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Contributor
John
Campbell
John
Campbell (R-Irvine) is an Assemblyman representing the 70th
District
in Orange County. Mr. Campbell is the Vice-Chairman of the Assembly
Budget Committee. He is the only CPA in the California State
legislature
and recently received a national award as Freshman Republican
Legislator of the Year. He represents the cities of Newport
Beach,
Laguna Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Aliso Viejo, Laguna
Woods and Lake Forest. He can be reached through his Assembly
website
and through the website
for his California Senate campaign. [go to Campbell index]
 All
This and Feng
Shui, Too
Yes, California, these are your leaders hard at work...
[John Campbell] 2/17/04
Workers Compensation Insurance: Committee hearings began yesterday
in the Assembly to hear the Governor's proposal to reform
the worker's compensation insurance system. The Governor's
reforms would cut premiums in half according to estimates.
The Governor has asked for action by March 1st or he will
begin to circulate an initiative to put the reforms before
the voters on the November ballot. In the hearings, everyone,
pro and con, agreed that the premiums were too high. The
opponents to the Governor's measure (basically only trial
lawyers and unions) argue that rates are too high because
the insurance companies are "ripping off" businesses.
Oh yeah. That's why many of them are now bankrupt because
they have been making excessive profits. Furthermore, some
60% or the total worker's comp market in California is either
self-insured (where there is no insurance company) or State
Fund, which is the state-run insurance company. So the trial
lawyers and unions are basically saying that the state is
ripping off employers and that they are ripping themselves
off. It is all just a smoke screen to cover up the myriad
of problems in the system that encourage or reward fraud,
abuse and waste.
California
Performance Review: This is the name given to the
Governor's new initiative to look at completely restructuring
the 419 departments, agencies and commissions that exist in state
government with a goal of eliminating waste and duplication and
of making government more efficient. Now, I know that some of
you think that government efficiency is an oxymoron. I'm not
so sure that's true. But even if it is, we can still improve
the system over where it is today. This will be a 6 month project
funded within existing budgets that has the potential to save
billions of dollars without cutting back services. If any of
you have specific ideas of duplications, waste, etc., please
e-mail them to me.
CTA: The
California Teacher's Association is running ads to support
the striking
grocery workers. If you are a teacher, are you happy
to see your union dues going for this? What does this have to
do with education? Obviously, nothing. And it is more proof that
the CTA is all about labor and not about education.
Feng
Shui: Finally, Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shoo-ay) is a Chinese mystical
way
of tracking "life force energy flows" in
and out of places. For example, a fountain that flows towards
a building
is good Feng Shui because the life force is going into the building
whereas the reverse, which allows life force to flow out is bad
Feng Shui. In the midst of all our state problems, Assemblyman
Yee (D-San wherever) has introduced a bill (ACR 144 ) to urges
that all newly constructed state buildings consider Feng Shui
in the design and construction thereof. (Heavy Sigh) No, I do
not make this stuff up. Should we also have an on-site medicine
man to drive away evil spirits?
Until next week, that's all for
this week.
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