Fox and Hounds Daily Says Goodbye
With this article, we end publication of Fox and Hounds Daily. It has been a satisfying 12½ year run. When we opened in May 2008, our site was designed to offer an opportunity to those who wished to engage in public debate on many issues, especially in politics and business, but found it difficult to get placed in newspaper op-ed pages.
Co-publishers Tom Ross, Bryan Merica and I have kept F&H going over this time investing our own time, funding, and staff help. Last year at this time we considered closing the site, however with an election on the horizon we decided to keep F&H going through the election year. With the election come and gone, and with no sense of additional resources, we have decided to close the site down.
Fox and Hounds will live on, at least, with my articles collected in the California State Library.
On a personal note, I have spent over 40 years in California policy and politics. There have been some incredible high moments and some difficult low points. It pains me that politics too often is a blood sport, frequently demonizing the motives of opponents and using the legal system as a weapon in public discourse. At Fox & Hounds, we tried to adhere to the practice of giving all a voice in the debate, yet keep the commentaries civil and avoided personal attacks.
F&H offered the opportunity to publish different perspectives (even ones that criticized my writings!). We had success as indicated by the Washington Post twice citing Fox and Hounds Daily one of the best California political websites and many other positive affirmations and comments received over the years.
Tom, Bryan and I want to thank our many readers and writers for being part of our journey. The publishers of Fox and Hounds Daily believe that we added value to California and its people. We hope you agree.
Prop 13 Saved By Lawmakers’ Misconduct?
Because of the conviction of one member of the state Senate, and the indictment of a second, Proposition 13 — and taxpayers who rely on its protections — may have slipped the noose being prepared for it by majority Democrats in the Legislature.
Senator Rod Wright, a Los Angeles Democrat, has taken a leave of absence after having been convicted, but not yet sentenced, on eight felony counts related to misstating his residence for the purpose of running for office. Senator Ronald Calderon, a Democrat from Montebello, has been asked to resign by Senate leaders after being indicted for public corruption. The self-destruction of these two lawmakers has a profound impact on the dynamics of the Legislature.
After the votes were counted in the 2012 November election, Democrats were elated. They had gained control of both houses of the Legislature with a veto-proof supermajority that would allow them to pass any and all legislation including measures that require a two-thirds vote. Because tax increases and legislative proposals to weaken Prop 13 require the higher threshold, homeowners have been like residents in a bad neighborhood with their front doors unlocked — subject to attack at any time.
Franchise Business Is A Team Sport
Anyone who has ever started a business, quickly learns that it is not a solo endeavor, but rather a team sport. When going from working form someone else to potentially working for yourself, the risk is enormous – it always has been, and it always will be, especially when you have your own skin in the game. The thought of creating a business from scratch is truly daunting. In fact, a recent study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation showed a decrease of 31 percent in new business creation during the economic downturn.
However, through franchising, countless Californians can and have joined an established brand, even during the recent economic downturn, with the support to make progress right away. Franchising continues to give potential entrepreneurs a leg up – with a proven, time-tested, very structured and scalable business model that works for many entrepreneurs in the state.
Tesla Going Outside CA to Build Batteries
Electric car manufacturer Tesla is going to build a massive 10-million-square foot battery producing Gigafactory and create 6500 jobs – but not in California. The company headquartered in Palo Alto has narrowed its choice for the factory to four states: Nevada, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
Another blow to California’s business reputation?
When you consider that the state has been generous to Tesla with tax breaks a subsidy program, and regulatory requirements that allows Tesla to turn a profit not by selling cars but by selling pollution credits, you would hope that a big job creation project would stay at home.
Exporting the Oscars: Liberal Policies Driving Film Industry from California
As Hollywood celebrated the 86th Academy Awards, one is reminded of the glamour and power of Tinsel Town’s motion picture industry, as well as the big personalities who perform on its sound stages. Hollywood, of course, is a very left-wing place, judged from the fabled political stances of many of its celebrities, from Oscar-winners Warren Beatty and Gwyneth Paltrow to 2014 Best Actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, a maxed out Obama donor and hard-core environmentalist.
These entertainers have surely been generous donors to liberal causes and politicians. And as he readies to run for his unprecedented fourth term as Governor, California’s iconic liberal, Jerry Brown, has amassed a huge $16 million fundraising advantage with the help of these same entertainment industry friends who sat in the Dolby Theater this weekend. This includes $27,200 maximum contributions each from the likes of director Steven Spielberg and his wife, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, music impresario David Geffen, and Paramount Pictures Group.
Incoming Assembly Speaker Seeks Vast New Power For Coastal Commission
If you had to come up with one state agency that has done the most damage to California’s economy with its regulatory sweep and overreach, you’ll never come close to topping the state Air Resources Board.
But it you wanted to pick the one state agency that most consistently advocates a radical view of government power, you’ll never top the California Coastal Commission. It was founded and run for a quarter-century by a green zealot named Peter Douglas — a guy who really and truly didn’t believe in private property rights and who pushed the commission to ridiculous extremes. I wrote about one of his crusades in an editorial in 2006:
Gobbling Ukraine – Putin Proves Himself Quite The Chess Player
While California received a Winter of rain in one three-day period, we have had a chance to watch, up close and personal, Russia’s calculated invasion of Ukraine. The only question is, whether, having gobbled up Crimea before anybody could notice or react, Putin will stop there, or will go on to gobble up Ukraine’s Eastern industrialized portion where the population of Russians seemingly identifying with him may be receptive to more of such fine dining.
Coming right after the Sochi Olympics, a TV/Media extravaganza which was a two-week dose of Putin’s ego on display, staging the Winter Olympics at his favorite Summer resort, which was strange enough, we now see that, while the world watched snowboarders defy gravity, and make some nasty finishes due to the poor snow, Putin was at his chessboard, at the ready.