Sep 192012
 

A few years ago I wrote a post lambasting the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association for Endorsing Meg Whitman over Steve Poizner.

I caught hell for that post – including having an employee of Jarvis tell me to go to hell in a phone conversation. They hinged their whole decision on Steve Poizner’s support of Prop 39 – the measure that changed the threshold for school bonds to 55%.

They ignored the $300K Whitman gave to the Environmental Defense Fund (think Delta Smelt lawsuit), the over $1million she gave to stop development in Telluride, CO, and a host of other things.

We all know that Whitman got trounced by Jerry Brown as Brown being the deft politician that he is – actually got to the Right of Whitman is his campaign!

I tried to argue that Prop 39 was years ago (2000) and Steve Poizner now is not the same person in 2010.

Didn’t work.

Here we are again – Jarvis dual endorsed Dan Logue and Jim Nielsen. Is it some sort of establishment thing? Is it that Jarvis did not want to cross Dave Gilliard?

I don’t know – but let me point out a few things about Gentleman Jim that the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association seems to have either ignored or forgotten.

Nielsen voted for the bloated state budget in 2010. So did a lot of other Republicans – but it does not make it right.

2009/2010 Jim Nielsen Voted for AB1422 – increasing “fees” collected to subsidize healthy families Logue Voted No

2009/2010 Jim Nielsen Voted for SB279 – increasing Mello-Roos Taxes – Logue Voted No

OK – so maybe the above bills are really minor and don’t rise to the level of endorsing against an incumbent – something that those of us on the Placer GOP Central Committee have been attacked and assailed for.

Jim Nielsen Voted to Put Prop 14 on the ballot (SB6 – 2009/2010 session) – Dan Logue Voted No. Prop 14 is enabling the Realtors, Charles Munger and the Dentists to attack Fiscal Conservatives in several districts as all three have their reasons for wanting tax-raising Republicans in office. (Granted, Jarvis endorsed on the right side of several of those races)

Jim Nielsen Helped Negotiate the deal that put prop 1A on the ballot – the largest tax increase in state history (Source: Legislative Staff)

Does this count? Does Jim Nielsen’s vote in CRP Platform Committee against the Conservative Party Platform Count? (Voted against Conservative Platform in Drafting Committee but changed in the full Platform Committee)

If these are still not enough to warrant standing up for Dan Logue alone – there is more.

Jim Nielsen voted to give Illegal Aliens Medi-Cal benefits (SB175 in 1987) (This vote removed the citizenship requirement)-

In the late 1980’s Nielsen Voted for AB1202 to help Contra Costa County Circumvent Prop 13! (Here it is – a direct attack on Prop 13)

In 1989, Jim Nielsen Voted for AB1109 to impose the illegal $300 per car smog impact fee! (This was so bad that a court overturned it and California had to pay it back to everyone, including me that got charged it)

(Source on above three: Op-Ed in Paradise post by Jim Ledgerwood)

There is a reason why I have become openly hostile to the Republican establishment – the bunker mentality that has taken over as our numbers continue to shrink statewide and the fact that organizations line of behind the title rather than the principle of the person it what has the California Republican Party doomed.

I was speaking to a campaign operative in a Congressional Campaign who told me that “Aaron, in our area, most of our DTS voters are former Dems… you know in most areas they are former Republicans…”

He was explaining this to me in context of why he candidate who is an extremely liberal Republican should be enthusiastically supported.

I was thinking of that comment in terms of the behavior of the Republican Establishment and their suicide pact in the political bunker. People are registering DTS because the principle has been flushed.

I will probably never get in to the good graces again of the Jarvis folks after this blog, and I don’t care. Charles Munger spent $45k to unseat me from the Placer GOP Central Committee by 20 votes – this is what we are dealing with in the current GOP. Stand up for competent leadership and you get attacked. Take on hypocrites and you get attacked.

Back to Jarvis –

If all the above they could ignore – the next action by Jim Nielsen, they can’t:

Jim Nielsen Supported SCA 2 in 1990 that was a direct attempt to abolish Prop 13 (Source: Jim Ledgerwood Editorial in Paradise Post)

Whoops. Now there’s one up on Steve Poizner, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Meg Whitman.

What was the mission of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association again?

Feb 222010
 

Meg Whitman publicly endorsed Barbara Boxer and maxed out to her in 2004. But the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association can only point to Steve Poizner’s Assembly campaign.

Steve was a Republican, Meg was not. Steve voted for himself in the Primary in 2004 – Meg didn’t vote for anybody. She didn’t vote in 2003’s recall election, either.

Howard Jarvis did. They endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Arnold ripped off Tom McClintock’s ideas to roll back the tripling of the car tax and worker’s comp reform. How many of us remember what Jon Coupal of Howard Jarvis said in 2003:

Jon Coupal, a leader of the Jarvis group that spearheaded the
property tax rebellion of 1978, called McClintock a “100 percenter”
who is “second to none on tax issues.”

But Schwarzenegger’s celebrity will command a stage for tax-cutting, Coupal said.

It’s 2010 – the Car tax was just doubled and Work Comp rates are starting to creep up. There go Arnold’s two conservative achievements in seven years out the window. Heck, Arnold even threw in a 1% sales tax increase. (Great call Jarvis)

Today, celebrity means dismal approval ratings never seen before in state history.

Since When does the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s association support the Water Bond coming in the fall? Whitman does? Is Jarvis going to sign on to that?

Since when is a candidate who says the State of California, “Cannot afford across the board tax cuts” a Jarvis candidate!? Whitman even said “we shouldn’t raise taxes right now” in an SF Chron interview… (what happens later?)

Does Howard Jarvis value the Delta Smelt more than the farmers of the Southern Central Valley? When my produce this year is imported and expensive, I will be thinking about the $300,000 that Whitman gave to the Environmental Defense Fund. Jerry Brown would be proud, I wonder if Howard himself would be?

Jarvis clings to an education initiative Poizner supported in 2000 that made school bonds easier. In 2000, Whitman wasn’t even registered to vote. In 2002 – Meg Whitman knifed Tom McClintock a year before Howard Jarvis did. Whitman finally registered to vote after a long hiatus to support Steve Westley for Controller – whose signature issue was taxing the internet. Jarvis?

Whitman even supported the abuse of eminent domain to keep development out of her Mansion’s back yard. Jerry Brown would be proud – I look at our atniquated freeway system in California and think back to the 1970’s when Jerry Brown’s anti-growth policies sabotaged our freeway system when matching federal funds were available.

Whitman was busy “protecting” her ranch in Telluride, Colorado – one of the ten most expensive areas in the Country for Real Estate. $1million later – a developer lost his land as a result of a successful environmental movement Whitman funded.

Time and again, we are treated to a lecture about Poizner’s imprefection. Yet Whitman is judged on her intentions, as opposed to Poizner’s actions. This is the only way you can accomodate the moral compromise necessary to call yourself a taxpayer advocate and make such an endorsement.

Whitman leaves no stone unturned – looking back to the early 1990’s when Whitman admits and everyone else has proven that she was not registered nor voting – Meg Whitman praised the then-largest tax increase in State history (by then Governor Pete Wilson) as being appropriate at the time.

And Jarvis endorsed her.

Even today – Whitman thinks that Senator Abel Maldonado, the key swing vote in the now largest tax increase in state history – should be confirmed as Lt. Governor.

And the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Endorsed her. Man, do I feel violated.

P.S. I forgot to mention Van Jones.


Feb 222010
 

I am not suprised by this, but still upset.

I called in to the Eric Hogue show today when he was talking about the impact of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association.

I thank Jon Coupal for coming on the air and confirming that no money changed hands before the endorsement. The inference I am seeing around the blogospehere is that I am not the only one that had the Whitman-Bought-It-Endorsement.

Check out the comments on the FlashReport.

My issue – Jarvis is endorsing Arnold all over again. They are judging Meg Whitman on her intentions and Steve Poizner on past actions. BTW – when Steve Poizner ran as a liberal Republican in 2004… Whitman was a DTS voter who skipped that primary, and endorsed Barbara Boxer in writing in that General election! (Whitman also skipped the 2003 recall election as well.

Steve Poizner was first out of the gate with a plan to cut spending and cut taxes. Not Whitman.

Whitman finally agreed to two debates – but only after the HJTA endorsement was made public. However, she continues to script public appearances.

I will support Whitman if she is the nominee – but it looks like starvation rations for Conservatives again.

We’ve been down the Arnold road before and it looks as if the HJTA is leading us there again…