“The real reason the left wants to make sure that individuals without voter ID are allowed to vote is because they are expected to vote for Democrats.” — Phyllis Schlafly THE ABOVE QUOTE BY PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY COULD BE REVERSED could be reversed, with the charge that Republicans are for voter ID laws only because of […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Clean energy community forum
YEARS AGO I TAUGHT A SERIES of university seminars related to technology and society. My background is 30 years of service in the telecommunications — aka network — industry. A text that I used for many years was Sara Baase’s “A Gift of Fire.” I’m happy to see her book is now in its fourth […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: A few words on water
I KNOW OF TWO HISTORIC HOMES AND, OF COURSE, the Commanding Officer’s Quarters in Benicia that have or once had cisterns to capture and store water. And I know that the owners of one of the homes converted their old cistern into a wine cellar. There must be more historic homes that still have cisterns. […]
Matt Talbot: Productivity and wages
JONATHAN SCHELL, WRITING IN THE NATION BACK IN 2011, stated in concise terms the nature and causes of the economic predicament the United States found itself in: “It’s true that the United States educational system is measurably slipping. It’s also true that the country’s infrastructure has decayed badly. And yes, the United States would benefit […]
Matt Talbot: Thoughts on the human condition
I’VE BEEN HEARING FOR YEARS THAT ISOLATION is a fundamental quality of the human condition. For years, whenever I’ve heard someone repeat the old saying, “You’re born alone, you live alone, and you die alone,” I’ve nodded my head sagely. The thing is, I am realizing as I age that I’m not sure what that […]
House emergency drought bill just another water grab
By Mike Thompson and Doris Matsui CALIFORNIA HAS AN INNOVATIVE HISTORY. We solve big problems and the results have ripple effects all over the world. But when it comes to water policy, we’re unable to make progress. Unfortunately, the latest proposal made by some California members of Congress makes progress even more difficult. They claim […]
Bruce Robinson: How to share the wealth without soaking the rich
THOSE WHO FOLLOWED THE PROCEEDINGS of the annual Wall Street Journal CEO Council held in Washington last November may have been hoping for some succinct suggestions on how to fix our nation’s battered economy. After all, there were 133 top corporate executives and 14 distinguished invited guests, including President Obama, present at this conference. “But […]
Matt Talbot: Some (very) preliminary thoughts on 2016
I REALIZE WE HAVEN’T EVEN HAD the 2014 midterm elections yet, but I thought this would be a good time to post some thoughts on the next Democratic presidential primary season — i.e., well before the stakes get high, and well after tempers have cooled from the last wide-open Democratic primaries in 2008. So here […]
Elizabeth Patterson: Citizen empowerment and the Brown Act — my story
THE HERALD’S RECENT INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE TWO-PART SERIES on the Brown Act and Benicia’s Open Government Ordinance inspired me to review my saved files on the Benicia Sunshine Ordinance Ad Hoc Committee. John Moses, Herald editor at the time, wrote: “A panel of citizen volunteers has, since January (2004), sat in regular sessions with City […]
Notes from 30,000 Feet: Fired for liking a Republican, and one small step to resolving global warming
“The Democratic Party is not as tolerant and accepting as I had thought. — Tyler Drum THOSE WHO ARE AMENABLE TO THE RIGHT SIDE of the political perspective have long recognized that there are few more intolerant of others’ opinions than those on the left who proclaim otherwise. Two recent stories illustrate this: Tyler Drum, […]