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March 17 recall petition deadline

Monday, March 8, 2021, 8:49 pm | Randy Thomasson

Great news — the Recall Gavin Newsom campaign believes it has enough raw signatures to produce the required 1,495,709 valid signatures. I believe it too.

But to be extra safe in this cheating and stealing era of loose vote-by-mail ballots, why not keep getting new signatures until the March 17 deadline?

Thank you for how you’ve signed and circulated petitions! There’s a recall leader in every county in California. Please ask your county coordinator what is the final day you can hand in signatures. Because wouldn’t 2.1 or 2.2 million total signatures be good “insurance”?

State judge ‘spanks’ Newsom

Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 10:50 am | Randy Thomasson
“Sutter County Superior Court Judge Sarah Heckman smiles during an investiture ceremony Monday, December 31, 2012 at the Sutter County Courthouse in Yuba City. At left is her husband Greg Heckman.” (Yuba-Sutter Appeal-Democrat newspaper)

It’s unusually good that a state judge in Sutter County (north of Sacramento) has called Gavin Newsom unconstitutional.

On November 2, Sutter County Judge Sarah Heckman issued a 9-page ruling that a) found Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom violated the California State Constitution when he signed his June 3 “executive order” trying to decrease in-person voting, and b) “prohibited” him from doing anything that “amends, alters, or changes existing statutory law or makes new statutory law or legislative policy.”

This helpful ruling provides a witness that Newsom has been operating as a law unto himself. In her opinion, Judge Heckman noticed the outrageous, unconstitutional deeds and predilections of Newsom:

The Governor takes the position the CESA’s grant of authority to exercise “all police power vested in the state,” allowing him to “promulgate, issue, and enforce such orders and regulations as he deems necessary” authorizes him to legislate by unilaterally amending existing statutory law. Not only is this an active and ongoing controversy between the parties, but it is a critically important one for the Judicial Branch to resolve. The State of Emergency brought about by the COVID-l9 pandemic which was proclaimed by the Governor on March 4, 2020 continues in effect, indefinitely, and the Govemor continues to have authority to act under the CESA. The Governor has issued three executive orders during the current state of emergency specifically regarding the November 3,2020 general election (Def. Exs. 4 and 5; Pl. Ex. D) and has issued more than 50 different executive orders changing numerous California statutes since the state of emergency was declared. (Pl. Ex. F)

The Governor continues to issue executive orders which create legislative policy (Pl. Ex. G.) The evidence persuades the Court it is reasonably probable the Governor will continue issuing executive orders which amend statutory law and create legislative policy under the purported authority of the CESA, violating the California Constitution and the rights of plaintiffs thereunder and giving rise to a multiplicity of judicial proceedings, unless restrained by a permanent injunction.

What’s the practical effect of this good ruling? Unknown at this point.
On the one hand, it might not mean much. First, because the June 3 election-related order no longer has any practical purpose; second, because Newsom since late June has been having his Department of Public Health issue most of the Covid-related “orders.” Newsom has been literally hiding behind the state public health officer, who purportedly has unlimited order-making abilities (this is clearly unconstitutional and begs for a lawsuit).

On the other hand, this ruling has the potential to add to the foundations of other lawsuits. Whether currently filed or yet to be filed, liberty-based lawsuits can become “weightier” by quoting the Sutter County ruling. As Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (who, along with Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher, sued Newsom) said, a permanent injunction (which the judge indeed ordered) means “a number of his previous orders would immediately be exposed as unlawful, while others may become newly vulnerable.” 

Ultimately, despite Newsom, despite his Department of Public Health, and despite local “public health officers,” elected county supervisors can and should quickly end this destructive, unscientific, anti-people lockdown by terminating their county’s “emergency order” and prohibiting any county monies to enforce any state “epidemic” order (i.e. limits on businesses, face masks, and the like).

It’s all up to county supervisors, as Placer County’s successful reopening has demonstrated. Bottom line, it’s time for county residents get tough. To hold pro-lockdown “Republican” county supervisors to account, pro-liberty county residents must threaten them with defeat at the polls next year unless they fully reopen without any restrictions this month.

Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
Have fellowship with You?
They gather together against the life of the righteous,
And condemn innocent blood.
But the Lord has been my defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
Psalm 94:20

The ruling Democrats’ thieving, deceitful tax hike scheme

Monday, August 3, 2020, 10:10 am | Randy Thomasson
“Can’t you cut the waste instead?”

They’ve already hurt you, and intend to hurt you more.

You already know California state government has made you poorer. But did you know that the California Legislature has been virtually controlled by Democrats for the last 60 years? And that Democrats control three-quarters of both the State Assembly and State Senate?

This year, your Democrat-controlled state government is destroying small businesses and family livelihoods with their extremely harmful lockdown. And now, they’re coming in for the kill with AB 1253 to directly raise income taxes without a vote of the people.

As a native Californian, I can’t remember anything like this. But the over-confident, thieving Democrat politicians are drunk with power. That’s why they’re daring to massively raise taxes by government fiat, not letting the voters decide, and doing this damage the same year that state government has financially injured Californians, and in an election year too.

AB 1253 would massively raise taxes on the rich, as if California taxes punishing success weren’t already too high. As California Political Review explains:

AB 1253 would add Revenue and Taxation Code Section 17044 to create three new tax rates for amounts of income above specified thresholds. As a tax levy, it would take effect immediately upon the Governor’s signature and chaptering by the Secretary of State. The bill would apply retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020. As a tax increase measure, it would require a 2/3 vote of both houses of the Legislature pursuant to Article XIIIA, Section 3 of the California Constitution.

Specifically, AB 1253 would add a new section to the Revenue and Taxation Code to provide the following three higher tax rates (in addition to the existing ones):

A 1% tax on income above $1 million, but not over $2 million
A 3% tax on income over $2 million, but not over $5 million
A 3.5% tax on income over $5 million

This would make the state with the highest income taxes even more infamous about taking money from the responsible to give to the irresponsible.

Under AB 1253, the most successful earners would see their state income tax rate jump from 13.3% to 16.8%. Making things worse, this tax would be retroactive to January 2020!

Now before you breathe a sigh of relief and think, “I’m glad my taxes won’t go up — this is only a tax on the rich,” think again. Because the power to tax is the power to destroy. Taxing one group always has intended consequences, hurting other people too.

Here are four ways AB 1253’s huge new tax on the rich would hurt everybody:

  1. Million-dollar earners will move out of state. We’ve seen this before and we’ll see it again. The wealthy already have the highest mobility in society with the greatest number of options of where to live. Expect to see an exodus of wealthy Californians, even if only to the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. That means the ruling Democrats will be more likely to raise taxes on lower earners instead. Because water always finds its way to the lowest level, doesn’t it? 
  2. In turn, you’ll experience inflation. Million-dollar earners that stay in California are smart enough not to lose money. So, because most of them own businesses, they’ll look for more ways to get more money from their customers. This means higher prices for us all. Ready to suffer more? 
  3. It’ll be easier for the ruling Democrats to directly raise taxes on you later. By accepting a huge tax hike on one “class” of Californians, then by reelecting the tax-hikers, we’re telling them we accept regular tax increases as “normal.” This will throw gasoline on the fire for more sales tax hikes, car tax hikes, and income tax hikes creeping into more tax brackets. Remember, to be a good Democrat politician today, you have to think other people’s money is yours. AB 1253 is training them to do that ever so much more so to you and your family. 
  4. AB 1253’s huge tax hike hides all the wasteful spending. Not once will the ruling Democrats say publicly there’s any waste to slash. They won’t admit there’s a mountain of waste, fraud, and abuse throughout California state government. Making it easy for them to deceive and hide waste is 60+ years of Democrats controlling the State Legislature, and no independent, out-of-state, Texas-style audit. And this year, in the midst of the destructive lockdown of Gavin Newsom and the Democrats, government workers continue to be paid, and government pensions continue to rise. AB 1253 is the equivalent of a bad employee — who’s been hurting your customers, wasting your resources, and not caring to do his job — coming to you and demanding a raise. Don’t give the ruling Democrats a raise — fire them!

    TAKE ACTION NOW: Please contact your own state assemblymember and state senator, as well as Governor Gavin Newsom. Tell them, “Oppose AB 1253. No new taxes!” Enter your voter registration address here to reveal the websites of your state assemblymember and state senator. Click their links to see the telephone numbers and web contact forms for each. To contact Governor Newsom, click here.

    “The power to tax is the power to destroy.”
    From the words of Daniel Webster and John Marshall in 1819