In 1922, Ludwig Von Mises, an Austrian free market economist wrote: "It is not the business of entrepreneurs to lead the political fight against Socialism…It follows, therefore, that neither associations of entrepreneurs, nor those organizations in which entrepreneurs support counts, are inclined to fight on principle against socialism."

When I first joined the Legislature, I could never figure out why the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Manufacturers Association, the California Taxpayers’ Association, and the variety of other "business" associations which populate the halls and lobbies of Sacramento, could not be counted upon to fight the left wing agenda of my Democrat friends in the Legislature. They were always ready to accommodate their demands. The unions would fight Republicans with all their influence and power, giving 99% of their contributions to Democrats. The business groups would (and still do) give 50 to 60% of their campaign money to Democrats. I used to complain that in politics, the Democrats married the unions, who have remained faithful partners. Republicans married the business community, and we got a partner who slept around. I then read the Mises quote, and knew that if was true in 1922, and still true in 2002, I wasn’t going to change it by complaining. I personally would fight against encroaching socialism in California, and leave the compromising with the Socialists and business lobbyists.

Free markets require two basic components to work: freedom of contract and protection of private property rights. A society that chooses......................

to take private property is either socialist, or traveling quickly down the road to socialism. The threat of losing a lifetime of work to the whim of an all-powerful government will often convince even the most principled person to forego his or her freedom of speech.

I joined up with the proponents of Proposition 90, the "Protect Our Homes" initiative because of my belief that our current system of land use control, whether through the use of eminent domain or regulatory takings, is the key factor in California’s leftist state and local governments obtaining and maintaining power. This was my way of taking a principled stand against socialism in California.

I did not think that my friends in the business community, however, would oppose the roll back of socialism in California. They may not support us, but they certainly would not oppose those of us who stand in favor of free markets.

Boy was I wrong.

They are afraid, they tell me, of retaliation from the government, if they don’t oppose the initiative. Local governments are telling business and developers that, if they don’t oppose Proposition 90, they will make their business lives miserable. They are being told that if they donate money, their projects will be fast tracked. However, if they don’t help, their projects will go into some sort of governmental purgatory, lost in the bowels of some regulatory or planning agency until the new temple is built in Jerusalem. I am told that they have to oppose us because they just can’t risk it.

That is how far down the road to socialism California has gone. So much of the financial future of our business community depends on government action that the business community trembles in fear of the government officials. The ruling class in California knows that Proposition 90 will be their Waterloo, and they are trying to enlist the aid of all of their economic slaves to fight this last battle. The business community, now the economic slaves of our state government, is willing to sell out the freedom of us all to stay in business.

I know Mises was right; the business community is a bunch of "scaredy cats." I have seen it in action day after day in Sacramento. I understand why; they have to survive in this socialist political environment. I am still disappointed.

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http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061006/news_7m6folo.html

October 6, 2006

Long before the illegal-immigrant housing ordinance passed by the City Council goes into effect, legal challenges are likely to be brought that could stall its implementation indefinitely.

The American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, in conjunction with lawyers representing various immigrant-rights groups, is evaluating what to do.

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http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_passport06.397247d.html

October 6, 2006

No passport, no mission.

That will be reality for Inland churches and others with longtime mission programs in Mexico as new passport requirements take effect over the next 15 months.

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October 6, 2006

A state appeals court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage Thursday, ruling 2 to 1 that only the Legislature or voters can change California's traditional definition of marriage.

"Courts simply do not have the authority to create new rights, especially when doing so involves the definition of so fundamental an institution as marriage," William McGuiness, presiding justice of the 1st District Court of Appeal, wrote for the majority.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/06/BUG87LJ2UD1.DTL

October 6, 2006

Former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn appeared Thursday before a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge to hear criminal charges in connection with the HP spying scandal.

Her surrender came a day after California Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed criminal charges seeking indictments against Dunn and four other defendants implicated in HP's probe of boardroom leaks to journalists.

The scandal that has engulfed HP in recent weeks, and has become one of the most watched corporate scandals in Silicon Valley history, continued to generate news on multiple fronts Thursday.

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http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/15693604.htm

October 6, 2006

The owners often come into auto shops confused. Their SUVs were working fine when they parked them, but when they came back and turned on the ignition, their engines ran loud . . . super loud.

Their cars were so noisy because somebody had stolen their catalytic converters.

Over the past three months, dozens of SUVs have been turning up in South Bay auto shops with missing catalytic converters -- mirroring theft trends in other parts of the country. Toyota 4Runners seem to be a particularly popular target.

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October 5, 2006

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that some Mexican immigrants "try to stay Mexican" when they come to the United States, and he urged them to assimilate into the American culture.

Schwarzenegger's comments came during a stop in Chinatown when he was asked about assimilation.

Recalling his own experience emigrating from his native Austria, the Republican governor said immigrants should learn English, learn U.S. history and "make an effort to become part of America."

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http://www.dailynews.com/ci_4443303

October 5, 2006

Frustrated by an apparent lack of interest from the NFL in selecting a stadium site, members of the Coliseum Commission said Wednesday that it might be time to end their decade-long pursuit to bring pro football back to Los Angeles.

"We probably started negotiating before we went into Iraq," commission member David Israel said of the latest negotiations that began 3 1/2 years ago. "At the current rate, we'll still be negotiating after we've left Iraq.

"We have to send a message to the league that if we don't get affirmative progress, we may have to go in another direction."

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October 5, 2006

The Los Angeles Board of Education has rejected Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's request to take part in choosing the city's next superintendent of schools.

"It is disappointing from my standpoint that there doesn't seem to be any opportunity on this issue for partnership," said Ramon C. Cortines, the mayor's top education advisor.

"The mayor and I understand that the board has the authority to select the superintendent." But, he added, it is proper for Villaraigosa to "have a role" in light of legislation signed into law last month that will give him substantial authority over Los Angeles schools. The law is scheduled to take effect in January.

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http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_4444590

October 5, 2006

Stanford University professor Roger Kornberg on Wednesday became the third Bay Area scientist to win the Nobel Prize this week, this time in chemistry for his groundbreaking work examining how cells copy genetic material — a finding that can lead to therapies for cancer and other diseases.

The award came 47 years after Kornberg's father, Arthur, shared the Nobel Prize in medicine for his discoveries on how genetic material moves from one DNA molecule to another.

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http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_4444588

October 5, 2006

Oakland charter schools have caught up with their traditional counterparts and made greater overall gains this year on standardized test scores, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the California Charter Schools Association.

That data — the latest in a series of conflicting statistical reports on the subject — was heralded by charter advocates as evidence that the independently-run public schools were hitting their stride in Oakland.

"They've jumped over a tipping point here," said Gary Larson of the charter association.

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http://www.leginfo.ca.gov

Assemblyman Haynes’ office can be reached at (951) 699-1113 in Temecula, California

or in the Capitol in Sacramento at (916) 319-2066

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