May, 2011Group Misuses Veterans on Memorial DayMonday, May 30th, 2011 MAY 30, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI California has now reached the place where satire is no longer possible. Irish priest Jonathan Swift’s 1959 satire, “A Modest Proposal,” suggested that the problem of overpopulation in Ireland be solved by feeding Irish babies to the rich. What would Swift ... Walters Wrong: Arnold DID Wreck BudgetMonday, May 30th, 2011 MAY 30, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Dan Walters is the dean of California columnists. But sometimes he gets one wrong. In the wake of ex-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal problems, attacks have increased on Arnold's performance as governor, especially on the budget -- which he left $25 billion ... Brown Budget Based on Phantom Jobs?Friday, May 27th, 2011 MAY 27, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Gov. Jerry Brown’s May 2011 Revised State Budget is based on a rosy assumption of an economic and jobs recovery over the next four years that will result in 7.3 percent more tax revenues per year. But, is Gov. Brown’s budget revenue projection based on phanto... CFT Explains Tax-Increase StrategyThursday, May 26th, 2011 MAY 26, 2011 By JOHN SEILER If you listen to people in the political game, they usually tell you what they're going to do. But you sometimes have to check out their internal communications. One of my best sources is California Teacher, the magazine of the California Federation of Teachers, ... Jailbreak: Ruling Could Spark Crime WaveWednesday, May 25th, 2011This article first appeared in the new City Journal California Web site. MAY 25, 2011 By HEATHER MacDONALD If the real-world consequences for individuals and communities were not so potentially dire, the mass release of inmates from California prisons just ordered by the Supreme Court w... Jerry Brown: Prisoner Of Guards UnionWednesday, May 25th, 2011This article first appeared in the new City Journal California Web site. MAY 25, 2011 By STEVEN GREENHUT When California governor Jerry Brown announced details last month of a two-year contract that he’d negotiated with California’s prison guards’ union, you could practically hear t... Unions Root Cause Of Prison ProblemWednesday, May 25th, 2011 Editor's Note: We would like to welcome Joseph Perkins as a new CalWatchdog columnist. Perkins is the Business Editor for San Diego Magazine. He previously authored a nationally-syndicated column for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Before that, he served on the White House Staff of former Vice Presid... Does Prison Decision Violate States’ Rights?Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 MAY 25, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Tuesday's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, effectively putting the federal courts in charge of California prisons, directly involved the question of states' rights. The decision, Brown vs. Plata, mandated that from 38,000 to 46,000 must be released because overc... Brown Budget Flies to FantasylandTuesday, May 24th, 2011 MAY 24, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI There is a children’s fairy tale about a Sacramento government accountant for the State of California who takes his new poor stepdaughter all the way to Orange County to go to Disneyland for the first time. When she gets to Fantasyland, she becomes fascinated b... Gridlock On Renewable Energy HighwayTuesday, May 24th, 2011 MAY 24, 2011 By K. LLOYD BILLINGSLEY California politicians want to draw 33 percent of the state’s energy needs from “renewable” sources such as wind and solar by 2020, fewer than 10 years away. That plan will be hard to pull off for many reasons, including those outlined by energy e... |