You don’t have to have a doctorate to know that serious waste is occurring in California higher education. In this latest snapshot of wasteful acts, not only are the numbers obscene, but so is the content – state computers, funded by taxpayers, have been used by employees to view pornography.

The Los Angeles Times (September 21, 2007) reported that “an official at Cal Poly Pomona used two different university computers to view Internet sites containing pornographic material, in violation of state law.” These perverted acts were revealed thanks to whistleblowers, who tipped off "state investigators [who subsequently] uncovered a raft of waste and misconduct in recent months….” The investigators got their information “thanks to a hotline on which state employees can report improper use of public resources without fear of retribution.” It’s likely that this official didn’t think that anyone would catch him (since he was sneaky enough to commit his acts on two different… Read More

Wonder which one of the Editorial Board must be on vacation?

UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL Teach EnglishTesting in native language hurts us all

October 3, 2007

We are witnessing a new movement for Latino students in San Diego’s schools, and it comes complete with a translator. On the front lines are English-language learners. These are students like any other except that they speak little or no English and thus terrify our public schools. Teachers and administrators worry these students will test poorly and make schools look bad by bringing down test scores. The consequences go beyond image. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, schools can be penalized for poor performance. So, predictably, schools are trying to hide the football by fighting like mad for the right to test English-language learners in their native language (usually Spanish) as long as they can. They would test these kids in Spanish in perpetuity if they could get away with it. And since the state requires testing in English, that means going to court. And that’s just what three South County school districts have… Read More

Question: What is the difference between the picture on the left and the picture on the right?

Answer: Freedom.

Question: Who secured the freedom the women and children on the left enjoy?

Answer: Those willing to fight and die for it.

Question: Who ensures that the woman and child on the right have no freedom?

Answer: The people we are currently fighting.

I’m not going to call Code Pink ignorant; I’m going to call them innocent of the facts. I’m not going to call Code Pink ungrateful; I’m going to call them uneducated of the truth. I’m not going to call Code Pink radicals; I’m going to call them friends of radical Islamists.

In Berkeley, Code Pinkies are protesting a Marine Corps Officer Recruiting Station that they are “horrified is located so near a high school.” Never mind that high school… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary:

Fad Chaser

Jerry Brown’s strategy to position himself as the leading Democratic candidate for governor of California hit a snag last month when a high-profile lawsuit by his office against car makers for causing global warming was tossed out of court.

U.S. District Judge Martin J. Jenkins of San Francisco declared that "policy decisions concerning the authority and standards for carbon dioxide emissions lie with the political branches of government, and not with the courts." He also noted, with some wit, that it would be virtually impossible for courts to allocate blame for purported climate change.… Read More

In case anyone needed any further proof that State Senate Don Perata is a jerk, they need look no further than today’s Sacramento Bee. There, ace reporter (and FR friend) Shane Goldmacher has penned a story showing that, in essence, Perata is behind the efforts to recall Republican State Senator Jeff Denham. What is Denham’s egregious malfeasance in office or traitorous act, warranting this extreme action?

Senator Denham, along with thirteen of his Senate Republican colleagues, refrained from voting out the big, fat, bloated state budget for California until they could get some commitments on spending reductions (in the big picture, a relativelely small amount of cuts, we might add) and reigning in an out-of-control State Attorney General who wants to sue every local government in California who authorizes development, on the grounds that battling global warming should be a higher priority than people having a place to live or… Read More

I’ve known Arnold Steinberg for nearly twenty years, and he had been involved in political campaigns and causes long before we became aquainted, and developed our longtime friendship. Strategist Arnie Steinberg has been involved in virtually every phase of political and advertising campaigns. Also, he has created more than 1600 opinion survey projects and focus groups and has testified as an expert witness frequently on elections, public opinion, advertising, and related issues. For major litigation, he has helped develop legal strategy and jury profiles. Many years ago, he wrote two graduate textbooks on politics and media. He has served on various government and foundation boards. Currently, Steinberg provides strategic counsel and survey research to private clients and selected political clients.

I was very excited to interview Arnie because, as… Read More

I’ve known Arnold Steinberg for nearly twenty years, and he had been involved in political campaigns and causes long before we became aquainted, and developed our longtime friendship. Strategist Arnie Steinberg has been involved in virtually every phase of political and advertising campaigns. Also, he has created more than 1600 opinion survey projects and focus groups and has testified as an expert witness frequently on elections, public opinion, advertising, and related issues. For major litigation, he has helped develop legal strategy and jury profiles. Many years ago, he wrote two graduate textbooks on politics and media. He has served on various government and foundation boards. Currently, Steinberg provides strategic counsel and survey research to private clients and selected political clients. … Read More

We’re very excited to have a member of the Benoit team highlighted in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Kenya is an exceptionally bright and talented woman and it’s great to see her extraordinary efforts recognized by our local paper.

In Swahili, the lingua franca of Southeast Africa, Kenya Davis-Hayes’ Christian name translates into "one of understanding."

So it’s not surprising that she’s devoted most of her 27 years living up to its meaning through scholarship, political work, community service and prayer.

After only two years in Riverside where she teaches American history at California Baptist University, Davis-Hayes can’t sit still. She’s a Kiwanian, active in local Republican politics and the World Affairs Council of… Read More