Rights and Liberties

Associated Press blows coverage of bullet-train ruling

Led by the Associated Press, the mainstream media coverage of the state appellate court ruling overturning two anti-bullet train trial court rulings is somewhat peculiar in that it depicts the ruling as monumental. Read the 49-page decision, and it seems

Complaint alleges people with disabilities barred from voting

John July 28, 2014

A complaint filed earlier this month with the U.S. Department of Justice alleges that thousands of Americans with disabilities have been illegally deprived of their right to vote. The perpetrator of this injustice: judges. The complaint, which was filed by the

McClintock: Border mess shows government can’t be trusted

Chris Reed July 24, 2014

The current influx of illegal immigrants along the Texas border has ramped up the immigration debate and sharply increased media coverage of the issue. But that coverage has mostly been on human interest angles relating to the kids coming from

Port of San Diego turns permit process into profit center

Chris Reed July 19, 2014

The Port of San Diego is breaking crazy new ground. The agency — which has 500-plus employees and a $97 million annual budget to oversee maritime cargo and cruise ship facilities in a coastal area covering San Diego and four smaller

Parallels between Australia, Assembly AB 32 revolt are obvious

Chris Reed July 18, 2014

One of the most universal findings in the social sciences has been the uniform way that humans at all stages of history have been for something that they think reflects well on them until they perceive that it costs them

Richmond pols continue posturing on underwater mortgages

Wayne Lusvardi July 17, 2014

A majority of the Richmond City Council still wants to use eminent domain powers to to seize “underwater mortgages” even though the bond market refused to sell $34 million in municipal bonds for the city last year due to Richmond

Board chair’s upbeat take on bullet train at sharp odds with MSM

Chris Reed July 16, 2014

When James Fallows of The Atlantic came out last week in strong support of the California high-speed rail project, I responded with an unnecessarily snarky piece — sorry, James — headlined “7 ways James Fallows is wrong about the CA bullet

CA law promoting school choice, competition barely used

Chris Reed July 14, 2014

Advocates of education choice in California have been fighting the good fight for decades. They’ve gotten nowhere with school vouchers but have a strong record with charters — albeit a record that requires a constant struggle to defend against the

Backdrop to CalPERS’ many debacles: Agency thinks it’s great

Chris Reed July 13, 2014

The giant California Public Employees’ Retirement System, as one might suspect from its massive and self-important Sacramento headquarters, thinks it is the bomb — a flawless organization that should inspire awe in onlookers. Yes, of course, the phenomenon of government

7 ways James Fallows is wrong about the CA bullet train

Chris Reed July 11, 2014

Writing on The Atlantic’s website, the much-respected journalist/intellectual James Fallows — a Redlands native who knows California better than nearly all other national pundits — has come out as a big fan of the state’s bullet-train project. He promises to