A State of the Budget Address
Forgive this personal note, but I want to thank Gov. Jerry Brown for, finally, taking my advice. He’s given up on giving a State of the State speech annually—much as I suggested a couple years ago. Yes, he gave a speech with that title on Thursday morning in Sacramento. But the speech said nothing of […]
Notes on the State of the State Speech
Gov. Jerry Brown didn’t offer any new programs in his State of the State speech. Refreshing. His focus was on how we pay for the state’s current commitments. Brown reviewed his budget talking points again on the uncertainty of economic future and the need for a strong Rainy Day Fund. No argument here. He particularly […]
Of Robot Cars & Dispensable Humans
Ok, call me a hopeless Neanderthal—a throwback to earlier times when steering wheels and brake pedals seemed like a reasonable idea for controlling a few thousand tons of steel hurtling down our streets and highways. That could be changing with the advent of the robot car—an invention that might dispense with these handy devices we […]
Is California’s Economy Swell?
Every now and then, something happens to cause California’s comfortable establishment to celebrate the state’s economy. Recent budget surpluses and jobs data have provided several opportunities, never mind that these are hardly summary statistics. They don’t tell the complete story. The celebrants conveniently ignore California’s nation-leading poverty, huge inequality, persistent negative domestic migration, and the […]