The last few days have seen a great deal of vitriol from all sides commenting on California's sad budget situation. Democrats and left leaning commentators railed against a Republican plan that proposed about $22 billion in budget "solutions" only to be followed by a similar right side hyperbolic rage against a "majority vote" Democratic plan that would have trimmed about $18 billion from the $40 billion or so 18 month cavern.
In a previous article,Iwrote that Governor Schwarzenegger could vastly improve his conduct ifonly he obeyed the injunction "Don't just do something, stand there!"However, given the actions of the Democratic members of California'sLegislature, Schwarzenegger's previous blunders havenot had a good week, at least where logical consistency is concerned.From the Democrat's absurd budget proposal to
In a move that smells strongly of the old strength and decisivenessthat brought him into office, Governor Schwarzenegger has rejected themost recent Democratic budget plan as being insufficiently concernedwith cutting the right programs and with raising the right taxes,according to the Los Angeles Times.Thisrejection comes on the heels of a bit of truly dirty politicalmaneuvering, in which the Democrats managed to squeeze $9.3 million intaxes out of Californi
It is fully 233 years since the American colonists first declared "notaxation without representation" and struck back against their"virtual" representation in the British Parliament. Those times don'tseem so long ago, however, when one considers what the CaliforniaLegislature has just decided to do - namely, raise taxes by 9.3 billion dollars without so much as a vote from the GOP minority.
This week, President-elect Barack Obama selected Nobel Prize winner andCaliforniaresident Steven Chu to serve as his energy secretary in the incomingadministration. On the surface, this pick appears to be a ratherinspiredchoice -- after all, how often is it that a man with a Nobel Prize inscientificresearch actually has the policy chops to work in a presidentialadministration? No doubt, coming off the heels of such choices as GaleNorton,countless of the supposed advocates of "competence" are getting smalltingles down their spine.
It’s a funnything: the elementary and high school education centers acrossCalifornia do not appear to be showing improvements, and yetfunding for public schools is at an all-time high across the state.
The Los Angeles Times reportedFriday that California would adopt "the most sweeping curbs on greenhouse gasemissions in U.S." According to the story, the state air boardhas ordered that a 15 percent cut in emissions be achieved over the next 12years, which will supposedly bring our emissions down to 1990 levels.
After years of attack dog politics, the American people may not be able to let go of constant invectives and dueling gotchas. The latest example is the case of Illinois’s corrupt Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. His crimes seem real enough and – should he be convicted of the alleged wrongdoings – he deserves punishment for his malfeasance. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has laid out the charges in clear terms, and has also been unambiguous about the president-elect’s lack of involvement.
By ignoring theprinciples of sustainability, our current industrial-farming model isdestined to collapse. To understand the need for sustainability inour food policy is to make the first, crucial step toward renewal ofour farm system.
Yesterday, I wrote an article titled "America: Land of the Czar?" which presented my worries that America is indirectly handing over its representative government authority to unelected officials with superior power. Now, just today, the news from Washington D.C. is that the Senate has blocked the auto bailout package from going through.