Thanks John for posting this!
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Posted on 02/11/2003 12:45:53 AM PST by JohnHuang2
How serious are the people of California about the recall effort of Gov. Gray Davis? In two hours time, I had my answer – and the answer to the future of California.
I was unsure of the announcement. We had the exclusive story on 1380 KTKZ, in Sacramento. I confirmed the date, Tuesday, Feb. 4 – it would be a weekday morning at 6 a.m. We would supply the "daily Gov. Davis fiscal mismanagement facts" and then provide the opportunity.
No ad campaign, no promotional remote, no run up of daily on-air announcements – just a simple conversation and an offer: a legitimate recall effort was underway in the city, and the first 65 people to sign the citation would be patriots.
Would the people of Sacramento respond? Did they still believe that there is something to fight for in this golden Golden State?
The answer came fast and furious. I interviewed the organizer of the recall, People's Advocate Director Ted Costa, at 6 a.m. on the morning of California's new beginning. Ted Costa was relaying the physical location of his office. The instructions: "If you are angered about the mismanagement of Gov. Davis' leadership and you are a registered voter, stop by before work and start the constitutional process of recall."
In a matter of 45 minutes, we had 50 patriots cramming Costa's small office at Arden Way and Watt Avenue in Sacramento. By 8 a.m., more than 275 patriots visited the office and signed the line of protest. When it was all said and done, a little bit after 8:45 that morning, over 350 people visited the office, signed the citation and called the show to proclaim their efforts in saving this great state.
It's a ringing endorsement that this governor is running on empty, from Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike. As much as the governor will try to make this a partisan attack, the truth tells a different story.
His veto on the "car tax" legislation has earned him more enemies than friends in his own camp. Davis would love to add the "car tax" to the budget-grab for the fiscal fix, but he knows how Democrats feel about the "Terrible Triple Tax."
A recent state employee union survey reported that 37 percent of the registered Democrats were in support of raising the car tax, while 61 percent were opposed. Even among the most loyal, hardcore Democrats, increasing the car tax was opposed by a margin of 52 percent to 46 percent.
Davis now hopes that the Assembly Democrat leadership, under the direction of Speaker Herb Wesson, will apply the emergency status to the "VLF" (car tax) and force it through with the usual fear-factor tactics of the left. Scare the seniors and threaten the lesser informed that security will subside if the car tax does not triple.
For the Republicans, the car tax is an issue that stimulates images of a ready militia. Under the direction of Col. (Sen.) Tom McClintock, over 5,000 citizens (The State of California Tax Militia) volunteered to operate the gathering of signatures for a referendum on the car tax. Over 5,000 volunteers in less than a week with only talk radio as the outlet – makes one wonder what will happen when talk radio is afforded 160 days to encourage 890,000 signatures for a recall. I'm sure it makes the governor wonder too!
But it is not just the car tax, it is his storied history of fiscal mismanagement. Most recently, the legislature authorized $76.7 billion of spending last September and now Davis has run it up over $80 billion for this year – all the while holding press event after press event to talk about what he is doing to slash spending.
Davis is not concerned about fixing the "fiscal nuke." He is more concerned about escaping with his political life. So he bets his future on the past – and places a good amount of his blue chips on the stupidity of the state's Republican Party. Will the party that leads the state's fiscally conservative stand up and join the "Battle of the Recall"?
The first early excuse from the Republican communicators state: (1) "The recall effort is too early; they should have waited until after the tax hikes and the budget cutbacks took hold."
A key principal of business is that "time is money." I don't believe the wise move is to wait until after the small businessmen and women are suffocating under the pressure of taxation without representation and relief.
The next excuse states: (2) "The recall is too Republican, they risk being perceived as sore losers."
This is a weak concern from the GOP. This recall from the People's Advocate is non-partisan – it is being organized by taxpayers, not elephants on parade. And, on the issue of sore loser, what tax-paying citizen doesn't believe that he or she is a sore loser in the face of this leadership in Sacramento?
Finally, the intelligent crowd states: (3) "The recall campaign has no strategy. What if it fails and Davis beats the rap and gains leverage for a presidential run in 2008?"
The intelligence of "what if" – what if it fails and he wins? What if we, as a Republican Party, put down the infighting and bickering over dated newsletters and articles and actually fight for the people and risk finding unity along the way? What if?
Maybe we'll find a re-energized Republican party, fiscally sound leadership and a new direction for California. Maybe we'll find a leadership that mirrors the effort and passion of 350 tax-paying patriots on a simple Tuesday morning, willing to volunteer in the militia of tax revolt and engage in the "Battle of the Recall."
Thanks John for posting this!
calgov2002:
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