Free Republic

California has gradually weaned itself off fossil fuel fracking well ahead of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2024 ban of the oil and gas extraction method. The California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM), the agency that oversees new permits, has denied 109 new permits from fossil fuel firms this year, according to Department of Conservation data. State regulators have approved just 12 permits in 2021, the most recent of which came in February. Uduak-Joe Ntuk, the state’s oil and gas supervisor, said he couldn’t approve new fracking grants “in good conscience” in a September letter to the energy firm Aera Energy,...

DENVER — After another eight hours of debate, the Colorado Senate passed five Democratic gun control bills Monday. The fifth and final vote came after four hours of discussion of House Bill 1224, a ban on high-capacity magazines of 15 rounds or more, which passed on a vote of 18-17. Two Democrats, Sen. Lois Tochtrop of Thornton and Sen. Cheri Jahn of Wheat Ridge, joined Republicans in voting no. Republicans argued at length against the two most important measures: House Bill 1229, which mandates universal background checks on all gun sales, and the high-capacity magazine ban, both of which have...

Rep. Jan Schakowsky said at a women’s rights rally that a Democratic-backed push to ban so-called assault weapons and to mandate background checks for private gun sales were just the beginning of a larger agenda to clamp down on Second Amendment rights. Breitbart reported a videotaped exchange between Ms. Schakowsky and a reporter. She called the current political climate on gun control “a moment of opportunity,” and said politicos “want everything on the table.”

Living in the Southwest for most of my life, I’ve seen just how many people go to Colorado to hunt, fish, ski, hike, camp and sight see. Combined together, these activities generate millions of dollars for businesses as well as the state government. Yet, the controlling Democrats are willing to lose a large portion of that revenue and place many businesses in jeopardy, just to push Obama’s anti-gun policies. A couple of major businesses are already looking to relocate out of the state because of the recently passed and newly proposed anti-gun laws. Read more: http://godfatherpolitics.com/9838/outdoor-channel-blacklists-colorado-over-gun-control-laws/#ixzz2NRTyqQtL

Maricopa County lost the second highest number of jobs among U.S. counties between second quarter 2008 and 2Q 2009, according to federal labor data released Tuesday. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday Maricopa County lost 149,900 jobs between 2Q 2008 and 2Q 2009. Only Los Angeles County lost more jobs during the same time period — 256,700 jobs. The Phoenix metro area lost more jobs than Cook County in the Chicago area as well as New York City. The Phoenix area has been hit hard by the pullback in consumer spending, tourism, housing prices and the construction sector....

FOR THE first time, the number of people moving out of California outnumbered those moving in -- during a supposed economic expansion. It isn't over yet, either -- demographers expect this trend to continue, probably for several years. The loss isn't a large one. The California Department of Finance recorded a net loss of about 29,000 people from 2004-05, and it expects that the numbers for 2005-06 will be comparable. But it does cut across most ethnic groups -- whites, Latinos and African Americans, with only Asians showing a net gain -- and has hit families particularly hard, if faster-than-predicted...

MIDI - COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER There is trouble we see in a town that's called Sacramento There's a guy who's named Cruz and a governor called Low Rent-o Each one of these scumbags is bad California has really been had There's a fight over money and here's the message from Gray-ay-ay Don't come close to my donors...I'm warning you pal...the money is mine Don't come close to my donors...I'm staying put...and I'm doing just fine Polls are showing for Gray that soon it is hasta la vista He hangs in there because he's still a hopeless and...