Religion, Politics, and Culture: Explained and Defined
This week, the SEIU is again pushing for members to be prepared for battle. However, I have still heard nothing about asking members to vote to authorize a strike.
Is this their “October Surprise” or do they want folks out of work in time for the holidays?
If they do pull the trigger on a strike then just wait ‘til the media starts talking about “non-essential” government workers striking. I think calling SEIU members “non-essential” government workers will bring a swift end to this folly.
I get bombarded with a plethora of junk mail each week. The other day I spotted a slick, glossy publication from the City of Elk Grove in amongst my pile of mail. On the cover are two items that together make what can only be an underhanded “in kind contribution” to the YES on Measure B campaign.
First was an article that claims that California now has early voting. Really? Until recently, I have been involved with various political groups that claim to be the guardians of public good—at least from a Conservative point of view—and I have never heard a peep out of anyone that California was adopting early voting. I know that in two years, we will have same day registration but early voting too? This is a bombshell announcement; however, the usual suspects are mute on this.
California seems to want more voter fraud to be committed more easily—at least as long as it benefits the party in power.
Next to this voter news on the newsletter was a plug for the Measure B campaign.
So we are told where to vote and what to vote for, seems like a plug for Measure B in my book.
UPDATE 08-31-2016
Sith Lord says that this is not a Texas style, full blown Early Voting System. Instead, Sacramento County Elections is trying voting at three locations in the county during week-ends. Voters will get one-time absentee ballot. They can then either vote on the spot or take ballot and return via snail mail or drop at a polling location later. Sith Lord was concerned about ballot security and county elections was not forthcoming about any chain-of-custody issues.
This is reportedly a trial program that will be evaluated later to decide if it should be continued.
• Remember when the Park Brothers were expelled from CRA for life?
• Remember the financial shenanigans they masterminded in both the Placer County Republican Assembly and at the CRA annual conventions?
• Remember the Brothers Park posting people’s home addresses and bank account numbers online?
• Remember when the new board of directors took them to court?
• Remember the multipage expose’ in the Sacramento Bee laying out the case used by the prosecution to win conviction?
• Remember the complaints that were filed with FPPC, FBI, DOI, various local District Attorneys and CA Attorney General?
• Remember the Emmy Award winning special on the Fox News Channel about the “Placer County Mafia”?
• Remember when the Brothers (Aaron and George) went to jail after being convicted by each and every single one of these entities?
Let me guess; you don’t remember any of these things happening do you? Because everything except the first three points are false and never happened.
X has been involved in the CRA for a little over a decade now and knows both Aaron and George very well; well enough to say both are so crooked you may be able to open a wine bottle with either one. Back in the day, Aaron once had a big problem abusing the sauce, but now he (and George) spend their leisure time abusing the truth. For them truth is not an absolute, it’s a matter of compensation and personal enhancement that determines their “truth”. But enough of those two Jeb Bush supporting, wannabe conservatives—for now.
The California Republican Assembly (CRA) claims to be the oldest Republican organization in California. A quick look at their membership at the last convention would convince you that the claim is probably true. Sadly, the once proud CRA has devolved into an old white people’s club, except rather than play Bingo and shuffleboard, they reminisce about the old times when California frequently went Republican during statewide elections and occasionally for President. This group still fondly remembers when “The Gipper” called them “the conscience of the Republican Party.” However, like “The Gipper”, CRA has developed Alzheimer’s disease. They have forever lost their way.
If you need evidence of how out of touch the CRA is, you need look no further than their Presidential Endorsing Convention last February. On the first ballot, Donald Trump barely got 10 votes while Ted Cruz was overwhelmingly endorsed. When California actually cast ballots on June 7th, Trump got 74.8% of the vote while Cruz came in third with just 9.5%.
Likewise, the CRA Convention’s choice for US Senate, Tom Del Baccaro, was overwhelmingly endorsed on their first ballot. When Californians voted in June, Del Baccaro got 4.3% of the vote. Not only did he finish a distant fifth place in the field, but no Republican received enough votes to go on to the November 8th election.
Every two years, CRA chapters hold local endorsement conventions all across the state. These pyric events often break out into meandering trips down memory lane for these old geezers. You see, the CRA endorsement comes with no money for candidates or sweat equity to further their campaigns. It’s just symbolism with no substance. However, for those that believe, it’s a sacred duty that they take very seriously.
CRA claims to be an organization based on principles. However, I’ve personally watched a candidate get endorsed by CRA by promising to hold the line against higher taxes, only to break their promise and then the following election cycle be endorsed again (Mike Villines and Mimi Walters).
Sadly, CRA stands for nothing; they are just another GOP group with a different name and annual dues.
In my local unit, I’ve witnessed firsthand a three hour debate by two candidates running for the right to get annihilated by Doris Matsui. CRA will leave no windmill unscathed.
X left the CRA due to these types of people/actions, permanently.
You see the new CRA Board has stood idly by while the organization went the same way as the CA Republican Party; right down the commode. Yup, while our blind leadership was busy trying to set up a new unit in Compton and make sure all the incumbents in Orange County got re-elected in landslides, the world changed. Look at what CRA has been reduced to. The Park Brothers should be history from any type of political circle, and a DA in Placer County likely could have helped spearhead the effort but no, we would rather play nice. CRA failed to act either in self-defense or on principle. Between the CRA and rank-and-file Republicans, the disconnect has never been more pronounced. CRA is stuck so far in the past that they still think California has primaries. They still haven’t come to grips with a top two system. Despite much bluster and bravado, they are just as averse to conflict as the national party when squabbles break out.
Like the Republican Party in California, CRA has run its course. Both are dimming memories in the consciousness of the political historian that is likely young enough not to know firsthand what a vibrant two party system looked like. It has been millennia since the proud elephant has roamed supreme in the western states of North America and almost as long since a living Republican has been spotted making a difference in the once Golden State.
Just when you thought it was safe…
Or in this case, too quiet; the SEIU has begun saber rattling again.
My last post, pondering if SEIU was opting for a political settlement via the November elections prior to pursuing contract negotiations, seems to have been nullified by the weekly newsletter that they released this morning.
BARGAINING UPDATE: TAKE THE PLEDGE & GET READY!
We are expressing our commitment to stand up and fight for a strong contract by taking a pledge to participate in all Local 1000 authorized actions.
Contract negotiations came to a halt when state negotiators made their position clear: Even in a time of budget surpluses – and California being the sixth largest economy in the world – they will not make a real, meaningful investment in the people who make California a great place to live.
The message we delivered at town halls was also clear: The state’s offer simply does not value our work or the sacrifices we’ve made. And we’re ready and willing to let them know they must do better.
Your participation makes all the difference. Take the pledge as we gear up for our next actions. Together we are unstoppable.
Oh, and the pledge
My question is this, what if people realize that these “non-essential government workers” really are non-essential?
Being this IS California, there’s not much likelihood of that happening.
Crickets…
This sound is often associated with silence, white noise, or just meaningless background. In the movies as in real life, when the crickets are silent, something very wrong is being foreshadowed.
In like manner, since the SEIU Board of Directors unanimously authorizing a strike vote, all that they have been saying publicly is nothing; just crickets. Nothing distributed to members via public channels even hints to their next move. Their silence over last few weeks is deafening.
I thought they would jump to calling a strike vote almost immediately. Instead, I’m starting to wonder if they are shopping legislative campaigns in search of sympathetic candidates who will sell their souls for campaign cash from this powerful labor union. Now that California is officially a one party state, it is a possibility worth considering.
I think it is clear that Governor Brown is not supportive of their cry for a 22 percent pay increase over four years for 95,000 state employees. Perhaps they are trying to shore-up their support in the Legislature before entering into further negotiations with the State.
As a recovering Republican, I’m not used to people playing chess in an arena where my side can’t even play checkers. The SEIU playing the long game is something I hadn’t considered until now but if August goes out like a lamb, then it’s likely they are banking on November 8th to improve their fortunes…literally.
Your humble blogger X has witnessed one of the biggest epic fails by a corporate CEO in recent memory. This guy put his fiduciary responsibilities aside in a desperate attempt to push his liberal values on the rest of the world. I am highlighting the horrible decision making by Target Corporation CEO Brian Cornell. Cornell—as you may recall—instituted an “open bathroom and dressing room” policy at Target Stores nationwide in April of this year. Hence men could now use the ladies room and vice a versa. Any customer could use any restroom or dressing room depending on which gender they felt like identifying with on that particular day. Cornell wanted diversity and inclusivity, two hallmarks of the new Democratic Party, so he, like all liberals decided he needed to act immediately by Executive Order. Somehow he thought he could be a trailblazer on this subject. X thinks this is chapter one in the Democrat playbook, decide you know what is best and implement immediately.
The immediate after math of this decree was not favorable. An online petition to boycott Target ensued and gathered almost 700K signatures in a matter of days. But this was just the beginning of problems for Target. As everyone knows we live in a country with roughly a 50/50 split politically so policies like this are bound to anger quite a few people. Not surprisingly, sales and earnings at Target fell and during their next earnings report. Analysts asked if the petition regarding bathroom policies was the reason for the drop in sales. Of course Cornell denied any correlation between the two. X believes this is chapter two in the Democrat playbook; even if all fails, blame other factors. (In my time in the Navy, our version of this was “Deny everything and make counter-accusations”—Editor.)
While Target was shoving this perversity down the throats of consumers, the liberal media was mocking those not comfortable with the possibility that a member of the opposite sex may enter the bathroom they are using and be in the next stall. No way a man would use a women’s bathroom to video or photo them; that could never happen, right?
During the course of the next two months, there were four reported instances of this occurring. All four instances happened where? You guessed it, at Target shopping centers! Game over Cornell. The easiest way to get people to stop using your store is a mother or father thinking their child may not be safe using the opposite sexes bathroom while they wait outside. Obviously CEO Cornell never considered that shoppers could take their business to a very small competitor from Arkansas; Wal-Mart, I’m sure you have never heard of them.
Then a strange sequence of events took place this past week. Target Corporation reported declining profits on Wednesday the 17th. In a historically high market, it was truly a disaster when they reported that their stock plummeted 6%. Again Cornell’s team claimed that this had nothing to do with the bathroom policy, but then after the close of the stock trading day, Wal-Mart reported their best earnings in eight quarters. No coincidence right? On Thursday the 18th, Cornell’s lieutenant—CFO Cathy Smith—announced the company would spend 20 million dollars to add a private, one stall unisex bathroom to all stores by March of 2017. Clearly Cornell panicked. His Executive Order resulted in the business faltering and missing earnings projections.
Since April, over four million have signed the petition to boycott Target. Customers—especially during these economic times—are extremely fickle. Based on earnings, it sounds like many have traded Target for Wal-Mart as their preferred shopping choice.
Cornell better hope the trend reverses quickly. Like any desperate human being, he served up his CFO, making her fall on the sword to protect him. This may buy him time; however, X believes he should get his resume ready. Cornell will survive. All the executive types like him do. He will blame everyone but himself. He may nominate himself for sainthood because he tried to be inclusive. Look for him to grab a golden parachute and find employment in the C-suite elsewhere.
“X” suggests he apply for a job at Kraft Foods. Specifically, may I suggest President of Kool-Aid North American division? That way he can drink his own Kool-Aid!
Sorry, bad joke….til next time!
X
The following was submitted to Sacramento County Elections as a ballot argument in opposition to the increase in local sales tax that will appear on the November ballot. This argument was not selected by the Registrar of Voters for Sacramento County. According to County Elections, several arguments were submitted.
Such arguments can be submitted by individuals or groups. This one was submitted as an argument by an individual. I’m curious what they ended-up selecting. Anyway, here is the text as submitted.
As a resident of Sacramento County, I’m respectfully submitting an argument in opposition to this 30 yearlong sale tax increase. Here are some reasons to oppose this tax.
First, until the state and federal governments restore the taxes they are diverting from roads to other programs, why should we here at the local level be taxed again for repairs we have already paid for but never received? Here are examples:
1. All diesel fuel sales taxes ($620 million) are diverted to public transit. Zero is spent on road improvements.
2. All vehicle weight fees ($1 billion) are diverted to California’s general fund. None is used on roads.
3. 25 percent of the federal Highway Trust Fund is spent on non-highway projects.
Second “transportation” does not equal road repairs and improvements. It can but does not have to. Much of this tax is already earmarked for busses and light rail despite the fact that there is no visible relationship between transit funding and transit ridership.
Third, just because revenue from this proposed tax is designated for transportation does not mean that transportation spending will increase. Historically, when a special tax such as this is passed, a budget swap is done.
Here’s an example.
Suppose 5 million is collected from this tax and given to the transportation budget. Now 5 million that was being spent on transportation is free to be spent elsewhere. The result: transportation spending is unchanged but 5 million more is available in the general fund thus growing government without fixing anything.
Fourth, government wants to boost the wages of their employees proportional to the increase in the minimum wage. Much of this tax will go to wages and pensions of existing employees and not the promised improvements.
I don’t think I’m under taxed just under served. How about you?
As we rapidly approach the November elections, I wondered aloud about what would happen with Sacramento County ballot Measure B. For you home gamers—that’s a sales tax increase of .5% on everything you buy. The threshold for approval is 67% and “X” seems to think this will be achieved rather easily.
Why you ask?
All the conservatives in this county are focusing their time and effort towards other “far more important things” such as a congressional race with a candidate running a strange campaign, raging against smart meters (X doesn’t believe this will ever appear on a ballot anytime soon), Common Core, or focusing on fringe, perennial candidates running for assembly or school board. These folks are pouring precious time and resources into doomed and failing campaigns while looking the other way as our sales tax will go up yet again. This is called epic fail folks. “X” believes these local groups—that claim to have your back and mine—will not even take a stand on measure B, nor will many even be informed as to what its effects will be. Local Republican central committees and tea parties will tell you everything you want to hear, but actions speak so much louder than their words ever will.
So for the local Republicans and conservatives that read this blog, I will outline what Measure B is going to do. The county expects to raise 8.6 million a year in new revenue (for the next 30 years). This money will be used to pay for new roads and maintenance as well as public transportation. The county calls this measure “fix it first” meaning they can now completely repave local roads as opposed to performing routine maintenance that would have cost a fraction as much. In addition the JPA connector out near Grant Line Road will be built, as well as additional overpasses for freeways and the like. As far as public transit goes, Bruceville Road in Elk Grove will become a “bus corridor”. (X doesn’t know what the heck that means.) Perhaps most importantly, light rail will be extended over time to have a final destination of Sacramento Airport! (This has been promised to the people of Sacramento since before Joe Serna was mayor. – Editor) Oh by the way, that route had so few riders that RT had slated for it to be shut down earlier this year! Yeah think about that….take a few minutes.
Now the good news. This tax increase can be defeated; even the Board of Supervisors study—that they likely paid several hundred thousand for—said as much. The survey founds 69% would support such a tax; however, that number drops to 61% if there is any opposition, effectively killing the tax. (For those of you who get your news from MSNBC I’m talking about stopping a tax, not killing people named “Tax” by the way). So tell your friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. to make them aware.
Join the blog father William and his partner in crime “X” and stop the tax!
For those of you “conservatives” out there, you can go back to your regularly scheduled programming of aiding doomed campaigns, railing against smart meters, Common Core, or plotting Ted Cruz for President 2020.
Until next time……..
X
Editor’s note: “X’ has requested not to be publicly identified and is diligently searching for a better pseudonym.
During the Clinton Administration, Democrats were desperate to stop Republicans and the quickest way to stack the voter rolls was to create more voters by giving felons the right to vote. The fight to stack to voter rolls with more Democrats resulted in Paul Shanklin recording a parody of Elvis Presley’s Jail House Rock in 1999. The parody, sung by Jesse Jackson was titled Rev. Jackson’s Jailhouse Vote.
This is actually happening again right now in Virginia. In a desperate effort to help Democrats, the governor, Terry McAuliffe —an associate of Bill Clinton’s—is adding 200,000 felons to the voter rolls in time for the November election.
Virginia Governor Bypasses Court Ruling To Help 200,000 Ex-Felons Vote
Yesterday, I went to the Sacramento County Elections office and guess what I saw?
Yeah, the jailhouse voter rights sign.
A few years ago (2010), the City of Elk Grove put forward a ballot measure that claimed to reduce the local utility tax by .25 percent. The ballot argument submitted by the city attorney put this forward as the chief reason to support the measure.
Measure J: Shall an ordinance be adopted to reduce the existing Utility User Tax from 2.5% to 2.25%; modernize the current ordinance to treat taxpayers equally regardless of technology used for telecommunications and video services; to preserve funding for essential general municipal services, such as public safety?
FISCAL IMPACT The legal and technology issues could reduce the City’s projected General Fund revenues by as much as $600,000 per year. The General Fund pays for most of the City’s police, code enforcement, animal control, financial and administrative services, and some transit services. Some or all of these services could be affected by the lost revenue. Measure J would prevent the loss of those revenues.
www.elections.saccounty.net/ElectionInformation/Documents/sac_025024.pdf
There was no opposition to the measure. This tax argument was based on a willful lie or—as the Catholics call it—a sin of omission. The tax was technically a reduction; however, it more than doubled the amount of devices that were covered by the tax so in reality it was a huge, multi-million dollar tax increase. This was a textbook case of bait-and-switch.
The measure passed 76.57 % to 23.43 %
Since that time, many of us have vowed that no local tax measure would go unchallenged on the ballot. Unfortunately, those groups in our community that claim to stand for lower taxes and less government have failed to act. With both elected Republicans and Democrats acting in concert to raise taxes, these advocacy groups have ceded the argument and the fight.
Sacramento County is now trying to pass a sales tax increase for transportation called Measure B. Measure B—an 8.5 billion dollar tax over 30 years—will be on the November 8th ballot. As of a month ago, none of the so-called conservative leaders in the Elk Grove area knew anything about the measure and were surprised to hear it was going to voters. Furthermore, none plan to do anything about it.
Thanks in part to the work of one of my friends, the Elk Grove City Council decided not to go after a local sales tax after they had paid for all the groundwork to get it on the ballot in November. Prior to the vote he sent each Council member a letter outlining the spending excesses of the Council and some of the things they had foolishly done with taxpayer money. Since the total amount he listed was several times the amount they hope to get from the tax, the motion died with only one YES vote. Again no local groups did anything to oppose the tax.
But never fear faithful readers, yours truly promises that some sort of argument against Measure B will be on the ballot. Thus far, two arguments have been submitted in opposition—including mine—and as of yesterday no argument in favor had been submitted.
I will keep you updated on what happens. Arguments must be filed by close of business on Thursday and rebuttal arguments are due on Monday.
