Lack of Knowledge by Budget Decision Makers … The Voters
Which area of government gets the most money in the California General Fund budget? Not a trick question. I’d guess that nearly all of my readers know that the answer is K-12 education. But… most Californians cannot answer that question correctly. Nearly 42% of Gov. Brown’s proposed budget is dedicated to K-12 education, by far […]
High Speed Rail Hides from Oversight
The Jan 27 2016, Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing labeled “ Oversight of High Speed Rail” turned out to be anything but a hearing on oversight. (Video of Hearing) The hearing, prompted by pressure from Republicans when an explosive LA Times article reported the Authority had failed to include and ignored cost increases predicted by its prime contractor, […]
Will House Speaker Paul Ryan be called Upon to Save the Party?
The 2016 presidential race just got even wackier —if it could— with former New York City Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg now toying seriously with making a run. This comes on the heels of rumors that a Stop-Trump movement is quickly gaining steam. Founder of a media empire, Bloomberg could easily match bankrolls with Trump and vows to […]
The Price of Education
Vallejo High School teacher Lewis Brown starts his morning government class with a question of the day that takes advantage of newly assigned iPads. “Today is the one year anniversary of the French magazine terrorist assassination,” Brown says. “What was the name of the magazine?” The seniors type on their tablets. In seconds, 17-year-old SioFilisi […]