Rights and Liberties

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Falling crime despite scare tactics

JULY 4, 2010 “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary,” observed the journalist, critic

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"Non-Competitive" Sports and Politics

Katy Grimes: An advertisement in today’s Capitol Morning Report from Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty, requests parent volunteers to help coach “non-competitive” kids soccer. Unfortunately, this typifies Councilman McCarty’s brand of politics. Non-competitive sports? Is that anything like non-competitive chess? Or

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Viva The Free Press!

Katy Grimes: Time spent today on an Assembly Joint Resolution to declare a free press in California seemed a little redundant given that California already declares that its press is “free.” Existing law states that a journalist cannot be held

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The "Big Hat, No Cattle" Senator

Katy Grimes: Deflecting from all real state crises, Democrat legislators and the Latino Caucus held a rally to boycott Arizona on Wednesday. Dodging pertinent questions and any real talk of constitutional issues, Democrats showed no skill at the art of

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A Tale of Two Boycotts

Katy Grimes: Cries of “racism,” “solidarity,” and “plantation politics” from Democrat state legislators were heard at a rally to support a boycott of Arizona this week at the state capitol. Contrast that boycott rally with cries of “we the people”

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Have we got a job for you

Steven Greenhut: The California Redevelopment Association — those friendly central planners who argue that the government should have the right to take virtually anyone’s property and give it to a Costco or other tax-generating corporation — is looking for a

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Our most troubling words

Anthony Pignataro: Everyone in the office had a lot of fun with this list of the top 50 words that give readers of NYTimes.com the most trouble. Sui generis? That’s what they use to call pigs on farms, right? How

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Support National Donut Day

Katy Grimes: If you love donuts and are growing weary of the government dictating diet choices, today is your day. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) today urged Americans to turn National Donut Day into a day of protest against growing government

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Nanny May I?

JUNE 3, 2010 By KATY GRIMES The proper role of government is on the minds of many people in the state, particularly with a record budget crisis in California. But legislators continue to offer massive quantities of legislation that meddle

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If you have dark skin, then press #2

JUNE 2, 2010 Steven Greenhut: The Service Employees International Union has launched an 800 advisory number for travelers to call before they head to Arizona. The phone line — (800) 958-5068 — pretends to offer travel information so that people

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