Inland Empire Progressive

Gun Issue Looms Large in a CA Election Greed, Disrespect, and natural political alignment with Conversatives on issue after issue is the hallmark of career politician Joe Baca. Above the infamous Baca vs Brown campaign, where an upstart and aging assemblyman Joe Baca challenged a regal and stately Marta Brown. Baca was the definite conservative in the race, especially on the Guns issue. The NRA spent heavily on him to win. Previously, on any gun issue Assm. Baca would back the NRA to the butt stock, so to speak. Now, former Congressman Joe Baca is painting himself as the Regan Democrat, willing to buck the establishment and cut the deficit, starve government, etc., etc., etc. Sorry Baca but this Back to the Future routine won't work. Joe Baca Reagan Mailer

While Rep. Gary Miller and Sen. Bob Dutton haven’t talked about it much, there have been events over the course of the last four years that have affected the gay community. From the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, to President Obama’s evolution on the issue, and the non-enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the gay community has achieved more policy progress than either Immigration or Climate change. On the federal level and on the state level these two conservative candidates haven’t evolved in any way on the gay rights issue in a fundamental way. They still possess an early 20th Century mentality on the issue, even though their party has a caucus of gay conservatives (the Log Cabin Republicans). Most conservative gay candidates have to be closeted in order to run for any local office. Just look what happened to Bill Postmus here in the Inland Empire to find out what happens to gay conservatives in the Republican Party. No wonder so many of them vote Libertarian! As...

Please remember that you are in a Democratic District and watch your mouth. Rep. Gary Miller must think Progressives aren’t paying attention. Rep. Gary Miller must think Progressives are stupid. Rep. Gary Miller must Progressives are useful idiots or some shit. Just check out his statement on the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare. You say that “that health care decisions are best left in the hands of patients and their families”. Please stop repeating this lie. This legislation say nothing about health care decisions between doctors and their families. This is about reducing costs and the means to reducing those costs include expanding coverage for the healthy so people with pre-existing conditions and the sick can get adequate care. You come to the Inland Empire thinking that you can just flash so fucking cash and then we are bought by you? Get the fuck outta here. In addition, you don’t mention how this law will help poor and minority families who usually are the ones who b...

Rep. Gary Miller fears the National Rifle Association more than he does the minorities in the 31st Congressional District. The black and brown community is adamantly against holding Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. They are also against gun violence, which has surged since Rep. Gary Miller has started running for Congress in the Inland Empire.  I think some gun running is going on right here in my city of San Bernardino. What with 26 deaths so far? Why don’t we hold you in contempt? But I think the American public hold Congress in contempt these days with polling down in the dumps. What ever happened to jobs, jobs, jobs? Wasn’t that the Conservative mantra of 2010? How about Fast and Furiously reducing unemployment? This witch hunt amounts to nothing more than election year politics.

The lack of a commitment to Progressive Values is one of the major reason I do not support Pete Aguilar to be my representative for the 31st Congressional District. Time and time again he has had opportunity to represent these values on the Redlands city council and he has failed. The SEIU endorses Mayor Pete Aguilar, but do they know his record for opposing a living wage?  He has shown acute disdain for environmental policies. He elicited Republican support for Measure I and scoffed at the Sierra Club. In addition, he chose short term economic growth over the inevitable extinction of the Sucker Fish. How can we trust Mr. Aguilar on issues such as the the Keystone XL Pipeline, if he can’t defend the environment locally. He also shows disdain for local Democrats, while he chases dollars from Republicans. Where was he during the 2008 and 2010 election season? What support and help has he given local Democrats in his quest for power?  Only after constant perseverance from Oc...

  Pete Aguilar announced that he hired the Troup Consulting to help him with his election efforts. So as always I decided to do a little digging. The President of this consulting firm, Troup Coronado, worked for Senator Orrin Hatch. Sen. Hatch is one of the staunchest Conservatives in the Senate and opposes all the policies of Progressives and President Barack Obama. Mr. Coronado also was Sen. Hatch’s law clerk for awhile. The surprising thing about Mr. Coronado is that he was on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. This was the same institute that Rep. Joe Baca served as chairman. This institute promoted policies that loosened the restrictions (credit check and documentation) on housing for minorities.  Mr. Coronado also seems to be a log cabin Republican, but that is peripheral to this matter. This seems to be a case of keeping your friend’s close but your policy allies closer.

Another article in a series revealing the true nature of Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar. Why did Pete Aguilar choose to run as a Democrat? Pete Aguilar has many questionable, unscrupulous, and disreputable relationships with corrupt Republicans that other Progressive Democrats and I find very unsettling. These are just a few of Pete’s Conservative Pals that I have recovered: Jerry Lewis Republican politics in the Inland Empire begins and ends with one man, Jerry Lewis. Mr. Lewis’s corruption is well known, but since he hails from a safe district that brings in the pork (earmarks), he was never seriously challenged. Pete Aguilar knew Jerry Lewis through Larry Sharp the former CEO of Arrowhead Credit Union. During the Lobbyist Copeland Lowery scandal, Redlands Councilman Mr. Aguilar defended the lobbyist by giving the rational that public officials have no relationships with other public officials.  How can they not? They sit on many boards and commissions together.  Mr. Lo...

What Conservatives don’t understand is a big role that immigration plays in the Mexican community. I have a large family and many cousins (my cousin Jose is pictured above).  As a third generation bi-racial Latino, I could only imagine what my great grandparents went through to get here. My Great Grandmother came here during the ‘50s when she was a little girl illegally and did not get her citizenship until the Reagan Amnesty of ‘86. She lived in East Los Angeles all her all until my Nana had dragged her from her little apartment on Soto St. when she was too old to walk. So when Conservatives attack “illegal” immigrants, I feel like they are attacking my family. In the Mexican community, we all know someone who is undocumented. They all come seeking a better life.

  Since “moving” into the Inland Empire and escaping the rolling hills of Diamond Bar, Rep. Gary Miller has really had an “oh shit” moment. He must be thinking to himself: “Not only am I a carpet bagger who just moved here to get elected. I am also fucking richer than most Tribal Members. I also cater to Wall Street interests because I sit on the Financial Services Committee and will repeal Dodd-Frank faster than a federal government bailout. Finally, I live in a district full of ‘brown people’ y no hablo espanol and don’t want to either (English only baby!). But these illegals make up 49% of the Congressional District. Oh what am I to do? I know! Say nice things like this:” Immigration: “ Congress must continue efforts to strengthen enforcement along the southwest border, remove loopholes in current law that invites manipulation of our laws, and shut down the job magnet that encourages individuals to enter our country illegally .” When I really mean this (you can’t hide from...

I probably had to be there to get the full effect, but a couple of things I wanted to note: The use of “Niqqas” instead of Niggas when referring to black people. These guys are Conservatives white guys rapping. They are rapping from the viewpoint of the Founding Fathers. Sparse crowd waving hands like it’s a rock concert. Love the old lady, hilarious! These are Conservative white guys rapping! Look out Eminem…

Republicans have to attack Pres. Obama using attack ads linking him to the banks. I have no doubt that Dems and Reps are in bed with Wall St. Just look at Joe Baca and the Blue Dog Coalition. Even some of the Progressives been enticed by Wall Street money. When it comes to Wall Street and the Banksters, it’s Occupy White House and Occupy Congress.

When I first encountered the Tea Party I thought they were a fundament threat to the Republic. I realize now that Progressive have some things in common with the Tea Party, but with one HUGE sticking point. That sticking point is the role of government in the 21st Century. These folks harken back to the past and a return to the fundamentals. That is fine with me however, Progressive interpret fundaments very differently than Tea Party folk. Progressives tend to think of the Constitution as a living document that reflects the values of current society. While some universal elements should be kept, there are other elements of the Constitution that seem out moded and reflective modern 21st Century society.

The Inland Empire has the infrastructure necessary to compete regionally with Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and San Diego counties. However, some of the elements in the infrastructure architecture are weak. Four elements make up the infrastructure necessary to sucessfully lay the foundation for a Clean Energy Business boom: Land - County and Federal land gives our county a strategic and competition advantage. We have wind, solar, and geothermal capabilities  at our fingertips. Labor - a major weakness for our county is the educated workforce that is necessary to understand, implement, and maintain the green techonolgy sector. Conservatives hold the majority of trustee and education posts so it is unlikely we will see any movement toward skilled green collar workforce anytime soon. Capital - Another weakness in kick starting the geen business boom is the death of both venture capital and angel investors willing to plant a flag in the Inland Empire. A huge f...

Say we do have a debt problem...how do we fix it? If we are serious about fixing the debt problem there would need to be a mix of spending cuts AND revenue increases. Currently we have 85% spending cuts with ONLY 15% tax increases. How is this negotiating! Make the mix 50/50...Hell, I would even accept 60/40! Republicans need more skin in this game!

Over the course of 30 years America has been consumed by conservative ideology. From Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II we have been victim of a steady bombardment that government is large, incompetent and slow to respond to the needs of its citizen. However, these same men and women have exploited the system for their personal gain. We as Progressives believe in government that is for the people, by the people, and of the people. I disregard the arguments by the psuedo-pop(ulism) right wing tyrants and will pursue with every fiber of my being to argue in a spirited and rhetorical way to send them back to the graveyard of ideas!