Our old friend Art Pedroza has started a great new blog, OCPoliticsBlog.com. I’ve known Art for something like 15-20 years. Back when I was at the Orange County Register in the 1990s, he wrote great letters to the editor on the shenanigans in Santa Ana city and school politics.

When blogs came around in 2003, he started the Orange Juice blog, which quickly became the top local blog in Orange County. He gave that to others about two years ago. He then started the New Santa Ana blog about the city where he lives.

Like yours truly, Art has wandered among the political parties, and currently is back with the Libertarians. America’s constricted political system doesn’t provide enough choice of where to roost politically. The two major parties have erected numerous legal barriers to competition.

Republicans, despite their small-government rhetoric, too much want to run our lives and invade foreign countries (while making hefty profits on their investments with military contractors). It’s too bad more Republicans aren’t like Ron Paul or Assemblyman Chris Norby of Fullerton. But that’s the fact.

Democrats, who interested Art for a while, believe everything would be great if we just gave the government 100 percent of our money to pay for government-worker pensions.

Art’s now back in the Libertarian Party. He wrote in an email, “That may seem nuts since the new open primary system will shut third parties out of our general elections, but I am hoping the courts will overturn the open primary.  If not, oh well.”

That’s about my attitude on American politics as the country, and California, sink into the slough of despond: Oh, well.

Art wrote, “Have I learned a few lessons over the past couple of years?  You bet. My new blog will be informative and I am sure my sense of humor will pop up, but I am going to try to present OC politics in an informed and entertaining way — and we’ll steer clear of the nuttiness that was the old OJ blog.”

Even if you’re not in Orange County, its politics affect all of California, and America.

So check out OCPoliticsBlog.com.

— Jan. 3, 2012