You might already be sick of reading and hearing about the coronavirus (CV). Since this column rarely writes on matters about which others have flooded us with their thoughts, there must be a good reason to write about this subject. Here goes.

While reading a piece from the WSJ’s James Freeman, my head was knocked back. He stated that in the prior four days 2,700 people had died of CV worldwide, while 600,000 total had died. I checked his math. He was wrong.

Bear with me here as I run through some calculations. Let’s say there are 7.7 billion people alive today which is a low side estimate. Let’s say that they all live to age 75, which is a generous estimate. That means 281,279 people die every “typical” day. That means over those four days, 1,125,114 people died of which 2,700 were from CV. Just a little perspective.

Saturday’s New York Times headline cited 14 people had died from the CV in the last day. New York has 9,000,000 people. Statistically speaking 329 people there in a “typical” day. Yet everyone in New York is alarmed.

One can point to 1918 when an estimated 50,000,000 people died (675,000 in the U.S.) of an H1N1 virus… Read More

The single biggest issue facing Californians is the homeless that has exploded in major cities. There are plenty of reasons for this, but most of it comes from a lack of focus on the underlying causes. That was particularly brought to light when I was exposed to two recent studies done in San Francisco and Los Angeles. It never fails to amaze how government officials can get so misdirected.

The first is a study by Applied Survey Research named San Francisco Homeless Count and Survey 2019. The study has been embraced by participating city and county departments along with 600 volunteer participants.

The count states there were 8,011 homeless people in San Francisco which is just short of a 1,200 person increase from the previous count two years ago. That in itself seems quite a revelation. Most people would think that there are that many homeless on Market Street or in Union Square. The count includes sheltered and unsheltered. There are 5,000 unsheltered. If the number is relatively so small, why can’t they seem to get the population under control? Maybe that is partly to do with the findings.

Only 18% were reported as having a drug or alcohol… Read More

Here’s my guest commentary printed 3/13/20 in the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The U-T invited me to submit this article to present the taxpayer viewpoint — a viewpoint which had been omitted in their recent rah-rah news story hyping the idea of a new CSU campus in Chula Vista.

I’ve included below my full submitted copy which includes URL’s that aren’t included in either the printed or online version the U-T published. My published submission was slightly (and judiciously) edited down by the U-T, which is fine.

BTW, below my commentary is a wonderful, related story about how National University with online courses is kicking the butts of the traditional bricks and mortar colleges. The EXCERPT is well worth reading — not so much the full article.

Perhaps MORE important, here’s more evidence I’ve since discovered that the national college student population has been SHRINKING since 2011. Even in the graph’s 2028 projection, that national student population will still be significantly less than the 2011… Read More

There are a group of Conservatives that just cannot accept President Trump. They are constantly chastising him, only occasionally begrudgingly praising him for something before reverting to their total disdain. The question to them is are they more interested in their impression of proper presidential conduct or do they want to accomplish their policy goals?

Discounting Bill Kristol (who has seemingly gone off the edge) or people who are not really conservatives (David Frum or Jennifer Rubin), there are three principal ringleaders. The three have recently formed their own publication – The Dispatch. They are Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg and David French. Since forming the new publication (Hayes and Goldberg co-founded the publication then French came over from National Review), it seems from what the three write and their appearances on TV they have significant disgust for Trump and they regularly make that clear.

The fascinating part of this is these three are conservatives, a term I don’t call myself (I am a Republican). I can understand their initial trepidation about Trump. Many Republicans were hesitant or cautious until they saw how he has governed for… Read More

With the March election over, the next big vote comes in November. In California, the Presidential race is unimportant — the Democrat’s nominee will win in CA in a landslide, and all the Electoral College votes will be awarded to the winner.

But the fall California election will be HUGELY important, as there will literally be HUNDREDS of new tax increases on ballots across the Golden State. One statewide levy will stand out — a multi-billion dollar annual property tax increase on our beleaguered California businesses. It will be the first phase in the progressives’ attempt to gut the REAL Prop 13 that limits the taxation ofallof our real estate.

There’s much to be debated about this tax, but I’d like to start the discussion by questioning the fundamental tenet of the Democratic Party — businesses don’t pay enough taxes in our state. Of course, it’s NEVER “enough.”

Our CA property tax BILLS are actually quite high — for both businesses and homes. That’s because of the high cost of California real estate — the culmination of decades of bad state and local… Read More

As a columnist sometimes one wonders where the next column is coming from. You need an idea. Then lightning strikes. In this case, what we are talking about could be a small side show, but it is a philosophically defining moment that brings great clarity to everything the Left does.

Have you gotten a traffic ticket in California recently? It used to be you could go to traffic school and that would relieve you of the fine and erase the ticket on your record. No more. You have to pay the fine even if you go to traffic school. And the fines have become insane. It will cost you $500 if you get caught turning right on a red light without coming to a proper stop. Some drivers have been hit with a $1,000 fine for that little transgression.

These fees are obviously ridiculous. The government in California sees this as an easy target –very much like hotel taxes. They see these people as able to pay so let’s go after their money. Who you going to complain to? They anticipate huge revenue from these fines. The total in 2019 was $1.4 billion. When you have an immense number of employees and ridiculous pension payouts you must somehow feed the beast. The problem is… Read More

For a variety of reasons, the number of California children under age 18 has been steadily dropping — EVERY year from the 2004 peak. From an education spending standpoint, this rock-solid trend is a BIG deal! And it’s a big deal not only for public school age children, but also when deciding about the future need for expandingcollegefacilities.

But first, let’s look at our youth population trend. Here’s a simple chart of the “18 and under” children in California during this century. This number includes babies, toddlers and kids in both public and private schools. Many of these kids will later be seeking to go to college.

California

Less than age 18

Year Number

2000 9,267,089

2001 9,325,466

2002 9,365,142

2003 9,404,594

2004 … Read More

In March California voters may well vote to go further into debt with a mislabeled “Prop 13” $15 billion state bond measure. I’ve previously written an article about why this con job (using “Prop 13”) is a terrible idea.

But I must credit the recent SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE editorial opposing this March Prop 13 (occasionally they get something right) with presenting an additional devastating point that needs emphasis. It’s worth quoting and expanding on. It’s an insight that no one is raising:

“Sadly, the days when California required 35-year bonds be used only tobuild long-term capital improvementsare long gone. Proposition 13 specifies $5.8 billion would go to K-12 schools to build,repairandmodernize schools. What does this mean with current loose rules? Districts use long-term borrowing to pay for… Read More