Jon Slavet

Chuck, this is the bait and switch that happens with taxpayers.

And we're already overtaxed.

This is like a slippery slope to lots of other ideas of taking more money from taxpayers, giving it to government to spend on dumb shit or stuff that doesn't work.

That's my argument.

Well, you know, I'll give a quick anecdote from Willie Brown, who I sat down with for my podcast last July.

This is prior to coming out of the race.

I think he's awesome.

Well, actually, he told the story that when he was elected Speaker, more Republicans voted him in than Democrats, which you may know because you're such a student of politics.

It's such a great story.

A movie should be made about it.

But anyway, it's a great story.

And there are plenty of areas of disagreement I might have with Willie Brown.

Mm hmm.

and policies in California, but I asked him, what's the biggest lesson you learned when you were a mayor or the speaker?

And he tugged his ear and he said, I listened.

And he said, I was just as likely to have dinner in Tulare, which is farm country here in California as I was San Francisco.

I spent time with people, I formed relationships with people and I cut deals with people.

And to quote Jerry Brown, who I have plenty of policy disagreements with, he said, you know, if you want to make a canoe go straight, sometimes you paddle on the left and sometimes you paddle on the right.

Okay, I'm quoting two Democrats.

What I would say is that you got to be practical.