If haste makes waste, then the Democrats’ proposed $825 billion economic stimulus bill if approved in its present form is in for a barrel of troubles. President Barack Obama after meeting with Congressional leaders Friday said the stimulus plan is on target for passage by Feb. 16. No question there is a need for speed as the economy continues to spin in a downward spiral. But the House, and especially the Senate, is ill-equipped for intelligent rapid-fire decisions. Case in point: the first...

Anyone playing or watching basketball knows a 100-0 win is impossible. Sorry, sports fans. It happened in Dallas in a girls high school 32-minute regulation basketball game. The winning team has offered to forfeit. “It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened,” the head of the school said Thursday on The Covenant School’s Web site. He added that Covenant has made “a formal request to forfeit the game recognizing that a victory without honor is a great loss.” Covenant, a private...

Excuse me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that William Ayers, the domestic terrorist Sarah Palin said Obama palled around with, sitting about three rows back of Obama during the swearing-in ceremonies? Most of us have seen the TV instant replay and still photos of that particular scene. The guy appears in back of Obama’s right shoulder. If it is Ayers, the more I think about it the more I think “Wow!” Seating arrangements at a presidential inauguration usually are assigned by...

For me, I did my job as a journalist. I watched Barack Obama’s inaugural speech on television. I grasped the splendor of the occasion, a nation beaming with smiles and pride. I downloaded the new president’s speech. I wrote the story. Just as in the old days on the newspaper. Today was special. It is not uncommon for tears to well in my eyes when I observe history. Today was no exception. We may be a young country but the peaceful transformation of power is gut-wrenching sweet. The pomp...

On the steps of our nation’s capitol, built by slaves 200 years ago, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in Tuesday as the 44th and first black president of the United States of America. As hundreds of millions watched throughout the world, Obama promised a new era of “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.” The inaugural address was delivered forcibly and eloquently but fell short of phrases that will go down with the ages. But the message was clear, up beat and...

It defied the logic of supply and demand when gasoline prices soared above $4 a gallon last year. It turns out oil speculators were the culprits. There is no other way to explain it, according to an investigative report by CBS News “60 Minutes.” The most frightening aspect of the report is that former disgraced Enron computer program geeks manipulated the price increases causing the oil commodities bubble to finally implode.

One of the top priorities of the Obama administration is reforming our health care system by reducing its cost. It should take a long look at the costs imposed on the industry by government regulations. We offer the following example which by itself is minuscule but in total is useless and borderline stupid. In 2003 I purchased a vision/dental plan from Safeguard, the premium deducted monthly from my checking account. Over the years Safeguard sold the account to Nationwide which in turn sold it to...

Sean Hannity of Fox News huffs and he puffs as he blows his infamous litany of sins committed by the Obama transition team. To hear him, one would think the Democrats are dead on arrival before Barack Obama even is sworn into office Jan. 20. Let’s briefly examine these egregious acts in the minds of Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and others of his pedigree.

The year 2008 would just as soon be forgotten in many parts of the country, but not for National City. This municipality of 60,000 mostly Mexican-American population sandwiched between urban San Diego and the more affluent Chula Vista recorded no homicides the entire year. It was the first time since 1963 that National City went a calendar year without a homicide. Four years ago there were nine. All were gang-related violence. Assistant Police Chief Manuel Rodriguez said it was a result of a court-ordered...

The anti-smoking police are thrusting their will on President-Elect Barack Obama to stop smoking. We assume they mean cigarettes. By all intents and purposes, Obama seems to be trying. A medical report on Obama’s health quotes his physician saying Obama smokes three to five cigarettes a day. He has quit and relapsed on numerous occasions. Three to five cigs a day? Some might call it an addiction. I call it an affliction.

Keeping in tradition of media’s annual best and worst selections — because this is the slowest news cycle of every year — we offer the following: Best: The Kaiser Permanente TV ad which sings “I want to grow up to be an old woman.” Tackiest: Serving McNuggets at a wedding reception. Worst: Any commercial where a guy named Mays yells at you. Best: Barack Obama elected the first black U.S. president. Worst: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich trying to sell Obama’s senate...

Whatever so-called “viable” business restructuring plan Detroit’s automakers concoct, they will continue to require federal assistance to survive 2009. No one can manufacture a car no one can buy. No one can buy if the banks won’t lend. Even the financial credit arms of the automakers are hard pressed to lend. And, the more jobs are lost, fewer cars are bought. The drop in gasoline prices from more than $4 a gallon to $1.65 national average this week has had no apparent cause...

This is a sp sp spor spor sports story. But not to worry, political junkies. It’s also a story about a town in search of redeeming values. The San Diego Chargers are the epitome of the city they represent. They tease you with their talent. But fall on their face when it counts. Sunday’s win in Tampa Bay coupled with a Denver loss to Buffalo allows the Chargers to once again reach the impossible dream. By beating the Broncos in San Diego next Sunday night on national television, the Chargers...

Only in California can the bizarre become the norm. In a spate of a few hours Friday afternoon, briefs were filed with the state Supreme Court challenging, supporting and extending a ban on same sex marriages. Backers of Proposition 8, the initiative that bans same sex marriage, petitioned to nullify the 18,000 marriages conducted after the high court voted 4-3 approving such nuptials. State Attorney General Jerry Brown countered with a brief indicating he could not support the proposition because...

As the Obama transition team is addressing budget deficits in the trillions, it is being stonewalled by the space cadets who operate NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has at least 73 programs that blew their budgets by an average of 50% since 1990, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. Of 74 questions submitted to the agency by Obama’s NASA transition team, more than half asked about basic spending issues, including cost overruns. The first question was how...

What is this American fascination of celebrities perpetuated by our media giants? A bunch of bunk I say. In the world of politics, these know-it-all columnists are slobbering over the possibility Caroline Kennedy might be appointed to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. “I have to confess, my heart remains with a Senator Caroline,” gushes Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post. She and Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrestle with political dynasties — the good,...

Writing a blog takes on many fronts. For some, it is an ego trip. They thrust their view of life into cyberspace and pray for hits. Most seek confirmation for their myopic observations. Others simply seek attention for being outrageous. For me, it is writing down impressions on how I see the world around me. I try to be fair and see many issues from both sides of the spectrum. You write. You click “Publish,” and you hope for the best that someone out there reads it and says “Gee...

The Bush administration has sneaked another rule into the deregulation books. This one definitely passes the smell test. The rule: Poultry and livestock farmers no longer have to report emissions from animal waste. The Environmental Protection Agency said the rule change would “enable authorities to better focus their attention on hazardous substance releases that require a response, while reducing reporting burdens on America’s farms.” It said reports from farms on air emissions...

Chalk up the week of Dec. 8, 2008, as the week that will go down in infamy. It was a contest in which an Illinois governor, Wall Street titan and Florida mortgage manipulator competed for Scam Artist of the Year. It was a short work week, too. In the span of four days federal authorities charged: Gov. Rod Blagojevich trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder for personal gains. Bernard L. Madoff, a legendary Wall Street mogul, bilking an estimated $50 billion from...

It was less than two years ago outrage spread through U.S. cities on the pretext illegal immigrants from Mexico were taking jobs from Americans. Today, the Mexican drug cartels are killing more people on an average day than in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and in the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks. Nary a whimper in protest is heard. The Mexican drug wars are more than bad guys killing bad guys. They could topple the Mexican government which, despite its corruption, is as effective as firing beebees...

Every newsperson, every website, every blogger in the United States at this very moment has an opinion on the latest inductee into the Corrupt Politicians Hall of Shame. If it weren’t for such a tough name to digest, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich would be a household name for the ages. If any of the criminal charges brought against him are true, he will make yesteryear’s Tammany Hall and Tom Pendergast look like a bunch of kids playing dice on the streets of New York and Kansas City. Nearly...

What happens if General Motors files bankruptcy for its U.S. operations while its plants in foreign countries turn a nice profit? The answer is … no one knows. Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times explains GM’s foreign connections and how its failure in the United States would create a downturn ripple effect globally. Among the noteworthy activities of GM abroad: In the last three years, GM’s revenue has sunk 24% in the U.S., but in the rest of the world it boasts a 28% increase. It...

Burned by the absence of accountability with half of the $700 billion spent to bailout the financial sector, Congress is poised to loan U.S. automakers $15 billion with a million strings attached. The reason is simple. Congress and the American people don’t understand the intangibles of financial markets. You can’t wrap your arms around a tranche like, say, a car. Besides, timing is not one of Detroit’s strongest suits. Consider the financial sector bailout. Treasury can’t...

The Interior Department revised a Reagan-era regulation Friday that now allows persons to carry concealed firearms in some national parks and wildlife refuges. It is a dumb rule observed from personal experience which will be described later. According to the Associated, the rule allows an individual to carry a loaded weapon in a park or wildlife refuge — but only if the person has a permit for a concealed weapon, and if the state where the park or refuge is located also allows loaded firearms...

Barack Obama hasn’t even been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Yet, a myriad of public opinion polls reflect Obamamania to its ultimate fantasy conclusion: He can save the economy; he can wean us off foreign oil; he can restore America’s good will and leadership throughout the world; he can … Even the U.S. Mint in Connecticut has pressed a commemorative coin in Obama’s name — and selling it for a discount TV price of $9.99. The feel-good notion list...