Do These Questions Really Reveal the “Truth About Republicans?”

In a four-page letter that, no doubt, House Speaker John Boehner wept over numerous times while composing, he urges his fellow Americans to counter “liberal talking points saturating the media airwaves.”

Apparently, Democrats in Congress and their “liberal special interest allies” as well as their allies in the media “slanting coverage in favor of the liberal point-of-view” are misrepresenting the Republican Party  and attacking its “conservative, pro-jobs agenda.”    Read more »

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Fitting That Jerry Brown Honors Ronald Reagan Since Reagan Aided Brown’s Political Career

For the  third time in as many years, Gov. Jerry Brown declares February 6 to be Ronald Reagan Day in California. To wit:

“From his humble Midwestern origins, through a successful career in Hollywood, and on to the highest offices in his state and country, Ronald Reagan lived the California dream.     Read more »

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Jerry Brown Yet to Settle Up His Super Bowl Wager — But Working On It

Gov. Jerry Brown won’t be paying off his losing bet on the Super Bowl for a week or so.

Not that Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is griping about it.

Brown said before the game that if the San Francisco 49ers didn’t prevail he would send O’Malley a copy of “California: The Great Exception,” the insightful 1949 examination of what makes the Golden State unique by Carey McWiliams.    Read more »

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Tight Fists vs. Spendthrifts

“State revenues should cover expenses. But the balance will vanish if a bunch of stuff doesn’t break California’s way.” 

By Greg Lucas 

Sacramento News & Review, January 24, 2013 — Budgets bite. Mainly because spending can’t be more than money received. Budgets allow for spending on some fun stuff, but require saying no to other good stuff, which is usually the really super primo good stuff, since that’s the only stuff for which there never seems to be enough money available in the budget.     Read more »

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The California Channel Presents: “A Night at the State Library: California in the Civil War”

Ten days after the Civil War began — late April 1861 — the Pony Express brought the news to California. While geographically distant from the principal battlefields of the war, California still felt the war’s impact. Dr. Robert J. Chandler, a  historian for Wells Fargo Bank for over 30 years before retiring, talks about the Golden State and the War Between the States.    Read more »

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State Income Tax Collections $5 Billion Above Estimates in January

Income tax collections by the state in January – estimated payments by individuals and withholding done by employers totaled $12.7 billion — $5 billion over the Brown’s administration’s estimates, the Legislative Analyst said February 1.

While the analyst noted that more revenues now could mean less later – particularly in April, the highest collection month of the year — the unexpected cash may just be more cash than expected.    Read more »

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Sounds Very Informative

Didn’t see the advertisement for the seminar on AB8 and its impact on the state’s fiscal relationship with local government.    Read more »

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“Wordsworth. Romney. Obsolescence”

Just As Timely As It Was 52 Years Ago    Read more »

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Legislation Would Boost Number of Californians Eligible for State-Paid Medical Care

Democratic leaders of the Assembly and the Senate introduced legislation January 28 to carry out a federal mandate starting in 2014 to expand eligibility to 1.6 million Californians for Medi-Cal, the state’s health care system for the poor.

The action coincided with the beginning of a special legislative session called by Gov.    Read more »

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January 28th is the Birthday of “Serendipity”

From the Writer’s Almanac:

On this day in 1754 the word “serendipity” was first coined.

It’s defined by Merriam-Webster as “the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.”

A British translation company recently listed “serendipity” as one of the English language’s 10 most difficult words to translate.    Read more »

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