The Collapse of Support for Socialism

The unprecedented bungling of the economy by new President Obama makes for some interesting comparisons.

Check the photo. Top is Glenn Becks Conservative rally.

Bottom is embarrassing turnout for Socialists.

I seem to remember several million people in Washington D.C. being very excited about Socialism in January of 2009. Where did all that enthusiasm go?

Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end for Obama and the Democrats.

Republicans are going to rout them in November.

Control of Congress means an end to Obama policies.

Oh, how the hippies danced last night!!

Well, this doesn't really come as a surprise.

RINO Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is signing a furious rush of bills before he is out of office.

He signed AB 1449, which makes marijuana possession of under an ounce a non-criminal offense, punishable by a ticket with about a $100 fine.

I am pretty sure that Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich and District Attorney Steve Cooley are not going to be happy about this. They had made it a point of their careers to be very anti-marijuana.

Nuch had already shut down hundreds of marijuana shops (and put himself in prime position to run for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2013.)

One of the happiest groups involved is probably law enforcement officers, who can now concentrate on more serious crimes, rather than throwing people in jail over a small amount of marijuana.

Part of Schwarzeneggers justification for doing this was that the court system is overloaded with petty drug cases. He needs the free court space to go after more serious crimes.

I can't say that I am happy about this development, but I can't say I'm upset, either.

I know many people will point out the dangers of drugs, but one thing that has always worried me more was the presence of an aggressive, totalitarian government, that feels it has the right to decide which naturally occurring substances can be declared "illegal". That type of behavior is a violation of natural law, and a sure recipe for disorder.

A Dingbat RINO, a Nanny, and a Media Clown

Well, what else can I say about this story?

Meg Whitman has screwed California Republicans yet again.

Now news is leaking out that Whitman employed a nanny who was an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

Not only that, but she fired the nanny when she found out about her illegal immigration status.

And again, this is something the $110 million dollar candidate and her handlers should have known was clearly an issue that might energize the left. But did Whitman come clean early and get it out of the way? Hell no.

Now media clown Gloria Allred is involved, claiming that nanny Nikki Diaz Santillian "suffered" under the tyranny of Meg Whitman, getting $23 an hour to work in her home.

This is clearly a political move by Allred, who should be reported to the State Bar for not disclosing that she is working for Jerry Brown's campaign.

The question here is... if this woman suffered so much, then why did she work for Meg Whitman for nearly a decade? The only part of it that she didn't care for was the status of not having a job anymore.

My heroes have always been Nuch and Cooley

Here is another clip from the Clean Sweep Candidate Forum.

It's a clip that will make the liberals at Griffith Park Wayist apoplectic.

I didn't like that the Forum went 14 1/2 minutes without letting me field a question, but when I did I made it count. I made it clear that I support Carmen Trutanich and Steve Cooley for going after corruption in Los Angeles. I also give a pretty good answer about immigration near the 28 minute mark.

The video looks better on the Vimeo site. Watch it there.

L.A. Clean Sweep - Q&A Part 1 - 1st Ever Citywide City Council Candidate Forum from Michael N. Cohen onVimeo.

The Cat Whisperer & The Hamburglar

Good video here from Michael N. Cohen of the City Council Candidate Forum for Clean Sweep.

I like it when at 9:30 of the video, when I dismiss spending more on bicycle paths, Cohen cuts to a reaction shot from CD 4 Candidate Stephen Box. He clearly is not amused.

At 28 minutes into the video, I talk about Paul Koretz "The Cat Whisperer" and "The Hamburglar" Jan Perry.

L.A. Clean Sweep - Q&A Part 2 - 1st Ever Citywide City Council Candidate Forum from Michael N. Cohen on Vimeo.

Residency Issues vs. Political freedom

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about residency issues and political freedom.

As many of you already know, City Council Member Richard Alarcon is under indictment for lying to ethics department officials and masquerading to voters that he was a resident of the 7th Council District. He, in fact, lived in the 2nd Council District. Alarcon is probably going to have to "cop a plea" or cut a deal in order to avoid jail time. He will probably be forced to give up his City Council seat as a condition of the agreement.

As much as I hate Richard Alarcon, I think his penalty for this violation is excessive.

Alarcon should not have been busted for running as the candidate, but -- once elected, his decision to not live amongst his voters was repulsive. Richard Alarcon was giving the voters of the 7th Council District the middle finger... and as such they should have been smarter and not chosen to elect him.

The reason I have this political viewpoint is that -- much like any other subject -- it all comes down to personal and political freedom. Why, exactly, should voters in Los Angeles City Council Districts be limited to the choices that the City dictates to them? Their strange residency demand eliminates many good candidates from running for office to represent voters in those districts. In the 2007 City Council elections, five of the incumbent City Council Members had no opponent!! How exactly is that fair to the voters of those Districts, that they get to have no other choice on the ballot!??

In fact, I am considering filing a massive lawsuit in Federal Court against the City of Los Angeles over this residency requirement policy. In federal elections for Congress, the candidate does not have to live in the District he or she is running in. This opens the voters up to a wide array of potential candidates. Without this restrictive residency requirement, we could have many people running against these elected criminals like Tony Cardenas. Clowns like "The Hamburglar" Jan Perry. The "Cat Whisperer" Paul Koretz. Budget Destroying Socialist Paul Krekorian.

For example, the City of Compton recently had some corruption issues. What if someone who I personally detest -- like Al Sharpton -- decided he wanted to run for Mayor of Compton, California? Even though Sharpton is a resident of New York and I find him to be vile and dishonest, I would have no problem whatsoever with him running for Mayor of Compton, California. His opponents could capitalize on the fact that Shapton was an outsider. However, if the voters in Compton didn't like their local leaders and decided they wanted to take a chance on a polarizing national figure like Al Sharpton - why not allow the voters that freedom of choice? Whom does it harm? The voters can still decide.

I have a record for the last 16 years of having lived in and voted in District 5. For many years, I had to suffer that fool Jack Weiss as my Council Member. An absolute jackass who ignored the voters of his District. Where was my freedom to have a better option? Even though I live in CD 5, I am only four blocks west from the border of Council District 4. I spend a great deal of my day living and working in Council District 4.

I have run for political office twice here in Los Angeles. I ran for Mayor of Los Angeles in March 2009 and I ran for the Republican nomination to Congress for the 33rd Congressional District in June 2010. In both these elections, voters in Council District 4 were looking at my name on their ballot. However, under these restrictive City policies, I would not be qualified to run for the office of City Council in District 4 -- even though CD 4 voters may have already voted for me in the past . I consider that an illegal infringement by the City on my personal freedom. I'd like to hear what a Federal Judge would have to say about the matter.

I'll set the lawsuit aside for now. I'll play their little game. But I don't like it one bit.

I am going to change my voter registration to the residence of a woman I have been seeing socially for the last year. She lives about 12 blocks away from me. I'll change my credit card bills, my drivers license, etc....

I'll move in with her for the next 6 months and try to win this election.

Four more years of Tom La Bonge won't help anything in this City, that is for sure.

And the City sure won't be able to prove I haven't been living in my new residence.

That is a fact.

Mourning in America

If you remember the original "Morning in America" ad in 1984, this ad might seem familiar.

The original ad helped sweep Ronald Reagan into a second term as President.

This one does a 180 and chastises Barack Obama for the sour mood in the country right now.

Democrats are headed for epic losses this November. Just wait and see.