Years ago, parents of teens kept a close eye on the liquor cabinet. Today, it’s the medicine cabinet that should be under lock and key. Nearly 60 percent of teens say they can get prescription painkillers easily in the home. Of the many painkillers on the market, OxyContin seems to be a favorite due to its high potency. OxyContin is …
The Hill, Twitter’s #sandiego Tag and Congressman Bilbray
The Hill covers Twitter updates from Congressman Bilbray
New Poll Finds San Diegans Support Tough Rules on Cannabis Dispensaries
According to a new poll conducted by Competitive Edge Research & Communication (CERC), San Diegans want tough regulatory oversight for medical marijuana dispensaries, which are opening up throughout the city today with less restrictions than bars, liquor stores and traditional pharmacies. The CERC poll, which surveyed 505 adults in the City of San Diego, found broad support generally for medical marijuana …
CONGRESS GETS SERIOUS ABOUT COUNTRYWIDE SCANDAL
Congress is now one step closer to uncovering the full scope of the collusion between reckless mortgage lenders and high-ranking government officials that ultimately inflated the U.S. housing bubble and brought the world economy to the brink of total collapse. One of the chief offenders in the mortgage meltdown was, doubtlessly, Countrywide Financial, a now-defunct corporate giant that exploited lax government policies to issue trillions of dollars in subprime mortgages on the guarantee that the burden of these toxic assets would ultimately fall on the shoulders of the American taxpayer.
Congressman Brian Bilbray: NO! To a Second Stimulus
Congressman Brian Bilbray says “No!” to a second stimulus on FOX Business. Click the link in the post to view the segment.
POLITICO: GOP taps Hunter and other GOP veterans for Afghan advice
As a Marine lieutenant in Iraq in 2004, Duncan Hunter was poised for an assault on Fallujah when the order came down from Washington to pull out instead. It was the kind of top-down military decision — which in this case had to be reversed when security in Fallujah later deteriorated — that Hunter hopes will not be repeated in Afghanistan.
Now, five years later and a freshman congressman from California, Hunter is in a much better position to have his voice heard. As an Iraq war veteran, he has been enlisted by the House Republican leadership to help make its case that President Barack Obama should support Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops in Afghanistan — and do it soon.
Rexford Apologists More Concerned about Disclosure than What is Right
Saturday’s Union-Trib editorial “Rexford Must Go” (posted below) was spot on, while alluding to SD Rostra’s role — via my post — in releasing the smoking gun memo sent by the Poway city manager to Councilwoman Betty Rexford in 2006. Some of the resulting comments on the U-T website are a testimony to the “hide the facts” attitude of Rexford …
A Note to District 7 Residents… Will Emerald Vote to Fix Your Potholes or for a $500,000 Study for a New Downtown Library?
Local community activists (I’m referring to real ones, not the campaign donors Councilwoman Marti Emerald gets her ‘independent’ insights from) might want to take note of tomorrow’s city council docket. Our Councilwoman will have the opportunity to either vote for a $500,000 ‘study’ for a downtown library, or to come to the conclusion that this type of wasteful spending is …
A REAL solution to Sacramento’s never-ending budget mess
The current and ongoing (Hopefully not forever) budget fiasco in Sacramento can give the Republican leadership (If it is still the party of fiscal conservatism, which lately, I’ve come to doubt) a chance to shine as the party that actual walks the talk regarding fiscal leadership and responsibility. Instead of just talking, the party must start seriously writing a measure …
Water conservation, alternative energy and government agencies.
Don’t you like how government likes to impose restrictions on business and residential users, but they rarely go out and change their landscaping or retro fits their government restrooms? On another note, I’m a stronger supporter of alternative energy; however, my household income isn’t enough to qualify for the incentives and rebates for, for examples, solar panels (and cars). Now …
Issa-Towns Reach Agreement on Countrywide Subpoena
Issa-Towns Reach Agreement on Countrywide Subpoena Oversight Investigators to Receive Countrywide VIP Documents and Records WASHINGTON. D.C. – In December of 2008, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) launched an investigation into Countrywide Financial Corporation’s infamous VIP and Friends of Angelo Program that exposed the inner workings of Countrywide’s efforts to buy friends in …
Poway City Manager Memo: Rexford’s Conflicts and Interference with Administration
In the midst of a recall effort against Poway Councilmember Betty Rexford, additional compelling evidence against her has been uncovered. In September 2006, Poway City Manager Rod Gould felt compelled to send a confidential memo to Rexford warning that her “recent actions constitute a conflict of interest and interference with City administration.” The memo speaks for itself. Read it here.
Subsidy proponent Malin Burnham says you shouldn’t get to vote
Today (10/22/09) I did a forum debate before the subsidy-seeking San Diego Downtown Partnership group. They discussed the three downtown pyramids they want to build. I critiqued the new city hall and convention center expansion, while SDCTA CEO Lani Lutar expertly dissected the fatally flawed new downtown library proposal (she did much better than I did). Actually it was a surprisingly …
Health Insurance reform debate
One indisputable fact of the health care reform debate is that free care provided to the uninsured is a hidden tax on all the rest of us. It’s a hidden tax because it creates “cost shifting” which is where the costs of free care are shifted to those of us with money or private / commercial Health Insurance. The predictable result is higher …
Todd Gloria: Out of Touch With City Finances
From Gay and Lesbian Times, March 26, 2009 http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=14290 The city will end 2009 with a small surplus of about $2 million. But out of a $3 billion budget, “that doesn’t give a lot of wiggle room, but it’s important to note that we are living within our means,” the District 3 councilmember said. GL Times states that Pension payments …
San Diego City Hall Needs Citizen Help to Achieve Fiscal Recovery
(This op-ed was originally posted on San Diego News Network this week) With falling tax revenue projections from our national economic downturn, and the ongoing turmoil of a structural deficit in our local government, the City of San Diego now faces an estimated $201 million budget shortfall for Fiscal Year 2011. Thankfully for taxpayers, reaction from elected officials to this …
Once again San Diego Unified School District is predicting $100 million deficit. Possible solutions.
Here are some very simple ways that they can save money and get more in line with other school districts in the county. 4th and 5th graders go to Old Town and Balboa Park for a week. They learn about old California and about the museums. Yes, they are great programs, but why is SDUSD the only district in the …
Rick Amato Show Honored at San Diego Press Club Journalism Awards
Congratulations to my friend and fellow radio talk show host Rick Amato for notching a BIG win at Tuesday night’s San Diego Press Club Journalism Awards. In his FIRST time ever entering this prestigious competition, Rick won first place in the Radio Interview category. The winning entry from “The Rick Amato Show Presented by The Washington Times” originally aired in …
Oversight Democrats Literally Change the Locks on the Doors
Frustrated by Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) attempts to force an up or down on issuing a subpoena for documents/records related to Countrywide’s VIP program and for releasing an embarrassing video of Committee Democrats avoiding the vote on Thursday, Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-NY) has retaliated against Committee Republicans by literally changing the locks. Politico: …
Sticks and Stones
Recently I had a conversation with one of my clients. He commented on all the mean spirited invective being spewed by conservatives about President Obama, saying that the Democrats “never” said such horrible things about President Bush. He’s not the first person I’ve heard assert this. Talk about selective memory. During an exclusive interview with CBS Radio reporter Peter Maer …
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