Regulating ourselves into bankruptcy

A study was quietly released last week by the governor that highlighted the absolute abuse that California families, small businesses and farmers are taking from over-regulation by bureaucrats in state government.

American dreaming

I had a dream last night. I was famous, a super star. Everyone knew who I was. I don't remember the reason. Maybe I had cured cancer, or maybe I had rescued a man from a burning building. Perhaps I was a famous author. But the reason doesn't matter compared to the feeling, compared to the knowledge that I had done something incredible. That I had earned the respect of my fellow man. It was ...

A leap of faith

If you are reading this on Saturday morning before 8 a.m. and plan to head north on Highway 99 towards Sacramento, make sure to look up and wave as you pass Acampo. I just might be able to see your friendly gesture as I rapidly descend to the earth from 13,000 feet in the air.

If you build it, you still have to advertise

Here's a challenge, Journal readers. Sit down at your nearest computer, visit the search engine of your choice, and try to find a facility to hold a soccer tournament in the Central Valley. Pretend you're a little league baseball commissioner and search for a set of fields for your year-ending tournament. Heck, Google up a patch of shovel-ready industrial park alongside Highway 99 while you're at it. Maybe I'm not using the right search terms. ...

A moment of silence

On Tuesday night, the Turlock City Council stood together, bowed their heads and sent a clear message to those who would try to stop them from beginning every meeting with a prayer.

A furlough by any other name ...

Since when does the word "furlough" mean "mandatory un-paid day off?" According to my Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, the word "furlough" means "a leave of absence, especially granted to a member of the services or to a missionary." I always thought a furlough was something that you granted to someone, not something you forced on an employee. I first heard the word "furlough" used in that context about a year ago. If I remember correctly, ...

Pot talk smoking online

A debate is raging this very instant on our nascent Web site, turlockjournal.com. Or perhaps I should say, a debate is blazing. The myriad stories about local government, state budget cuts, and even murders just haven't been able to get our readers riled up in the way that a green, leafy plant has in these past few weeks. Yes, the TurlockJournal.com comment section is veritably alight with varied viewpoints on the vile demon weed of ...

Stay away from my Xbox, Mr. President

How dare you, Mr. Obama? Just because Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Master Chief are not registered voters, that does not give you the authority to lambast them at every turn, good sir. When, in a June 15 American Medical Association speech, you advocated, "raising our children to step away from the video games and spend more time playing outside," I first became concerned with your anti-gaming policy. Shortly after that speech, however, I foolishly ...

Your eyes and ears

Lately, I feel a little bit like a shoemaker. Shoemakers used to be important tradespeople in every town in America until the industrial revolution made their jobs obsolete. I imagine shoemakers across the country talked about the end of their profession in guild meetings and in trade newsletters in the 1900s. Newspapers probably had headlines like "Cobblers clobbered by machines." This same doomsday talk has been reported far and wide about my trade, the newspaper ...

Have you forgotten?

Even without movies like "Pearl Harbor" and "Saving Private Ryan," I know that on Dec. 7, 1941 - "a date which will live in infamy" - the Japanese pulled off a massive attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, that decimated the United States' Pacific fleet and pulled America into WW II as a full combatant. I also know that June 6, 1944 - D-Day - was the day that U.S. soldiers, along with the Allied forces, ...

Eggzamining ‘Sunny Side Up’

If you haven't heard about the "Turlock Sunny Side Up" temporary public art project, it's a pretty eggcelent idea.

Good news, bad news

Almost every week I get a phone call from someone who asks, "Do you cover good news?" I always answer, "Yes, of course we do." These callers then proceed to give me a story idea about a local club event, interesting person or outstanding student.

Keep violent criminals behind bars

California's criminal justice system is complicated and a confusing mess, and the recent proposal to release thousands of convicted criminals back into our communities early makes it even worse.

Stumbling on good finds in odd places

About a decade ago I was cruising up a 130-mile long reservoir behind America's largest dam - Grand Coulee - built across the mighty Columbia River. The area around the reservoir is rural, but it's hardly the isolated wilderness of the Yukon. Nevertheless, geologists are still finding some quite intriguing things that lie in such rural places, because there are many outcrops still on Earth that we just haven't looked at seriously.

Bulldog to bulldog

I started my current career adventure as a bulldog, a Ceres High Bulldog that is. I then became a Wildcat in college and now I'm back in Bulldog territory, only this time in my high school's rival town.

'Tis the season to spread the spirit

The luminous lights that set the nights aglow, coupled with individuals' newly sparkling spirits, have once again emerged this holiday season. While reminiscing on the success of our 2011 Christmas Parade, Turlock teems with activity as its residents rush to finesse the perfect pudding recipe, learn the new Christmas carols, and locate the smartest sales for shopping. But there is some truth to be found in writer and reporter John Clayton's words, "Just ...

Smart phones make a lot of folks dumb in public settings

Alec Baldwin got kicked off an American Airlines flight.

Ignorance is not bliss

Death is hard to deal with at any age, but when growing up, the passing of peers can leave a lasting impression. Every December the tragic death of one of my high school classmates is always brought to mind. This classmate not only made my small Indiana school aware of how precious - and often short - life can be, he also shattered the prejudices that were all too common in those days. ...

UnOccupy LA

Los Angeles is no longer occupied. After two months of Tent City across from City Hall, the LAPD finally moved in after midnight on Wednesday to disperse those who remained after multiple warnings. All told, some 300 Occupiers were arrested by the 1,200 police officers who conducted the final eviction. Later that morning, sanitation workers arrived in protective gear to clean up the 30 tons of debris left behind. Once that's done, the farmers ...

Count your blessings

The residents of Turlock have one more thing to be thankful for this holiday season - they don't live in the city of San Fernando. If news of the Southern California city's scandalous affairs hasn't reached you yet, then here's a recap: - The police chief is on leave for having sex with a cadet; - A police dispatcher was caught exposing himself; and - A council woman was accused ...

Pension reform will free up dollars for schools

Not quite Mayberry

My brothers dared me to do what they caught Jeff, a young kid from across the alley, doing one day.

Holiday survival tips

In the next few weeks, the Journal will be running a series of stories intended to help readers survive the holiday season. From gift buying guides, to decorating ideas and entertaining tips, these stories are meant as a tool for getting the most out of the season. However … I thought it might be helpful to offer my own holiday survival tips as a reminder of what is really important. Tip #1) ...

A balanced budget: Certainty in our economy and accountability in government

Our country's national debt exceeded $15 trillion this week. Our debt has now tripled in the last 15 years and is set to surpass our total GDP for the first time since World War II. This week, Congress had an opportunity to ensure a brighter future for our kids and grandkids by passing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment failed and once again, Congress failed to take an opportunity to enact ...

What would happen if we stopped voting?

Did you vote on Nov. 8? If not, you weren't alone. According to Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Lee Lundrigan's office, there were 50,982 ballots counted in the final election results. In a county of 514,453 people, only 227,278 are registered voters, and only around 50,000 people actually voted in this election.

Give smartly this holiday season

If the red and green decorated retail stores, the Christmas-themed movie marathons and the ever-present holiday music piped in at every store in town hasn't cued you in yet, then let me say it straight out - the holiday season is upon us.

Turkey sticker shock

Have you checked out the price of turkey lately? You can thank Al Gore. Actually you can thank Gore and the Midwest ethanol subsidy lobby consisting of Republican and Democrat lawmakers alike. Gore was the leading cheerleader for ethanol as the elixir for all that ails America when it comes to energy. He led the charge to put in place ethanol subsidies. The end result: Ethanol gas that is not cost effective and has ...

Keeping our promise

When President Woodrow Wilson designated November 11th a day to honor our nation's veterans, he was welcoming home a generation of servicemembers from World War I. With American troops expected out of Afghanistan by 2014 and out of Iraq by the end of this year, we have a new generation of brave men and women returning home. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan come to a close, there will be a tendency to ...

Back to the sleep saving time

As Sunday brought a close to the 2011 Daylight Saving Time, ushered in were an assortment of relief, doubts, and inquiries. The most pressing views challenged whether this supposed energy-preserving, society-reviving system still left room for correlation with the shifting lifestyles that characterize today's generation. Folks still fatigued from March help make the pool of individuals wanting to re-question the logic behind what has felt like a blindly-followed practice. Not surprisingly, the installment ...

The root of all Oakland

The morning after Occupy Oakland's midweek violent protests, the take in the Bay Area was that it was a dirty, rotten shame that a few bad-egg anarchists hijacked a mostly peaceful protest and made an otherwise good cause look bad. That is so delusional. From the start, troublemakers have advocated violent protest during the group's general assemblies. Guys with masks and ill intent threw rocks and bottles at police before officers used ...