Adlai Stevenson III and The Black Book of Wisdom (With a Little Humor)
Interested in reading a book chock full of political wit and wisdom that took 150 years to write? The Black Book consists of anecdotes, stories, maxims, and humor collected by five generations of one prominent political family finally compiled by the most recent in the line, former United States Senator Adlai Stevenson III. From a […]
The Export Business in California (People and Jobs)
California Senate President Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg countered my Wall Street Journal commentary California Declares War on Suburbia in a letter to the editor (A Bold Plan for Sustainable California Communities) that could be interpreted as suggesting that all is well in the Golden State. The letter suggests that business are not being driven away to […]
Unions vs. Civic Engagement in West LA
Cross posted on City Journal At a recent Culver City Unified School District board meeting, dozens of parents packed the chambers to protest an outbreak of campus bullying. Valentina Garcia, the mother of a first-grader attending the National Blue Ribbon–awarded El Marino Language School, stepped to the microphone and proclaimed that if ruffians had accosted […]
Should Sacramento Govern Like Beijing or Singapore?
Should Sacramento govern like Beijing or Singapore? The question might be easily dismissed as ridiculous – because California is a democracy, right? But California isn’t that democratic – our legislative elections are fixed and our direct democracy is open only to people and interests with millions of dollars. And California’s elected officials are far less […]
Cyber-Security – Had a Power Failure Lately?
If you are the type who avoids computers and the internet like the plague, then this may not be for you. Or, you may have an even more critical need to understand the current situation. We live, as the ancient Chinese proverb tells us “in interesting times.” In a very short time, as complex societies […]