Taxpayers pay $1300 per month for Laura "Pimp My Ride" Richardson's government vehicle

I wish I could say I was suprised to see Laura Richardson in the news again for her fiscal irresponsibility. But once again here she is.

Yesturday, the LA DailyBreeze.com was reporting that Richardson's $1300 lease of a 2007 Lincoln Town Car cost more than any other representative in congress:

When she arrived in Congress last fall, Rep. Laura Richardson sought out a vehicle that would match her newfound status.

She settled on a 2007 Lincoln Town Car - the choice of many representatives who
lease their vehicles at taxpayers' expense. But hers was distinct: at $1,300 a month, it was the most expensive car in the House of Representatives.

They go on to point out that the freshman congresswoman is a veteran when it comes to having others pay the tab for her transportation.

But her history with vehicles has been similarly fraught. When she was a councilwoman in Long Beach, she crashed her BMW, abandoned it at a body shop, failed to pay a prior repair bill, and then racked up 30,000 miles on a city-owned hybrid in one year - apparently violating a policy against personal use of city cars.

In her brief stint in the Assembly, she leased a 2002 Lincoln LS for $304 a month - all but $36 of it paid for by the state. So Richardson was already well versed in the use of government vehicles when she got to Washington.

And just like with all her other financial debacles, she is hiding from reporters, leaving her staff to defend the undefensable.

About 130 representatives leased cars last year, according to a report compiled earlier this year by Taxpayers for Common Sense. Most were in the range of $400 to $800 per month.

Richardson's 2007 lease costs show up on a more recent congressional spending report, because she did not pay the bill until February. According to the report, her first bill was for $1,299, and covered a one-month period from mid-October to mid-November. She then paid a prorated amount of $2,035 for the 45-day period from mid-November to the end of the year.

That makes her lease $300 more expensive than the costliest car in the Taxpayers for Common Sense report. As of last winter, the newest member of Congress had far and away the most expensive car in the House of Representatives.

"A $1,300 lease is a gold-plated lease," said Keith Ashdown, chief investigator for the watchdog group. "Because it's federal money and not their personal money, they're not looking for the best value."

Rep. Diane Watson, D-Los Angeles, also leases a 2007 Lincoln Town Car, but she pays only $686 per month for it.

According to a former staff member, Richardson insisted that her Lincoln be specially customized, which may explain the high cost.

Richardson's spokesman, William Marshall, initially stated that Richardson is paying only $940 per month for her Town Car, but gave no documentation of that. After he was presented with the expense report showing the $1,300 lease amount, he declined to answer further questions.

"No comment," he said.

Oh.... But there's More!!!!!!

Richardson got the car from a local Enterprise Rent-a-Car office for her use when she needed to travel around her congressional district. The cost would not have been affected by her personal credit history, because it was paid for by the federal government. The price tag also did not include insurance, which Richardson agreed to pay for on her own.

At 8:30 p.m. April 3, a staff member was driving the car on the San Diego (405) Freeway, when he got into a crash. According to a California Highway Patrol report, the staffer, Henry Rogers, reported being struck in the rear by a white sport utility vehicle. The impact caused him to spin out and hit the center median and left major damage to the left rear of the Town Car.

The CHP report gives no information about the insurance on the car, other than to say that it was a "rental." But Richardson's subsequent actions suggest that Rogers may not have been listed as an eligible driver on her insurance policy.

According to the former staffer, after the crash Richardson required her district employees to buy additional insurance so they could legally drive the Lincoln. The former staff member did not want to be identified out of fear of jeopardizing future employment prospects.

Another former staffer said Rogers was not forced to pay for the damage to the car, but did not know how the issue was resolved.

Rogers referred questions about the crash to Richardson's spokesman, who did not return a call about the crash on Friday.

Richardson did not report the crash to Enterprise, but it is not clear that she was required to, given that she was self-insured.

Records also indicate that Richardson owes $83 for illegally parking the Town Car in Long Beach. The ticket was issued Jan. 23, in the amount of $40, but has since doubled because it was not paid on time.

One has to wonder, at what point will this disgraced Congresswoman offer her resignation? Knowing Laura Richardson, probably never.

But an even more interesting question is when will her fellow Democrats start asking for her to step down? Knowing Democrats, probably never!

Obama says politics blocks economic solutions. Forgot to include the word "Liberal"

Barak Obama once again proves that he is a not quite ready for primetime player. He declared that we could solve our economic problems if only we could get politics out of the way.

Obama wrapped up his tour of battleground states with a summit focused on economic issues.

AP reported:

Barack Obama told top business leaders Thursday that politics often gets in the way of solving problems that threaten America's ability to stay competitive in the global economy.

"There is surprising consensus in this country about what needs to be done — somehow our politics prevent us from acting on that consensus," Obama said at an economic summit meeting. "We spend an enormous amount of time talking about what separates us, along party lines, along racial lines, along economic lines, but when it comes to how we need to retool America to continue its greatness, we've got a lot of stuff that we can agree on."

According to his website, here are some of the policies he advocates that we could find agreement on:

• Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families
• Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans
• Support Job Creation
• Invest in Rural Areas
• Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
• Expand Flexible Work Arrangements

But here is the problem… He and his fellow Democrats have failed to support any of these measures.

They won’t support tax cuts for ALL working families. They refuse to support a flat tax, which would simplify the tax code overnight. They only want to support R&D tax credits for industries they approve of, not the ones that actually create jobs. And the union bosses that run the Democrat Party will not allow business to offer their employees the same flexible work schedules that their members often enjoy.

No… The “solutions we agree on” that Obama is talking about are the ones that he and his fellow liberals have cooked up. If he has his way we will be mandating “green technologies” that don’t yet exist, compelling employers to unionize against their will, raising the minimum wage and mandating that employees get more paid leave.

How exactly will these policies improve the economy?

Democrats need to realize that the government cannot do anything to improve the economy except getting out it’s way by freeing business from overregulation and getting out of the pockets of American families.

In Case You Missed It: Same Sex Marriage Advocates Urge Judge to Throw Out Constitutional Amendment

Over the weekend, Equality California filed paperwork asking the California Supreme Court to deny California voters thier constitutional right to have a say on the issue of same-sex marriage.

AP reported:

Same Sex Marriage Advocates Urge Judge to Throw Out
Constitutional Amendment

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gay rightsadvocates are asking California's highest court to keep a measure that would
again bansame-sex marriage in the state off the November ballot.

Lawyers for Equality California filed a petition late Friday arguing that the initiative is invalid because it would revise, rather than amend the California Constitution.

The petition also claims the measure should be disqualified because its impact was not made clear to the millions of voters who signed petitions to put it on the ballot.

Since the secretary of state already has certified the amendment for the fall election, a spokeswoman says she can only remove it with a judge's order.

This is clearly sign that same-sex marriage advocates are worried that this Consitutional Amendment will pass. Otherwise, why deny the voters their say?

Hyphenated-Americans for GOP Candidate X

Ever since I first got active in the GOP over 14 years ago, there have been those who question the need to have Republican volunteer clubs or Party advisory committees based on ethnicity.

Well this debate has crept up once again as CRP Chairman, Ron Nehring sent out a request to County Party Chairman to send him recommendations for possible participants for the parties advisory committees. Suffice it to say that some folks took exception to the creation of such groups and communicated as much to the chairman. Below is such a communicaiton:

Dear Chairman Nehring,

I want to state that I am in agreement with the statement of fellow Chairman Tom Hudson in regards to the inappropriateness of having racial and ethnic based advisory committees within any Republican Party organization.

It should be recalled here that we are the party of abolitionism and of civil rights for all Americans. Racial and ethnic balkanization, along the lines of what we see among the Democrats, is a wrong headed departure from our own principles. It is pandering of the worst kind, not just because it is a departure from principle, but because it is politically foolhardy. The American people see political correctness for what it is; they are smarter that what so called political "experts" may think them to be.

In following the example of Theodore Roosevelt, a real Republican President, we do not promote "hyphenated Americanism" in the Sonoma County Republican Party. Therefore, we neither collect such data nor pass it onto other campaigns or organizations.

Sincerely,

Michael Erickson, Chairman
Sonoma County Republican Party

Now let me first state that I completely understand the concerns expressed by Mr. Erickson. But I think it is important to note that this has nothing to do with being racially divisive. This is about marketing.

Republicans win in the war of ideas. But we lose in the war of votes in ethnic communities because we fail to understand marketing. When you are trying to sell a product, it does not matter what is important to you or what you see. Rather, you have to appeal the the buyer.

Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonalds- you name it. The world's most successful marketers understand that it is important to target your message to your audience. They all have different messaging to senior citizens, women, business professionals and yes, even ethnic minorities. Why do they do it? Because it works!

There is a saying, "If you want to sell what Judy buys, you have to see what Judy wants through Judy's eyes. " This means that if we want to attract black voters, we have to understand their needs. And while their needs most likely are the same as other Americans, it may be reflected very differently in their experiences. And if we do not take the time to understand those experiences and perspectives, we will not be able to effectively communicate why our values and policies best meet their needs.

You see, we may be right. But it really doesn't matter if they never hear us.

So far, the GOP hasn't demonstrated any ability to effectively communicate our message in these communities. Past efforts have amounted to no more than a bunch of token "Hyphenated-American" groups for "GOP Candidate X". They have had no real input and no real influence in the messaging of these campaigns. So, I can't say that I hold out much hope for this effort either.

But, if these advisory committees could help by acting as focus groups to help target our message and identify key policies that would resonate in specific communities, there is value in them. Only time will tell if this effort is different. And while I am not holding out any hope that it is, I do believe that such efforts have merit.

In Case You Missed It: Muslims barred from picture at Obama event

This article is from Politico.com:

Two Muslim women at Barack Obama's rally in Detroit on Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women's headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate.

The campaign has apologized to the women, both Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at the rally.

"This is of course not the policy of the campaign. It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "We sincerely apologize for the behavior of these volunteers."

Building a human backdrop to a political candidate, a set of faces to appear on television and in photographs, is always a delicate exercise in demographics and political correctness. Advance staffers typically pick supporters out of a crowd to reflect the candidate's message.

When Obama won the North Carolina primary amid questions about his ability to connect with white voters, for instance, he stood in front of a group of middle-aged white women waving small American flags. On the Republican side, a Hispanic New Hampshire Democrat, Roberto Fuentes, told Politico that he was recently asked, and declined, to contribute to the "diversity" of the crowd behind Sen. John McCain at a Nashua event.

But for Obama, the old-fashioned image-making contrasts with his promise to transcend identity politics and to embrace all elements of America. The incidents in Michigan, which has one of the largest Arab and Muslim populations in the country, also raise an aspect of his campaign that sometimes rubs Muslims the wrong way: The candidate has vigorously denied a false, viral rumor that he himself is Muslim. But the denials seem to some at times to imply that there is something wrong with the faith, though Obama occasionally adds that he means no disrespect to Islam.

"I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated against by the very person who was supposed to be bringing this change, who I could really relate to," said Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer who lives in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills. "The message that I thought was delivered to us was that they do not want him associated with Muslims or Muslim supporters."

In Detroit on Monday, the two different Obama volunteers -- in separate incidents -- made it clear that headscarves wouldn't be in the picture. The volunteers gave different explanations for excluding the hijabs, one bluntly political and the other less clear.

In Aref's case, there was no ambiguity.

That incident began when the volunteer asked Aref's friend Ali Koussan and two other friends, Aref's brother Sharif and another young lawyer, Brandon Edward Miller, whether they would like to sit behind the stage. The three young men said they would, but mentioned they were with friends.

The men said the volunteer, a twenty-something African-American woman in a green shirt, asked if their friends looked and were dressed like the young men, who were all light-skinned and wearing suits. Miller said yes, but mentioned that one of their friends was wearing a headscarf with her suit.

The volunteer "explained to me that because of the political climate and what's going on in the world and what's going on with Muslim Americans, it's not good for [Aref] to be seen on TV or associated with Obama," said Koussan, who is a law student at Wayne State University.

Both Koussan and Miller said they specifically recalled the volunteer citing the "political climate" in telling them they couldn't sit behind Obama.

"I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me. Are you serious?'" Koussan recalled.

Shimaa Abdelfadeel's story was different. She'd waited on line outside the Joe Louis Arena for three hours in the sun and was walking through the giant hall when a volunteer approached two of her non-Muslim friends, a few steps ahead of her, and asked if they'd like to sit in "special seating" behind the stage, said one friend, Brittany Marino, who, like Abdelfadeel, is a recent University of Michigan graduate who works for the university.

Don't Miss the Rally for Life- TODAY!!!

COALITION FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

PRESS RELEASE for June 18, 2008

For more information, please contact: Wynette Sills at (916) 955-1577 or see our website http://www.california4life.org

TODAY, Wednesday, June 18, 2008, the Coalition for Women and Children will hold a historic Rally for Life to demand the Elimination of Abortion Funding from our California State Budget. The Rally will be held on the West steps of the Capitol from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm, followed by a Press Conference from 12:30-1:00, and the Lobby for Life Legislative office visits throughout the afternoon.

During this time of severe state budget crisis, when our schools, parks, libraries, public safety, and healthcare services are experiencing drastic spending cuts, we can no longer afford to subsidize our nation's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, which according to their own Annual Report is experiencing record-breaking profits. Each year, California taxpayers contribute $33 million dollars to pay for 95,000 "free" Medi-Cal reimbursed abortions, according to the Department of Health Services statistics.

We request that these state funds be re-allocated to truly help the needy citizens of our state, rather than hurt thousands of women, both physically and emotionally, for a life-time. Today, taxpayers from throughout the state will gather to say, "Enough is enough! We will no longer be accomplices to this painful tragedy by subsidizing the lucrative abortion industry with our tax dollars! Women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy deserve our help and compassion, not a free abortion! As an example, these $33 million dollars could be better used to pay for 900 school teacher salaries!"

Rally speakers will include Walter Hoye, Issues4Life.org, who will address the devastating impact abortion has had on the African-American community, making this the Civil Rights issue of our generation. Also, post-abortive women who have personally experienced the pain of this "choice" will share their stories. At current rates, one in three women will experience an abortion, increasing their risk to breast cancer, miscarriage, premature birth, infertility, depression, addictions, and other physical and emotional difficulties. Senator Cogdill, Assembly Members Villines and LaMalfa will also speak. Closing out the event will be local activist, Craig DeLuz.

Furthermore, the abortion industry does not deserve our tax dollars. In a recent LA Times article, California Planned Parenthood affiliates allegedly over-charged our state by at least $180 million dollars. Why should we give even more money to an industry that has allegedly mishandled our tax dollars? Recently, Planned Parenthood, founded by eugenicist Margaret Sanger, eagerly welcomed donations which specifically requested the extermination of African American babies. The citizens of California will not support such racism and misuse of our tax dollars!

In Case You Missed It: Muslims barred from picture at Obama event

This press release just arrived in my inbox:

OBAMA GIVES THUMBS UP TO THE PELOSI PREMIUM
Meanwhile CA Gas Prices Up $1.82 Per Gallon Under Democrat-Controlled Congress

In 2006, then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) made this bold election-year statement: "Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices." Nearly two years later, what exactly has that "commonsense plan" gotten California families and businesses?

JANUARY 16, 2007: $2.61 (Source: AAA of Northern CA)

JUNE, 2008: $4.43 (Source: CA Energy Commission)

This week we learned that the Barack Obama is just fine with higher gas prices. In fact, congressional Democrats blocked efforts to lower them and instead proposed higher gas taxes that will further burden California's working class.

Is this what the Democrat leadership mean by "commonsense"?

The Democratic Majority has given consumers the Pelosi/Obama Premium, which this week clocks in at $1.82 per gallon. That's right, from the time the new Democratic Majority took control of congress, gas prices in California have skyrocketed almost two dollars from an average of $2.61 per gallon in January to $4.43 per gallon now.

As predicted before the summer driving season, the Pelosi/Obama Premium has only gotten worse, yet Barack Obama and other Democrats have done nothing to help Californians' Pain at the Pump.

Ding! Dong! The Witch is.... Oops... Not so fast!

The Associated Press is already calling the Presidential nominations for Barak Obama:

Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party.

The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.

So, one would think that the natural thing for Hillary Clinton to do would be to offer her concession speech tonight as well. But this may not be the case.

According to another AP story she may be willing to admitt she is down, but not out:

Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the
delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said,
effectively ending her bid to be the nation's first female president.

The former first lady was not ready to formally suspend or end her race
in a speech Tuesday night in New York City. But if Obama get to the magic number
of delegates, 2,118, she was prepared to acknowledge that milestone, according
to aides who declined to be identified.

Now this doesn't mean that she will still be running for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination. But you can bet she will be positioning herself to be the next presidential candidate from her party. And she will do this by either negotiating for the VP spot or undermining Obama's candidacy by injecting umnpopular issues into the campaign.

Will Hillary hold the Democratic party hostage?

Everyone, including those who support Hillary Clinton are wondering just how far she will go to before she realizes that she cannot win the Democratic Presidential nomination. Many thought that tomorrow’s final two primaries would signal the end of her 2008 campaign.

Well according to politico.com this may not be the case. This afternoon they are reporting:

We can’t get her to sit down and talk,” the Hillary Clinton person was telling me. “We have been having a hard time getting her to stop campaigning long enough to talk about how she actually ends this thing.”

It is understandable. She has been campaigning for so long. She has fought so hard. And, let’s be fair, in recent months she has done so well.

So why talk about losing? You know who talks about losing? Losers. And that is not how she sees herself.

As much as Obama would like to have the delegates won in these final two primaries put him over the top. Unfortunately for him, he will still need to capture about 30-40 more super delegates making him the first Democratic Presidential Nominee since George McGovern in 1972 to win the nomination without winning the popular vote. This very relevant fact is the final thread upon which the Clinton machine will hang their far-reaching hopes of victory.

The only question left to ask is whether or not the fight will go to the DNC convention in August. If Hillary has anything to say about it, I would look forward to a spirited convention battle.

Listen to Craig DeLuz on the Capitol Hour with Eric Hogue

Tomorrow, Tuesday June 3rd at 12:30 pm I will be joining Eric Hogue as we breakdown several local races and discuss the battle for the heart of Sacramento's Republican Party

Here are the details:

Tuesday, June 3rd (Tomorrow) @12:30 pm

1380 AM KTKZ

Call in numbers :916-923-3300 or 888-923-1380

To listen online simply Click Here. Thenk hit the "Listen Live" button in the upper righthand corner of the page.