Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s quest to convince the federal government to put-up-or-shut-up by paying California an additional $6.9 billion he says the state needs to carry out Washington D.C. imposed mandates is just one high-profile example of states increasingly asserting their rights.

Amidst the current, highly contentious debates over national healthcare policy, it is often easy to forget that the House and Senate are more than battlefields for the competing interests and ideologies of the two main parties.

We face a critical juncture for our Republic, one that might even prove if we have reached, according to Francis Fukuyama, the "end of history." This fork in the road presents two paths. One path will bring short-term relief, perhaps, but ultimately national self-immolation, while the other, momentarily a tough trail for some, will help recovery of both economy and freedom.

This Saturday, anti-war protestors will take to the streets in large numbers to protest US foreign policy.  Multiple political groups, ranging from the left to the right, have planned huge rallies and events to protest US-led wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen.  They also plan to discuss and protest other controversial policies including CIA Drone attacks, Guantanamo Bay, the Patriot Act, private war contractors, record military spending, and the Israeli/Palestinian issue.

Are we better off trying to “go green” via state, regional and national power grids, or on a home-by-home basis through rooftop solar panels, home wind turbines or geo-thermal heat pumps?  A recent story in the San Bernadino County Sun pointed out the mixed messages from government agencies on renewable resources.  On one hand, the state has provided more than a 50 percent discount to Oak Hill resident Gus Sansone who installed his own wind turbine power system.  At 80 feet in height, the high-tech

The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) is the largest public pension system in the country with current assets of about $205 billion. They fund pensions and health plans for retired California state and municipal employees. However, they (and many other public pensions) now face serious financial problems.

California almond growers have reason to be worried, very worried. Honeybee populations across the country have declined sharply since last Fall. The California almond industry, supplying 80 percent of the world market of almonds, requires roughly half of the nation's commercial hives to pollinate its groves. This ratio might see a dramatic change when new tallies on hives are available this Spring.

The California Appeals Court wasted no time in dealing the final blow to the California School Employees Association in its effort to rewrite the Open Primary Initiative scheduled for the June Ballot as Proposition 14.

Current Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom has announced he is running for Lieutenant Governor. He grew up in Larkspur and became a star high school basketball player not, says a friend, because of his innate skills but because he worked so hard at it. This may say something about him, especially when you learn he has severe dyslexia. He says it forced him to develop other skills and work harder. Clearly, this is not someone who gives up easily.

If there was any indication from CPAC that the Republican Party as a whole lacks a unified vision for illegal immigration while reaching out to Hispanic voters, the California GOP convention didn’t appear to offer any clarity.  The general vibe is that the split happening within national party ranks also exists at the state level, with leaders delivering contrasting messages at the state convention.