knowledgeable about the political machine, Emily is the legal expert and provides the feminine, and often feminist, counterpunch  to David’s assertive, skeptical pronouncements and pointed wit. Each episode is generally devoted to three political subjects in the news that week and concludes with Cocktail Chatter: one thing you can talk about at your cocktail party this weekend. The podcast generally comes out on a Thursday. Subscribe through iTunes.
2. It’s All Politics. This NPR podcast is hosted by reporters Ron Elving and Ken Rudin. It is fast-paced, humorous, and clever. The hosts finish each other’s sentences and always have a running joke. Each episode is brief, about 20 minutes, and is a good place to go to get the backstory on all that Beltway intrigue. Subscribe through iTunes or with the RSS feed.
3. Capitol Notes. The best podcast for the inside scoop on what is going on in Sacramento. Hosted by John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief for the California Report and Capitol Weekly’s Anthony York. Like hosts of any of the best podcasts, John and Anthony play off each other and work well together. Both are on-the-ground reporters who know a great deal about state politics. Listening to Capitol Notes is a quick and enjoyable way to catch up on what’s going on in the state capitol. They often share information it would take you weeks to learn through the newspaper or any local blogs. This is where, for example, I learned that Peter Foy might run for governor months before the Ventura County Star bothered to report it. Subscribe through iTunes or with the RSS feed.

What are your favorite political podcasts? I’d like to know.

This Week in Conejo Valley Politics, May 24, 2009

No, no, no, no, no, yes. Voters disapproved all but one of the six budget-slashing measures on the ballot on May 19. This means cuts to services and higher taxes to close the $21.5 billion budget deficit.

A constitutional convention is needed to reform California’s dysfunctional system of government, says the Bay Area Council. It cites the current budget problems as an example and says that the initiative process has been hijacked by special interests. This blogger agrees and lauds their efforts.

State Senator Tony Strickland’s response to the May 19 vote was to call for lower taxes on businesses. He also proposed several small, ineffectual changes in state spending.

To its great shame, the Senate approved the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act. The purpose of the act is to canonize Reagan and gloss over his misdeeds, such as the Iran-Contra affair. Elton Gallegly, the bill’s sponsor, wastes no opportunity to declare his love for Reagan.

Ventura County wants to no longer give Thousand Oaks $190,000 for library use by out-of-county patrons. Not fair, says the city council.

The good news is that Ventura County’s water quality is good. The bad news is that only 1o sites instead of 5o will be tested weekly around the county. It’s all about the money.

Cheapskates. Metrolink will not pay for even part of a memorial honoring the victims of the September 12 train crash that killed 25 people.

Let me see those fingers. The sheriff can now screen people booked into county jail for immigration violations. Deputies will scan the fingerprints of those booked and compare them against a national database. It’s about time.

This land is your land, but it should be our land, says the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency. It wants to buy 1,500 acres of land around Thousand Oaks to form an open-space ring around the city. It needs $50 million; it has $1 million.

A victory for the little guy. A judge ruled that the Meadow Arts and Technology Elementary School is a conversion school. This means  the charter school can stay at Meadows Elementary. It is disheartening that parents have to fight the Conejo Valley Unified School District to educate their kids.

Hold Your Nose and Vote

It’s not exactly an inspiring election day. There six measures on the ballot, and not one of them deserves to be there. They are ugly comprimises dreamed up by a dysfunctional legislature.

So, Californians, probably very few of us, trudged to the voting booth, and not very enthusiastically.

I voted yes on all ballot measures. Why? Not because the legislation proposed represented competent lawmaking, but because they were the best on offer for a bad situation.

I have no doubt that the measures will go down in flames. They were written by an unpopular legislature and supported by an unpopular governor. 

Furthermore, the few who cast their ballots today were probably predominately out-of-sorts voters fed up with bailouts and recession, not willing to spend a dime. You know, the tea party types.

California voters are a fickle lot: we want all our services, but don’t want to pay for them. Republicans block raising taxes, but are unwilling to make unpopular cuts.

So I voted today in what must have been the most uninspiring election day of a lifetime. Quite a downer compared with November.

And what will tomorrow bring? A huge deficit, and more bad budgetary news.

We Californians must fix our budget, and we should start with reform of the state’s government. We should remove the gerrymandering that elects extremists from both parties. We should remove the absurd two-thirds requirement to pass budgets and the requirement for a two-thirds vote to raise taxes.

The time for reform is now, while the dust is settling. Maybe we won’t have to hold our noses for the next election.

This Week in Conejo Valley Politics, May 10, 2009

Michael Collins, writing for the Ventura County Star, reported this week that Tim Allison is considering challenging Congressman Elton Gallegly in the 2010 election. Allison has never held public office, but ran President Obama’s presidential campaign in Santa Barbara County. Allison would present a challenge to Shawn Stern, who is also running for the seat.

Tim Allison with Hannah-Beth Jackson. Photo by Paul Wellman. From the Santa Barbara Independent.

Shawn Stern also wants the job. Photo from ShawnStern.com.

Hundreds of people throughout the Conejo Valley gathered for the National Day of Prayer. Other countries have state religions. In the United States, we have federally mandated religiosity on May 7 of each year. Why not call it the Federal Day of Prayer?

The Conejo Valley Days are back. Bad food + bad rides = good fun (and a tummy ache).

The swine flu apparently isn’t that bad after all, but religious types insist we call it the H1N1 virus. No, the 2009 H1N1 virus. Politics infect everything.

The May 19 ballot measures are going down the tubes, according to a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. Only Proposition 1F seems likely to pass. It limits pay raises for legislators during budget crises.

Equality California, a gay-rights group, will launch an ad campaign soon in support of gay marriage. Republicans dropped teapots and grabbed pitchforks.

Republicans have a new assembly leader: Sam Blakeslee. They had been happy to get rid of Assemblymember Mike Villines, who had the temerity to support a budget compromise that temporarily raised taxes.

Our beaches might be getting a little bit cleaner. They will be tested weekly. This a result of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board’s decision to adopt new rules for pollution from stormwater. Predictably, the construction industry whined.

If you can’t outlaw it, tax it. Governor Schwarzenegger said this week that Californians should discuss legalizing marijuana. To see video of the governor winning the Mr. Universe competition and, incidentally, smoking pot, watch Pumping Iron.

Barnbrook’s “Pray” Repurposed for National Day of Prayer

I found this image today, by chance, when I was surfing the Reason Project:

Jonathan Barnbrook's "Pray," created in 1992 to oppose the Gulf War

It is a poster created by British artist Jonathan Barnbrook. This is from the artist’s website:

We wanted to comment on oil as the reason for military action. I used Saddam Hussein’s dubious justification–a war of  christians against muslims. Therefore Jesus, rather than a halo of goodness, has a Shell oil logo halo.

Good stuff. I thought it an image appropriate for America’s National Day of Prayer, which was today. Does it shock you that our country, which supposedly keeps church separate from state, in fact does not? Well, it should.

I’m perfectly willing to support everyone’s right to pray to whatever god they choose, but I am not willing to sit idly by while Congress mandates a day of prayer and the president annually acts as chief muezzin, exhorting his people to “pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love.”

That last quote, by the way, was from our beloved Barack Obama. That’s right, Barack Obama. Of course, Public Law 100-307 commands him to issue a proclamation asserting the National Day of Prayer, and today he fulfilled his duty. Here is the full text (from the White House website):

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

———————————————-

For Immediate Release May 7, 2009

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, 2009

- – - – - – -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Throughout our Nation’s history, Americans have come together in moments of great challenge and uncertainty to humble themselves in prayer. In 1775, as the Continental Congress began the task of forging a new Nation, colonists were asked to observe a day of quiet humiliation and prayer. Almost a century later, as the flames of the Civil War burned from north to south, President Lincoln and the Congress once again asked the American people to pray as the fate of their Nation hung in the balance.

It is in that spirit of unity and reflection that we once again designate the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer. Let us remember those who came before us, and let us each give thanks for the courage and compassion shown by so many in this country and around the world.

On this day of unity and prayer, let us also honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. We celebrate their commitment to uphold our highest ideals, and we recognize that it is because of them that we continue to live in a Nation where people of all faiths can worship or not worship according to the dictates of their conscience.

Let us also use this day to come together in a moment of peace and goodwill. Our world grows smaller by the day, and our varied beliefs can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make peace where there is strife; and to lift up those who have fallen on hard times. As we observe this day of prayer, we remember the one law that binds all great religions together: the Golden Rule, and its call to love one another; to understand one another; and to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a “National Day of Prayer.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2009, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

President Barack Obama signs the National Day of Prayer Proclamation on May 7, 2009. Joshua DuBois, Director of the infernal White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, looks on. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.

Although I am happy with the president’s inclusive language, the very fact that an American president would urge me to pray through an official proclamation gives me pause. And the president probably unknowingly echoes the arguments of religious conservatives when he places the roots of the National Day of Prayer in 1775. Such an old and established religious tradition must not be easily discarded, they argue.

And so I am reminded of the appropriateness of Barnbrook’s “Pray.” Jesus’s eyes direct us to the American flag beneath him.People in government constantly appeal to God, constantly interpret God’s will for us, constantly give their actions the veneer of sanctity.

Are we to be a nation of Christians? Are we a Christian nation?

No, we are neither.

We are, despite the president’s sops to the religious right, “a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.” Secular, democratic values, that is.