POST SCRIPTS
Republican Corner: Party Endorsements
By Post Scripts on September 17, 2010 6:00 AM | 10 Comments

By Steve Thompson, Chairman of the Butte County Republican Party

Ever wonder how candidates for office come by their endorsements from the political parties that support them? While visions of smoke-filled rooms may fill your head, it’s a lot more bureaucratic (and boring) than that. The subject of endorsements by the Butte Republican Party came up in the newspaper recently, specifically in local non partisan races, and as chairman I wanted to take this opportunity to explain some of our policies to the general public.

I should make clear that the party has not always endorsed in local non partisan races. I can remember several years ago I was at our republican fair booth and a former chairman of the party showed up. He saw that we had a Wahl for City Council sign up and gave me heck for it. It wasn’t how things were done in his day I guess.

Over the last decade the Republican Party, both locally and nationwide, has been going through an internal reformation. The moderate wing and the conservative wing have been in a tight contest for control, with the future of our party hanging in the balance. Many of us in the conservative wing feel that the party should be more active at the local level, and that we should do whatever we can to help identify conservative candidates at the local level and give them our support. Non partisan races were originally intended to limit partisan influence, but the partisan influence was never removed, just moved to the background. The downside is that now voters have a hard time knowing where the candidates stand on issues that matter to them.

You see, if I look at a ballot and I see the designation of “R” or “D,” I may not know for sure what that candidate stands for, but at least I have an idea of their general views. Take away the designation and now I have very little to go on. The remedy to this of course is for voters to educate themselves better, but time is limited and the local races often go overlooked. The result is that a conservative voter might end up voting for a very liberal candidate (and vice versa), which will eventually tend to frustrate and disenfranchise voters. For example, a few years ago, college students who were registered Republican received letters stating that Scott Gruendel was “the Republican Choice” for city council. Anyone who knows Gruendel knows this is false, but many students were likely fooled. Had they been able to see Gruendel’s registration on the ballot, they could have made a more educated choice. In the long run I believe partisan designations are good for the political process.

There is also the annoying occurrence of slate mailers. You know those mailers with a republican sounding name that show up with endorsements of Wally Herger, Dan Logue, Doug LaMalfa, and Jane Dolan??? It leaves you thinking, how did she get on there? As a county chairman I get a lot of calls from angry voters wanting to know how this happened and how can they stop it! All I can say is pay close attention to the asterisks and look for the official logo of the republican party when casting your vote.

With all of this considered, the Butte County Republican Party recently decided to get more involved in local elections. We have been actively vetting candidates to determine whether or not they match our values and deserve our support. We have already made some endorsements this year and we plan to make more. We will do our best to publicize our endorsements so that the voting public will know where we stand and who we support.

Our process is by no means perfect. We have a general set of rules (our bylaws) that we have to follow. All of our members are elected to the positions they hold, and it takes a 2/3 vote to cast an endorsement, so it’s not an easy process. Because we have members from throughout the county (Chico, Paradise, Oroville, Biggs, etc) we have members who can look at candidates from an objective viewpoint and decide if we should be supporting them or not. They’re also real people too, with jobs and kids and their own individual priorities. They have the same capacity for human error as you or I, but they’re good-hearted people and I have faith in them.

One of our general guidelines is that we try not to favor one Republican over another. When republicans face each other on the ballot, the party should generally let the voters decide for themselves. The exception to this would be if a flat-out liberal RINO was running and we felt an obligation to point this out. There have been mistakes made over the years though, and the process is not perfect.

All of this leads up to the current election, and more specifically the Chico City Council race. Anyone who pays attention knows we have a liberal majority on the Chico City Council, and that the lone conservative, Larry Wahl, is leaving the council. While they are not allowed to list their party designation on the ballot, it’s hardly a secret where any of them stand. It is however, perfectly legal and just for political parties to tell voters who we support and why. To suggest otherwise would be a violation of our 1st Amendment rights.

Although we haven’t taken a stand in every race, we did in the Chico City Council race. You can stop by Republican Headquarters on the corner of East and Cohasset (the old Hollywood Video building) and find out more. Currently we support the following candidates:

Chico City Council:

Bob Kromer
Mark Sorensen
Bob Evans

Chico Unified School District:

Erik Lyon
Sean Worthington
Dean Stefanides

For more races, stop by HQ or check out our website at www.butterepublicans.com

Thank you all again for being patient readers. If you have questions about our endorsements please post them and I will try to get back to you with an answer.

POST SCRIPTS
Republican Corner: Two Wrongs Don’t Make it Right
By Post Scripts on September 9, 2010 6:04 AM | No Comments

By Steve Thompson

There’s been plenty of controversy and plenty said about the proposed mosque near the hallowed site of ground zero in New York. Now the pendulum has swung a bit with a Florida pastor who was preparing to burn copies of the Quran. Interestingly, as of this writing, the pastor has backed off on his idea after reaching an agreement with local muslims who will travel to New York and appeal for a change in the site of the proposed mosque. Cooler heads may yet prevail.

Still, the fact remains that both the property owners in New York, and the pastor in Florida, have the constitutional right to go forward with their plans. It’s legal to build on your own property (although getting more and more difficult, just try it in Chico), and it’s also legal to burn a book. Legally there’s no real challenge to either of them.

But sometimes there is something to be said for sensitivity to others. Building a mosque at Ground Zero is insensitive to millions of Americans who consider it sacred ground. Burning the Quran is likewise insensitive to millions of followers of Islam. Neither action would bring enlightenment or peace to our nation. Neither does any good for anyone other than to prove that they have the ability to do something that offends people.
I think it’s time for Americans to pause a minute and ask themselves if there’s a peaceful compromise here.

Any of my political opponents over the years could tell you that I can be a hot head sometimes. I’m guilty of shooting first when I should pause and assess the situation, but I’m getting better. I’m still young enough to find strength in my anger, but getting old enough to start seeing the wisdom in tempering my temper. I say this because my first tendency here would be to unleash verbal holy war on those who would desecrate the American values I hold dear. Now, a pastor in Florida who a lot of people want to write off as crazy, is showing that there is always some merit in trying to work things out peacefully.

I hope the mosque proponents in New York accept the truce he is offering. Americans are the most tolerant people in the world, but they not as forgiving when wronged. A vast majority of Americans hold Ground Zero to be their line in the sand, a final line that they will not forgive if crossed. Cooler heads will see that discretion is the better part of valor here. This is a chance for the muslim leadership to show America that they can be compassionate when given the chance. This is their opportunity for some positive public relations with the American people. This is their chance to show that they are bigger than their critics give them credit for, and bigger than their own egos.

The Florida pastor has taken the first step and offered the first olive branch. He has shown respect to the sensitivities of muslims throughout the world. Americans will be waiting to see mulsims will show the same respect to our own sensitivities. I hope for their sake that they will.

By LARRY MITCHELL – Staff Writer
Posted: 09/04/2010 12:15:57 AM PDT

SACRAMENTO — It couldn’t have turned out better, apparently, for Assemblyman Dan Logue when he complained to a top official about the state Department of Consumer Affairs recently.
Logue said his complaint was about “a perfect example of bureaucrats looking for something to do.”
Now, as a result of Logue’s complaint, a complete investigation of the bureau in question is planned, including whether there’s even a need for it to exist anymore, said Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the department.
“This is a huge, huge victory,” the assemblyman said.
Logue said he was contacted by a constituent from Truckee, Deborah Maloof, who runs a furniture store there.
According to Logue, Maloof said a woman who works for the department came to her store and confiscated a chair worth $1,300. The woman said she was taking the chair to Sacramento to be tested.
Logue said Maloof asked the woman if she would be reimbursed, and received the reply, “Talk to your insurance carrier.”
The 3rd District assemblyman, a Republican from Linda, issued a news release about the incident. In it, Maloof was quoted as saying, “I don’t feel that I was even given an adequate explanation of what was happening. I felt that my rights were violated.”
What the department’s agent was doing, Logue said, was taking the chair so tests could be done on whether it was made of material that could catch fire.
But this didn’t make sense, Logue said. There are laws now that furniture must be made
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of non-flammable material, and this chair had all the tags in place indicating it was made of safe materials.
He said the incident shows “how the regulatory authorities are out of control.”
Logue complained to Bill Leonard, secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency, which oversees the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Heimerich said several things have happened because of Logue’s complaint. “Appropriate action” has been taken against the employee who took Maloof’s chair, he said. Similar operations by the department have been suspended.
Maloof has been sent a letter of apology. She has been assured she will be reimbursed for the chair or be sent another one like it. And a complete investigation will be conducted of the bureau involved in this incident.
This is the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation.
Heimerich said the section of this bureau that deals with home furnishings and insulation employs about 30 people, including investigators, chemists and support staff.
He said no conclusions are being drawn before the investigation is done. However, he added, because there are now state and federal flammability standards and mattresses and furniture must have tags indicating they won’t catch fire, what occurred at Maloof’s store seems unwarranted.
Logue said the incident in Truckee wasn’t an isolated case. Something similar occurred in Yuba City, he said, adding he was told of another case in Santa Rosa.
Logue said he would introduce a bill to disband the Department of Consumer Affairs’ bureau that inspects furniture.
Heimerich said despite flammability standards, there still may be problems with some furniture not being fire-resistant.
The state Department of Consumer Affairs has between 2,800 and 3,000 employees, he said. It includes about 40 different bureaus and boards, including the Medical Board, agencies that license contractors and various professionals, as well as the Bureau of Automotive Repair.

Staff writer Larry Mitchell can be reached at 896-7759 or lmitchell@chicoer.com.

National InterestScientist’s Firing After 36 Years Fuels ‘PC’ Debate at UCLA

By Diane Macedo

Published August 31, 2010

| FoxNews.com

Republican Corner: Fun at the Butte County Fair!
By Post Scripts on August 27, 2010 6:00 AM | 13 Comments

By Steve Thompson, Chairman of the Butte County Republican Party

Butte County Fair – Fun for the whole herd of elephants!

I spend most weeks on here writing about government waste, government abuse of people who are trying to make a living, and the evil democrats who gave us all this gigantic mess. This week I thought I’d write about something most people enjoy, the county fair.

The Butte County Republican Party has their booth at the Butte County Fair again this year, and tonight was my night to work the closing shift. I relieved Supervisor-elect Larry Wahl and his wife, Mary, and took over for the evening. Right off the bat we had some great visitors like Wally and Pam Herger, Owen Stiles (republican city councilor from Gridley) and my own Angela Thompson, republican councilwoman from Biggs. I was informed that last night we also had a visit from local republican Doug LaMalfa, and we’ve only been open two days now.

While on shift, I had a lot of average, every day people come up and talk to me. This was pretty good considering the fair seemed to be having a slow night. Most of them wanted to talk about the bigger campaigns, like Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, two very exciting women who are likely to win their races this fall. Whitman is running against the crazy old man without a plan Jerry Brown, and Fiorina is running to take out one of the rudest and most anti-job democrats in the nation, Barbara Boxer. The people asking about these campaigns were excited, they really feel like this is a year of change and that we’re going to see our country turned around in November. At the same time though, they’re leery, and I don’t blame them.
I believe Republicans will take back Congress this year, no doubt about it, but there are some who still don’t think we deserve it. Let’s face it, when republicans had congress for too long they started acting like democrats and spent the nation’s money like there was no tomorrow. There were so many republican sex scandals it was making Bill Clinton look like a saint! In 2006 the American people got sick of it, and democrats were promising to bring a balanced budget and open government, so the people threw out the republicans and gave democrats a chance, much to their current regret. Now the democrats are pushing some of the most radical, far left policy our country has ever seen, along with deficit spending as far as the eye can see. Not to mention a President who is turning into such an abject failure that he’s making Jimmy Carter start to look good! Even David Letterman is now making jokes about Obama being a one term president!

So again, I think Republicans will win this November, but do we deserve it? I will be campaigning for this victory so I hope so. It’s crucial that once we take back congress, we have to start living up to our conservative principles. America is a nation that favors capitalism, warts and all, over the shared misery and soul-devoid socialism. American people are center-right, not radical left. But they won’t continue to give our party second chances if we don’t start earning it. We have to push for swift policy changes to get people back to work and put government on a severe spending diet.

While at the fair I also managed to look around at some of the great offerings. The Taste of Butte County event was well done and offered a variety of local made products like olive oil, sausage, beer and wine. The livestock were there, along with the pigs which reminded me of some young ladies I saw protesting Prop 23 the other day.

The temperature is supposed to come down a little this weekend, so if you have free time, come down to the Butte County Fair in Gridley. Don’t forget to stop by the Republican booth and chat with our friendly volunteers. We’re right next to the Gridley Chamber of Commerce and the people who sell some really tasty fudge. Remember, the county fair is fun for the whole herd!

Republican Corner: Keeping Our Cities in Line
By Post Scripts on August 20, 2010 6:00 AM | 7 Comments

By Steve Thompson, Chairman of the Butte County Republican Party

I recently wrote about city taxes and decentralization of power. I’m a firm believer in returning as much power back to the local level as possible, and power goes hand in hand with funding. But this is not to say that cities do not have their problems, or room for reform. In fact cities and towns are a really good example of why voters need to be better informed and vigilant.
Most cities operate with a typical five-person council and a weak mayor. By weak they just mean that the mayor does not have veto power and is usually selected by their peers. It’s the rare city that elects their mayor separately and gives them more power. All too often in smaller towns (and let me be clear that Chico is not typical here), there will be barely enough council candidates to even have elections, and usually it’s with candidates who don’t know as much as they should for the job they’re undertaking.
Smaller city councils often don’t find themselves wrapped in the usual partisan political struggles of larger cities. Instead they’re in a different struggle. Too often it’s a power struggle between the elected leaders and the city staff.
Now my small disclaimer here, is that there are some very good people working on city staffs all over. I studied at Chico State under local legend Tom Lando himself. The staff at Chico is very professional and likely wouldn’t try anything with a council as involved as Chico’s.
In smaller cities, however, it’s a different story. Inexperienced councilors find themselves outmatched with city administrators who know the ropes all too well. The Brown Act keeps them from conversing with other council members unless it’s in a public setting, usually with city staff present. Councilors rely on their staff to tell them all the options at their disposal so they can make informed choices. But what if staff tells them the virtues of option A and B, but completely leaves out the viable option C? Doesn’t seem like such a big deal when we’re talking about sidewalks, but what if it’s a general plan? Can you begin to see how the City of Bell ended up with such a grossly overpaid administrator?
Most city administrators that I know take their jobs and their responsibilities seriously. They know that their duty is to answer to the city council, who in turn answers to the people. Unfortunately there are sometimes those administrators who figure out how to turn things around. An administrator making over $100,000 in a small town has a lot of disposable income to play in local elections, and what would stop them from directing funds to candidates loyal to themselves? With a five person council, all it would take is three council members loyal to the administrator.
If this was happening in your town or city, would you know about it? Do you know how much your city administrator is paid? Or how many management positions your city has in relation to how many positions total? The strongest defense against corruption at city hall is an informed, and vigilant, electorate. That means you and me, the voter, paying attention and voting accordingly.
If we are to turn our country around, we have to learn to start locally first. We have to take a stand against the abuses of government power at all levels, even if it’s more interesting to talk about Congress and President Obama’s latest public gaffes.
I believe in decentralization, and in the empowering of local government against state and federal authority. But it would be for nothing if we let our city officials behave as they did in Bell, CA. On the local level our vote has the strongest impact, just as its misuse brings the greatest waste. Call your local council members. Meet with them, and find out what they believe in. Find out if they know what’s going on at city hall. Get involved or watch our country keep going down the drain.

I met with a bunch of them tonight at the new Republican Headquarters in Chico. We haven’t opened to the public yet, but when we announce our location, it will turn heads. We have volunteers already lined up to call voters, walk precincts and register new republicans. The people are waking up. They know their country needs to be turned around. They know our state is a disaster. They know, because they pay their own bills, that they have nothing left for the government to fleece from their pockets. They know that having scores of public employees making over $100,000 in communities where the average taxpayer only makes $35,000 is not sustainable. They know that this is a creation of the unions, of the bureaucrats, of the democrats, of liberalism.

It’s a busy time for me. I’ll do what I can to help those campaigns that need and deserve help. I’ll attend the late meeting and dinners. I’ll spend my Saturday mornings organizing neighborhood walks with my friends. I’ll miss my kids a lot. But I’m doing it for them. This is their country, and the future of their freedom is at stake. We will turn the tide back against those who believe more in government than liberty. We will turn it back and we will keep pressing forward. Government has grown too big, too powerful, and too resentful of the working class. It is time for good Americans to remind that government who is truly in charge.

Campaign season is back and conservative victory is in the air. It’s going to be a good year.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4309611/coming-up-at-4-pm-et-on-your-world/

Obama Signs $26 Billion Bailout for Cash-Strapped States

Published August 10, 2010 

| Associated Press