Hal Holbrook Bringing More of a Member of the Masthead of California’s Capitol to Life    Read more »

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Today’s Latin Lesson Is a Lamentable Trait in Many Politicians

Furor Loquendi

“A passion for speaking”

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Some California Place Names That Puzzle

There are some redundant and silly California place names, sometimes in Spanish and sometimes caused by the combination of Spanish and English words.

As pointed out in a previous post, La Brea Tar Pits means “The Tar Tar Pits.”

Also from the redundancy file is El Cerrito Hills: “Little Hill Hills.”    Read more »

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Presidential Primary Moves from February Back to June

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation June 29 to end California’s experiment with a February presidential primary.

Adding the third election in 2008  — an attempt to give California more clout in the selection of a presidential candidate — cost more than $96 million.

Said the bill’s author, Assemblyman Paul Fong, a Mountain View Democrat:

“Current law is out of compliance with national party rules and requires California to hold three separate statewide elections in 2012, imposing a huge cost on the state and local governments at a time when our fiscal situation is in crisis.     Read more »

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Random Observation…

Nothing screams “Use Mass Transit” louder than a busy bus stop reeking of urine.    Read more »

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Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom Pushes Ambitious Economic Development Plan

Export more, increase innovation, get greener and manufacture more of what is invented in-state, are the cornerstones of an economic development plan being unveiled today (July 29) in San Jose by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom.

Nine months in the making, the 30-page Economic Growth and Competitiveness Agenda for California lays out a general strategy to improve the state’s economic condition and competitiveness as well as a few specific steps to implement it.    Read more »

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Today’s Latin Lesson Happens A Lot in the Capitol

Contradicto in Adjecto

“A Contradiction in Terms”    Read more »

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Guess Who Helped Launch Jerry Brown’s Statewide Political Career?

California’s Republican Secretary of State, Frank M. Jordan, died in office on March 29, 1970. He had held the office since 1943.

His father, Frank C. Jordan, was Secretary of State from 1910 to January 18, 1940. He also died in office but not before setting the record for longest continuous service of any Secretary of State in the nation.    Read more »

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One of the World’s Truly Original Thinkers on the National Debt

“It would be easier to pay off the national debt overnight than to neutralize the long-range effects of our national stupidity.”

Frank Zappa    Read more »

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In Light of Washington’s Debate Over Debt: The Advice of Polonius to His Son Laertes from the Musical Version of Hamlet as Performed by the Castaways of “Gilligan’s Island.”    Read more »

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