Fox and Hounds Daily Says Goodbye

With this article, we end publication of Fox and Hounds Daily. It has been a satisfying 12½ year run. When we opened in May 2008, our site was designed to offer an opportunity to those who wished to engage in public debate on many issues, especially in politics and business, but found it difficult to get placed in newspaper op-ed pages. 

Co-publishers Tom Ross, Bryan Merica and I have kept F&H going over this time investing our own time, funding, and staff help. Last year at this time we considered closing the site, however with an election on the horizon we decided to keep F&H going through the election year. With the election come and gone, and with no sense of additional resources, we have decided to close the site down. 

Fox and Hounds will live on, at least, with my articles collected in the California State Library.

On a personal note, I have spent over 40 years in California policy and politics. There have been some incredible high moments and some difficult low points. It pains me that politics too often is a blood sport, frequently demonizing the motives of opponents and using the legal system as a weapon in public discourse. At Fox & Hounds, we tried to adhere to the practice of giving all a voice in the debate, yet keep the commentaries civil and avoided personal attacks.

F&H offered the opportunity to publish different perspectives (even ones that criticized my writings!).  We had success as indicated by the Washington Post twice citing Fox and Hounds Daily one of the best California political websites and many other positive affirmations and comments received over the years.

Tom, Bryan and I want to thank our many readers and writers for being part of our journey.  The publishers of Fox and Hounds Daily believe that we added value to California and its people. We hope you agree.

Eggnog and Lawsuits Don’t Mix

As the holiday season ramps up, office parties and social gatherings will dot calendars between now and the New Year. Because California is one of the most litigious states and almost anything these days can lead to a lawsuit, party hosts have to keep liability in mind along with all the other responsibilities that go along with holding a holiday party.

For instance, if you dress up your dog in a costume and it looks ridiculous, might a partygoer sue you on behalf of the pet? If someone doesn’t receive the gift they want in a white elephant gift exchange, might they sue because they didn’t get what they wanted?

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Obamacare’s 19 New Californias

If you try to understand Obamacare, you’re guaranteed to get a nation-sized headache. (I tried, and I did.) Federal and state government officials have a mess on their hands, and nearly every statement you can make about the law comes with 17 qualifications. But here’s some health advice for Californians: take two aspirin—and stop thinking of Obamacare as a national story.

The Affordable Care Act created a lot of new health insurance marketplaces, and the secret is that they’re not really federal or state entities. They’re regional.

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Time to Weigh in on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ~Mae West

Earlier this week the state and its federal partners released the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its corresponding draft EIR/EIS for public review, triggering a 120-day comment period, an important step in working toward a final Plan.   Developed by scientists and water experts, the intent of the Plan is to place the Delta’s estuary on the path to recovery and secure a reliable supply of water for 25 million Californians up and down the state.

The time to weigh in is upon us, and this can be a challenging task. The Plan documents total 34,000 pages.  No, that’s not a typo. And, yes, it’ll take Iron Man to lift it. But as Mae West opined, “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” And, there is a lot of good in this Plan.

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The Geography of Aging: Why Millennials are Headed to the Suburbs

One supposed trend, much celebrated in the media, is that younger people are moving back to the city, and plan to stay there for the rest of their lives. Retirees are reportedly following suit.

Urban theorists such as Peter Katz have maintained that millennials (the generation born after 1983) show little interest in “returning to the cul-de-sacs of their teenage years.” Manhattanite Leigh Gallagher, author of the dismally predictable book The Death of Suburbs, asserts with certitude that “millennials hate the suburbs” and prefer more eco-friendly, singleton-dominated urban environments.

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California’s Economy to Benefit from New Trade Agreement

California’s economic future became brighter this weekend when the World Trade Organization (WTO) reached an agreement to ease barriers to trade by simplifying customs procedures and making them more transparent. One hundred and fifty-nine countries were involved in the negotiations that are projected to add $1 trillion in global trade and keep the WTO’s Doha Round of Trade Negotiations alive.

The agreement represents a major step forward for smaller and emerging economies that are normally left out of major trade negotiations like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the European Union negotiations in which the United States is currently involved. Likewise, the WTO agreement will be beneficial to small businesses in California because any time trading rules are simplified, more small businesses consider exporting and importing as strategies to grow their businesses.

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The Death Penalty is a “Penalty”

An effort to bring back a functioning death sentence for certain capital crimes may find its way on next November’s ballot. Law enforcement officials around the state are considering supporting a ballot initiative to streamline death sentence appeals and find an execution method acceptable to the courts.

Many death row inmates wait decades before their sentence is carried out – if, indeed, it is carried out at all. Many die of natural causes in prison. Victim’s families often complain that under the current death penalty law justice is denied.

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