John Seiler, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From John Seiler

John Seiler

John Seiler has been writing about California for 25 years. That includes 22 years as an editorial writer for the Orange County Register and two years for CalWatchDog.com, where he is managing editor. He attended the University of Michigan and graduated from Hillsdale College. He was a Russian linguist in U.S. Army military intelligence from 1978 to 1982. He was an editor and writer for Phillips Publishing Company from 1983 to 1986. He has written for Policy Review, Chronicles, LewRockwell.com, Flash Report and numerous other publications. His email: [email protected]

What about that ‘global warming’?

No wonder environmentalist extremists changed “global warming,” as in AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, to “climate change.” The Northeast has been blanked by record cold and snow that makes it easier for us to put up

CA work comp costs soaring

John Seiler November 19, 2014

Amid almost complete failure, the one signature achievement of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s seven years as governor was reform of the expensive workers compensation system. Now that’s gone. His other promises — to refuse to increase taxes and to “blow up the

Warning for CA: Japan’s tax increases sparked recession

John Seiler November 18, 2014

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just called for a snap election under their parliamentary system. We’ll soon see if voters affirm his tax-increase policies, which were supposed to restore strong growth but instead slammed the country into another slump. Due

Bag ban repeal could reach 2016 ballot

John Seiler November 17, 2014

Looks like a repeal of Gov. Jerry Brown’s ban on plastic bags in grocery stores could reach the 2016 ballot. Reported the Chronicle: SACRAMENTO — Plastic bag manufacturers have poured $2.7 million into efforts to overturn California’s statewide ban on

Cartoon: Voter apathy

John Seiler November 17, 2014

9th Circuit protects conceal-carry gun rights

John Seiler November 16, 2014

What’s it with California politicians and their obsession with grabbing our guns? They are guarded by heavily armed state troopers, but want to deny the rest of us the right to defend ourselves against criminals. Across most of the rest

Something good in CA: Fewer car inspections

John Seiler November 15, 2014

Depending how old your car is, in California every couple of years you have to take it to get “smogged” before your license is renewed. It costs from $25 to $50. As government bureaucracies go in California, it’s relatively low

Homage to Catalonia independence

John Seiler November 13, 2014

Is there still hope for the Six Californias initiative of entrepreneur Tom Draper? This year it failed to get enough signatures to make it to the 2016 ballot. The next attempt would be 2018. If so, hope comes from Catalonia, the

Gordon Tullock, RIP

John Seiler November 12, 2014

The great economist Gordon Tullock died recently at age 92. He is most associated with Public Choice Economics. Under it, economists look at government bureaucrats, not as disinterested, omniscient parties trying to keep things going by enforcing the rule of

‘Net neutrality’ = double-nickel

John Seiler November 11, 2014

President Obama’s “net neutrality” scheme was branded “Obamacare for the Internet” by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., a 2016 presidential hopeful. A better analogy is the double-nickle, the 55 mph speed limit President Nixon imposed on the country in 1974, just