California tax initiatives test power of populism
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California voters this fall may have the chance to answer a question of deep interest to politicians around the United States: will populist appeals to "tax the rich" resonate more than pragmatic arguments for budget-balancing solutions? Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has all but staked his governship on a tax hike ballot initiative consisting of temporary increases in sales and income taxes. He has positioned the measure as a practical and necessary move to combat chronic budget deficits .. By contrast, the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), the smaller of two statewide teachers unions, last week... |
Pension reform down, taxes up
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| Two sweeping public employee pension reform measures won’t be placed on the November ballot, as their backers couldn’t raise the $2 million or so to mount petition drives for either, it was announced today. And if you think that’s bad, consider the fact that three huge tax increase measures are likely to be on the ballot, as our editorial today notes... |
How to Win the Marriage Debate (a must read)
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| The big news on the culture-war front is a federal court's striking down of Proposition 8, California's constitutional amendment protecting marriage. In a two-to-one ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote, "The people may not employ the initiative power to single out a disfavored group for unequal treatment and strip them, without a legitimate justification, of a right as important as the right to marry." Now, I'm not sure why the judges mention a "disfavored group," as if singling out a "favored" one for unequal treatment would be okay. As far as I know, the... |
'Poster couple' for gay rights in California is divorcing
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| When gay couples first sought the right to legally wed in California, they argued that they were entitled to all of the benefits of marital bliss. It was only a matter of time before that benefit extended to the right to split up. Even as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional Tuesday, one of the state's first gay couples to tie the knot was calling it quits. Robin Tyler filed for divorce from Diane Olson on Jan. 25. The pair were among 14 same-sex couples who originally challenged the ban in 2008. |
(Freep this Poll!) Do you agree with same sex marriages?
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| Thank you for participating in our poll. Here are the results so far: I do. Government should recognize these unions. 79% I do not. Marriage is between a man and a woman. 2% I don't really care. 19% I don't know. 0% |
Ninth Circuit's Prop 8 Ruling Could be Obama's Worst Nightmare
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| Today, the 9th Circuit upheld the absurd ruling of Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California, striking down Proposition 8, the voter-approved constitutional amendment that would uphold traditional marriage in the state. The ruling itself was highly political and in no way legally oriented. “Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians,” wrote the Court, “and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior… the Constitution simply does not allow for ‘laws of this sort.’” -snip-President Obama has... |
Despite weak economy, crime in Los Angeles County still declines (safest in decades)
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| There were thousands fewer crimes reported in 2011 than 2010 in areas the LAPD and Sheriff's Department patrol. The trend puzzles some but reinforces a common police view that other factors are at play. Even since the economy began stalling several years ago, there have been dire warnings that crime would rise. But in Southern California, crime continues its long decline despite the weak economy.... yet streets in many parts of the region were the safest they've been in decades. The trend continues to puzzle some criminologists Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said crime rates are determined largely by... |
Mexico arrests figure in Fast and Furious gun-smuggling scandal
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| Mexico arrests figure in Fast and Furious gun-smuggling scandal REPORTING FROM MEXICO CITY -- Mexican authorities have arrested a reputed enforcer for the country's most powerful drug cartel -- a man also alleged to have amassed weapons from the U.S. government's failed Fast and Furious gun-smuggling operation (link, in Spanish, includes video). Jose Antonio Torres Marrufo, 33, is also wanted by U.S. officials on drug-trafficking charges in El Paso. Mexican and U.S. authorities say he served as a top lieutenant to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and the Sinaloa Cartel and was in charge of operations in the border state of... |
As L.A. Probes Sex Abuse Charges, (entire Miramonte) Staff Replaced At Elementary School
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| As L.A. Probes Sex Abuse Charges, Staff Replaced At Elementary Schoolby Mark Memmott February 7, 2012 08:00am "In a dramatic move to quell parents' fears, Los Angeles school officials said they will temporarily replace the entire staff of an elementary school south of downtown Los Angeles, where two teachers have been accused of lewd acts against students," the Los Angeles Times writes. KPCC's Pass/Fail blog says that "the district has never relocated an entire staff before." The changes at Miramonte Elementary School "will affect everyone from the principal to secretaries to teachers to custodians, [L.A. Unified Superintendent John] Deasy said.... |
Gingrich to address California Republican convention
Wednesday 8th of February 2012 07:51:00 PM
Posted by admin / Under California Special Mustang
| SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Republican Party will host presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich during its convention later this month. Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro said Tuesday that Gingrich will address the twice-annual gathering in Burlingame on Feb. 25th. Del Beccaro calls Gingrich one of the most dynamic figures in GOP politics in the last 50 years.... |
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