Thomas D. Elias
How Many Lies Has Your Opponent Told?
The sad reality about the political commercials now crowding California’s airwaves is that they are, de facto, not subject to the same truth-in-advertising rules that govern ads for, say, cars or computers, laser eye treatments, weight loss programs or plastic surgery.
Blarney and Bologna Blend Blissfully in Ireland
[Editor’s Note: Our intrepid political essayist journeyed abroad recently, and here is the first of two reports.]
Prop. 19 Fate Uncertain — Just What We Need, More...
When the Prop. 19 marijuana legalization initiative qualified for the ballot with a yes-or-no due vote in the November election, its passage seemed almost a foregone conclusion.
Will This Be Break-Through Year for a Single-Industry Proposition?
Money has always been crucial in California politics. As far back as the mid-1960s, the legendary Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh called it “the mother’s milk” of his profession.
How to Control the Proposition Blizzard: Make Pushers Wear Big Badges
So-called reformers have suggested plenty of big steps to change or improve California’s ballot initiative process, which now lets almost any person, company or interest group willing to put up $1 million or so place anything it likes on the statewide ballot.
How Do They Fare on Jobs’ Vows? Brown Looks Firm, Whitman...
Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown will spend a lot of time this fall blasting each other for flip-flops, alleged lying and lack of specificity. There will be talk about illegal immigration, how to balance the state budget and what to do about greenhouse gases and climate change.
Jerry and Meg: They React Differently to Character Tests
In a two-person political contest, voters only occasionally get the chance to judge candidates on their personal qualities of character. These rare chances can come when politicians are suddenly confronted by unexpected, unscripted crises of their own creation.
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A Researcher Asserts That Illegal Aliens Cause a Dip in Violent...
As Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer last spring signed her state’s landmark bill cracking down on illegal immigration, she listed crime as her biggest reason.
Why Whitman’s Openness Should Be Criticized
For more than seven months, Meg Whitman, the Republican nominee for governor, has berated Democratic rival Jerry Brown for not telling Californians exactly what measures he would pursue to pull this state out of its financial malaise.
As Pension-Resentment/Envy Builds, Will Reforms Arrive in Time?
For many years, one justification for giving generous pensions and other benefits to public employees was that their pay was below what most of them could get in the private sector. Rich pensions were seen as a recruiting tool, one way to get top people into government and keep them there.
