• Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for May 2nd on 03:02

    These are my links for May 2nd from 03:02 to 09:24:

    • The Secret Team That Killed bin Laden – From Ghazi Air Base in Pakistan, the modified MH-60 helicopters made their way to the garrison suburb of Abbottabad, about 30 miles from the center of Islamabad. Aboard were Navy SEALs, flown across the border from Afghanistan, along with tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers.

      After bursts of fire over 40 minutes, 22 people were killed or captured. One of the dead was Osama bin Laden, done in by a double tap — boom, boom — to the left side of his face. His body was aboard the choppers that made the trip back. One had experienced mechanical failure and was destroyed by U.S. forces, military and White House officials tell National Journal.

      Were it not for this high-value target, it might have been a routine mission for the specially trained and highly mythologized SEAL Team Six, officially called the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, but known even to the locals at their home base Dam Neck in Virginia as just DevGru.

      ======

      Read it all

    • Michael Bloomberg: Send the immigrants to Detroit – Everyone has a solution to the immigration problem these days. (At least until they are actually elected to public office when they seem to forget about it.) Should we build a fence? Have more screeners? Shut down the process entirely? Out in the Big Apple, Mayor Bloomberg thinks he’s come up with a far more creative solution to the problem. We’ll just let all of the immigrants in who want to come, but as soon as they arrive we just ship them all to Detroit.

      Mayor Bloomberg has a fix for the nation’s immigration debate: Send ‘em to Detroit.

      “If I were the federal government,” Bloomberg told David Gregory on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning. “Assuming you could wave a magic wand and pull everybody together, you pass a law letting immigrants come in as long as they agree to go to Detroit and live there for five or ten years.”

      ======

      Read it all

      How stupid is Bloomberg?

    • A New Immigration Consensus – Or a Sell Out for Americans? – We believe in the need to secure our borders, make it possible to hold businesses accountable for verifying the status of workers, address the reality that 11 million people are here illegally and cannot be deported en masse—and increase lawful opportunities for those who want to come to this country and contribute to our prosperity. Nevertheless, our nation cannot afford to wait for Washington to get its act together and pass comprehensive immigration reform. There is too much at stake. Our economy demands that we take immediate action on the most urgent—and politically attainable—reform: making it easier for job creators to come and stay here.

      Creating a visa for entrepreneurs who already have funding to start their businesses will lead directly and immediately to American jobs. Visa reforms to improve temporary and permanent pathways for companies to fill the current shortages of engineers, scientists and other specialists—whose annual visa caps are often exhausted within days of becoming available—will spur growth at existing U.S. companies.

      ======

      Read it all.

      Big corporations like Bloomberg would rather import talent from outside the USA then invest in America to develop our own talented entrepeneurs and business people of the future.

      We have a vast underclass of illegal immigrants that need remediation rather than a new importation of immigrants that may or may not stay in America.

      Bloomberg and his cohort would be better to concentrate on education reform and scholarships for American citizens to attend graduate schools.

      The offshore talent should have the same visa requirements as everyone else.

    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-05-02 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-05-02 #tcot #catcot
  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 26th on 17:06

    These are my links for April 26th from 17:06 to 18:59:

    • President 2012: Why Rep Paul Ryan Could Enter the Presidential race – It’s not just Bill Kristol, gang. There’s desire at the highest ranks of the Republican Party, according to my reporting and sources, to see House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan seek the 2012 presidential nomination. Here’s why:

      1) Since Democrats are determined to hang Ryan’s bold “Path to Prosperity” budget plan around the neck of every Republican running for office in 2012, why not have its author and best salesman advocate for it directly vs. President Obama?

      2) Ryan — to borrow a favorite Simon Cowell phrase — is “current.” He’s smack in the middle of budgetary and ideological clash between Democrats and Republicans and would immediately energize conservative and Tea Party activists.

      3) Ryan is a strong national defense conservative, as well as pro-life.

      4) Ryan is from a battleground state, Wisconsin, and a battleground region, the upper Great Lakes.

      5) Ryan’s youth, vigor, likability and Jimmy Stewart persona — well, a wonky version of George Bailey — would be an immediate shorthand signal to voters that he’s a different kind of Republican. He also has a compelling life story to tell.

      6) Obama suddenly and unexpectedly to Washington insiders looks beatable — by the right candidate.

      ======

      I can easily see a Mitch Daniels/Paul Ryan ticket.

      Or a Mike Huckabee/Paul Ryan ticket

      Or going for broke: Paul Ryan/Rudy Giuliani ticket

    • We Respond to NPR’s Lighthearted Coverage of Koch Death Threats | – I am writing to raise deep concerns about a Morning Edition segment that aired on April 22 and apparently made light of death threats that had been leveled at gentleman in Iowa but that had been intended for our company.
      The item was read by hosts Mary Louise Kelly and Renee Montagne, billed as “our last word in business,” and was clearly framed as an amusing take on the news.  Kelly and Montagne made sport of the fact that a Mr. Dutch Koch shares the same surname as that of our company, even musing that he’s also been “confused with the big soda maker” – Coca-Cola, it seems.  Kelly quipped that “he does not say which cola he prefers” before cutting away to what sounds like bongo drum music.
      But there is nothing even remotely funny about a person’s life being threatened and NPR ought to be ashamed that simple fact of decency has to be pointed out. 

      =====

      More Koch Derangement Syndrome from the LEFTY NPR.

      Real funny = NOT

    • Janet Napolitano clarifies immigration program – disappoints sanctuary cities – Napolitano defended the program Monday as vital to immigration enforcement.

      "Where immigration is concerned, the federal government fundamentally sets the policy." She said communities will benefit from the tool.

      "Let's assume we have 11 million people in the country illegally," she said. If Congress can provide enough enforcement funding to remove perhaps 400,000 of them annually, she added, "How are we going to set those priorities? One big priority is who is violating criminal laws."

      =======

      The program is a good one and is a start only.

      Immigration is a federal perogative and the Obama Administration needs to do more.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 21st on 14:08

    These are my links for April 21st from 14:08 to 16:37:

    • Brutal Mexican drug gang crosses into U.S. – The signature crimes of the most violent drug cartel in Mexico are its beheading and dismemberment of rival gang members, military personnel, law enforcement officers and public officials, and the random kidnappings and killings of civilians who get caught in its butchery and bloodletting.

      But this disparate band of criminals known as Los Zetas is no longer just a concern in Mexico. It has expanded its deadly operations across the southwestern border, establishing footholds and alliances in states from New York to California. Just last year, federal agents tied a cocaine operation in Baltimore to the Zetas.

      “Those of us who live and work along the border know they’re already here,” said Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr., whose Texas county lies on the Rio Grande 50 miles southeast of the Zetas’ stronghold of Nuevo Laredo. “There’s already been killings and many residents here are living in fear.”

      ======

      Read it all

      Secure the border, Mr. President

    • California’s criminal alien population rises – Costs $34K a Year to Incarcerate – The number of criminal aliens incarcerated in California rose to 102,795 in 2009, a 17 percent increase since 2003, federal auditors reported Thursday.

      This isn't cheap. Nationwide, the Government Accountability Office reports, it costs well over $1.1 billion a year for states to imprison criminal aliens — those who committed a crime after entering the United States illegally. California, moreover, is more expensive than other states. GAO auditors estimated California spends $34,000 to incarcerate a criminal alien for one year; in Texas, it's only $12,000.

      The audit, requested by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, will provide ammunition for states' perennial effort to secure more federal reimbursement dollars.

      More than one in four of the illegal immigrants imprisoned in California are behind bars for drug offenses. Many are also repeat offenders. GAO auditors say that, based on a survey, criminal alien inmates have been arrested an average of seven different times.

      ========

      Secure the border and deport these criminals…..

      Come on now….

    • Wonkette Pulls Offensive Post About Sarah Palin’s Handicapped Son – As NewsBusters reported Wednesday, the liberal website Wonkette published a truly disgraceful piece earlier in the week about Sarah Palin's Down's syndrome son Trig.

      Under intense pressure from readers and advertisers, the site's editor took the post down Thursday:

      A post on this page satirizing Sarah Palin using her baby as a political prop was very badly done and sounded like the author was mocking the child and not just Sarah Palin/Sarah Palin’s followers.

      The writer, Jack Stuef, has apologized for it. And we have decided to remove the post as requested by some people who have nothing to do with Sarah Palin, but who do have an interest in the cause of special needs children. We apologize for the poor comedic judgment.

      ======

      Read it all…..

      Boom! Money speaks…..

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 21st on 11:36

    These are my links for April 21st from 11:36 to 11:51:

    • Owners of Chuy’s restaurants in AZ, CA, indicted for Hiring Illegal Aliens – Federal agents arrested owners of several Arizona and California restaurants Wednesday on an indictment charging them with hiring illegal immigrants and evading taxes.

      Agents raided 15 Chuy's Mesquite Broiler restaurants in both states and served 20 search warrants. They detained about 40 suspected illegal immigrants who were working at the restaurants when the raids took place, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Vincent Picard said.

      The father and son independently own about 20 restaurants in the Chuy's chain. A company accountant also was arrested on a 19-count indictment.

      Mark Evenson, 58, of the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, and his son, Christopher Evenson, 39, of Oro Valley, Ariz., were being held pending an initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tucson.

      The Evensons and accountant Diane Strehlow, 47, of Tempe, Ariz., are accused of hiring illegal immigrants for the company's kitchen operations and paying them under the table. They did not collect state or federal income taxes for those employees, according to the indictment.

      Meanwhile, staff who worked with the public were legal workers and taxes were taken out of their checks.

      An attorney who has previously represented the Evensons in a civil case said he could not comment on the new indictment. Court records don't yet reflect an attorney in the criminal case. A message left at a telephone listing for Strehlow wasn't immediately returned.

      Eric W. Rose, a spokesman for the company that owns the franchising rights to the restaurant chain's name, said officials were "deeply concerned by the alleged actions" of the Evensons and Strehlow.

      Rose said the allegations of tax fraud and illegal hiring practices "do not represent the values and ideals of the Chuy's Mesquite Broiler Restaurants, the independent owners or our employees."

      He also pointed out that the Evensons have no ownership in several Chuy's locations in California and one in Tucson.

      ======

      E-Verify is desperately needed.

      How about passing a bill House GOP?

    • Capitol Weekly looks at 100 California political warriors – Well, here it is: Capitol Weekly’s list of 100 political players. But since we don’t want you to gag, we’re giving it to you piecemeal. This week, we’re providing 51 through 100. Next week, we’ll do 1 through 50.  After that, we’ll disconnect the phones and head to Puerto Penasco.

      The most interesting aspect of this year’s rundown is that it clearly reflects the impact of the new Brown administration. Jerry Brown owes his election, in large part, to organized labor. And labor’s clout is demonstrated throughout with a number of labor chiefs and their lobbyists. The list really is a snapshot in time and “Top 100” may be a misnomer here: The rankings change yearly, even quarterly or monthly, as new players arrive, veterans depart and the administration goes through growing pains.

      Lists like these are interesting not only for who’s on them, but for who isn’t. There’s no Maria Shriver, no Susan Kennedy, no Henry Gomez. There’s no Grover Norquist, despite a dozen demands that we put him on – if he wants to be on our list, he can move to California.

      ======

      Read it all.

      51-100 this week…..

      Hold on to your hats for 1-50.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 13:00

    These are my links for April 14th from 13:00 to 13:23:

    • Gov. Mitch Daniels calls for immigration reform – Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels called on state lawmakers Wednesday to pass a proposal aimed at implementing immigration reforms in the state, adding that changes in the bill were necessary before passage.

      Mr. Daniels says a bill aimed at implementing an Arizona-style law should focus more on Indiana employers and less on law enforcement. The Indiana governor is the latest governor to call on state lawmakers to implement immigration reforms.

      “I think that legislation will be changed,” Mr. Daniels said Wednesday. “I support this, to drop the law enforcement provisions that have been the ones that have bothered most people.”

      The Indiana Republican and potential Republican presidential candidate says he hopes the law enforcement provision is remove, refusing to note whether that provision would cause him to veto the bill.

      “The idea I like is to deny them the tax deduction if they’re caught doing it,” he said. “It’s a fairly clean way to get at it, and really employment is the magnet that leads to the illegality.”

      ========

      Again, the right will go wild here but Daniels is practical again.

      The Arizona law will be declared unconstitutional since the states are precluded from immigration enforcement – it is a federal responsibility.

      But, E-verify or state laws that give a disincentive to employers who hire illegal immigrants is a practical and realistic goal.

      Daniels should he run for President will be able to elaborate in a debate against the others.

      In the meantime, the Tom Tancredo right will go crazy against Mitch.

    • California Teachers’ Union plan built on emotion – The California Teachers Association this week declared a "State of Emergency" over the state budget and potential deep cuts to schools. It posted a 15-page "plan of action" on its website to help teachers, parents – and apparently children – lobby for tax extensions.

      Some of the union's ideas went beyond the usual letter-writing and rallying:

      • Attempt to close a major artery into town/cities.

      • Turn fire/earthquake drill into crisis response drill to the budget cuts (involve students and the community).

      • "Penny drive" where kids empty piggy banks to support teachers and deposit in the state Capitol.

      • Pay for everything with $2 bills to show the true impact of teachers.

      • Have students create a BIG poster on a school bus that is sent to Sacramento.

      • Take mug shots of teachers and students to make the point that prisons receive better funding.

      By Wednesday, the more creative ideas on the list had been removed. CTA spokesman Mike Myslinski said the list was "brainstorming" from the union's 800-delegate state council, and that CTA is not suggesting students be used as props.

      ======

      Guess some of the leftists in the CTA (California Teacher's Association)thought the Wisconsin protests were a good thing?

    • Thousands rally at Cal State University campuses to Protest Education Cuts – Decrying what they called an assault on higher education, thousands of faculty and students at California State University campuses across the state rallied, marched and held teach-ins Wednesday to protest steep funding cuts and rising tuition.

      Dubbed the Day of Class Action, events were held on all 23 Cal State campuses, featuring speakers, workshops, gospel singers, guerrilla theater and, on one campus, a New Orleans-style "funeral" march.

      The protests were largely peaceful and there were no reports of disruptions, although student groups staged sit-ins in hallways outside the offices of presidents Jolene Koester at Cal State Northridge and James M. Rosser at Cal State L.A.

      No arrests were made, and students left the buildings by the end of the day. Peaceful sit-ins were also held at campuses in Pomona, San Francisco and the East Bay.

      With education funding at risk and higher tuition possible in many states, students and faculty at public universities elsewhere also held rallies and teach-ins Wednesday, including at Portland State in Oregon, Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of Massachusetts' Boston campus.

      The goal, organizers said, was to raise public awareness of the consequences of continued disinvestment in higher education and to give faculty and students a greater voice in policy decisions.

      ========

      The students and faculty should really direct their protests to the Democrat Governor and Legislature who have been ruling California for decades now.

      For every action the left-wing California Legislature takes there is an equal and opposite reaction by private business who vote by their feet – and leave.

      Also, for every new entitlement program and cost of living adjustment the California Legislature makes, there is less money for other programs, including a heavily subsidized public university education.

      But, true to from the left faculty will try to convince their students that it is the rich who are refusing to pay their fair share or something.

      Sometimes the truth is hard.

    • Texas reporter weighs in on California lawmakers’ visit – "People out here laugh at Perry walking down the main street of Dallas, waving a pistol around and talking about the crazy people in California who want to legalize marijuana," said veteran Democratic political consultant Chris Lehane.

      But some facts are clearly on Perry's side. Texas created more jobs last year than any other state: 253,900 vs. California's 89,400.

      Texas has no state income tax. It's a right-to-work state, so there are none of the collective-bargaining issues bedeviling states such as Wisconsin and (with high public-employee pensions) California.

      In the games that statisticians play, there are numbers favoring California, too.

      Texas has higher property taxes and oil extraction taxes. Its jobs pay less. It leads the nation in uninsured people and chemical pollution. And while Texas has created more manufacturing jobs, California's created more in semiconductors, computers, communications equipment and medical equipment.

      Texas has the Alamo; California has Disneyland . Texas has Ted Nugent ; California has Charlie Sheen.

      Which is to say we're different. So it's no surprise that Texas and California are taking different approaches to solving their budget shortfalls.

      ======

      California and Texas are different states with different demographics and priorities.

      If they both can learn from each other, this is great.

      But, I would not hold my breath.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 11th on 12:16

    These are my links for April 11th from 12:16 to 12:23:

    • The 9th Circuit strikes down Arizona’s immigration law – I examine the concurring opinion in some detail for two reasons. First, preemption doctrine requires a close reading of the statute and analysis of its purpose. Objections to a state statute cannot be brushed off because the federal government is “not doing its job.” That may be true, but this is a political and not a legal argument. Second, if immigration exclusionists think they are going to get a more satisfactory analysis from judges than the one rendered by Judge Noonan they are, I would suggest, kidding themselves. Noonan’s decision made Swiss cheese of the state’s law, an indication of how difficult it is to skirt the federal government’s dominance in the field of foreign policy and border control.

      A final observation: Conservatives are making a principled argument regarding Obamacare on the Constitution’s commerce clause in support of the federal system of government. That same structure that limits federal power also limits state power. They should be faithful to the words and intent of the Constitution in both situations.

      ======

      If Americans are serious about illegal immigration here are the remedies:

      1. Enforce existing immigration laws, including enhanced employer's raids.

      2. Pass and implement E-Verify for employment.

      3. Secure the southern border with Mexico.

      The states should forget about Arizona type laws and Americans should hold their poltician's feet to the fire on the above 3.

    • What Tim Pawlenty’s hiring of Nick Ayers means? – Chris Cillizza reports that presidential contender Tim Pawlenty has hired the former executive director of the Republican Governors Association as his campaign manager.

      Pawlenty has been courting Nick Ayers for months. I am told by those involved in the process that Ayers, who served alongside Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour at the RGA, was waiting for Barbour, the candidate with whom he is closest, to make up his mind on whether to run. Now that Ayers has accepted a spot with Pawlenty, the chances of a Barbour presidential race have plunged. It may also be that Barbour’s extremely rocky start, overshadowed by his views on race, persuaded Ayers not to join him.

      =======

      Probably not much.

      Tim Pawlenty may be a nice guy and all but is not very exciting. I would say about as exciting as Romney but without the personal fortune.

      If the GOP is going to throw a "Bob Dole" type candidate out there it will be Romney and not Pawlenty.

      Pawlenty for VP would really bore the GOP base.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 8th on 16:42

    These are my links for April 8th from 16:42 to 16:48:

    • San Jose Democrats Dress Up Corporate Tax Dodges – But It is Crony Capitalism – San Jose's John Vasconcellos presided over the Assembly's budget committee for many years in the 1970s and 1980s and, liberal Democrat that he was, frequently railed about a lack of money for what he considered to be vital public services.

      Peculiarly, however, Vasconcellos also carried into law one of the most outrageously unfair and illogical corporate tax breaks ever enacted in California. It exempts custom computer software programs from sales taxes, but leaves in place taxes on consumers' off-the-shelf software.

      The exemption costs state and local treasuries an estimated $120 million a year.

      Perhaps there's a chemical in San Jose's water that compels liberal Democratic politicians to carry water for corporate interests because one of Vasconcellos' successors is doing the same kind of favor for airlines.

      Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, is carrying Assembly Bill 81, which would protect airlines from paying higher sales taxes on their fuel purchases in California when prices spike upward. It would levy taxes on the average of spot fuel prices for the preceding five years, rather than on the current price.

      =======

      Crony capitalism by California Democrats in the Legislature at their worst.

    • Maryland House OK’s Illegal Immigrant In-State College Tuition – As many southern states pass news laws to crack down on illegal immigrants, the Maryland General Assembly is moving to allow them to pay in-state college tuition, if they meet certain conditions.

      The Maryland House voted 74-66 on Friday for the measure. The Senate already has approved similar legislation.

      Illegal immigrants would have to complete two years at a community college and show that their parents paid state income taxes for the three years before they enrolled to qualify for in-state tuition.

      Democrats say it creates opportunity for people who have lived in Maryland for years, but Republicans contend it rewards illegal behavior at taxpayers' expense

      =======

      Maryland is a deep blue state and they are rewarding their Latino constituency despite the fact that it is unfair to native born taxpayers.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 30th on 06:32

    These are my links for March 30th from 06:32 to 07:37:

    • Did Obama Administration Play Favorites With Energy Loans? Green Firms Financed By Obama Fundraiser Steve Westly Score Millions in Federal Loans – When the White House announced the federal government would loan $465 million to Tesla, a California start-up company with plans to develop an all-electric sedan, President Obama called it an "historic opportunity to ensure that the next generation of fuel-efficient cars and trucks are made in America."

      The loan also represented a lucrative opportunity for Steve Westly, a major investor in the car company who had raised more than $500,000 for the president's campaign.

      In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy lent more than half a billion dollars to companies backed by Westly's California venture capital firm. In 2010, the White House tapped Westly for a seat on a special energy advisory panel that gives him regular access to Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Westly boasts on his website that his firm is "uniquely positioned" to take advantage of the Obama administration's interest in green energy.

      =====

      Read it all

      More CRONY capitalism from the Obama Administration

    • Black And Blue 2: Blacks Flee Blue States in Droves – Americans ultimately have to accept the reality that you can’t eliminate poverty by hiring professionals with postgraduate degrees and six figure incomes to sit in downtown offices and engineer policy solutions to urban ills. Poverty in a society like ours is a human problem and it is solved one human being at a time, usually through person to person contact: above all the parent but also the teacher, the preacher, the mentor, the entrepreneur who helps the lost and the overcome find solid ground on which to stand and build a life.

      As Blacks flee the citadels of blue thought, and as the paladins of blue like Bob Herbert move toward retirement, the problems of the inner cities and the underclass are still very much with us. Top down solutions and bureaucratic interventions have at best a limited utility in this new environment; it is time for a national re-think and a national re-engagement on the problems of race, poverty and class.

      ======

      Read it all

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 25th on 19:37

    These are my links for March 25th from 19:37 to 19:55:

    • Former GOP Senate candidate Chuck DeVore joins O.C. supervisors’ race – Former Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a conservative candidate who lost the GOP Senate primary to Carly Fiorina last year, announced Thursday that he is running for the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

      The 2012 contest will be a raucous competition among two well-known Republicans and former state legislators. DeVore’s opponent is former Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, who already served on the county board and has a healthy campaign war chest.

      In an email to supporters, DeVore focused on the state’s unfunded pension liability and accused Spitzer of being part of the problem in Sacramento — where he served in the Assembly — and Santa Ana.

      =====

      From U.S. Senate to OC Supervisor. Wow! What a demotion…..

    • Birthing tourism: San Gabriel maternity center for Chinese women shut down – From the outside, they looked like other recently built San Gabriel townhouses — two stories, Spanish style, with roofs of red tile.

      Inside they were maternity centers for Chinese women willing to pay handsomely to travel here to give birth to American citizens.

      Southern California has become a hub of so-called birthing tourism. Operators of such centers tend to try to blend in, attracting as little attention as possible.

      But on quiet, residential Palm Avenue, neighbors had noticed an unusual number of pregnant women going in and out, and some complained about noise.

      On March 8, code enforcement officials shut down three identical four-bedroom townhouses functioning as an unlicensed birthing center.

      =====

      Read it all.

      Anyone now want to change birthright citizenship?

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 22nd on 09:10

    These are my links for March 22nd from 09:10 to 09:12:

    • Can California tax Internet purchases? – California's severe budget squeeze and a stagnant economy have rekindled a political war over how Internet purchases should be taxed – if, indeed, they could be taxed.

      California already has one of the nation's highest sales tax rates, approaching 10 percent in some communities. But it's applied only to transactions inside the state or to mail order and Internet sales when the seller has a "physical presence" in the state.

      The latter condition – decreed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992 – is the rub.

      Technically, Californians who buy from distant sellers are supposed to pay an equivalent "use tax" on state income tax returns. Few do, and enforcement is virtually impossible.

      That would seem to be that, but the potential revenue gain – officially at least a few hundred million dollars a year – and pressure from brick-and-mortar merchants about untaxed competition have sparked efforts to mine the Internet and mail sales vein.

      The situation's bête noire is Amazon, the huge Internet seller of almost everything. New York seized upon Amazon's use of affiliated sellers as the "physical presence" or "nexus" that would require it to collect sales taxes. But the New York law is tied up in the courts, and Amazon has threatened to cancel affiliate relations in any state that follows suit.

      Some California legislators want to emulate New York, prompting Amazon to issue a declaration that it not only opposes four pending taxation bills as violating the Supreme Court decision, but "would be compelled to end its advertising relationships with well over 10,000 California-based participants in the Amazon associates program." Overstock.com issued a similar warning.

      ======

      Read it all.

    • Levin 1, Wehner 0 – Advantage, Levin. Even if you don’t believe the seemingly apocryphal stories about Reagan regretting the 1986 bill, it clearly failed. (The amnesty part worked. The border enforcement part was blocked.) It’s one thing to say Reagan supported this policy the first time. It’s another to claim he would have supported making the same mistake a second time–and that this is the “conservative” approach. … P.S.: It’s particularly disingenuous for Wehner to claim that Bush “never supported” a Reagan-like “amnesty.” The main difference between Reagan’s approach and Bush’s is that Reagan was honest enough to call it what it was (“amnesty”).  Bush and his apparatchiks preferred poll-tested confections like “path to citizenship.” …  Also, Bush’s amnesty was bigger. …

      =======

      Bush's Amnesty Plan or Path to Citizenship would have been a MAJOR disaster.

      Reagan's "Amnesty" was bad enough – Mark Levin was correct.