The California Legislature, at work…
(Update September 1, 2008: See the next entry for the followup, after you are finished with this one.)
Well, it has been two months without a state budget in California… What do you think that the California Legislature is doing this Labor Day Weekend?
Working on a budget? I don’t know. 
Enjoying some of the weekend with their families? I surely hope so.
One thing that the California Legislature is doing this weekend is trying (again) to eliminate gun sales at the Cow Palace at the border of Daly City and San Francisco! The Assembly Bill 2948, which bans gun sales in the Cow Palace and which was earlier DEFEATED in the State Senate was revived yesterday and APPROVED by the Senate! Since the Senate had made changes, the bill was sent back to the Assembly. Today, on a Saturday, the bill has ping-ponged back to the Senate. The legislative deadline is midnight tomorrow, SUNDAY, August 31.
Amazing! You would think that my state government, which has not approved a budget and is TWO MONTHS past the deadline, would have better things to do on Labor Day Weekend! If any of you state workers who have been out on picket lines read this, please understand that this is how your legislators like to spend their weekends, while you don’t know about your next paycheck.
This time, I believe that it is once again the Democrats at work. The Republicans in the Legislature seem to be thinking about LUMBER these days, and are generally pro-Second Amendment Rights, a position that was strengthened by a recent historic U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Why Democrats in the California Legislature apparently have a “firearms fetish” (a fetish is an object believed to have magical powers; most of the rest of us know that firearms are just tools) is beyond me! If California Democrats supported all 10 of the Articles of the Bill of Rights, they would probably have to move to states where Democrats are more “moderate” or stay in California as Libertarians! One of the fascinating aspects of the complexity of California politics is that the State Senator of my gerrymandered district (there are three State Senators for my ZIPCODE!) is the President Pro tempore of the State Senate, Don Perata, who is a staunch gun-control advocate and once had a concealed carry permit (I heard “two”) to carry a firearm for self defense! I wonder if he saw any contradiction….
With no budget for TWO MONTHS, is there any wonder that “The Public does not understand” why the California Legislature is unable to pass a state budget? (Hint: Maybe it’s their PRIORITIES…!)
The arguments are being echoed at the national level. Barach Obama spoke about protecting the Second Amendment Rights of hunters in Ohio, while keeping guns out of the hands of gang members in Cleveland. I am from Ohio. What about the hunters in Cleveland? (Note added September 4, 2008: Perhaps more importantly, how does he stand on the use of firearms to defend the home and family? Home defense in California has been [probably deliberately] complicated by a maze of silly laws [including the one based on THIS questioned technology]. I would hate to be a member of law enforcement or the judiciary trying to sort these laws out on a practical level.) On the Republican side, John McCain (who has strong support from married women [not single women]) has chosen Sarah Palin from Alaska (where some of that oil is), who is reported to be a lifetime NRA member, as a running mate. The choice is hardly coincidental.
Well, it is time for me to “sign off” and send some faxes (old-fashioned, but harder to delete than emails) to Sacramento and urge folks there to work on a budget, and stop fooling around!
`But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: `we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’
`How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.
`You must be,’ said the Cat, `or you wouldn’t have come here.’
Alice didn’t think that proved it at all; however, she went on `And how do you know that you’re mad?’
`To begin with,’ said the Cat, `a dog’s not mad. You grant that?’
`I suppose so,’ said Alice.
`Well, then,’ the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags its tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.’
`I call it purring, not growling,’ said Alice.
`Call it what you like,’ said the Cat.
– Lewis Carrol, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (not under copyright in the United States)
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