California families are paying some of the highest gasoline prices in America, and politicians continue acting like this happened by accident. It did not. This crisis was created through years of shutting down refineries, reducing in-state oil production, and making California more dependent on foreign crude oil imports from unstable regions of the world. Today, California imports the majority of the crude oil used by our refineries. According to the California Energy Commiss

It’s been a year since I revisited my old standby topic for this column: California’s High Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA). That’s because nothing much has happened. Oh sure, if you drive up and down the valley, you can probably see people working on various projects every day. They have jobs to do, and they are well-paying jobs. According to the CAHSRA website, the Authority sent out requests for proposals to contractors for laying tracks. The Board approved $3.5 billion for t

From the very first chapter, we know that this book will not have a happy ending. A woman stands on the edge of a roof, seven stories above the ground. She has a child in her arms. When asked about the child, she tells the officer, “He’s my son.” The officer tries to talk her down, but she says that it’s too late. Asking for forgiveness, she talks a step forward amid a chorus of screaming from below. This is the type of introductory chapter that does not allow you to put the

Regarding the letter by John Wright, “Radicalizing from the left,” published in the Tribune on May 16, I have a few comments. He uses the phrase, “In my opinion,” a couple of times. That’s a good thing to say, because his accusations about the Democratic Party are pretty offbeat, and many of his statements are simply not true. I’m not going to repeat them here. The Democratic Party has been described as a big tent, and the people who describe themselves as Democrats have a wi

As we approach our nation’s 250th birthday, it’s worth reviewing the evolution of our revolution. Let’s review the current adaptive status of America’s original peoples: Indians. Many tribes have acquired casinos to combat the poverty forced on them by the greed of American policies and practices. Unfortunately, too many casino-owning Indian tribes continue the ugly, federal policy of assimilation against their own people. Assimilation was a 100-plus year American government

I approach writing this column with trepidation. Social class is a complex and little-understood term. About 75 years ago, a sociologist name Lloyd Warner described six social classes along a continuum: Upper-upper class, Lower-upper, Upper-middle, Lower-middle, Upper-lower, and Lower-lower. This configuration has been used as a matter of convenience over the years although any respectable sociologist understands that nobody knows how many social classes really exist because

Our nation was founded by men and women who traveled the world to study what made governments succeed — and why many failed. They looked at empires and republics, at tyranny and liberty, and they brought to America the best of “Western culture” — respect for individual rights, rule of law, free enterprise, and self-determination. This rich heritage made the United States not just a country, but a beacon of freedom — a nation designed to be “independent, resilient, and strong.

Did you know one can get a loan for auto repair through this program? No wonder we have fraud all over the place. Requirements are income, not citizenship. USDA is in the housing loan business also. For migrants! If a home owner, are you migrant? When they open the can for benefits, they also open the bottom for fraud. As Gomer Pyle would say, “Surprise, surprise.” Got a phone message. Could not understand who was calling, but they said they could help me to vote. Went to the