Mark's Voter Recommendations

From Mark D. Hill, former Chairman of the Marin Republican Party and member, Executive Committee, CA GOP.

As a moderate republican – fiscal conservative, father of three, political commentator and minor player in CA GOP circles, I am often asked for my recommendations on the ever more confusing Ballot propositions. So I thought this time around I might send my thoughts on things. If you agree with most/all of these, feel free to forward to your friends as a guide. BTW - if you want my take on Marin County Initiatives/candidates, just email me and I will forward that.

Brief commentary: Our great State is BROKE and we can't afford any more bonds because bonds need to be paid back through taxes and assessments and we pay higher state taxes and fees than any other state already.

• The state of California has the highest Workers Compensation costs in the nation. Employers pay the higher premiums for these Workers Compensation costs.

• Only Michigan and Mississippi have a higher unemployment rate than California and 39 states have substantially lower rates. Employers' unemployment insurance rates are directly affected by the rate of usage of unemployment insurance.

• California has the highest marginal tax rate for personal income on the state level, maxing out at a whopping 10.3 percent. People do consider this when they have wealth and decide where to live.

• California has the highest state sales tax at 7.25 percent and among the most inclusive of all sales taxes. This adds over $2,100 to the cost of a $30,000 car before licensing fees! New Jersey is second at 7 percent. Again, if given a choice, why not live where less of the money you spend is grabbed by the state.

• California has the highest gas prices in the continental United States due to overbearing state regulations and poor decision making by government officials, including their mandating additives that actually poisoned our public water ways, then reversing course with the costs of the refining changes being passed on to the California consumer.

• California ranks 23rd in spending on public schools but this is severely under reported as it does not include school construction costs and interest on bonds which voters regularly vote in throughout the state. Bond costs are typically added onto the cost of real estate.

• Only 66 percent of California students graduate, ranking us 29th in the nation. This affects both employers looking for a skilled work force and families worried about the environment in which they raise their family.

• We are the 10th most dangerous state in the nation to live.

This is why our neighbors in Nevada and Arizona are booming(leaving us remaining with one hell of a debt to payoff). Most of their population growth is Californians fleeing a state that has largely been without effective leadership for over twenty years. Now we find ourselves in yet another budget crisis and the first words out of the mouths of our so called leaders are "revenue enhancements" which is a polite way of saying 'raise their taxes and increase their fees.' It is akin to the Queen being told, "The people have no bread," and responding, "Well then, let them eat cake." They simply have no idea of the problem and no desire to face up to that problem.

We are already the most taxed state in the nation. Many of those taxes are hidden in fees and higher costs. When gas costs 50 cents more in California because of burdensome regulation, that is a tax on consumers. When houses costs $50,000 to $100,000 more because of government fees and regulations, that is a tax on consumers. When cars costs $1,500 more because of stricter emissions standards, that too is a tax on consumers. When you include the extra costs we incur because of government regulation, our tax rates become absolutely burdensome and confiscatory. Add the extra costs of liability insurance because we seem to all be suing each other hoping to win a chance at the "good life" that perhaps we now feel is out of our reach and the problem become worse than ever.

As a Veteran, the hardest thing for me not to support was the Veteran's Bond Bill…but again, we are broke… nationally and statewide already….and we need to make hard choices. Supporting redistricting is critical so we can "throw the bums (current Congressmen, State Senators and legislatures) out"….. today our voting districts looks like a crazy jigsaw puzzle…as it should …given the politicians (Democrats and Republican incumbents) made the lines to ensure re election.

Below are MY personal recommended positions (and its just fine if you disagree with me on any of them).

Nationally: McCain for President

2008 Ballot Propositions PROPOSITION 1A – HIGH SPEED RAIL - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 2 – FARM ANIMALS - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 3 – CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOND ACT- OPPOSE PROPOSITION 4 – PARENTAL NOTIFICATION - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 5 – DRUG OFFENSES, SENTENCING, PAROLE - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 6 – POLICE AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 7 – RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 8 – PROTECT MARRIAGE – SUPPORT PROPOSITION 9 – VICTIMS' RIGHTS -SUPPORT PROPOSITION 10 – ALTERNATIVE ENERGY BOND - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 11 – REDISTRICTING - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 12 – VETERANS' BOND ACT OF 2008 - OPPOSE Proposition, but support the Vets...the Feds should fund this...not the State.

Better, not less oversight needed

By Mark Hill Published Marin Independent-Journal, Oct. 20

THE BALLOT proposal by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to replace two key elected financial officials is the most brazen attempt yet by Marin's elected representatives to subvert taxpayers' interest in this county.

Measure B would merge the county auditor and treasurer-tax collector into a single finance chief's job appointed by and accountable only to the Board of Supervisors.

Representative democracy in this country has, for over 225 years, been built on the foundation of "by for and of the people" in order to protect citizens, and their tax dollars from an over-reaching, profligate and power-hungry government. Over the course of the last decade, the supervisors - all Democrats - have awarded pay packages, benefits and lifetime pensions to retiring municipal union members that in some cases total over $10 million per employee for that retiree's lifetime.

These pension benefits include lifetime salaries (70 percent to 100 percent of their final salary), full medical and dental (worth $750,000 alone) and cost-of-living increases for life. It far exceed anything available to workers in the private sector.

These egregious giveaways have saddled Marin with a conservative estimate of $1 billion in unfunded liabilities to date. That's tax dollars committed by our elected officials to the same Marin public employee unions that are their source of large campaign contributions.

These commitments will crowd out future spending for our children, our roads, our seniors, parks and health care and the environment.

The incredulous rationale from our supervisors is that by eliminating these two elected positions, we might save $100,000 a year.

We should be asking, what is the financial cost of losing the accountability that keeps our elected officials honest? The supervisors have recently recused themselves from membership on the county pension board, citing an appearance of "conflict of interest." The 250,000 residents in Marin County have been burdened with this onerous debt by our supervisors, with the complicity of 2,400 current and 3,000 retired public employees. These unilateral giveaways, "negotiated" and signed by our supervisors (all of them entitled to receiving county pension benefits) will eventually need to be paid through additional property taxes, sales taxes, service fees, user fees, higher parking fines, or whatever new scheme they come up with that will pick our pockets to preserve the status quo that provides for public employees first, and leaves taxpayers to pick up the tab. By eliminating elected financial positions and creating instead appointed "toadies," the supervisors are eliminating oversight and removing any accountability. This will allow the unions to continue to hold sway over county revenues to meet their own needs. More importantly, this move puts a padlock on the auditing and treasury functions which will further remove transparency as it relates to more giveaways.

The county already has gone out of its way not to be transparent when it comes to disclosing public employee salaries and benefits. The Marin IJ had to pressure county supervisors and fight a lawsuit filed by county managers in order to gain access to salaries paid to our public employees with taxpayer monies.

To think this was even necessary is as startling as it is telling. Our county taxpayers, residents and children deserve better and the Marin supervisors should be made to better explain why they support less transparency and less accountability by the removal of top managers elected to provide independent oversight.

This flawed plan, if successful, will surely keep our public employee union bosses happy with continued, unfettered, budget-busting giveaways by county supervisors, and ultimately put our county in even more financial peril.

Mark Hill of Tiburon is former chairman of the Marin Republican Party.

Obama's sleazy friends

By Frank Gaffney, Washington Times, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. Not just William Ayers.

McCain Vision

Click on image to enlarge. Source: NFRW’s Republican Woman Fall 2008

Joe Biden Lies 14 Times During Debate...

 

Each time Senator Biden was on his heels, he looked directly into the camera and lied -- more than a dozen times by our count.  He lied about John McCain's record, his own record, and Barak Obama's dangerous policies.  Governor Palin showed the American people tonight why a McCain-Palin Administration will bring real reform, leadership, and straight talk to Washington." --Tucker Bounds, spokesman McCain-Palin 2008  

 

1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted "the exact same way" as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY.  

 

2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it.  

 

3.  OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, "Drill we must." But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to "raping" the Outer Continental Shelf."  

 

4.  TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it's passage.  

 

5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he's always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.  

 

6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain's record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.  

 

7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people's health insurance coverage -- they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false  

 

8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska -- she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it's not a windfall profits tax.  

 

9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.  

 

10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation -- he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.  

 

11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was "dead wrong on Iraq", because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.  

 

12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn't see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.   

 

13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn't meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of "part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20."  

 

14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won't pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan.  

Source:  NFRW Points Forward; www.JohnMcCain.com

CRP Issues Recommendations on Ballot Measures

From Ron Nehring's blog: http://www.cagop.org/blog/2008/09/crp-issues-recommendations-on-ballot.html

The California Republican Party on Sunday voted to take positions on important initiatives on this November’s ballot. Together with positions adopted earlier this year, we recommend the following to all California voters: Proposition 1A: High Speed Rail Bond. Oppose Proposition 2: Farm Animals. ("Condos for Chickens"). Oppose Proposition 3: Expensive hospital bond. Oppose Proposition 4: Parental notification, "Sarah’s law." Support Proposition 5: Weaken penalties for drug crimes. Oppose Proposition 6: Anti-gang measure authored by Sen. George Runner (R). Support. Proposition 7: Expensive, unproven energy scheme. Oppose Proposition 8: Protect Marriage. Support Proposition 9: Protect Crime Victims' Rights. Support Proposition 10: Expensive alternative energy bond. Oppose Proposition 11: Redistricting reform. No Position Proposition 12: Veterans Bond. Support.

The SF Examiner endorses McCain-Palin

Published 9/24/08, SF Examiner

 

America is at war overseas and in an economic crisis here at home. Many of her citizens believe the country is on the wrong track. It is for times such as these that men like John McCain are made, to put country first so that it can be put right in its time of need. For this reason, The Examiner endorses McCain for president and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for vice president.

Cut through the high-toned speeches and campaign cut and thrust, and the pre-eminent issues of 2008 become strikingly clear. First, the next president must have the hard-earned experience, unrelenting toughness and uncompromising character to wage and win the war against al Qaeda and other terrorists who seek the destruction of America. Second, he must have an unshakable commitment to restoring honest taxing and spending by government at all levels, the essential first step of which is ridding Washington of pork-barrel "earmarks," the gateway drug to budget deficits and political corruption.

See http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/The_Examiner_endorses_McCain-Palin.html for full story.