Top 5 Taxes You May See on 2016 Ballot
Like meteorologists tracking distant storms heading their way, some folks in Sacramento are watching for signs that tax increases are building momentum for the 2016 ballot when the Proposition 30 temporary taxes begin to fade away. Now that this year’s state budget is done with increased spending in place, and the promise for more spending […]
A Good Question That Calpers Shouldn’t Duck
The New York Times recently put a very good, very direct question to Calpers. And Calpers ducked. Californians, and The Times, deserve a real answer. In her column Sunday, Gretchen Morgenson took note of two facts regarding Calpers and credit rating agencies. The first is that Calpers has sued two of the rating agencies for […]
Profligate
Profligate: adjective; recklessly prodigal or extravagant. Given the experience of the recent recession, one would think that our state political leadership would have learned the dangers of profligate public spending. The most recent economic bust, and the dot com bust which preceded it, should have served as a stark reminder about the consequences of growing […]
Soda Warning Labels: Rated “F” for Futility
Why warning labels on sugary beverages will not impact obesity California might be the first state to mandate “warning labels” on some sugar-sweetened beverages. SB 1000 would require some sugar sweetened beverages that contain more than 75 calories per 12 ounce serving to carry a warning label that says “Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes […]
Watch What You Say, The New Liberal Power Elite Won’t Tolerate Dissent
In ways not seen since at least the McCarthy era, Americans are finding themselves increasingly constrained by a rising class—what I call the progressive Clerisy—that accepts no dissent from its basic tenets. Like the First Estate in pre-revolutionary France, the Clerisy increasingly exercises its power to constrain dissenting views, whether on politics, social attitudes or […]
Where’s Our $40 Million?
IBEW Union Boss d’Arcy is planning a massive demonstration at 11 a.m. on Tuesday in front of DWP’s downtown headquarters to protest City’s Hall’s “assault on collective bargaining” and “war on workers” and is urging other unions throughout the City to support his call to arms. But this so called assault is nothing more than […]