Ah, August. For so many, that means vacation when normally hard working Californians will be visiting theme parks, going camping or maybe just relaxing in the back yard. But this is also an election year and the next three quiet weeks are the calm before the storm of political ads that will be unleashed after Labor Day.

There will be campaigns for statewide offices, Legislative seats, state ballot propositions as well as hundreds of local offices. Mail boxes will be stuffed with… Read More

State Senator Ed Hernandez and his wife are both optometrists. I couldn’t tell you how much time the Senator has to devote to his practice, given that he is paid a full-time wage by the people of California for his invaluable services in the legislature. Nevertheless, I am sure that this has been a very meaningful occupation for them both.

As optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry in the longer form, the Hernandez would have had to go through some very serious training. But they have not been through medical school.

They haven’t? I know — it’s confusing. Medical doctors that practice on your eyes are called ophthalmologists.

This will probably make it easier to understand…

EyeCareProfessions.com, a website that helps inform prospective eye care professionals about their career options, says this about the difference between optometrists and ophthalmologists —

One of the most common mistakes many patients make is to… Read More

Diapers, diapers, diapers for everyone!

If ever there was evidence of the need for a part time Legislature in California, it is now: California Democrats are pushing a diaper subsidy program for welfare parents.

The rationale for this idea is right out of the welfare-state handbook: low-income parents cannot take advantage of free or subsidized child care if they cannot afford to leave disposable diapers with their child at care facilities.

This is nothing more than an increase in welfare payments to welfare recipients, without actually identifying it as an increase. California taxpayers would be livid if Democratic lawmakers were honest about increasing welfare payments.

There are more than 15 different welfare and assistance programs for needy Californjia… Read More

Joblessness and poverty in California are more severe than just about anywhere in America.

In an election year, this is a reality incumbents tend to gloss over. California’s improving, they say, so keep us in charge.

For the millions of Californians suffering in poverty, can’t find a job, or are underemployed, these assurances don’t go very far. Real hope requires job growth, and that means growing small businesses.

What’s holding back our small businesses? Why are they doing so much better in Texas?

While my fellow Republicans tend to cite taxes as the most damaging wet blanket being thrown onto California’s economic fire, there’s another big problem holding back job creation: an epidemic of lawsuit abuse.

As I travel throughout California, I’ve been surprised by just how many heads begin to nod when I mention to crowds the damage being done by a legal system that is truly out of control. Abusive lawsuits exploiting legal loopholes have impacted far more people than I expected to meet around the state.

One of the sources of this abuse is something called Proposition 65, passed in 1986 ostensibly as a public… Read More

Periodically I have the opportunity to interview respected, longtime California pollster and political strategist Arnold Steinberg. I have known Arnie for a quarter century and his political observations are always worth sharing. This interview is about the situation in Israel and Gaza. Be advised this is a lengthy interview, but if you have any interest in this topic, I urge you to read it through.

Before it begins, let me share some background on Steinberg. He served as chief political aide to Sen. James L. Buckley (New York) where he worked on transforming the U.S. military from conscription to an all-volunteer force. He also dealt with foreign policy issues, particularly undermining the Soviet Union and Soviet Jewry. Over many years, he was involved with the U.S. Information Agency (U.S.I.A.) and has been on U.S. delegations to various nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. He has served on the board of the National Defense University (NDU).

… Read More

TheCalifornia Legislature’s latest attempt to saddle consumers into paying extra for plastic bags at the grocery store is facing formidable opposition.

The American Progressive Bag Alliance just announced it is launching two new television ads opposing Senate Bill 270, by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima.

SB 270 would ban the 100 percent recyclable, multi-use plastic retail bags while allowing grocers to charge and keep fees for paper and thicker plastic bags. Padilla and supporters call the current plastic grocery bags “single use.”

Ironically, SB 270 bans the currently used recyclable plastic bags and replaces them with heavier plastic bags, five times thicker. It is unclear in this… Read More

There’s a deep seated frustration and anger among the rank and file due to their low pay. Det. Tyler Izen – President, Los Angeles Police Protective League,July 28, 2014, KTLA Channel 5

Low pay, of course, is relative. It’s very difficult to objectively determine what a police officer should be paid. There aren’t jobs in the private sector that are easily compared to police work. As a result, police officers typically compare how much they are making in their city to how much other cities are paying their police officers. The problem is no city wants to pay the lowest rates, which creates endless rounds of wage and benefit increases. But a city as big as Los Angeles doesn’t have the option of matching what a much wealthier, much smaller city may pay. Too many billions are involved.

Despite the difficulty in determining what may be a fair rate of pay and benefits for police officers, this very sensitive debate has to be waged. Because without debate, there can be no limit – how do you… Read More

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As I was thinking about what to write for this week and seeing how it’s my birthday, I decided that this piece fits the occasion perfectly.

Every day for the next 19 years 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 and be eligible for Social Security and Medicare. That is if there is any money left.

This year along with other boomers who were born in 1952, I will turn 62. I am not quite ready to retire and the way the economy is going it looks like a lot of us including myself will be working longer than we anticipated.

And with my youth and middle age in the rearview mirror, the end gets closer every day unless they figure a way to replace all the worn out parts of my body or find a fountain of youth. Even if I make it to the ripe old age of 100, I am way past the halfway mark of my life.

This point was painfully driven home the other day when I received a solicitation for “burial and final expense insurance” from the AARP. I guess before you die you need to write that last check for that “final expense”. The good news is it will be the last bill you will ever have to pay. The bad news is that it will be the last bill you will ever have to… Read More