The world is an unstable place. If this seemed at doubt even a few years ago, it certainly is no longer. Some instability is a result of violence fueled by radical religious views or by aggression born of extremist ideology. Some of it is caused by long-standing ethnic conflicts or, as we are seeing in Ukraine, by the centuries-old desire of some to conquer neighboring countries simply because they are more powerful and want to expand their territorial footprint for any number of reasons.

In Washington, it seems as though there are only two reactions to all of this. One choice is to intervene everywhere. The other is to intervene nowhere. I think both of these strategic frameworks are equally flawed. To intervene everywhere will overwhelm both our military and financial resources, not to mention potentially lead to unrest at home as a result of the inabilty to accomplish our desired goals. To intervene nowhere assumes that the conflict and violence across the globe will never reach a point where it directly threatens us, which the lessons of history belie.

The great question, of course, is when do we intervene and when don’t we? And, how far should we go… Read More

Late yesterday, the California Supreme Court acted quickly on a legal action filed by Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to remove Proposition 49 from the ballot. As most political insiders are aware, this proposal was a craven, transparent effort to boost voter turnout in a manner that even Governor Brown acknowledged was inappropriate.

Why is the removal of an illicit “advisory measure” from the statewide ballot important? Because the ballot is sacrosanct and is not a political play… Read More

A Governor’s appointee with upwards of 40 violations of the Fair Political Practices Act works right in Jerry Brown’s office, and somehow has managed to retain her job while demonstrating an uncanny talent for avoiding major media’s spotlights.

While Deputy Legislative Secretary Martha Guzman-Aceves has served as a public official in the Brown Administration managing legislation and regulatory matters for the governor,her non-profit organization lobbied the Legislature and governor’s office on various issues, including AB1081, federal immigration policy enforcement,” I reported in October 2013.

“California Deputy Legislative Secretary Martha Guzman-Aceves intentionally filed false documents with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars, filed false tax returns, failed to report receipt of payment from a political committee, and omitted third-party relationships that directly conflict with her position and duties as Deputy Legislative Secretary in the Office of Governor Jerry Brown,” the… Read More

When discussing increased minimum wage, mandatory sick days, higher taxes and other government mandated business costs, what is too seldom mentioned is that the Left assumes the increase will come out of (bloated) profits. But reality dictates that most of the windfall wages are passed though to the customers in the form of higher prices. Yes, that’s obvious to those of us we even a modest understanding of business, but you’d be amazed how few people are aware of this.

Try this experiment. Next time you discuss (evil) business with a Progressive, ask this simple question — How much of a dollar of sales do you think is business after-tax profit? Allow them time to answer — PRESS for an answer.

Few will guess less than 20%. 40% is not uncommon. The reality is that it’s maybe 8% — eight cents of every dollar of sales. 92 cents goes for costs.

It’s usually significantly less in labor intensive small businesses such as fast food and restaurants.Here’s a good summation of average profit margins in various types of restaurants:

Throughout a lengthy interview with Secretary of State candidate Pete Peterson, I was repeatedly struck with how normal he was. And in politics, “normal” is not the word that usually first comes to mind.

Peterson, a Republican, is running for California Secretary of State on a logical, smart, creative and very reasonable platform:

1. “Get what you pay for” government.

2. Quit driving jobs out of California by making life… Read More

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