Another for the record books

Last week I became a statistic. I was one of the over 6,700 cases of whooping cough reported in California for 2010 - the most cases reported in 63 years.

A patriotic reminder

I used to know Denair as a small town where I would go to visit an old friend who showed sheep. Just a small town, not too much going on, but a pleasant Central Valley community.

Finding common ground in a sea of isolation

"No man is an island," begins the famous poem of the same name by John Donne.

Losing your head at the Supreme Court

On Election Day, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association. The irony of this case name was obvious: The celebrated violent-action-hero governor of California had signed a bill into law in 2005 forbidding the sale of ultraviolent video games to minors, a law that lower federal courts prevented from ever going into effect.

Gov.-Elect Jerry Brown's new worst nightmare

"The taxpayers gave and they also took away. On one hand, the people said by a majority, 'Give us a budget.' On the other hand, they said, 'Don't pick my pocket.'" This was Jerry Brown's verdict on California voters' picks on ballot measures delivered at his post-victory press conference Wednesday.

After Election Day blues

The day after an election can be difficult for many. Of course, there are those candidates whose hard work, sincerity and perseverance didn't pay off and they now have to deal with the reality of losing a race for office. Many candidates are social people and failing in such a public manner must be hard. Everyone knows you didn't get the job - tough break.

The unfriendly skies

Air travel has always been a part of my life. The moment my Indiana-born dad met my California-born mother and fell in love, my flying destiny was sealed.

The final countdown

For half of the candidates on Tuesday's ballot, these are the days you remember.

Ad nauseam

Election season advertising campaigns are always insufferable, but this year is the worst in recent memory.

I guess I won’t be on “Jeopardy!”after all

Last week a press release came across my desk that killed a dream of mine. The news was innocent enough; it congratulated an Elk Grove college student on his upcoming appearance on the TV show "Jeopardy!" For me, however, this press release ended four months of waiting and hoping on a phone call from the "Jeopardy!"casting staff. You see, I was also in the running to compete in ...

Who wants an autonomous car?

I'm not usually one to rail against new technology. I'm a geek, a nerd, a certifiable tech-addict with more gadgets, gizmos, whozits and whatzits than "The Little Mermaid" could ever dream of.

Paging Clark Kent

Education, like politics, is local. You want it close to home, the better to monitor it. That's how it should be.

Last chance to hear from your City Council candidates

Back when our country was young, political candidates relied on their friends to spread the word about their accomplishments and suitability to hold office. In fact, historian Samuel Eliot Morison wrote that candidates "were supposed to play coy, obeying a call to service from their country, saving their energies for the task of government. Electioneering was done by newspapers, pamphlets, and occasional public meetings." <p style="margin: 0in 0in ...

The whole story of courage

You hear stories of courage every day. A man survives cancer and goes on to climb Mount Everest. A woman born without legs opens her own business and becomes an inspirational speaker. A child becomes badly burned in a house fire and, despite the pain, is cheerful and full of hope.

The burning need

It's Thursday morning at 4 a.m. and I can't sleep. It's a common occurrence when I'm carrying a big load at work-my brain just doesn't turn off even though my eyelids are closed. So, instead of counting sheep, I'm doing a mental roll call of my to-do list at the office. But, I have a rule. If I'm still awake after 30 minutes of lying in the dark, ...

California: Plenty of oil with highest gas prices in the nation

Contemplate this little tidbit the next time gasoline prices push the $5 a gallon mark: The nation's largest known shale oil reserve is in our own backyard. The Monterey Oil Shale that encompasses virtually all of the San Joaquin Valley, with the Santos Oil Shale covering the Los Angeles Basin area, has 15.4 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil reserves. The U.S. Energy Information Administration notes that is three times more recoverable reserves ...

Ballot measures’ triage approach to school funding

Let's be honest. Neither Proposition 30 nor Proposition 38 will solve California's school financial problems. Education spending is the 900-pound gorilla of the never-ending state budget crisis. And until such time as the entire system is reformed from pensions to hacking away - and restructuring - the administrative structure above the district level school cuts are going to keep getting more and more dire. States that have taken bold and decisive pension reform measures ...

Politicians are just playing the percent

They're kids. Well, actually young adults. And at age 20 they're part of the Percentage People. The 99 percent. The 47 percent. The 7.8 percent. They aren't part of the wealthy. They don't pay income taxes. They don't have jobs. That doesn't mean they aren't industrious. It doesn't mean they are living on entitlements. And it doesn't mean they don't want to work. They are dealing with reality. Good people come from tough backgrounds. ...

Renewing Turlockers’ civic virtue

On the Stanislaus County website, there reads a thought-provoking saying, "Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in."

Common sense scores two wins up in Sacramento

Big Valley Christian High in Modesto wanted to build a press box for its football field.

Roads can wait; Turlock has tougher problems to tackle

I have been a resident of Turlock for 13 years. During that time I have had at least two tires go flat and multiple bumper scrapes due to the poor state of our city's roads. Despite my own personal run-ins with Turlock's famous pot holes, I must respectfully disagree with those Turlockers who feel that the state of the roads should be a priority for city officials. Please allow me to plead my ...

What’s next? Ban on plastic straws, dime for paper ones?

The cost of shopping in San Francisco is going up Oct. 1.

Big Brother on the road

Tougher fuel efficiency standards have the potential to turn our freeways and highways into havens for potholes. The Congressional Budget Office is projecting a $57 billion loss in federal gas tax funds through 2023 due to the new federal fuel efficiency standards that have just been adopted. The revenue reduction - roughly 13 percent less than what was originally projected just a year ago - will also impact separate gas tax collections for ...

Get rid of the death penalty, get rid of plea bargains

Recently, editorial page editor John Diaz asked Mark Klaas whether he expects to feel closure if California executes Richard Allen Davis, the man who kidnapped, toyed with and then killed Klaas' 12-year-old daughter, Polly, in 1993. A jury found Davis guilty and sentenced him to death in 1996. From the early days after Davis snatched Polly from a Petaluma slumber party, Klaas has been a highly visible advocate for strong laws to protect ...

Everyone, not just 53%, pay federal taxes

Teachable moments: Don't expect them from politicians - or their hacks - whether they are Republicans or Democrats. The flap over the comments that 47 percent of Americans don't pay income tax and that nearly half the population receives government benefits is a perfect example. First off, we all pay federal taxes and a lot of them. The most visible of all taxes are income taxes of which 53.6 percent of ...

Getting a handle on stress

Stress is a part of life; how you deal with it is what matters. This axiom seems simple enough, but recognizing when stress is overwhelming us and then actually taking steps to reduce its affects is another matter. When it comes to stress, I am an expert at dealing with true emergencies - I can handle fires, flat tires and criminal acts without breaking a sweat - but the daily pressures of life ...

A Food, Farm and Jobs Bill as soon as possible

After spending much of August out of Washington, Congress is back &ndash; and rural America is watching closely, hoping for passage of a Food, Farm and Jobs Bill as soon as possible. With farmers facing the worst drought in decades this summer and the current Farm Bill set to expire on September 30 of this year, time is running out for Congress to act. You and I both know the stakes couldn't ...

SB 9 puts lives of criminals above safety

A few things to consider before voting on Prop. 34

Your son and his 16-year-old best friend are celebrating the fact he just got his driver's license.

Reviving the power of questioning

With the 2012 Presidential Election just around the corner, the American public is caught in the midst of a torrent of propaganda. As the popular trend of politicians fashioning their own facts abounds, folks here and around the nation encounter the same issue: what are we supposed to take to heart? I think the newer generation is hit hardest by this difficult decision. They're the most impressionable, having only recently been exposed to ...