Legislature Fails to Keep Sacramento Honest
As the press peels back the onion on the issue of budgeting practices and special funds, it is important to see why this is a contemporary problem and why it has not been the focus of anyone’s attention Conventional wisdom Our state budgeting practices have not changed since the 1970s. The state’s fiscal condition has always […]
Just Say No to the Lumber Tax
The proposal to create an additional tax on the retail sale of lumber currently coursing its way through the Legislature is an example of the worst kind of state policy. This tax would be used to fund the state agencies involved in Timber Harvest review and regulation, thus shifting the financial burden of these agencies […]
Police Shooting Policies Need Rethinking
Crossposted on CalWatchDog While sitting in a restaurant in Philadelphia’s Chinatown during my first visit here in more than a decade, I watched TV news reports of violent protests erupting in normally placid Anaheim after two fatal police shootings the prior weekend. It was shocking. The footage of riot-clad police tussling with and firing nonlethal […]
We Need More from our Leaders
Crossposted on RonKayeLA Of all the fallen idols and soiled reputations of yesterday’s heroes, none stands out these days quite like Penn State’s Joe Paterno, stripped of his achievement as the winningest college football coach in history and relegated to a hall of shame. Given what so often is passing for leadership these days, they […]