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Bullet train fans learn CA enviros’ clout trumps building, trades unions

A few years ago, I began to think about how California’s state government operated in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a famous 1943 paper about how humans prioritize what’s important in their lives, starting with the basics — the

Twitter is atwitter over Gov’s budget

Katy Grimes January 10, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown just released his budget for 2014 Thursday. Claiming fiscal restraint, the governor’s $155 billion spending plan increases the general fund, as well as significant spending in education and social services. Text Your Ex Back By Michael Fiore

Jobs crash endangers Brown budget

John Seiler January 10, 2014

Uh oh. Just a day after Gov. Jerry Brown's budget spending splurge proposal, the latest U.S. jobs numbers came in. Unemployment in December dropped to 6.7 percent, which is good. But only 74,000 jobs were created, which is really bad.

Brown still on loony, increasingly lonely bullet-train bandwagon

Chris Reed January 10, 2014

Cal Watchdog managing editor John Seiler and I were among the pundits who got a telephone budget briefing from Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday afternoon. I was disappointed but unsurprised to hear that the governor is still 1,000 percent on

How government really works

John Seiler January 9, 2014

Politicians and government bureaucrats always paint a wonderful picture of how great their policies and programs will work. Just give them more money, and nirvana will arrive. But sometimes, the government functionaries tell us what really goes on. Here's former

West Covina public school allegedly bans Jesus

John Seiler January 8, 2014

Isaiah Martinez is just a little kid. But he's quickly learning about what is and what is not allowed in California public schools. KTLA reported: “A religious liberty advocacy group has threatened legal action against the West Covina school district

Robert Gates scorns the RINOs who don't get ripped enough

Chris Reed January 8, 2014

One of the wonderful things about the rise of Ron and Rand Paul and the increasingly libertarian tone of some of the young Republicans elected to Congress is that they are shunning the mindless embrace of military spending that has

‘Arena derangement syndrome’ afflicts Sacramento

Katy Grimes January 7, 2014

Call it “arena derangement syndrome,” or ADS. It afflicts cities trying to use taxpayer money for new sports arenas or stadiums. It’s now threatening the validation of 35,000 ballot initiative petition signatures that would halt the proposed subsidy of a new

Spendaholics Anonymous?

John Seiler January 7, 2014

State legislators are pledging they won't spend all the windfall of new revenue produced by the economic recovery and the Proposition 7 tax increase. AP reported: State lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Monday for the second half of their

Pipes: Obamacare devours itself

John Seiler January 6, 2014

Sally Pipes writes today in Forbes an article titled, “The Obamacare Law Devours Itself With Exemptions Amid 5 Million (And Counting) Cancellations.” She is the president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, CalWatchDog.com's parent company. She has written three books on Obamacare. An