October 31st, 2008 01:38pm
by admin
A year ago, one would have said that Sharon Wright and Shirlee Zane were friends. They were neighbors, they attended the same parties, they shared family ties.
Now the candidates for supervisor in the Third District and their supporters are busy bashing each other. In the latest mailers, Wright is in the pocket of land developers, and Zane is the puppet of public employees unions.
There is a certain unreality to all …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 31st, 2008 11:18am
by admin
In case you missed it, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday announced the formation of a state commission to reform state and local taxes. For the Sacramento Bee story, click here.
It would be pleasant to believe, of course, that this decision would lead, logically, to a more fair and efficient system of taxation for state and local government. Unfortunately, experience teaches that Sacramento will still be Sacramento.
Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders are …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 28th, 2008 12:50pm
by admin
On Monday, California Senate President Don Perata said the new state budget has a $10 billion hole in it. This morning, a page one story in The Press Democrat described how hometown candidates are busy trashing each other – while avoiding any discussion of the financial crisis that will soon confront local government.
While the candidates are content to hide out in some alternate reality, people are losing their …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 26th, 2008 10:32am
by admin
In my hometown and in my country, I worry about the damage caused by politicians who would divide us for the sake of winning elections. Animosity may win the day, but it won’t put our economy back on the right track.
Eight years later, what we know about President George W. Bush and his advisors is that they were good at winning elections – but they didn’t understand what is required …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 20th, 2008 06:29pm
by admin
Sharon Wright and Shirlee Zane, rivals in the hotly contested Third District supervisorial race, both live in Santa Rosa’s upscale MacDonald Avenue neighborhood. So, it’s probably no coincidence that this week this tony district is bristling with campaigns signs.
The signs shout-out across expansive front lawns and wide streets flanked by elegant houses. “Wright… Zane… Wright… Zane…” I don’t remember another neighborhood with so many …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 16th, 2008 12:57am
by admin
At the end of tonight’s debate, I gave the edge to John McCain. I thought he was more aggressive, and Barack Obama lacked the same energy he showed in the previous debate.
But instant surveys of independent voters declared Obama the easy winner.
So what have we learned?
One, the traditional rules of debate may not apply. A candidate may “win” the debate by being the aggressor, but it doesn’t matter if he …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 15th, 2008 08:09pm
by admin
If I were advising John McCain – you’ll have to use your imagination here – I would tell him to go after Barack Obama on taxes and spending. Millions of Americans don’t trust the Democratic Party when it come to fiscal restraint, and this would be a good time to remind them.
I know. McCain is behind in the polls, and the conventional wisdom decrees that he …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 13th, 2008 02:57pm
by admin
For American voters, it’s all about change. In Barack Obama’s advertising, it sometimes seems as if every other word is “change.” Meanwhile, John McCain is playing catch-up, trying to persuade voters that he is the real candidate for change.
“Change… change… change…” The mantra is repeated so often that you would expect the candidates to become embarrassed at the absence of more nuanced ideas.
In state and local elections, there …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 9th, 2008 04:38pm
by admin
The Dow Jones Industrials just closed down 680 points for the day. The index has lost 39 percent of its value in the past year.
Beleaguered investors may want to check out today’s New York Times Home section, which reported on a new line of mattresses – mattresses which have heavy-duty steel safes hidden inside. I am not making this up. You can read for yourself by clicking here.
For …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
October 9th, 2008 01:05pm
by admin
Jeremy Hay’s page one story today reminds us that community leaders have spent a lot of time talking about health care, but they don’t have much to show for the effort. Hay reported that one in five county residents now lacks health insurance.
Health care costs – and insurance premiums – continue to rise, which means fewer people can afford insurance. And, as the local economy slides into unknown territory, fewer …
Read More »
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
Pete Golis is a columnist for The Press Democrat and a longtime resident of Sonoma County.
