John Seiler:
The following 3 minute video explains what’s wrong with government debt. It specifically concerns the federal debt of $15.2 trillion (the number has gone up since the video).
But it also applies to California’s $500 billion debt for government-worker pensions.
Where’s all that money going to come from?
To visit the site, click here.
Republicans eked out a narrow win in the last remaining Virginia state Senate race Thursday, after Democratic state Sen. Edd Houck conceded to challenger Bryce Reeves.
Houck said Thursday he will not contest Tuesday’s election results, which had him finishing just 222 votes behind Reeves, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. With the slim margin, Houck would have been entitled to a recount after the results were certified on Nov. 28 — but decided against it and bowed out of the race in an afternoon press conference.
With his concession, the state Senate chamber is at a 20-20 draw. That leaves Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to break tie votes, and he told the Times-Dispatch that means he’ll side with his party.
“Make no mistake about it, there is a Republican majority in the state Senate,” he said, according to the Times-Dispatch.
To read the rest of the story, click here.
Next week’s pair of gubernatorial races aren’t shaping up to produce barnburner finishes, but matchups in Montana, North Carolina and Washington are jelling to become the crucial statehouse battlegrounds a year from now. Meanwhile, Utah replaces North Dakota at the bottom of the list as Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson keeps his options open.
Here are POLITICO’s October rankings of the Top 10 most competitive contests for the 2011-12 cycle.
1.Montana (up 1 spot)
Democrats released an internal poll to demonstrate they have netted a candidate who can win the open seat being vacated by term-limited Gov. Brian Schweitzer. That state Attorney General Steve Bullock led by only 4 percentage points in the Project New West survey was less relevant than the larger message behind it: He can compete with former GOP Rep. Rick Hill and enjoys greater name recognition and favorability. While Hill may be the front-runner, he still has to navigate a muddled, nine-man primary field.
As the freshest open seat on the block, New Hampshire vaults to the top of the list while Rob McKenna carves out some distance in Washington state and an investigation clouds Bev Perdue’s fate.
Here are POLITICO’s September rankings of the top 10 most competitive gubernatorial races for the 2011-2012 cycle.
1. New Hampshire (Up 7 spots)
Gov. John Lynch’s long-anticipated decision to pass on a fifth term ensures the Granite State will offer junkies downballot intrigue long after this winter’s presidential primary.
Ovide Lamontagne jumped into the race just days after Lynch’s announcement. Lamontagne said he wanted to mirror the outgoing Democrat’s record of “bringing people together” — which earned a quick rebuke from Cornerstone Action leader Kevin Smith, who is already fashioning himself as a “fresh blood” alternative to Lamontagne, a two-time loser of statewide races.
The GOP wild card who could split the difference: John Stephen, the 2010 gubernatorial nominee who is newer to the scene than Lamontagne but better known than Smith.
National Democrats, who will have to invest in the state to keep it in their column, are crossing their fingers for a raucous Republican primary. But they have their own primary to navigate — former state Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jackie Cilley and Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand are all testing the waters.
To read the rest of the story, click here.
A 21-year-old who began his state government career in the governor’s mailroom in 1975 might have daydreamed about a grandson someday starting in the same spot.
But for the same governor? Generally speaking, unfathomable.
Third-term Gov. Jerry Brown, who also held the post in 1975, last month officially became that grandson’s boss.
Grayson Pangilinan, a 16-year-old from Folsom, is interning for Brown this summer. It was his grandfather, Mark Lamb, who helped route and reply to incoming mail during Brown’s first term as governor.
At a back-corner cubicle with a small TV on his desk that he had tuned to C-SPAN one afternoon this week, Pangilinan handled incoming paperwork from people vying for gubernatorial appointments. Pangilinan said he hopes the job is the first of many that will fill an impressive résumé if he someday runs for president.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/06/3820296/jerry-brown-intern-follows-grandfathers.html#ixzz1UKAAn7PN
MOSCOW, Idaho — Idaho Republicans will hold the state party’s presidential caucus vote on Super Tuesday in March 2012, a move that supporters hoped would give candidates a reason besides fundraising to actually come to the state.
The Idaho GOP’s state central committee approved the change during a meeting in Moscow on Saturday, saying the previously scheduled May primary would come too late for the state to have any influence on the process. In previous election years, presidential nominations have typically been locked up before Idaho voters have had any say.
“It’s a monumental change for the party,” said Rod Beck, a former state senator who was one of the main proponents of the switch. “It’s an attempt to inject Idaho values into the presidential debate. It gives us a chance to play a role in national politics.”
Idaho’s caucus will be scheduled for the earliest Tuesday allowed by the Republican National Committee. Only four states will hold earlier nomination contests: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
The caucus will award delegates proportionately, based on each candidate’s vote percentage. If a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the delegates, they’ll receive the party’s entire allotment of 32 national delegates.
“We crafted the rule so that if a candidate wins the caucus, they very likely win all the delegates,” said Ron Nate of Rexburg, who chaired the rules subcommittee that submitted the caucus proposal.
Had the committee gone with a straight winner-take-all system, the earliest Idaho could have held its caucus was April 1, according to national party rules.
To read the rest of the story, click here.
By Juana Summers | 6/23/11 @ 11:07 PM EST
New Jersey lawmakers passed Gov. Chris Christie’s benefit and pension reform legislation Thursday, ensuring a rollback of benefits that will affect more than 750,000 state and local government workers and retirees.
The New Jersey Assembly passed the bill 46 to 32, and Christie is expected to sign the measure into law quickly.
“Together, we’re showing New Jersey is serious about providing long-term fiscal stability for our children and grandchildren,” Christie said in a statement released following the vote. “We are putting the people first and daring to touch the third rail of politics in order to bring reform to an unsustainable system.”
The passage of the bill is remarkable in New Jersey, a state with high union membership where Democrats lead the state Legislature.
Christie will likely tout the legislation as a model for reform as he plans an appearance on the “Today” show Friday morning and a Meet The Press interview Sunday.