There is no place more appropriate to highlight the contrasts in the U.S. Senate race between Carly Fiorina and Barbara Boxer than in the Central Valley. While Carly is again in the Valley today visiting farms in Arvin and Fresno and fighting against the pending 55 percent death tax hike, Barbara Boxer has been trying to play election year catch up on the issues that matter most to our state's agriculture industry in an effort to save her own job come November.

But a short walk down memory lane shows just how little interest our state's junior senator really has in supporting our nation's farmers and ranchers. First, of course, is Boxer's continued support for the death tax, which particularly hurts the agriculture industry, forcing families to sell parts or all of their ranches and farms in order to pay taxes on a deceased's estate. Despite the tax's devastating effects on the agriculture industry, Boxer has voted against relief at least 18 times.

Boxer Has Voted Against Death Tax Relief At Least EIGHTEEN Times. (S. Con. Res. 13, CQ Vote #178: Rejected 31-69: R 31-23; D 0-46, 5/23/95., Boxer Voted Nay; S. 1429, CQ Vote #230: Rejected 46-54: R 45-9; D 0-45; I 1-0, 7/29/99; Boxer Voted Nay; S. 1429 CQ Vote #247: Passed 57-43: R 52-2; D 4-41; I 1-0, 7/30/99, Boxer Voted Nay; H.R. 2488, CQ Vote #261: Adopted 50-49: R 49-4; D 0-45; I 1-0, 8/5/99, Boxer Voted Nay; H.R. 8, CQ Vote #196: Motion Agreed To 53-45: R 52-2; D 1-43, 7/14/00, Boxer Voted Nay; H.R. 8, CQ Vote #197: Passed 59-39: R 50-4; D 9-35; I 0-0, 7/14/00, Boxer Voted Nay; H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #134: Motion Rejected 30-69: R 0-49; D 30-20, 5/22/01, Boxer Voted Yea; H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #158: Rejected 42-57: R 2-48; D 40-9, 5/22/08, Boxer Voted Yea; H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #165: Passed 62-38: R 50-0; D 12-38, 5/23/01, Boxer Voted Nay; S.1731, CQ Vote #28: Adopted 56-42: R 45-2; D 11-39; I 0-1, 2/13/02, Boxer Voted Nay; H.R. 8, CQ Vote #151: Motion Rejected 54-44: R 45-2; D 9-41; I 0-1, 6/12/03, Boxer Voted Nay; H.R. 8, CQ Vote #164: Motion Rejected 57-41: R 53-2; D 4-38; I 0-1, Boxer Voted Nay, 6/8/06; H.R. 5970, CQ Vote #229: Motion Rejected 56-42: R 52-3; D 4-38; I 0-1, 8/3/06, Boxer Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 21, CQ Vote #109: Rejected 44-55: R 44-5; D 0-48; I 0-2, 3/23/07, Boxer Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 21, CQ Vote #102: Rejected 48-51: R 48-1; D 0-48; I 0-2, 3/23/07, Boxer Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 70, CQ Vote #77, Rejected 48-50: R 47-1; D 1-47; I 0-2, 3/13/08, Boxer Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 70, CQ Vote #50: Rejected 50-50: R 48-1; D 2-47; I 0-2, 3/13/08, Boxer Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 70, CQ Vote #43: Rejected 47-52: R 47-2; D 0-48; I 0-2, 3/13/08, Boxer Voted Nay)

Boxer Has Even Opposed Death Tax Relief On Occasions When Feinstein Supported Relief. (H.R. 8, CQ Vote #197: Passed 59-39: R 50-4; D 9-35; I 0-0, 7/14/00, Boxer Voted Nay and Feinstein Voted Yea; H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #124: Rejected 43-56: R 2-47; D 41-9; I 0-0, 5/21/01, Boxer Voted Yea and Feinstein Voted Nay)

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Boxer's refusal to help get water flowing through the Central Valley again, choosing to defend a small fish instead of the very Californians who elected her. Boxer's hypocrisy is all the more stunning in light of the fact that she voted in favor of helping the people of New Mexico when they faced a similar situation in 2003. Yet today, she refuses to take action to help her own constituents.

Key Stakeholders Predicted Heavy Job Losses From Lack Of Water In California's Central Valley. "‘The consequences are expected to be pretty horrible in terms of farmers' revenue, but what's really disconcerting are the possible job losses,' said Wendy Martin, who leads the agency's drought division. ‘Those communities that can least weather an economic downturn are going to be some of the places that are hit the hardest.' Richard Howitt, a professor of agriculture economics at the University of California, Davis, estimates that $1.6 billion in agriculture-related wages, and as many as 60,000 jobs across the Central Valley will be lost in the coming months due to dwindling water." (The Desert Sun, 1/26/09)

In 2003, Barbara Boxer Voted To Allow New Mexico An Exemption From The Endangered Species Act For Water Use. "Pending federal legislation to exempt water imported into New Mexico from being used to satisfy the federal Endangered Species Act would set a bad precedent, environmentalists in Washington, D.C., and New Mexico say. Both the U.S. Senate and House have passed language that would exempt water from the federal San Juan-Chama diversion project from the Endangered Species Act." (Ben Neary, "Species Exemption ‘Bad Precedent,'" Santa Fe New Mexican, 10/1/03)

Boxer Now Refuses To Take A Similar Action For The People Of California, Arguing "It's Very Important That These [Environmental] Laws Be Administered Fairly To Make Sure They Work Effectively." "‘Republicans and Democrats alike have enacted environmental laws to protect our air, our water and our environmental legacy,' Boxer said. ‘It's very important that these laws be administered fairly to make sure they work effectively.'" (Michael Doyle, "For California Politicians, State's Drought Is Big Issue," McClatchy, 12/4/09)

Given the hostile environment Boxer has helped create for Central Valley farmers and ranchers with sky-high taxes and restricted water flow, it's no surprise that unemployment is so high in the region, topping 15 percent in several counties. These sobering statistics further reveal the abject failure of the big-government "stimulus" package Boxer promised would "save or create" 400,000 jobs. Since the stimulus passed in February 2009, we've seen little improvement in our state's unemployment situation; in some cases, Californians are even worse off today than they were 18 months ago. And more recently, we've learned that our hard-earned taxpayer dollars aren't funding jobs as we were promised. In the Central Valley alone, it turns out that nearly $1 million is being spent on administrative overhead at the Tulare County Workforce Investment Board instead of providing services to out-of-work youth and adults. Meanwhile, BP was awarded $308 million for a power plant in Kern County that is nowhere near being built.

Unemployment In Kern, Fresno, Kings, Merced, San Joaquin And Stanislaus County Are Above 15 Percent. (Employment Development Department Website, www.edd.ca.gov, Accessed 8/5/10)

In Kern County, BP-Owned Hydrogen Energy California Was Awarded $308 Million For The Construction Of A Power Plant In December 2011. "Power Plant Construction Won't Start for at Least Two Years (Kern County, CA) - $308 million ... BP may have found itself staring down huge financial losses over the past several months, but executives can take solace knowing that a stimulus windfall will help offset them. On September 28, 2009, Hydrogen Energy California, LLC (HECA), owned largely by BP, was awarded $308 million in stimulus funds to ‘generate more environmentally friendly electricity by capturing carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.' HECA is a joint venture of BP Alternative Energy North America and Rio Tinto subsidiaries. Stimulus funds ‘enabled continued development of the HECA project which otherwise would have been cancelled.' Construction is not expected to begin until December 2011, nearly three years after the passage of the Recovery Act, raising serious questions about whether it is anywhere near ‘shovel-ready.'" ("Summertime Blues," Offices Of Sen. Tom Coburn And Sen. John McCain, 8/10)

In Tulare County, The Workforce Investment Board Spent Nearly $1 Million Of Their $6.8 Million In Stimulus Dollars On Overhead Expenses. "Agency Spends Nearly $1 Million on Overhead Instead of Jobs Programs (California) - $940,000 ... California Inspector General Laura Chick found that the Tulare County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) spent nearly $1 million on overhead costs like ‘rent, equipment and utility bills' instead of helping kids and adults find jobs. According to the report, the proper amount of overhead should have only been $60,000, since the WIB is just a pass through to the subcontractors actually providing the services. The Tulare County WIB received a total of $6.8 million in stimulus dollars and of the amount spent, more than 20 percent went to overhead..." ("Summertime Blues," Offices Of Sen. Tom Coburn And Sen. John McCain, 8/10)

In recent months, Barbara Boxer has been working hard to fool voters into believing she's fighting for them. But especially in the Central Valley, Boxer has done nothing but stand and cheer on the sidelines as California's farmers and ranchers are suffering a knockout punch from a looming tax hike on the American dream they've built, a small fish that seems to trump their families and livelihoods and an unemployment crisis that shows no signs of letting up anytime soon.

That bites.