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I grew up in one of those Judeo-Christian homes that apparently strike terror in the hearts of the likes of Betty Friedan, Alan Grayson and Kathryn Joyce. My parents never had sex until they got married to each other. Theirs is an enduring...

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Friday, June 04, 2010

Timely Election Information

How's this? I'm posting twice in one day! It beats twice in one year. Also I'm posting election news on Friday, which beats Tuesday (election day) afternoon, as in 2008.

I'm especially excited about this year's information, because I feel I have some better sources than I used to. Chris Dortignac, our precinct's representative to the Republican County Central Committee, has met a few of the candidates personally. I helped him out with his research on a couple of the races and he let me reprint his brochure here.

Please be patient with the rough format. I wanted to get the information up, and I've got to run. I hope to clean it up soon!

Friends,

Most of you know by now that in 2008, I had been elected to the Central Committee for the Republican Party in LA county (RPLAC). As a Committee Member, I have been obligated to be informed about the Republican candidates for various races in our districts and the various races that affect our districts. In light of this, there is much to share, but as time is short and I want to make the most of my limited time, I am giving you my recommendations for the various races that may affect you.

PLEASE DO YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE!! These are my recommendations based off of the conversations with the candidates I have met, and the research I was able to do on the ones I have not yet met. It is each voter’s responsibility to make an informed vote. Hopefully, this is a good starting place for you.

Governor:

Ken Millerwww.kenmiller2010.com Miller is a principled, bold, believer in limited, constitutional government, and is right on most of the issues. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Miller and his family, at a committee meeting, and was impressed by his knowledge of the issues, boldness to stand up to the establishment, and his solutions for some of our state’s problems. I am convinced that Ken would be a night and day better choice over either Meg Whitman, or Steve Poizner who I believe would give us more of the same thing that has been detrimental to our state.

Other candidates worth looking into are, Robert C. Newman II, and Lawrence "Larry" Naritelli.

Lieutenant Governor:

Scott L. Levittwww.levittforlg.com I’ll let his website speak for himself.

Under no circumstances should you vote for Abel Maldonado (crook, and vow breaker who voted with the Democrats, to raise your taxes to the tune of 41 billion dollars last year, and got appointed by Schwarzzeneggar to Lieutenant Governor in the place of John Garamendi), or Sam Aanestad (the establishment’s choice, who says nothing of his stand on any issues on his website.)

UPDATE: as this is going to press, I have just been informed that Sam finally put up a cursory review of the issues on his website. He is relying heavily on endorsements from powerful entities and individuals.

Attorney General:

Steve Cooleywww.stevecooley.com So far the only Republican candidate that has the true experience, and record to justify his bid.

Mr. Cooley has done a lot of good as D.A. in Los Angeles. One of the things I really like is his running of the D.A.s office within and below the allotted budget, and his opening a division to prosecute corrupt government officials, which has been successful in ousting long‐standing, crooked, self‐serving, corrupt politicians and government officials.

While I appreciate a lot of the stuff that John Eastman has done, I have serious concerns about his understanding of the Rule of Law. His support of certain acts of the Bush administration with the justification that the President is above the law, concerns me. Also, the fact that he sued the state of CA, in his bid to have his ballot designation first as, Assistant Attorney General, and then as Taxpayer Advocate Lawyer, when neither were found to be accurate, makes me question his integrity and credibility.

U.S. Senate:

Chuck DeVore
www.chuckdevore.com Finally we have a true, principled, conservative running against Barbara Boxer! You will definitely want to check this guy out!

To those of you who still question his electability as opposed to that of Carly Fiorina, or Tom Campbell, I ask you to consider the effects of either of the two aforementioned candidates as opposed to Chuck. Do you really want to vote for a woman who can’t seem to make up her mind on the issues at hand? Whose writings and prior votes do not equate to her current words? A woman who nearly destroyed HP sending thousands of workers home without a job, under her command? A woman whose voting record is sketchy at best, and who has publicly supported government regulating the Internet? This woman has repeatedly shown (along with Tom Campbell), that she has little understanding of the true purpose of government. Hint: it has nothing to do with being involved in every possible facet of life!

Or would you settle for a man who has little that identifies him as a true Republican other than his ballot designation? A man, who for all the talk, supports the bailouts, the Obama health care plan, and further personal restrictions on freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution which he swore to defend?

Or would you band together to take back this country from those who have done so much to destroy the freedoms that our forefathers fought and died for? I hope you will stand with me in supporting Chuck Devore, the only real Republican, and true conservative in this race for U.S. Senate!

Secretary of State:

Frankly, I am not thrilled with either candidate here. The Republican choices are two candidates with questionable qualifications. It is my opinion that Democrat Debra Bowen has not done a bad job.

Of the two Republicans, it seems that Damon Dunn would spend a lot of time going door to door to get people to vote. I’m not sure that is the job of the Secretary of State. Also, he has not voted since moving here from Florida, at which time he was apparently a Democrat, though Florida scratches voter records after two years on non‐participation.

Constitutional Lawyer, Orly Taitz, on the other hand, is a Russian immigrant (legal), who is best known for filing suits and representing people in the question as to Obama’s legitimacy as a U.S. citizen. She seems to be sharp, but her website is terrible, and says little of what she would do as Secretary of State.

You are going to have to sort this one out folks. I was not able to come to a good conclusion here.

Controller:

David Evans is definitely the more qualified choice here. www.electevanscontroller.com

I do not recommend Tony Strickland.

Treasurer:

Mimi Walters is the only Republican choice. She doesn’t say much on her website, but what she says makes some sense. www.mimiwalters.com


Insurance Commisioner:


I recommend Brian Fitzgerald. Michael Villines appears to be a crook.

Superintendent of Public Instruction:

Henry Williams Jr.
www.williamsforstatesuperintendent.com I think you would like to read what he has to say about public instruction. Be sure to read his bio too!

This man is by far the best candidate in this race. (Note: you have to scroll down to the bottom of the home page and click on the words “Prepare” or “Restore” to get to the rest of the website)

For those of you who were homeschooled, you may recall the disaster that Delaine Eastman was. We must be sure not to get another Eastman in this position. Outgoing Jack O’Connell, though a Democrat, has stood up for parent’s rights in this position. It is also important to understand that this is not a lot more than an advisory position. They really have little authority but because of their lobbying and their influence, they can wreak havoc on districts and the local levels.

In regards to the other candidates:

I have met Lydia A. Gutierrez, and I am sorry to say that she is NOT qualified, due to some issues regarding her handling of the Republican Party Coup, on May 14th, 2009.

Larry Aceves seems to be a Democrat though this is a non‐partisan race, but I did appreciate his humility. Unfortunately, he was lauded by the LA times, which is always troubling.

Diane Lenning is said to be conservative as well, but my research shows that Henry Williams Jr. is better qualified.

I do NOT recommend Tom Torlakson!

Ballot Propositions:

These are fairly straight‐forward and I will not say much about them. I have read them, and I will give you my recommendations. I agree with http://www.governmentforthepeople.us/home.html on both the ballot propositions and the Judicial recommendations for LA County, so I am including them here, and supplying the link to their website, so that you can do some of the homework yourself. They have a write up on these with links to research if you have the time.

Yes on Proposition 13: LIMITS ON PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT. SEISMIC RETROFITTING OF EXISTING BUILDINGS. LEGISLATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Yes on Proposition 14: ELECTIONS. INCREASES RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS.

No on Proposition 15: CALIFORNIA FAIR ELECTIONS ACT.

Yes on Proposition 16: IMPOSES NEW TWO-THIRDS VOTER APPROVAL REQUIREMENT FOR LOCAL PUBLIC ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Yes on Proposition 17: ALLOWS AUTO INSURANCE COMPANIES TO BASE THEIR PRICES IN PART ON A DRIVER’S HISTORY OF INSURANCE COVERAGE. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

The following are LA , O.C., and SBD county, and local district races. If you are outside of the applicable counties, These do not apply to you.

ORANGE COUNTY:

O.C. Sheriff: Bill Hunt – “The Sheriff should be in the business of protecting people’s rights, not restricting them.” –Bill Hunt
www.billhuntforsheriff2010.com

San Bernardino County:

Vote for James Hosking. DO NOT vote for Judge Lemkau! If you need to know why, you can look it up, or ask me.


Los Angeles County:


L. A. County Superior Court:

Please read the write‐ups on these judicial nominations at: www.governmentforthepeople.us

Office No. 28: Elizabeth Moreno (Qualified)

Office No. 35: Honorable Soussan “Suzanne” Bruguera (Well Qualified)

Office No. 73: Honorable Laura Matz (Well Qualified)

Office No. 107: Valerie Salkin (Qualified)

Office No. 117: Alan Schneider (Well Qualified)

Office No. 131: Maren Nelson (Exceptionally Well Qualified)


LA COUNTY ASSESSOR:

There are 12 candidates here, and these three were the only ones that gave satisfactory answers to all the questions on SmartVoter.org. Of particular interest was the question “What strategies will you employ to mitigate the effects of foreclosures and the depressed real estate market, so that property may be reassessed in a timely fashion and tax revenues may be maintained?”

The following three candidates answered similarly in expressing that it is not the Assessor’s job to maintain inflated property assessments in the wake of falling FMVs (fair market values), but to reassess each value in a timely fashion.

Dan Kumaus
John Y. Wong
John “Lower Taxes” Loew

See www.smartvoter.org for more info.

42nd Congressional District:

David Suwww.younggungop.com

I like this guy, and I think he is the fresh face we need to represent our district. David, is a 26 year old, legal Korean American. David was a naturalized born citizen from overseas. He was born in South Korea, at Young San Army Base where his father was stationed and serving in the United States Army. Raised by his grandfather with a good understanding of some of the most basic tenets of conservatism, Su would be a champion of true conservatism in Congress.

There are four Candidates for United States Representative for the 42nd district, and a lot of us are very unhappy that Incumbent Gary Miller voted for the Bailouts, and TARP, and several other horrible fiscally irresponsible pork-filled bills. Also, he is currently being investigated AGAIN for fraud, regarding funneling of taxpayer dollars to a different district, one in which a donor of a large sum of campaign funds, operates an organization. Miller is also known as one of America’s top 20 most corrupt congressmen as a result of several other scandals involving business dealings which are questionable.

The other Candidates are Lee Mc Groarty, and Phil Liberatore.

However, Phil Liberatore has a troubling history of frivolous lawsuits, and questionable activities. In addition to this, Liberatore’s biggest complaint against Miller, is that Miller doesn’t always side with the GOP when voting! This is the one thing I actually agree with Congressman Miller on!

The other name to check out in this race would be Lee McGroarty. I think he is a far cry better than either Miller or Liberatore.

60th Assembly District:

Curt Hagman‐ Champion of the 2nd amendment. Lead effort to repeal AB 962, the draconian handgun ammunition restriction signed by Governor Schwarzeneggar.

For Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,

Chris Dortignac

RPLAC 60th AD

Good Intentions

Just look at these dates! We have October, November, December, July, February, March and now June. Do I blog here or don't I? December, July, February? Come on!

I were reading The Total Money Makeover Workbook by Dave Ramsey. (I were bored and it was there.) And within the week I had visited a "pack rat". Maybe you know one yourself.

My friend's problem was not an attachment to stuff.

I meant to say that.

She wasn't unusually attached to stuff. She had succumbed to a strong delusion. It was the same delusion of the audience the Total Money Makeover is addressed to, the delusion of pretending you will do something.

My friend kept telling herself that she's going to deal with it. She's going to clip that article, read that magazine, write that letter, bake that recipe, do SOMETHING with those egg shells, and see if so and so wants those ten-year old tennis shoes.

The obvious question to any other observer is "When?". My friend's getting up in years. She may have five or ten years of activity left, and is absolutely buried in things she thinks she is going to do. She can't do them of course, on account of being buried in them.

In Money Makeover, I read about households that were absolutely buried in expenditures. I read about spending habits just a little bit bigger than household incomes. The book helped me see how easily a debt can snowball past the point of no return. It gets to the point where a person may dream delusional dreams of financial integrity but they have no actual plan to pay their debt down to zero.

Come to think of it, governments have a long history of borrowing money without any actual plan to pay it back.

As I observed the bondage of this disastrous line of thinking, I began to examine the things I own and am pretending that I will do. I became determined not to own things I am pretending I will do. This means I intend to get rid of them unless they seem realistic in the future and/or I'm making progress toward them on my list.

This also means I will have to kick a lifetime addiction to procrastination, aka sloth, or sluggardliness.

You will have the joy or pain of observing my progress, because this blog was on my list of things I'd been pretending I'd do and I wasn't ready to cut it yet. Realistically, I'd like to add content a little more often than once a month. Ultimately, I'd like to add meaningful, insightful or thought-provoking content, but we'll see how it goes.

Either I'll make realistic progress toward my goal, and at some point posts will begin to appear regularly, or I will realize the need to shut it down, or I'll fail completely and it will still be here, neglected as always, as I continue to pretend I will one day get my act together.