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Northwest airlines is the friendliest airline I have ever flown. I was greeted by name every step of the way. When arriving at the gate in San Francisco, I asked the agent if the plane was boarding yet.
"Are you Mr. Walter? We've been waiting for you," he said.
He barely looked up, scanning my boarding pass and motioning me to enter.
Next I crossed a flight attendant who was hustling toward me in the tunnel. "Mr. Walter?"
"Why, yes, that's me," I told him.
Wow what service! In our impersonal age getting greeted by name was quite an honor. Maybe they're loyal blog readers.
Next, I get inside the plane. It's a crammed flight. No open seats anywhere. I maneuver my way through the outstretched legs and arms in the aisle to my seat. I am greeted by another flight attendant.
"Derek?"
Amazing. I am now only flying Northwest from now on.
"We almost gave your seat away."
Apparently airlines take that takeoff time thing seriously. It wasn't really my fault. I was delayed at security because the TSA guards had to send my computer bag through the x-ray machine three times. Apparently water bottles and AAA guide books are a threat to national security.
After a fairly routine flight I arrived to far less fanfare in Minneapolis than I expected. No balloons or flag-waving, dancing elephants. That is, until I got to the baggage claim. Then the floor was plastered with convention logos and press, convention volunteers and delegates were everywhere.
Checking in at the hotel and getting my credentials was a relatively painless experience. With the exception of the three large bags of promotional items and food choices. Do I really need organic rice? Or binoculars? (Well, since I'm an alternate, maybe I'm in the cheap seats). And yes, I had already brought an umbrella. Hmmm, time for some serious eBay action when I get back home.
My first official delegation event was a presidential-themed massive exhibit at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Complete with a replica White House and George Washington and Abraham Lincoln impersonators. It was my first chance to get a real feel for the buzz among the delegation. There was definitely a sense of lethargy knowing that the first day's speakers wouldn't be there -- even though most people understood why it needed to be that way. Not only was the first day's convention cut back, but some of the peripheral events are getting parred down. Medtronic, a medical technology company, cut back the hours on an event being hosted at a lounge. The buzz is that more changes could be on the way.
And if the pick of Gov. Sarah Palin did nothing else, it energized the delegates. I overheard many conversations about how she was such a great pick and would bring in money, volunteers, and energy to the campaign. Tomorrow will be a very compelling day -- but for an altogether different reason. Will the hurricane continue to shut down events? It's just another day of political theater in this most unpredictable of elections.
Derek Walter of Fresno, an alternate delegate and Fresno County chairman of the John McCain 2008 campaign, teaches third graders at Reagan Elementary School and college classes for National University. He also blogs at derekwalter.com.
While waiting in the obligatory line to board the plane, I can't help but think how great the ambiance of this airport is and what an excellent view I have. That's because I'm at San Francisco International, not underserved Fresno-Yosemite International. However, I'm probably the only Republican in the current metropolitan area.
I would have never imagined being here. When I initially volunteered to help the McCain campaign in Fresno County I was willing to do any menial task to help get Sen. McCain elected. But when I got on board last summer, the Fresno campaign pretty much consisted of former Secretary of State Bill Jones, and Brian Forrest, who works in his office and is also the Central Valley chairperson and ... me.
Getting volunteers was harder than finding a left turn in Fresno. Just none to be found. So when I offered to help, the chairperson slot was handed to me. And with such a short list of local supporters, I was also added to the delegate list. So on primary election night in California McCain's Super Tuesday victory not only solidified his position as the nominee, but it punched my ticket to St. Paul, Minn.
Looking back it's still a bit amazing that McCain is the nominee. His campaign was broke, much of his staff was let go, and supporters looked elsewhere. But through his determination and unbelievable energy he wrote one of the most remarkable political stories of the modern era. Forget Bill Clinton: McCain is the Comeback Kid. (OK, at 72 it'd be hard to call him a kid, but you get the point).
The buzz around the convention is quite high given McCain's naming of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. It was a bold political move that not only snuffed out all the talk of Barack Obama's speech the previous night from the Barackapolis, but it energized the Republican Party's conservative base and appealed to disenfranchised Hillary supporters.
How this move plays out will determine whether his pick was a brilliant choice or a mindless gamble. McCain clearly wanted to emphasize to voters that HE is the reform candidate -- you have his record in the Senate of fighting pork-barrel spending and Palin's challenge to a corrupt party and oil industry in her state. It makes Obama's calls for change ring hollow given his minimal Senate accomplishments and the fact he hones his political skills in the brass knuckle politics of Chicago.
Along with how the Palin announcement turns out, there are other questions to watch for:
Will Hurricane Gustav wreck the party? As of this posting several options were being discussed for how to be appropriate given the likely devastation of the impending hurricane. But as with any news event there could be political implications. The hurricane may remind voters of the less-than-stellar response by the federal government to Katrina.
Just how far will the party run from President Bush? Especially if he doesn't end up coming to the convention, you might hear nary a mention of the sitting Republican president.
How will Gov. Palin perform in her first major speech? Will she surprise people again by living up to her "feisty" reputation or will she whither under the national spotlight?
This is looking to be a compelling week.
Obama's speech and the Democratic Convention were put together well, but there are vulnerabilities. Plus, by now we should know to never count out John McCain. Let the fun begin.
Derek Walter of Fresno, an alternate delegate and Fresno County chairman of the John McCain 2008 campaign, teaches third graders at Reagan Elementary School and college classes for National University. He also blogs at derekwalter.com.
I saw a small brief in today's paper about back-to-school traffic enforcement in Clovis:
"Clovis police officers issued 79 citations during a back-to-school traffic detail this week, police spokeswoman Janet Stoll-Lee said Friday.
More than 15 officers will patrol around schools next week, Stoll-Lee said."
I have to wonder if any of those citations involved violations of the cell phone law that went into effect July 1. Driving around, it seems like no one is worrying anymore about getting caught for violating it.
Do you think our streets are any safer since this law went into effect? Or would they be if more people weren't still talking on their cell phones without using hands-free devices?
I personally haven't heard of anyone getting busted for this offense.
 Sen. John McCain could have picked Mitt Romney as his running mate, and the Republican ticket would have played into the Democrats' contention that a McCain presidency would be a "third term" for the Bush Administration. Same old politics from the same old GOP. But McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was an inspired choice from a political perspective.
Consider what we have before us just over two months from Election Day. Sen. Barack Obama, the candidate of change, has an old man as his VP choice, and McCain, the old man in the race, has chosen a woman who has fought for change in her state as his running mate. Talk about turning this race upside down. Big props for McCain being a risk-taking politician.
We'll see how good of a candidate Palin is on the stump over the next several weeks, and whether there's any baggage that could hurt her or McCain. But today, on the eve of the GOP convention in St. Paul, score one big victory for McCain.
This choice threw Hillary Clinton supporters a curve ball. Their party rejected a woman candidate for vice president, and the opposition has embraced a woman for the second spot on their ticket. If gender is important to these voters, score one for the Republicans. Of course, the Clinton supporters want someone who is a woman and a liberal. Palin is a woman and a conservative.
But there were many Clinton supporters who said they'd vote for McCain because of Obama's choice of Sen. Joe Biden for his running mate. That may have been rhetoric of frustrated Democrats at the time, but the selection of Palin could now generate additional votes for McCain out of the Clinton camp.
McCain didn't exactly make this choice for Alaska's whopping three electoral votes. This was an in-your-face selection aimed at Obama's message of change. Game on, now show us what you got, Barack.
This choice also should help McCain with conservatives who have been lukewarm over McCain. Palin, a mother of five, is pro-life. She's an NRA member, a devout Christian and a fiscal conservative. The Alaska Surprise may even help McCain raise money among Republicans who have been reluctant to give to him.
Vice presidential candidates usually aren't major factors in presidential races. Voters are selecting a president and the top of the ticket is what they focus on. But Palin gives the electorate another thing to consider in an historic political year. Joe Biden, the Democrats' VP candidate, doesn't give them much beyond politics as usual.
"Cursed. Fresno is cursed. Everytime it tries to do something beautiful, something bad happens."
I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about his frustrations over the city's failings and that was his reaction. I don't agree with him; a lot of beautiful things have been done here but it does seem to take an eternity to make things happen.
Still, there are great people doing amazing things in this nation and Debra Schweiger Berg has collected them into a book called "The Power of One: The Unsung Everyday Heroes Rescuing America's Cities."
This is not about government's great projects or big businesses taking on a cause. It's about a businessman and a minister who teamed up to create an anti-poverty idea that's now helping people succeed in 27 cities.
It's a lawyer who has trained over 10,000 volunteers to track down criminals using the Internet.
It was a radio listener who initiated the Amber Alert child rescue plan that is credited with saving more than 200 lives.
This book is a vitamin shot of optimism. If you have a passion for a cause in Fresno, you may be The One who changes things. She calls these people citizen inventors and entrepreneurs.
Berg is director of the National Institute for Civic Enterprise in Grand Island, Fla. The Web site is www.NiCEnetwork.org. You can also look at www.powerone.org.
 This may be my favorite election ever. We baby boomers have always liked shaking things up. We like firsts. And now, I have to love it that next January's inauguration will look a little different from all the rest.
All those negative "can't" people out there, well, just get out of the way... .
At a time when older employees in our society are too often made to feel that they are too old, too un-technological, so "last century," John McCain soundly kicks the butts of all his younger competitors on the Republicans' campaign trail... Good for him!
And at a time when a lot of people still think a minority cannot be taken seriously as a national leader, the Democrats roar their approval of Barack Obama. I'm sure Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and the others who risked their lives to make sure that yesterday might one day come are rockin' and rollin' in heaven today. Was that nomination ceremony not somethin'? I can remember when it was thought that blacks and whites should not marry or have children because * gasp * of the children. Barack Obama takes a lot of people's breath away, but in a very good way.
And now we have Sarah Palin, a mother of five from Alaska, who may become the first woman vice president. We don't know too much about her yet because the announcement was just made this morning, but we know that, politically, it's game on. She went to a state university in Idaho and is not an Ivy Leaguer. So much for the limits on our potential. Will she be good for women or an awful embarrassment? Too soon to tell. But, heck, she can't be any more embarrassing than a vice president who gets indicted like Spiro Agnew, can't spell potato like Dan Quayle or shoots his buddy like Dick Cheney.
Apparently McCain had good things to say about Palin when he spoke at Fresno State. Will Allbritton of The Bee's interactive staff has posted video of his remarks over on the news blog. Take a look at it by clicking here.
Change? You want change? Well, hold on. As the Mouseketeers used to sing when I was a kid, "It's Anything Can Happen Day."
Associated Press Photo: Sarah Palin's husband, Todd, holds the Bible as she was sworn in as governor of Alaska in 2006.
 UPDATE at 8:29 p.m.
I have never had the opportunity to watch Sen. Barack Obama speak. As I board the shuttle back to our hotel, I'm amazed at how this man can connect with people. The crowd of approximately 75,000 people were changed by what this man said. As he concluded his speech, the song "Only in America" erupted from the platform as fireworks exploded in the sky.
That song fit this evening that we spent with Sen. and Mrs. Obama perfectly. Only in America can a man like Barack Obama have the chance to lead our nation.
As we conclude our convention, one thing is crystal clear: This election will be about the promise of our future vs. the failed policies of our past. The choice will be between hope for what we can do together and fear that tears us apart.
Everyone I spoke to today agreed that Sen. Obama needed a great night and that's exactly what he got. We will spend the rest of our evening with fellow California delegates visiting different receptions and events.
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We are having a great day in Denver as we await tonight's grand finale at Invesco Stadium. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa addressed our delegation this morning at breakfast. Both will be running for governor in 2010. The buzz among delegates is that Dianne Feinstein will decide to run for governor, thus clearing the field on the Democratic side.
Last night, we had a great time enjoying a barbecue with the Tennessee delegation. The California Gala was worth the long taxi ride, as the food was by far the best we have tried so far. We also went to Voto Latino, an event dedicated to our strong support among Latino voters. We finished the evening talking with former Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer in our hotel lobby.
A major concern among delegates has been the transportation to the Pepsi Center. A trip that should take no longer than 10 minutes, often takes an hour on the shuttles provided to us.
We just heard Jennifer Lopez is near our hotel so we are going to try and get a picture.
We are awaiting the final night in Denver!
Background on convention blogger Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
 Looking for something to do over the Labor Day holiday? Look for treasures in your own back yard.
I just got a note from Kristi G. Johnson, of the Fresno County Office of Tourism
& Film Commission, that the Wall Street Journal is carrying a story about Fresno's famous Underground Gardens. If you haven't seen it before, why not now? I ran into a former colleague the other day at Whole Foods, Leslie Cunning. Remember, she used to write the most charming columns in The Bee's feature section. Leslie is semi-retired now and giving tours of the gardens part-time.
See the impressions of the Wall Street Journal writer by clicking here.
Photo: From local author Silvio Manno's book on the Underground Gardens.
 Last night, I was watching the convention on KFSN Channel 30 (ABC). Former President Bill Clinton was giving his speech, which I had been looking forward to. I couldn't believe it -- the network cut away in the middle of the speech to return to its news broadcast. I had to switch to a cable news channel to see the rest of the speech. This was the only former president speaking during the Democrats' convention -- that is incredibly disrespectful.
With the state of things in our nation right now, the networks should be providing more comprehensive coverage of the convention, which sets the stage for an election that will be crucial to the future of America.
Maybe the powers that be at the networks will have more sense during the Republicans' convention next week.
Sen. Clinton met with us today to officially release us as her delegates. When she announced this a loud "NO" filled the room. Her delegates are loyal and committed and she called on us to support our nominee, Sen. Barack Obama.
What a night at the Democratic National Convention! The Pepsi Center was packed as many searched for seats. President Clinton reminded us of why we came to Denver, because this election is about people and their lives. Its about those who have been left behind for eight years and we must give them back their voice.
The President left no questions to be answered: He is for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He demonstrated the same class and loyalty we saw earlier today from Sen. Clinton. The speech was awesome!
Bo Biden introduced us to a very human side of Sen. Joe Biden. He is a great father, husband and senator who will be a strong asset to Barack Obama. The crowd went wild when Barack Obama joined Biden after his speech. Our ticket has been chosen and they are ready to lead.
Our group will be joining Larissa Cespedas as her guests to the Tennessee Delegation Barbecue tonight. We will then join our own delegation for a California Gala.
Hillary Clinton will speak to our delegation in the morning, as we wait for tomorrow's grand finale at Invesco Stadium.
 Jim Tucker taped his last Valley Press show Wednesday afternoon, the 675th over 19 years on Valley Public Television. His weekly interview program showed what local television stations could do in 30 minutes if they really wanted to produce substantive programming. He said it was time to give up the weekly show, and spend more time with his family. He earlier retired as a Fresno State journalism professor, and now he will find out what retirement really is.
The final show, an interview with Fresno Mayor Alan Autry, will air at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Now that we've dealt with the big news at KVPT (Jim's retirement), I'd like to offer my personal observations of this man. I first met him in my junior year at Fresno State. He was the young professor. I was the too-smart-for-his-britches student. He was tall and lean and I thought he could still be a long-distance runner, which he was in college. Those journalism classes began a relationship that has endured already for 39 years.
I was on Jim's first Valley Press show in 1989. It was an informative program, with then-Mayor Karen Humphrey as the first guest. I was one of the interviewers, along with Bee reporter Betsy Clemings, who is now a teacher in Clovis. We were a bit clumsy at the start, not knowing much about being on television. But we pulled it off under Jim's guidance.
I appeared on Valley Press several times over the years, and those apearances helped me when I was on statewide television as a debate panelist in governor and Senate races.
This was what impressed me about Jim: No one prepared like him for a program. You might be able to ask six or seven questions, and a few follow-ups during the 30 minutes, but he had questions that would have taken us into late-night programming if we had the time.
At a reception for Jim at KVPT after the Wednesday taping, politician after politician -- Democrat, Republican, independent -- praised his even-handed, but tough interview style. One of the things that I've always liked about Jim is that he's a gentleman. He did his job and did it with class.
So he was my professor and my journalistic colleague. He's also been my friend, through personal tragedies and tough times in both our lives. The one thing that has been constant since my days at Fresno State is Jim Tucker has been there to help and to mentor. One of the greatest honors I have received is getting the Jim Tucker Journalism Award from Fresno State's Mass Communication and Journalism Department in 2005, recognizing my work in the news business.
In recent years, we both seemed way too busy. But if I ran into him in the grocery store, we'd talk for 30 minutes or more in the produce aisle about big things and small matters.
I appreciate Jim's long run on Valley Press, and I think the region will miss his insightful interview program on KVPT.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has declared Barack Obama the official nominee of the Democratic Party. Sen. Hillary Clinton, displaying unquestionable class, entered the hall to procedurally stop the reading of the roll call vote and declare Obama the party's nominee.
Every delegate's vote will still be officially counted, but Sen. Clinton believed the reading of the votes wasn't necessary in favor of unity.
Sen. Barbara Boxer just shared with us the tentative vote numbers from California:
Obama, 273. Clinton, 166.
President Clinton's speech is coming soon.
Background on convention blogger Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
We started our morning with an early breakfast where Sen. Barbara Boxer greeted the California delegation. We were sad to hear that because of an injury, Sen. Dianne Feinstein was unable to make the convention. Sen. John Kerry and Claire McCaskill also spoke to our delegation with a clear call for a united effort to ensure victory this fall. Vanessa Lugo and I were briefly able to speak with Kerry. Vanessa, a Hillary delegate from Congressional District 20, is still excited about getting to meet San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at the Pepsi Center last night.
I am currently on my way back to our hotel from an interview I was able to take part in. The Economist interviewed me on how Democrats will improve our rural communities and help struggling family farmers and farmworkers. I was really proud to say I was from the San Joaquin Valley!
Hillary Clinton will address all of us who are her delegates at a special session at 1:15. We are looking forward to her continued guidance as we move forward to tonight where a roll-call vote will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. This vote is so important because it ensures the voice of every delegate and every voter who elected them is heard and respected.
We are going to meet up with Miguel Espinoza, who organized Hillary's trip to Fresno last October, soon. A special alumni celebration for those of us who worked on her staff will take place this evening as we anticipate hearing from our vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden.
A busy day in Denver!
Background on convention blogger Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
 Why is this man smiling? Not sure. A new Gallup poll is finding that Barack Obama got no bounce from choosing Joe Biden as his running mate. I'm not really surprised. Biden has had a very long career in the Senate, starting out as a boy wonder in a major upset election against a formidable opponent. He does not, however, come across as the most inspiring of Washington's leaders. And that's what we need in the middle of this depressing time -- a supremely talented person, who inspires us to do the work necessary to conquer our nation's mind-boggling challenges.
What do you think about Biden's pluses and minuses for the Obama ticket. Me? My theory is the Biden choice was a reactionary move because of the Russians' actions in Georgia. Biden should send a great big, beribboned fruit basket to the Russians for pulling that stunt during the Olympics. Obama did not react impressively in that situation, so the Obama camp panicked and trotted out someone with titanium-clad foreign policy cred. OK. We'll see how that works for them.
Last night during the convention coverage, Tom Brokaw was listing off all the problems the next president will face: this miserable economy, the unprecedented deficit, health care, climate change, energy crisis, two wars, the Russian agenda, the Middle East, terrorism -- and the big train that's coming -- entitlements for the aging and retiring baby boomers. Who wants a job like that?
Tell me we don't need inspiring leaders to help us dream up solutions for all these problems! I always lean toward leaders who are inspiring. Even if they are not as smart as their opponents, inspiring leaders will bring out the creativity, wisdom and perseverance in everyone else.They don't need to have all the answers if they can inspire others to work together and charge ahead to accomplish big goals.
Maybe Biden will give Obama some bounce with a rousing speech tonight. Sounds like Big B has been charged with attacking McCain. That's understandable, but he'd also better do some fancy talking to give the Democrats a clear understanding about why he was chosen as the VP nominee instead of the obvious favorite, Hillary Clinton, who was luminous last night.
Photo: Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
The union that represents prison guards in California is trying -- again -- to do a last-minute end run to secure a raise for its members. It didn't work last year, but the California Correctional Peace Officers Association is nothing if not persistent. And this year's effort is marked by some large and very cheesy donations to Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata for his campaign against redistricting reform. Here's our editorial today.
The Sacramento Bee found out that the union has contributed $577,000 to a campaign committee controlled by Perata, all of it very recently. Perata's using the money to fight Proposition 11, which would take away legislators' power to set the boundaries of their own districts.
Union guards have been working without a contract since July 2006, and haven't returned to the bargaining table. The state imposed its "last, best and final offer" in lieu of a contract, and that has the union upset.
There's speculation that Perata is seeking the union's help to push at least a couple of Republican senators, many of whom are fast friends of CCPOA, toward a budget compromise. In the meantime, he gets a pile of cash to fight the redistricting measure. Business as usual in Sacramento.
Sen. Hillary Clinton brought down the house tonight at the Democratic National Convention. Her speech reminded so many of us why we supported her for president. She has spent 35 years fighting for people, and blazed a trail for every woman and young girl in this nation.
There is no question Hillary supports Sen. Obama for president and has called on her delegates to do the same. This election is about more than Obama, Clinton and John McCain. It's about the future of the country we all love.
The gloves definitely came off tonight as virtually every speaker reminded the country that Sen John McCain has voted with President George W. Bush 95% of the time. Signs that read, "McCain is more of the Same" blanketed the convention hall.
We are leaving the Pepsi Center and have plans to attend an event featuring Willie Nelson, a New Democratic Coalition event, and whatever other events that look appealing.
We are joining Ian Weiland, a Hillary delegate from Fresno, tonight. And we all say good night and God bless from Denver!
Background on convention blogger Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told The Fresno Bee's editorial board that he won't settle for a bad budget and is willing to wait significantly longer for the right deal from the Legislature. He said he would hold his ground until November or even December without a budget, and would even consider "rolling right into" January with the introduction of his next budget.
And you thought that waiting until September to get a budget was revolutionary. Are the Democrats and Republicans ready to play that game of budget chicken? The public, which right now is not all that engaged in the problem, will be screaming if it takes that long to solve the budget crisis.
Schwarzenegger said during the editorial board meeting, which we held with him by video conference, that one thing he won't do is "kick the problem into next year." That means getting a solid budget that has significant reforms in it, including a rainy day fund, he said. The problem is the governor can't get his own party to go along with his budget proposal, and Democrats are resisting any significant spending limitations, which are in his plan.
Schwarzenegger has offered a reasonable budget proposal that includes a temporary sales tax increase and spending cuts to close a $15.2 billion deficit. He said his plan makes sense, and is the right thing for California. It has a 1-cent sales tax increase, but the total sales tax drops by 1.25 cents after three years. He also said the budget "rainy day" fund and an economic stimulus package will make the state much stronger economically. The Republicans should jump at this deal, he said.
The governor complained that the Republicans are throwing away budget reform with their anti-tax mantra. The short-term tax increase will buy them budget reform forever, he said.
Schwarzenegger also told The Bee's editorial board that the Republicans have yet to put up a specific proposal that shows how they will close the budget gap, or how much borrowing they are proposing.
"I have not seen a budget from the Republicans," he said. "Let's see their numbers. Let's see how they are going to make their cuts."
The governor is right about that. It is much easier to complain about the governor's plan than the GOP actually coming up with a budget that borrows from cities and counties and cuts billions in state programs.
Ya just never know. That was my reaction this morning to the obituary for Dave Freeman, co-author of the popular travel guide, "100 Things to Do Before You Die." He was just 47, and the story says he'd experienced about half of the oddities on his list. Good for him. That's a whole lot of fun for one life.
The ironies are plentiful in this story. After safely surviving adventures all over the world, including watching the second plane hit the World Trade Center from his apartment just a few blocks away, he died after hitting his head at home in Venice, Calif.
Have some fun out there today.
In a video meeting with The Fresno Bee's editorial board Monday evening, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the deadline to put measures on the California ballot will not pass as long as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's vice presidential running mate is not known.
"McCain hasn't named his vice president," Schwarzenegger said in response to my question about whether the deadline had passed to put measures from the Legislature on the November ballot. I said I didn't understand the connection between McCain and the ballot deadline. Schwarzenegger then explained that the November ballot in California can't be printed until McCain makes his VP choice known. Until that happens, he said. there is still time to put other items on the ballot.
The Secretary of State's Office said the GOP's vice presidential candidate's name must be on the ballot. But there's a difference in adding a name on one line on the ballot and adding four propositions, in addition to printing a supplemental ballot pamphlet that contains the pros/cons and independent analyses of the measures. The supplemental pamphlet could cost as much as $11.7 million, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
The statewide ballot pamphlet already has been printed. So, in addition to triggering the printing of a supplemental ballot pamphlet, if the governor signs the high-speed rail bond, voters would receive two ballot pamphlets (one with Prop 1 and one with Prop 1A). But their actual ballots would only include one of the two measures, which certainly raises the possibility of voter confusion, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
The governor's ballot deadline interpretation came as part of a discussion in which he said he was backing off his pledge to ignore all legislation until there is a state budget. Schwarzenegger said he would sign four bills that needed to get on the ballot, including the measure to improve the $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond measure. He also said he would put a water bond, lottery measure and budget reform bill on the ballot if the Legislature sent them to him immediately.
The high-speed rail measure is the only one that's ready to go.
Schwarzenegger said he was making this exception to his earlier pledge not to sign any bills until there's a budget because it is the right thing to do for the state.
This morning's breakfast with the California delegation was really good, far better than yesterday. We hear rumors there is tension regarding the roll call vote for Obama and Clinton.
The Emily's List luncheon is about to begin. Emily's List is the largest political action committee in the country and today it's honoring women leaders like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Michelle Obama.
After the luncheon, we are going to attempt to find better transporation to the Pepsi Center for this this evening's floor session. The shuttle system provided for delegates is very slow and almost caused us to lose our seats last night.
We are awaiting Hillary's speech tonight and I will let you all know what happens.
Background on convention blogger Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
I interviewed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Monday afternoon by video conference from his Fresno office and he said he believes that legislation on high-speed rail and water storage will get to his desk on time to put them on the ballot in November. He also said he would sign those bills, even though he previously vowed not to sign any bills until the budget is done. He also said he would signs bills to improve the the state lottery and reforming the budget process.
Schwarzenegger said he sent a letter to legislative leaders telling them of his plan. Here is the text of that letter:
Dear Madame Speaker, Senator Perata, Senator Cogdill and Mr. Villines:
The deadline for enacting measures for the November 2008 ballot is upon us. Any measures that must be placed on the November ballot must be acted on quickly. There are four measures that fall into this category: a measure that makes critical changes to the high-speed rail bond which is already slated to appear on the November ballot; a measure to allow the state to improve the performance of the Lottery, which is critical to the budget negotiations now underway; legislation to establish a rainy-day fund and reform our budget process, and a General Obligation bond measure to address the mounting state's water crisis.
I urge you to send me these measures that must be placed on the November ballot immediately.
So now the ball is back in the Legislature's court. But if our lawmakers can't get a budget passed, how are they going to reach agreement on a contentious issue like a water bond?
At least there's a starting point for negotiations: Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein have pushed a $9.3 billion measure that would include money for new dams, underground storage, conservation, levee and canal repairs and efforts to clean up contaminated water supplies. We'll see if our lawmakers can get it done.
Another one from the "duh" file: The Valley's hospitals are finally figuring out that if you are trying to teach mothers to breastfeed their newborns, it might not be the best thing to give new mothers "the gift" of diaper bags loaded up with free formula. Talk about your mixed message. See Barbara Anderson's story by clicking here.
It's one of the ironies of this kooky nation we live in that the most educated and financially well-off mothers have the highest rates of breastfeeding. The poorer and less educated the mother, the less often they breastfeed. That's just goofy -- breastfeeding is free and healthwise superior for mother and baby.
The disparities in Fresno's numbers are dramatic -- Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno has 10.2% of babies receiving only breast milk while in the hospital. In Saint Agnes, it's 82%.
I'm counting the nixing of free formula as good news because it's progress on a very important public health issue. Many issues connected with poverty are really tough to solve. This one is doable. Most mothers want the very best for their babies, and when they get good information and good support, they'll show improvement. First 5 Fresno County is supplying mothers with newborns new parent kits to give out in place of the diaper bags loaded up with free formula. Actually, statistics might look much better when new numbers come out in a few weeks because some local hospitals, particularly, Community in Fresno has really been working to improve those numbers.
UPDATE AT 8:44 p.m. PDT:
We are filing out of the Pepsi Center after the first night of our convention. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the convention to order shortly after 3 p.m. today. Tonight, we heard from a number of speakers with a focus on "Renewing America's Promise."
We were able to say hello to our Valley's own Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, on the convention floor.
Caroline Kennedy introduced Sen. Edward Kennedy to a thunderous roar from the delegates. The senator gave an awesome speech and called on us to work our hardest to elect Sen. Obama.
Michelle Obama gave a great speech and called on us to dream again, after 8 years of a failure of leadership under George W. Bush. She will no doubt make a great first lady!
Tonight's festivities include a reception hosted by Speaker Pelosi, a Rock the Vote party, a Planned Parenthood gala and much more. Vanessa Lugo and I just ran into Congressman Jim Costa as we were attempting to find the shuttles back to our hotel.
Good Night from Denver!
End of evening update.
The California delegation had breakfast this morning at our hotel. Our meal was definitely not worth waking up for, but our speakers were great.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi greeted our delegation and other speakers included State Party Chairman Art Torres, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and State Sen. Dean Florez. I sat with Fresno Councilwoman Cynthia Sterling and ran into Fresno's next mayor, Henry T. Perea, after the breakfast.
The media gathered all of those in our delegation under age 30 for a photo after the breakfast. We have the largest group of young people that have ever attended a Democratic National Convention.
You don't have to spend much time with other delegates to realize just how much work we have to do to heal this party. Many of Hillary's delegates feel they are being ignored by the Obama campaign and are very dissappointed that she wasn't even considered for the vice presidency. Small groups of Clinton delegates were meeting in the hotel earlier to decide what strategy they would follow during the convention.
Tonight, Michelle Obama will speak at the opening sessiom of our convention and we are looking forward to her speech. Tonight's speeches will be given by women leaders in the Democratic Party, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. Time to go to lunch!
Background on convention blogger Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
Mayor Alan Autry called me to say he hasn't had any complaints about the road construction on Cedar at Shaw near Fresno State. Not one. I raised the issue last week in this blog, asking why the work wasn't done earlier in the summer so it wouldn't impact classes at Fresno State, which begin today. Traffic is already a mess even before thousands of students head for classes.
The mayor said the work will be completed by Fresno State's first home football game against Wisconsin on Sept. 13, so it won't impact football fans traveling to Bulldogs Stadium. But what about students traveling to school for classes? This is a key intersection. Autry said the city has been working with Fresno State officials and they are fine with the construction schedule, as long as it doesn't cause problems for the football game.
I'm wondering if students caught in the traffic this morning heading to an 8 a.m. class feel the same way as the mayor and the Fresno State administration. It seems all this could have been avoided by scheduling the Cedar and Shaw construction a few weeks earlier.
 An article on fresnobee.com lists "25 Things you might now know about Obama."
Most interesting to me was No. 9: While a student at Harvard Law School, Barack Obama applied to appear in a black pride pinup calendar. He was rejected by an all-female committee.
There's a corresponding article about his opponent, Sen. John McCain: "25 Things you might not know about McCain."
My favorites on that list? Nos. 15 and 16:
He's serious about the finer points of barbecuing, and he likes to deep-fry turkeys in peanut oil. He wasn't happy when Hudson, the neighbors' black lab, ate the tenderloin he'd been marinating to grill for dinner at their ranch in Sedona, Ariz.
This morning I ran into fellow CD21 Hillary delegate Mary Fierro, a teacher from Fresno, at the Fresno Airport. Our plane to Denver was delayed so we enjoyed breakfast with Teresa Trejo, a retired teacher from Fresno and longtime Clinton supporter.
The shuttle ride to our hotel confirmed what I had suspected for months, the healing process between the Obama and Clinton camps is far from over. Delegates from both camps feel strongly about their candidates and unity is needed.
The entire California and New York delegation is staying at the Sheraton. While checking in, I ran into our State Sen. Dean Florez of Shafter and Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno. Vanessa Lugo and Miguel Arias, Hillary delegates from CD 20, are joining me for the welcoming gala this evening sponsored by the California Democratic Party.
Tomorrow morning, the California delegation will join Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Hillary Clinton for breakfast. The media have requested a photo of convention delegates who are under 30 and that includes myself. We will take the picture at the breakfast.
Off to a good start in Denver!
Background on convention blogger Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
It's been two years since Fresno County voters approved an extension of Measure C, the sale tax for county transportation needs. Two years, and there's little we can point to that's been done. Some folks are getting antsy for progress. That's the subject of our editorial today.
County voters have shown they're willing to tax themselves when the purpose of the tax is clear and specific, and the promises made in the campaigns for the tax measures are kept. Measure C is popular because it's a way to make up for years of neglect from Sacramento and the feds, who've consistently underserved Fresno and the Valley when it comes to infrastructure.
It's true that major projects take time for studies and engineering work. But a lot of the projects on the Measure C wish list could have been ready to go when the first revenues started coming in.
Excitement is in the air as thousands of delegates from across our country are arriving in Denver for the Democratic National Convention. I spent my day walking precincts in the small, farming community of Coalinga, so it looks like I will be packing through the night as I await my flight out of Fresno tomorrow morning.
As a former staff member and supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, I must say I was somewhat dissappointed to hear the news that she had not been selected as Sen. Obama's running mate. Every qualification that Barack Obama had set forth in a vice president, she far exceeded.
That being said, Sen. Joe Biden, also exceeds those qualifications and I am anxious to learn what his vision is for the changes our country must make. Calls and emails are coming in from other delegates from throughout the San Joaquin Valley with questions that range from what the weather is like in Denver to whether the Emily's List event is still sold out.
The California Democratic Party is hosting a special reception for our delegation tomorrow night and we all plan to attend. I look forward to sharing with you again, next time from Denver!
Background on Matt Rogers: He is 27 and a farmer from Kingsburg. He worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign during the primary election campaign, and is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District.
That's the recipe for Saturday's Valley Voices page in The Bee, so don't miss it. Jane Hammaker, a former Fresno Unified principal, supports the idea of turning one of Fresno's underperforming high schools into a charter school. She should know -- she was one of the early movers and shakers that made CART the success story that it is .
Josh Brahm of Central California Right to Life weighs in on the Janet Rivera story, saying that basic food and water should never be taken away from a disabled person.
Miki Thompson-Scott shares her affection for the Olympics.
An as we go into the Democratic National Convention.Francine Farber says Hillary Clinton is one of a long line of women leaders in our country and many others around the world.
Photo: Jane Hammaker
 That's what the past two "tweets" have been from NPR Politics. Meanwhile, CNN is "confirming" that Obama has picked Joe Biden as his running mate.
While I can't confirm this news anywhere else yet, I can confirm that there have been no text messages from Obama, since my cell phone has been strangely quiet all evening. (Yes, I know I dismissed his ploy earlier this week as a gimmick, but that doesn't mean I didn't sign up to receive a message on my mobile phone.)
I should be sleeping, since I'm running 8 miles at 4,000 feet in just a few hours. But being the news junky that I am, I keep looking for signs of actual news happening. And while I applaud Obama's people for keeping this secret this long, I'll be a little annoyed if the presidential contender fails to keep his promise to let his supporters know before the traditional media establishment gets the word.
 OpinionTalk will be bubbling with convention chatter for the next two weeks as Matt Rogers, a farmer from Kingsburg, and Derek Walter, a freelance writer and college teacher from Fresno, post their observations of the two national political conventions.
Matt, who has worked on Hillary Clinton's campaign, is one of three Democratic delegates from the 21st Congressional District. He will post entries beginning Sunday from the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The convention begins Monday, but the delegate partying begins on Sunday.
The following week, Derek, an alternate Republican delegate and Fresno County chairman of the John McCain 2008 campaign, will write from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Look for their insider view of the conventions beginning Sunday by going to our Opinion Talk blog on fresnobee.com/opinion.
Photos: Matt Rogers, left, and Derek Walter
State Sen. Darrel Steinberg is still in the middle of an interminable handoff of the leadership chores in the Senate, but he's advancing a bill that could have profound -- and positive -- impacts on the state's air quality by changing the way California cities grow.
Senate Bill 375 would tie transportation and land use decisions to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The state is committed to reducing those emissions by 25% over the next 12 years. Steinberg and others recognize that the greatest enemy of those efforts is urban sprawl, which has caused the number of miles we drive to increase twice as fast as our population. That's an unsustainable pace, and SB 375 would do much to stop sprawl in its tracks.
Essentially the bill would require metropolitan areas to come up with regional strategies for denser, more sustainable growth. The kicker: Regions that develop smarter growth plans would be first in line for state transportation funds. And home-builders would get relaxed rules for building closer to existing urban centers.
Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton writes that Steinberg has assembled "an unusual coalition: environmentalists and home-builders," in support of the bill.
SB 375 has already passed the Senate and awaits a vote in the Assembly, where passage also appears likely. Then it's on to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who ought to be supportive, since greenhouse gas reductions are his signature issue. Of course, the governor has said he won't sign anything until there's a budget deal, and that could take forever.
  The Fran Florez campaign for the Assembly takes surprising turn today, running very friendly ads on KMJ radio supporting Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, for her tough negotiating in Sacramento. Could this be a goodwill peace gesture? I think it's a very smart and calculated move, designed to turn to the candidate's advantage all the positive feelings toward Parra's independent streak. Clearly, Florez doesn't want to be seen as opposing Parra's actions.
So do you think it will work, seeing as how these two sworn enemies would pretty much prefer to rumble in the Woodward Park amphitheater? Or do you see this more cynically as a ploy by Florez to befriend Parra's ag supporters, who are singing hymns to her for what they see as a show of courage on behalf of Valley interests.
Photos: Fran Florez, left, and Nicole Parra
In case you're just tuning into this fight, here's the condensed version: The Florez and Parra families are long-time political enemies. Parra's throwing gasoline on that fire this year by publicly praising Republican Danny Gilmore, who's running for Parra's seat against Fran, a Democrat. So far, Fran's biggest sin is being related to Dean Florez, a state senator who long ago helped defeat Parra's father, Pete, for a Kern County supervisorial seat. Despite coming from the same party and having many itnerests in common, Dean and Nicole have been bitter enemies in the Legislature.
Now, if Nicole can put a political knife in Fran Florez's back, well, it's a payback for papa. The only problem with that thinking is that the Democrats poured millions into propping up Parra's campaigns when she faced some rough opponents. So, they are not amused with the self-serving nature of her little revenge plot.
Parra's being soundly thrashed by Karen Bass, Assembly speaker, for trading her vote for the Democratic state budget proposals to a completely unrelated issue, which is putting a water bond proposal on the November ballot.
Parra's been kicked out of her office and Bass took a ball peen hammer to Parra's pending legislation.
Talk about a double standard. We have no problem with 7-year-olds working in Chinese factories to produce inexpensive goods that we buy at Wal-Mart and Target, but we complain that they're being exploited when they compete in gymnastics. Stop whining. The Chinese gymnasts, no matter what their age, are good enough to win in the Olympics. Give them their due.
But the rules set a minimum age. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible to compete. The Chinese government insists their gymnasts are all at least 16, but China's credibility is so bad that no one believes anything that officially comes out of the country. The gymnasts are the victims of their own government's constant lying to the international community. In fact, the Chinese government would rather mislead than tell the truth, even when it doesn't make a difference.
But there also isn't any evidence so far that the gymnasts are underage. They just look young and are small.
This is what the Associated Press is reporting:
China was asked to provide additional documents proving that five of the six members of its gold medal women's gymnastics team were old enough to compete in the Beijing Olympics, in hopes of ending persistent questions about the girls' ages.
The International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated, but it asked gymnastics officials to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. The International
Gymnastics Federation asked China to submit documents that will further substantiate the ages of He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan.
The federation said it would forward its conclusions to the IOC. If it finds evidence that the gymnasts were underage, it could affect four of China's six medals. In addition to the team gold and He's gold on uneven bars, Yang won bronze medals in the all-around
and bars.
"It is in the interests of all concerned, not least the athletes themselves, to resolve this issue once and for all," FIG said in a statement.
So far, however, all the information the Chinese gymnastics federation has presented supports its insistence that its athletes were old enough to compete.
"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there's no question ... on the eligibility," Davies said. "The information we have received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation -- including birth certificates."
With the games wrapping up Sunday, the IOC wants to quickly end any lingering doubts about underage competitors. No one would be happier to finally have closure on the
controversy than the gymnasts' parents.
China coach Lu Shanzan said the parents are "indignant" over persistent questions about their daughters' ages. "It's not just me. The parents of our athletes are all very
indignant," Lu said. "They have faced groundless suspicion. Why aren't they believed? Why are their children suspected? Their parents are very angry."
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lu said Asian gymnasts are naturally smaller than their American and European rivals.
"At this competition, the Japanese gymnasts were just as small as the Chinese," he said. "Chinese competitors have for years all been small. It is not just this time. It is a question of race. European and American athletes are all powerful, very robust. But
Chinese athletes cannot be like that. They are by nature that small."
He said the governing body of gymnastics was given additional documents Thursday night to try to dispel lingering questions. Those documents included He's current and former passport, ID card and family residence permit. Lu said the documents all say she was born in 1992, which would have made her eligible to compete.
Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible. "Surely it's not possible that these documents are still not sufficient proof of her birthdate?" Lu asked. "The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The identity card was issued by China's Ministry of Public Security. If these valid documents are not enough to clarify this problem, then what will you believe?
"The Chinese government and the Chinese athletes must be respected," he added.
The coach dismissed Chinese media reports and online records that suggested that He, Yang and a third team member, Jiang Yuyuan, might be as young as 14.
"If you trust every Web site but not a government...," he said. "There are so many Web sites, so much hearsay. These are not official. It is possible that all news on the Internet is accurate?"
The federation has said repeatedly that a passport is the "accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility," and that China's gymnasts have presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls' passports and deemed them valid before
the games began.
Neither the IOC nor the FIG gave details on what new information prompted it to act now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.
"With some questions still remaining, we asked the federation to take a closer look," Davies said.
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it sent a letter to the IOC and the FIG on Friday, asking that the matter be resolved.
"We certainly believe that it's important for the IOC and the international federation to review the issue and hopefully lay it to rest because the questions surrounding the age of some of the athletes have been out there for quite a while and it's unfair to
them and unfair to the other athletes to continue to linger," USOC chief executive Jim Scherr said.
"So we have sent a letter to the IOC and to the international federation asking them to review the matter and see if they can't resolve it for the good of the competition, the integrity of the competition and the good of all the athletes."
The Chinese women won six medals, including the team gold and He's gold on uneven bars. Media reports include a Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, that suggest He is only 14. Asked again earlier this week about her age after winning the uneven bars title, beating American Nastia Liukin in a
tiebreak, she said:
"I was born in 1992, and I'm 16 years old now," He said. "The FIG has proved that. If I'm under 16, I couldn't have been competing here."
Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007
registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.
"We played fair at this Olympic Games," Liukin's father and coach, Valeri, said after they arrived back in the United States. "... If somebody cheated, shame on them."
Added Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics: "USA Gymnastics has always believed this issue needed to be addressed by the FIG and IOC. An investigation would help bring closure to the issue and remove any cloud of speculation from this competition."
Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. Younger gymnasts are considered to have an advantage because they are more flexible and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren't as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure.
North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.
Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games.
They had all summer, but our city leaders waited until school started at Fresno State to tear up Cedar Avenue on both sides of Shaw Avenue. Students began arriving on campus Thursday to move into residence halls. Classes begin Monday.
I would say city officials planned to make it miserable for those of us living near the university, as well as the students and staff, but these are people who don't seem to plan. They wing it. So traffic near the university is tied up from early morning hours until late in the evening because of the city's inability to do the job properly. Maybe this is payback for the university putting Chestnut Avenue out of commission for two years.
So who do we blame for today's problems on Cedar? Let's start with Mayor Alan Autry, who seldom sets foot in City Council District 4. Now if this had been the intersection at Fort Washington and Friant, delaying the mayor's twice-a-day trips to Starbucks, this project undoubtedly would have been completed quickly. You can call the mayor at (559) 621-8000, but the best way to get him is show up at the Starbucks at Fort Washington and Friant. The odds are very good that he'll be there.
Then there's Public Works Director Patrick Wiemiller, whose department oversees Fresno's street projects. If you think public works is a well-run department, I refer you to our "In A Fix" feature in The Bee. You can call Wiemiller at (559) 621-8650.
The council member for District 4 is Paul Caprioglio, who is standing in while Council Member Larry Westerlund is on military duty. I used to see Paul in my neighborhood a lot, but now that he's on the council, he's not around much. He's probably attending a lot of meetings at City Hall. You can call him at (559) 621-8000.
 The Boren/McEwen political podcast has been so popular that we're branching out to radio and we'll even take our show on the road to a service club. (Click here to listen to the latest podcast). We tape the segment every Monday and it's available on demand on fresnobee.com.
Bill and I wanted to let you in on these developments:
-- Every weekday on KYNO, 1300 on your AM dial, the Boren/McEwen podcast will offer a two-minute segment on politics. We'll let you know when the time has been locked in. KYNO becomes a talk/news format on Sept. 2. We'll be there at the start.
-- On Sept. 3 at noon, the Boren/McEwen podcast will host a one-hour debate between Fresno mayoral candidates Ashley Swearengin and Henry T. Perea. We also have plans to stream live video on the Internet. This will be the benchmark debate that will set the tone for the runoff campaign between Swearengin and Perea.
-- On Sept. 15, we'll do our podcast from the Fresno Rotary Club, which is Fresno's largest service club. Our podcast will be recorded from the club's luncheon venue -- the Cornerstone Conference Center in downtown Fresno.
We appreciate our fast-growing listenership, and thank you for making the political podcast a success.
 The Bee's Vanessa Colon is reporting on fresnobee.com that Sen. Hillary Clinton and Robert Kennedy Jr. are coming to town this weekend.
It's been awhile since we've seen Clinton (we're thinking it was in 2007 at Fresno High School) so it should be interesting to hear what she has to say about the upcoming vice presidential choice -- if she will touch that hot topic at all. Kennedy and Clinton will speak in Fresno at the United Farm Workers of America's 18th Constitutional Convention. Kennedy will speak on behalf of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Fresno Convention Center. At 2 p.m. Sunday, Clinton will address the convention. Will you be there?
Something at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds smells, and it's not the barbecued tri-tip.
Fair officials have a parking contract with a private businessman that reeks like the livestock pavilion. By allowing Bill Hargrove, a businessman who operates a weekend flea market on the grounds, to collect tens of thousands of dollars in parking revenue each year for events he has no role in staging, the government-run fair has been deprived of more than $171,000 in the past four years.
And that is a betrayal of the people's trust.
Read our editorial here.
It's nice to see gas prices dropping a bit. It's even nicer to see people in the Valley and elsewhere making changes in their transportation choices. That's the conclusion of our editorial today.
Ridership on the San Joaquins, the Valley's Amtrak line, is way up over last year -- 32% more riders in July than in the same month as year ago.
Another bit of good news: The city of Fresno is moving ahead with plans for "bus rapid transit" line," hoping to have the express buses running in two years or so. We urge the city to accelerate that process.
Gas prices have fallen a bit from their summer peak recently, but the trend is ever higher. As global demand grows, production stagnates, and even declines in some oil-producing countries. That means oil is going to cost more and more in the long run. Our best chance for preserving our standard of living is to reduce our use of oil to fuel our transportation systems.
Fifty-one days into the state budget standoff, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has tried once again to bring the Democrats and Republicans together. He is talking some tax increases, bigger spending cuts than he originally proposed and a budget reform ideas that he has been seeking since he was elected in 2003.
According to the Sacramento Bee, the governor is advancing a plan that would have a three-year increase in the sales tax, spending cuts and a "rainy day fund" for the budget to get through down economic cycles. The Bee reports Schwarzennegger as saying the budget deadlock is "shameful."
At the heart of the governor's plan is a one-cent sales tax increase, which would raise $6 billion annually for three years. Then the rate would go below today's current rate.
Here's a transcript of the governor's news conference today explaining his plan:
Good afternoon, everybody. I hope you all had lunch, because I didn't. (Laughter) I'm losing weight. I'm telling you, very soon I'm going to have abs like you, Dan.
But anyway, as you know, the constitutional deadline for a new budget was more than two months ago and the legislature still hasn't passed a budget. This is shameful and it has already imposed very difficult hardships on Californians across out state. Many Medi-Cal hospitals are not getting paid. Neither are nursing homes and childcare centers. We had to lay off thousands of state workers to prepare for the looming cash crisis.
The pain will become even worse and more severe if the legislature drags this out any longer. This is precisely why I've pushed for budget reform since I have come into office so that we could avoid putting the people of California through this kind of madness every time there is an economic slowdown.
This year Republicans and Democrats have talked a lot about reforming the system and fixing the system. But I think it's time for the dialogue to stop and to create some action and it is time for everyone to compromise and to get this done once and for all. Republicans must step out of their ideological corner on the right and Democrats must step out of their ideological corner on the left. We must meet in the middle. We must compromise so that we can move on with vital businesses besides the budget such as the water, court and prison crises that we're in.
That's why we're here today to announce a compromised budget proposal that addresses the $15.2 billion deficit and makes additional spending cuts, increases revenues and, most importantly, reforms our broken budget system.
All of us have been sent to Sacramento to find common ground here and to get results and to move California forward. My compromised budget does exactly that.
-- It includes an additional $2 billion in spending cuts above what the conference committee has agreed to.
-- It sets up the strongest rainy day fund in the nation, so that we could be required to put money aside in the good years and stabilize revenues in the tough years.
-- It gives future governors the power to make mid-year spending cuts so that when they see a deficit coming they can make those cuts immediately.
-- And it includes also an economic stimulus package to put people back to work and help revive our economy.
These are groundbreaking reforms that will end our feast or famine budgeting and help restore the public's faith in state government.
But in exchange for permanent reform and a budget system that really will work, I am willing to compromise on the temporary one-cent increase in the state's sales tax followed by a permanent cut, which means then it will go after three years below the level where it is now by .25 cents.
This budget does not borrow or steal money from local governments, nor from transportation. It is not a get-out-of-town budget. It does not kick the can down the road and let someone else then worry about it later on. It is fiscally responsible, it's a fiscally responsible compromise with reforms that fix our system once and for all. This compromised budget proposal puts our state on the road to fiscal sanity and will give California a budget system that works, which means we will pay off our debt and also we will be living within our means.
Thank you very much. And now, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
QUESTION/ANSWER:
QUESTION: Governor, you said it's a compromise. Have you got anybody on board with this, Democrat, Republican leadership?
GOVERNOR: Well, as I said, there are still -- you know, the right is on the right and the left is on the left and they are pulling that rubber band as close as possible to the middle but they are not there yet. So this is basically saying here is an idea of how we can solve this where everyone gives -- because it's the only way that you can solve this budget crisis, is by everyone, the Democrats giving and the Republicans giving.
And that's why I say they have to step out of their ideological corners of the right and the left and come in the middle, because that's basically what the people expect us to do. They send us to Sacramento to fix the problems and not just to get stuck in our ideology and become party servants but to become public servants and that's what we're here for in Sacramento.
And this is what this proposal says. And it's for me to show, look, I've been against certain things but I'm stepping over the line here and I am doing things in order to get it done. It's a way of compromising. And I have explained it to each one of the leaders. This budget will not get done by taking it easy or doing easy things. This budget only will get done if we all make tough choices that we maybe thought we would have never make.
Yes?
QUESTION: You talked about you were unhappy with the notion of borrowing (Inaudible) talked about in Big Fives and other discussions. But to clarify, does that mean you don't want to do but you will? Or you absolutely won't agree to it?
GOVERNOR: We are right now still paying off the debt of the ERP. We have not paid it off, we are still paying off debt and therefore it will be unwise to go and create more debt and borrow again before we have paid off the debt.
So I think we have to recognize that we need more revenues. I think that by borrowing and taking money from local government and taking money from transportation and kicking that can down the alley when we know that that means that next year we will have the same problem, we will be in the same crisis and we will then have to raise taxes next year.
I think it would be irresponsible. I think we should do it this year, we should fix it, we should fix the budget system and create the extra revenues and then move forward in a sane way, rather than going now through another year of the same fights and not getting anything done.
QUESTION: So is that a no, I won't do it, I won't agree to it?
GOVERNOR: As I said, it is not a wise idea and I will not do that, no.
QUESTION: Governor, how does this announcement today advance the situation? Haven't these proposals essentially been on the table for several weeks?
GOVERNOR: We have been discussing, I think the last two months, various different ideas and proposals. And this is just basically to come out officially and to say here is officially my proposal and take this seriously because this is where I'm willing to go. And this is not part of a Kabuki or anything like that, this is really trying to move things forward, because we are running out of time.
And I think it is so important for Democrats and Republicans to seize this opportunity and to say we can make this work, we can come to an agreement. We all have to go and do things that we normally would not do but it's the only way we get this done. And in return, we maybe also get done the water, we can go and make a commitment to build more courthouses and work on health care and all the important issues that are facing us. I think it is key for us that we finish this year with victories and not another year where nothing gets done just because everyone is stuck in their ideology.
QUESTION: Do you have a different strategy to sell this now? I mean, you've had the leaders in, you've talked to the leaders individually, as I understand it. Are you going to start bringing down more members or go to the caucuses? How are you going to push this forward?
GOVERNOR: I always try to respect the leaders. They are the leaders, they are chosen by their caucuses to be the leaders and so I will work through them. But I also am always talking to members individually, just to explain why this is the right way to go. Yes, of course.
But strategy-wise, not much has changed. I keep hammering away to them, every time I talk to them, that let us get together and let us work this out. And don't come to the table with the same stubborn position. You've got to be able to be flexible. Because that's what happened yesterday when we had the Big Five Meeting; the Republicans came in again with the mantra, no taxes, no taxes, no taxes and then the Democrats came in and say no cuts, not cuts. So you can't continue this way, because otherwise we're going to sit here six months from now.
And I made it very clear to all of them that this is a year where it is clearly coming out that our budget reform that we have attempted in 2004 with Propositions 57 and 58, does not work, that it was too soft, that we have to make it a tougher budget reform, something that really works, where we're putting together a certain amount of money. And this is why our budget proposal and reform says that we should put 12.5 percent of our revenues into a budget stabilization fund and that should be the limit. So that would mean the most amount of money of any state in the union, to have that kind of stabilization fund.
And also to make mid-year cuts, up to $3 billion, so that when you have a situation like last year where you saw that in August there were $200 million less coming in than anticipated -- and then you see by September/October it's $300 to $400 million and by December it was $600 million -- that I, as governor, can go in already in September and start making the cuts and say okay, we're going to cut the programs so that we don't have this kind of a situation. And then we would have only had a $4 billion problem rather than last year the $7 billion problem because we didn't have a chance to do the mid-year cuts.
So those are the kind of changes that we want to make. We have to learn from the past. I think that everyone had to recognize that we spent more money than we have taken in and we all have to recognize that. But we also have to recognize that the only way to fix it is by creating extra revenues. But at the same time, as a compromise for that, in return to go and say let us create a system now that this will never, ever happen again, so we have to ever go back to the taxpayers and say we need to raise temporarily the taxes.
Okay. Last question, please.
QUESTION: (Inaudible)
GOVERNOR: Say again?
QUESTION: The State Controller today --
GOVERNOR: Yes?
QUESTION: -- said he's going to go forward with the paychecks, issuing regular paychecks on Friday, sending them to the state printers. What do you think about that?
GOVERNOR: I am upset about it and I'm upset that he's not a team player. And I think that our state can only function if we all are part of one team. It's like a basketball team, it's like a sports team. And I think if we all go off and make our maneuvers in a political way rather than what is best for the state, I think that it hurts the state. But I will continue using my executive power and I will continue making sure that we have enough cash so that as we go on here that we can make our payments. I think this is very important, it's my responsibility.
Thank you very much for you time, appreciate it very much.
QUESTION: How can you be at the convention? You told everybody not to --
GOVERNOR: No convention if we don't have a budget.
QUESTION: But you're on the list. They just released the list. You're on the first night.
GOVERNOR: (Inaudible)
QUESTION: Thank you.
GOVERNOR: It's a very good question. Sorry, I think that ought to be addressed. And I made it very clear to Senator McCain when I spoke to him yesterday and I made it very clear to his people, that I am honored to be asked to speak at the convention, the Republican Convention and that I would be honored to do anything to help him win the presidency. But that the state of California and the budget is the most important thing, so that if I don't have a budget I cannot speak at the convention. I will be here. So I think this is very important, so I think everyone knows that.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
 We had a family gathering over the weekend and one of my relatives was exceedingly unhappy at having to pay the extra tax to drive into Woodward Park. See today's story about it here.
When she first heard about this surtax, she didn't get too excited because she thought it was intended for people who live way out of town, not people who live 10 minutes from the park. She lives in Clovis, and the only reason she was even at the park was to take her grandson there, who lives in Fresno.
Unfortunately, he's just a toddler, so he doesn't yet have an identification proving his Fresno residence. So, looks like she's stuck with the extra tax, and she's right to say it's not fair. I guess Fresno's kids need to get ID cards to avoid being doubly taxed for park services. It's not the $2. It's the idea. "You need to write about this in The Bee," she advised.
She's right, so here I am again. I think we should call it the ducks tax because the people who voted it in were all quacks. I've posted complaints about this lame idea before. Read it here.
OK, the idea was to get money from people who don't pay taxes on our parks. Unfortunately, all people with Fresno addresses get by without paying the $2 surtax, even if they live in a county island.
Everyone understands if more money is needed to improve the parks. So charge everyone $4 and be done with it.
Fresno Bee photo: Here they are, the ducks of Woodward Park. Quack.
It wasn't enough for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass to banish Nicole Parra to the Coventry of an office away from the Capitol. The plug has been pulled on all the legislation Parra was moving as well, according to The Sacramento Bee.
The legislative package didn't amount to much -- two bills and one resolution -- but it's another symbolic snub for Parra after she abstained on a phony budget vote because she wants Valley water issues addressed in a water bond. That angered Bass and other Democrats.
Parra gets kudos from a lot of people in the Valley for her "brave" stance. I don't buy it. She's termed out, she's apparently about to endorse a Republican to replace her, and admitted herself that "I didn't have that big of a [legislative] package. It is my last year."
Her gesture never had the slightest chance of affecting the debate on water issues or the budget. But she's a hero hereabouts.
More than one Democrat in the Capitol noted that Parra wouldn't have been in the Assembly at all the past six years if the Democratic party hadn't pumped millions of dollars into her campaigns, which she narrowly won. They see the "Valley heroine" as an ingrate.
The whole thing is vastly depressing. We have no state budget, our infrastructure is crumbling, our schools are underperforming, health care is headed for the toilet, air quality is bad, a water crisis is upon us -- and all we get from our leaders is prattle and posturing and childish games.
  Fresno County Supervisor Bob Waterston called KMJ radio Tuesday to tell Assembly Member Nicole Parra that she's a "rock star" for holding out for a water bond on the November ballot. Parra got tossed out of her Capitol office Monday by Speaker Karen Bass for not voting for the Democrats' plan to solve the budget mess. The Hanford Democrat says no water, no budget vote. And that apparently makes Parra a "rock star."
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't remember Parra singing anything or playing an instrument, let alone having the fan adoration of a rock star. But she's a rock star for not voting for the state budget. Oh, how the rock star standards have fallen.
This is one of those terms that older people use to act cool when they're not. You'll never hear a 20-something say a politician is a rock star. But Waterston is 63, so excuse the rock star cliche.
If you go to a meeting of Fresno politicians and government do-gooders, they'll throw the rock star term around a dozen times in an hour. Not once have I seen a rock star walk through the doors, although there have been plenty of politicians coming the publc's way to get their hands on our wallets.
Rock star is now similar to "at the end of the day," a favorite saying at City Hall. Listen to a City Council meeting and every council member and the city manager will say "at the end of the day" at least twice (by the end of the day). This is how they might use the term:
"At the end of the day, we have only so many rock stars in Fresno and we don't want to overuse them so they'll be available at the end of the day." Fresno, as you can tell, is big in doing things "at the end of the day." That's why we have so many rock stars.
 Nothing gets people fired up like talking about which "sports" aren't actually sports and shouldn't be included in the Olympics. That much was clear after a heated discussion during our morning meeting.
One member of the editorial board said "It's not a sport if there's no ball." (Excuse me? Running is not a sport? I beg to differ.) Another disparaged synchronized diving. I disagree -- to me, that looks harder than regular diving, where you only have to worry about your own performance, not synching with another athlete.
According to a Time magazine article, "Among the 28 sanctioned sports for 2012, you can find table tennis but not golf, baseball, softball or racquetball." The headline of the article is "Should Chess Be an Olympic Sport?"
I say no. Why on earth would a board game, no matter how much mental skill is involved, be included in a competition that has always -- at least in modern times -- been about athletic prowess?
"Mind sports, by their nature, cannot be part of the program," says International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau, though she says the IOC hasn't rejected their bids entirely.
An article in the Canadian newspaper Peterborough Examiner says there is no shortage of questionable Olympic sports:
"Why has dressage, which is essentially dancing horses, been in the Olympics since 1912? The horse is the only athlete in that event. Even ballroom dancing, which once applied for Olympic status and was turned down, requires more athleticism than a dressage rider."
Which sports don't belong in the Olympics?
Photo by Getty Images:Spain's Andrea Fuentes and Gemma Mengual perform during the synchronized swimming duet free routine final event of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. One member of the editorial board said that synchronized swimming is the "poster child" for sports that aren't.
Bill and I were pretty grouchy on this week's Boren/McEwen political podcast, and we couldn't even come up with a political winner. We are a cynical pair. But we had several losers and you can listen to our reasoning by clicking here to listen to this week's podcast.
Bill narrowed down his loser of the week to Congressman George Radanovich, the Mariposa Republican, for being a do-nothing lawmaker during his seven terms in Congress. My losers this week were local legislators who have done little to get a state budget resolved. That group includes Republicans Dave Cogdill, Mike Villines, Bill Maze and Democrats Juan Arambula, Nicole Parra and Dean Florez.
The other topics in this week's podcast are the Fresno mayor's race and Mayor Alan Autry's latest protest over the lack of legislative action on getting the water crisis solved.
Click here and then click on "Listen to Podcast" to hear the latest political happenings in the Valley.
With gas prices still hovering around $4 a gallon, even after the summer peak, it looks like many people are learning to love the train. Amtrak ridership on the Valley's San Joaquin trains in July was up a whopping 32.1 percent. More than 100,000 passengers took the San Joaquins last month. The San Joaquins are now the fifth busiest Amtrak line in the nation.
Around the country Amtrak is posting other impressive gains. Overall ridership was up 14% in July, with a total of 2.75 million passengers -- the most in Amtrak's 37-year history.
Naw, Americans will never get out of their cars.
 What a great way to start the day, reading Doug Hoagland's story in today's Bee about William Lyles' gift of $10 million in matching funds to Fresno State's College of Engineering. Ironically, it wasn't that long ago that the engineering department was struggling to the point that that it was going to be folded into the College of Science and Mathematics.
The Lyles donation will mean so much because not only will it beef up the department's student recruiting and improve student services, it also should help Fresno State compete for the best professors, who are very much in demand nationwide.
There also is good news the Merced Sun-Star, which is reporting that gifts to UC Merced, increased by more than 70%, to nearly $10.6 million during the 2007-08 fiscal year. All this despite the downward spiral of the California economy.
About 950 individuals, corporations and charitable foundations contributed, the university said, up 23% compared with a year ago. The average gift per donor was $11,156 while the largest was $2 million. The fiscal year ended June 30.
The largest single gift was $2 million provided by the California Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles.
The $10.6 million in gifts in 2007-08 brings the university's total since it began accepting gifts in 1998 to $62.9 million. UC Merced opened in 2005.
At Fresno State, Lyles also gave money to create the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Interestingly, in the most recent issue of the Futurist magazine, an article titled "Majoring in the Unusual" by Patrick Tucker named this as one of the best majors for the future.
Perhaps the most practical and potentially rewarding major is the relatively new field of entrepreneurship. Starting your own company requires a working knowledge of a variety of different fields, such as accounting, economics, and advertising. But for those willing to put in the time, Âentrepreneurial success pays well. Self-employed individuals report the highest levels of job and career satisfaction. While they comprise only one-fifth of the U.S. population, the self-employed make up more than 75% of U.S. millionaires. Now that's a useful major.
Who knows? In a few years, those students may be able to donate millions to a univerisity of their choice. That's what we're talking about -- paying it forward.
 Sen. Diane Feinstein won't be able to attend next week's Democratic Convention in Denver. According to The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert, her doctor has ordered her not to travel after breaking her ankle in Lake Tahoe over the weekend.
"My doctor has advised me not to travel in the short-term, and so, regretfully, I am unable to attend what will surely be an historic convention in Denver," said California's senior senator, who is 75.
What a bummer.
Associated Press photo: U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks at the 12th annual Tahoe Summit in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday. Each year, the Lake Tahoe Summit brings politicians, agency officials and scientists together to discuss the future of Lake Tahoe and its surrounding environment.
Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, can say bye bye to her Capitol digs, cause she's been bounced across the street for defying her party on a budget vote. She's holding out for a better deal on a water bond.
Here is the story just filed by The Bee's E.J. Schultz:
SACRAMENTO -- Hanford Democrat Nicole Parra was booted from her Assembly office today as punishment for bucking her party on Sunday night's budget vote.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass gave Parra until the end of the day to move into a one-room office across the street from the Capitol in a building normally reserved for legislative staff members.
It's not unprecedented for leaders to move rebellious members to smaller offices, but it's believed this is the first time a lawmaker has been sent out of the Capitol building.
Nicole Parra
Parra has said she won't vote for a budget until lawmakers also reach a deal to put a water bond on the November ballot that could include money for dams. On Sunday, she was the only Democrat who abstained on the state budget vote, which failed on party lines.
Parra was not immediately available for comment.
"It's unfortunate," said her chief of staff, Derek Chernow. Parra "felt what she did was the best for her district."
But other Democrats said Parra was taking the state "hostage" with her demand.
"Californians have been waiting for us to pass a budget now for over a month in a half," said Assembly Member Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank. "It's outrageous that any member, Democrat or Republican of this Legislature, would force the children and the elderly and the disabled people of California to continue to suffer without a budget because of the narrow interests of their own district."
Check fresnobee.com for further updates and The Fresno Bee tomorrow for full coverage.
UPDATE: Well, there's a nasty little controversy surrounding the Saddleback forum. Seems that John McCain may not have been in a "cone of silence" unable to hear the questions given to Barack Obama after all. In truth, he was actually en route to the church during the first half hour of questioning. Could he have turned on a radio or TV and actually heard what was going on?
Here's the New York Times story:
Actually, it turns out that both the candidates got a sample of the questions in advance, church officials say. Click here.
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OK, the megachurch face-off between the presidential candidates, with Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in charge, is now over. You've had a chance to think it over and listen to the pundits give their opinions on the forum, so what did you think? Personally, I thought they both were pretty average. From my vantage point, there were no big mistakes -- but neither made me want to stand up and applaud, either. I was impressed with Rev. Warren; I thought his questions were thoughtful and appropriate to his mission. If you missed it or want to see excerpts of it again, click here.
If you were scoring the performances of the candidates on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you line it up? Did you like the format? Were the questions pertinent to the issues you think are important?
Was such a discussion appropriate for a church or totally out of line? Were there responses you thought were especially good or bad?
 So much for not paying his income taxes, Fresno Mayor Alan Autry has now decided that he won't wear a coat and tie until there's a water deal out of Sacramento. Gee, that will get the environmentalists to agree to building more dams.
Just when I thought the lameduck mayor couldn't get any more irrelevant, it was reported in The Bee on Saturday that the mayor will be protesting formal wear. I can't really remember him wearing a coat and tie, although our files do contain photos of him in such an outfit.
My question for Autry is why do you only protest with symbols you don't like anyway? He doesn't like paying his taxes so he won't pay them (he changed his mind when he was told he could go to jail on this one) and he doesn't like wearing a coat and tie, so he won't wear them. He also won't be eating his vegetables at Sunday dinner and won't be taking the city bus.
Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez and Mohandas Ghandi would be so proud of this civil disobedience.
A real protest would be for Autry not to go to Starbucks until there's a water deal. Besides, Starbucks has run dozens of local coffee houses out of business, so that protest would actually help his constituents. But we all know that the mayor can't stay out of Starbucks.
Besides, why should the mayor care about local businesses?
Sen. Dianne Feinstein lit into her Democratic pals in the state Legislature the other day for their intransigence on the subject of new dams. Feinstein and Gov. Schwarzenegger have proposed a $9 billion water bond that would begin to address the state's water crisis, and Feinstein is upset that no action has been taken on the measure. We agree in today's editorial.
We've long advocated a three-part solution to the water supply crisis: New surface storage (dams), increased underground water banking and dramatic new efforts for conservation.
Dams are a long-term answer; conservation is a short-term measure. Underground storage falls somewhere in between.
But in the rarified atmosphere of Sacramento, where ideological rigidity and special-interest politics are the rule, the sort of compromise those solutions represent is nearly impossible. So we wait, and run the risk of seeing the state utterly parched and desperately thirsty in a very few years.
Fresno mayoral candidate Ashley Swearengin is touting the support of Republican Minority Leader Mike Villines of Clovis and Democratic Assemblyman Juan Arambula of Fresno. These endorsements show that Swearengin, who is facing Councilman Henry T. Perea in the November election, is continuing to make inroads across the community. Villines and Arambula will headline a big fund-raiser for Swearengin Aug. 29 at Pardini's.
The endorsements will help Swearengin, but I'd rather see Villines and Arambula solve the state's budget mess before they try to run the city of Fresno. Fortunately, the city does not have the option of being 47 days into the fiscal year without a budget. So do your jobs, Assemblymen Villines and Arambula, and get a budget passed. (This reminds me of the evening a few weeks ago that Vilines and other legislative leaders partied at a Chukchansi casino gala and joked they could have settled the state budget that night if they really wanted to.)
The other thing I'd like to see -- especially if Villines and Arambula are going to be the great saviors of Fresno -- is for them to pledge that they will not take any local funding to solve the state budget crisis. There's little doubt that the state is going to steal more money from local agencies because lawmakers can't say "No" to the special interests in Sacramento. Villines and Arambula will be in the middle of the money grab.
Swearengin should be ready to denounce Villines or Arambula if either of them finally votes for a budget that takes local fundng. Now that would show some guts on the part of Swearengin.
 "Scully, we've got to head to northern Georgia."
"What for, Mulder?"
"Haven't you heard? Some hunters have found Bigfoot."
"Mulder, I saw their poorly executed video on YouTube. I don't know how you could think that what they say is even remotely plausible."
"Just because they're bad camera handlers doesn't mean they didn't really find Bigfoot. I think it's worth checking it out."
"Mulder, we can't waste time or resources on this. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Reserve said they aren't taking the claim seriously and won't investigate Bigfoot because it's not a federal priority."
"Scully, when has the government ever had its priorities straight? I think the government has colluded for decades to keep news of Bigfoot from ever getting out."
"Maybe it's a smokescreen, Mulder. Maybe it's supposed to distract us from the really scary story of today."
"What's that, Scully?"
"A school district in Texas is going to let teachers and staff members to carry concealed firearms to deter and protect against school shootings when classes begin this month. I read about it in the newspaper."
Mulder lets loose a girly scream. "Guns in Texas classrooms? What's next -- switchblades in church? This is all wrong, Scully. This is not how school is supposed to be. Not even in Texas."
 I'm very excited about the debate between McCain and Obama at the Rev. Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest tomorrow. I hope Warren does things his own way as a pastor and doesn't try to imitate the news media. They do their thing, and he needs to do his. What are your thoughts?
This is really an interesting format, though a lot of people in the blogosphere think this is not going to be the confrontational headbanger they are longing for. My understanding is that one candidate has an hour to answer questions while the other is in a place where he cannot hear anything -- game-show style. Then the second candidate will get the same opportunity to answer the exact same questions. No interruptions, no face-to-face gotcha. It's going to run from 5-7 p.m. Look at the Web site here.
One of my colleagues said this about the meeting: "There isn't supposed to be a religious test for our leaders, but of course, there is. This could be a very big deal for McCain, who hasn't been that close to evangelicals. Obama has been at Warren's church before."
Do you think there is an unspoken "religious test" for our leaders? I definitely do. Do you think a Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Bahai or member of any other faith besides mainstream Christian could be elected president of our country anytime soon? I have two words for that possibility: not happening.
Associated Press Photo: The Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest will interview candidates in a forum Saturday.
Time's running out on the effort to get a stronger high-speed rail bond measure on the November ballot. The reworked measure would increase oversight and spread the funding around more equitably -- changes Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger insisted on.
But now Schwarzenegger is pledged to veto any legislation that crosses his desk before a budget deal. That puts the high-speed measure in a sort of limbo. If the changes aren't enacted, Proposition 1 will remain on the ballot as originally written -- and should be approved, if that's the case.
But the revised measure would be a better deal for all of California, and most especially the Valley, which stands to gain more than any other region of the state if a high-speed rail system is built linking Northern and Southern California by way of Fresno.
That's why we urged the governor, in an editorial published today, to ease his vow on no new legislation, and sign this important piece of California's future.
So Donald Trump is coming to the rescue of Ed McMahon. The billionaire developer and Fresno chain-yanker is stepping in to buy McMahon's house from his creditors and lease it back to the former Tonight Show sidekick. Trump describes it as an act of compassion.
There's no truth to the rumor -- we think -- that Trump really covets the property for an 18-hole championship PGA golf course.
If you're wondering which of our Republican neighbors will be representing the Valley's interests at the national GOP convention in St. Paul next month, our friends over at sanjoaquinvalleyfornia.com have compiled a list of the delegates.
One of the alternate delegates, Derek Walter, will be blogging on OpinionTalk during the week, so we'll get his first-person perspectives on all the happenings. Can't wait for that! If you have questions for him, post them and we'll make sure he gets them.
 There is a new poll out there asking parents how they would feel if their child did something improper at a friend's sleepover. They were given several choices, including smoking marijuana, watching porn, drinking beer or watching Grand Theft Auto. (I guess Truth or Dare isn't scary enough?) After marijuana, which was the parents' biggest fear, the parents were most disapproving of the video game.
I haven't spent a lot of time watching that game, but a couple of exchange students we hosted a few years ago really liked it. They were 18, and good students, not impressionable children, so I didn't worry about them.
What did concern me was that the boys wanted to spend every spare minute playing those games. Sometimes they'd have friends over and play all night long. It was the addictive nature of the games that most disturbed me. It seemed like they just could not get enough.
Of course, porn and beer also can be addictive, so that's pretty worrisome. As a mom, I think I'd worry most about the alcohol. It's cheap, easy to get and our society has bodies strewn everywhere, giving glowing evidence of the people who have fallen victim to the booze monster.
Read an insightful commentary by Alex Pham of the Los Angeles Times on the video game fears by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:
Cheryl K. Olson, co-founder of the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media and coauthor of the book "Grand Theft Childhood," thinks parents see games as the devil they don't know and therefore dread it more than porn or alcohol.
"Although these findings seem surprising at first, they hint at fears parents have about video games," Olson said. "To some parents, video games are full of unknowable dangers. Of course, parents don't want their children drinking alcohol, but that's a more familiar risk."
 One headline from today's news has captivated my imagination like no other: "Julia Child part of WWII-era spy ring."
Who knew that the 6-foot, 2-inch tall warbly voiced chef, who demystified French cuisine with her long-running show, "The French Chef," led a secret double life?
"They were soldiers, actors, historians, lawyers, athletes, professors, reporters. But for several years during World War II, they were known simply as the OSS. They studied military plans, created propaganda, infiltrated enemy ranks and stirred resistance among foreign troops."
Kind of makes me wonder now about her surprisingly abrupt technique chopping heads off chickens -- was that a carryover from techniques she employed interrogating enemy agents?
Update (8/14/08 2:08 p.m.): It seems I spoke too cynically. Imagine that. The DMV operation in question is not the same sort of operation as your local DMV office (see the comment below from Mike Marando of the DMV). Legislators and their aides don't get any preferential treatment, but rather help with constituents who have issues with the DMV, as well as issues arising from legislation and other matters. If we weren't on deadline I'd make myself go stand in the corner.
Ever stood in a long line at the Department of Motor Vehicles? Ever wished you could get special treatment there? Wonder how much worse it's gonna get now that DMV offices will be closed on Saturday because of Gov. Schwarzenegger's layoffs of state workers?
All you need to do is get elected to the state Legislature. According to the Sacramento Bee, there's a DMV office in Room 121, somewhere in the Legislative Office Building across the street from the Capitol, that serves a clientele limited to legislators and their staffers.
Don't try to go there if you're not part of that elite group. The Bee reports that the office is in a section of the building not open to the public, and security won't give out directions.
I guess there's nothing wrong with that sort of perk. After all, our elected leaders work very hard on our behalf. Just look what they've managed to get done recent months: A budget, health care reform, solving the state's water crisis, finding ways to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, fixing our underperforming schools...
They need a few luxuries after all that hard work, right?
Under the category of "everything you don't need to know about the candidates," Blender magazine put together this list of the presidential candidates' favorite music. This story in the Los Angeles Times says John McCain is a big fan of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and Barack Obama likes the Fugees' "Ready or Not."
I'm interested in people's musical tastes because it gives me another perspective on their personalities. But I'm not sure it says much about who would make a better president. I do think it's a bit narrow to have the same group -- ABBA -- in your Top 10, as in the case of McCain. The only exceptions on that would be mega stars such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis. I don't think ABBA is in that class, but maybe I'm out of touch with the McCain followers. I heartily approve of Sinatra being on both candidates' lists.
One last thought: It appears Obama's list was vetted by the Democratic Party. It's a very cool list -- too cool. Seems that every genre is there as part of a quota to touch the widest variety of demographics. I may be way too cynical, but that's my view of Obama's picks.
As for McCain, it seems this was a homework assignment that he didn't want to do, and threw it together at the very last minute with the help of his best friend -- the smart, but not too cool over-achiever.
Here are the McCain and Obama Top 10 lists:
McCain
1. 'Dancing Queen' ABBA
2. 'Blue Bayou' Roy Orbison
3. 'Take a Chance On Me' ABBA
4. 'If We Make It Through December' Merle Haggard
5. 'As Time Goes By' Dooley Wilson
6. 'Good Vibrations' The Beach Boys
7. 'What A Wonderful World' Louis Armstrong
8. 'I've Got You Under My Skin' Frank Sinatra
9. 'Sweet Caroline' Neil Diamond
10. 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' The Platters
Obama
1. 'Ready or Not' Fugees
2. 'What's Going On' Marvin Gaye
3. 'I'm On Fire' Bruce Springsteen
4. 'Gimme Shelter' Rolling Stones
5. 'Sinnerman' Nina Simone
6. 'Touch the Sky' Kanye West
7. 'You'd Be So Easy to Love' Frank Sinatra
8. 'Think' Aretha Franklin
9. 'City of Blinding Lights' U2
10. 'Yes We Can' Will.i.am
There is a "breaking news" story today from the Associated Press that is straight out of the "Duh" file. It says Elizabeth Edwards, the mother of three children and a breast cancer survivor, had a tough time when she found out her husband had cheated on her with a notorious party girl.
"There was anguish -- excruciating anguish -- for her in dealing with this," said Hargrave McElroy, a friend, commenting to People magazine for its Aug. 25 issue..."She couldn't say, 'Well, maybe we'll work through this for years, or maybe we should separate for two years,' (The cancer) forced her to choose whether to move forward.
"She was angry and furious and everything, but at one point she had to make a choice: Do I kick him out, or do we have a 30-year marriage that can be rebuilt."
Well, yes. So what do you all think? What was your reaction to this sordid story? Me? It just made me sick. Do I think he's telling the truth now? No. Am I suspicious about the money paid to her? Yes.
As I said, it makes me sick -- for Elizabeth and the children.
Which presidential candidate do you think is making the best show of leadership during the Russia-Georgia clash? Today's editorial compares the two men's approaches; McCain is tough and confrontational; Obama's more diplomatic. Read our editorial here.
This is a chance to see both men in action. Bearing in mind that the news is changing hourly in this situation, whose reaction makes you feel most confident? There is a breaking news story here about one of McCain's advisers and his ties to Georgia. Is that expertise or conflict of interest?
While you're at it, how do you think President Bush, who actually has the real-life responsibility for this problem, is performing so far?
If you're wondering why the John McCain and Barack Obama camps are scrambling to desperately to scoop up the former Hillary Clinton supporters, the answer may be in a new marketing book called "The She Spot." It says women are the nation's most influential voters and consumers.
Matt Kinsey of Ad Age reviews the book and its advice about how to appeal to women with just right balance between the head and the heart -- that's the "She Spot" referred to in the provocative title. Watch the authors, Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen discuss themes from "The She Spot" here.
Here's Kinsey's assessment:
Authors Lisa Witter, exec VP and chief operating officer of Fenton Communications (and former contestant on the Showtime reality-TV series "American Candidate"), and Lisa Chen divide their manual into four acts -- "Care," "Connect," "Cultivate" and "Control" -- though it remains unclear whether this formula alone can commandeer a loyal female audience.
I read "The She Spot" and appreciated its basic tips for marketing to women -- "Keep it simple" and "Give her details" are examples. But I couldn't help chuckle at the irony of a book that promises the most effective means of persuading the female market is by not targeting them as women, or by not creating stereotypical offerings just because it's a female audience. As Ms. Witter concludes, "All issues are women's issues."
Good fodder for discussion that's sure to hit some He Spots along the way.
Hold the presses! In an effort to solve the state's frustrating budget crisis, the California Assembly Democratic Caucus has released -- a new video.
According to a press release from Assembly Speaker Karen Bass' office:
"Featured in the video are Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, Assembly Budget Chair John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, and Caucus Chair Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa,) as well as dozens of Californians that share their views about priorities for state spending."
What we don't get is an actual budget.
If you want to see the video, here's a link. Or you might want to do something more important with your time, such as rearrange your sock drawer. Enjoy, California.
 According to the Vancouver Sun, "The skies may be clearing up over Beijing, but the face China tried to paint on the 2008 Olympic Games is breaking out in blemishes."
So far, we've learned that the Chinese faked some of the spectacular fireworks seen by television viewers during the opening ceremonies, faked breezes to make flags flap dramatically in a stadium where observers felt no breeze and faked a little girl singing "Ode to the Motherland" because the girl who was really singing didn't pass muster on the cuteness scale.
Here's what the New York Times had to say about the dubbed singing:
"Pigtailed and smiling, Lin Miaoke, age 9, stood in a red dress and white shoes during last Friday's Olympic opening ceremonies and performed 'Ode to the Motherland' in what would become one of the evening's most indelible images: a lone child, fireworks blazing overhead, singing a patriotic ballad before an estimated one billion viewers.
Except that she was not really singing."
I heard about the faked fireworks this morning during a segment on NPR. But it was the news of the little girls that really got me going.
What kind of message does it send to little Chinese girls when in a country that large, the organizers claim not to have been able to find one girl who had both the looks and the pipes to represent their nation?
It reminded me of the movie "Wag the Dog," in which a Washington spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal.
Conrad 'Connie' Brean: "We're not gonna have a war, we're gonna have the appearance of a war."
We're not going to have an Olympics, we're gonna have the appearance of an Olympics.
But what an appearance it will be.
(Associated Press photo: Chinese Olympic organizers decided that Lin Miaoke should lip-synch "Ode to the Motherland" during the opening ceremonies.)
Today's Boren/McEwen political podcast discusses the Genesis trial and the judge at the center of a controversy, the state budget and we pick our political winners and losers of the week. Click here to listen to the podcast:
Bill chooses Genesis defendant Elaine Bernard as his political winner for getting high-powered character witnesses to urge the judge to offer leniency, which he did. My political winner this week is U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Ishii for being named to oversee the entire court of the Eastern District of California.
On the loser front, Bill chooses Fresno State President John Welty, who wrote a letter to the court on Bernard's behalf on university stationary, suggesting that giving her leniency was the official position of the Fresno State. My loser this week is state Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, who interrupted a citizen testifying at an official Senate hearing and saying she thought his argument was "Bull - - - -." Nice way to treat a citizen, Sen. Wiggins. Get the state budget passed and then you can call people names, although being courteous is a much better way to act.
Listen to the entire podcast by clicking here:
 The most recent "tweet" from Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama says: "Announcing the VP candidate sometime between now & the Convention by txt msg & email. Text VP to 62262 or visit http://my.barackobama.com/vp"
While there's something to be said for being Internet savvy -- according to an Associated Press article, John McCain said that when it comes to the Internet, "I'm an illiterate who has to rely on his has to rely on his wife for any assistance he can get" -- Obama's latest ploy seems to have political stunt written all over it.
If you want a peek into what the Internet is doing to politics -- making it a whole lot funnier if you ask me -- check out this posting from our buddy, Heather McLane, over on the entertainment blog. It's a spoof on Barack Obama by folks who enjoy doing something humiliating to people called "Rick Rolling." No wonder Obama needed a break in Hawaii.
American politics, what's not to love about it? Sometimes I think the No. 1 qualification for president is having the hide of a dinosaur. Anyway, c'mon everyone, let's dance. Enjoy!
Katherine Perez, who has been handling the Forest City proposal to develop property south of Chukchansi Stadium in downtown Fresno, has taken a job with the Urban Land Institute, She'll still consult on the Fresno project for Forest City.
The big question is whether this change means Forest City is pulling back on the $400 million Fresno project, or if this is a routine personnel change typical of any large organization. Forest City is supposed to redevelop a big chunk of downtown Fresno with a variety of businesses and housing elements. The Cleveland-based company has exclusive rights to develop the area.
Here's an email I received from Perez:
I am writing to inform you that, after several wonderful years with Forest City Development, I am leaving to pursue a new opportunity. As of August 1st, I will be the new Executive Director for the Urban Land Institute, Los Angeles District Council. For those of you who received a notice last Friday of my change, it with great humility that I ask for your understanding in the notice being sent without any explanation.
I have fully enjoyed my time with Forest City and have been rewarded by working with talented people from across this country. I hope to bring the experience I gained to a new role that I hope will result in urban policy that promotes and contributes to the creation of sustainable, well-planned, vibrant communities. My passion for this work has brought me to ULI and it is where I will do my best to make a meaningful contribution.
For clients and friends of Forest City, I will continue to serve as a consultant to Forest City in a very important and critical project called South Stadium in downtown Fresno providing transition support as the project continues through its entitlements.
On Saturday's Valley Voices page, Enedina Reed of Clovis, who teaches high school in Selma, writes a very poignant piece about the devastating consequences of drinking and driving. Her sister was killed on Easter Sunday in an accident involving a suspected drunken driver. Read her essay here.
On that same day, she points out, a 4-year-old child from Del Rey lost his life when the family car was struck by a drunken driver, a man who has since been sentenced to prison.
Holidays are notorious for drinking and driving, and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers is already gearing up for the next excuse for a boozefest, Labor Day. The organization is teaming up with law enforcement for the "Drunk Driving: Over the Limit. Under Arrest" campaign. The group supports increased sobriety checkpoints and the use of technology, especially alcohol-ignition interlocks on convicted offenders' vehicles, proven an average of 64% effective in reducing repeat offenses.
MADD says that statistics for the 2005 Labor Day holiday show that 39% of the 506 total traffic fatalities involved drivers whose blood-alcohol content exceeded the legal .08 limit.
I have known families on both sides of this issue -- those who have lost loved ones and those who have harmed others. Ironically, the people who caused the accidents often say they wish they could trade places with the victims. I believe them. It's horrible for everyone involved -- yet so easily prevented. Choose a designated driver.
The governor has until the end of the day to let up on his vow to veto any legislation that crosses his desk while the budget remains up in the air. Nobody is happy with the budget process -- or non-process -- but essential legislation is at risk from the governor's action.
None is more important than AB 3034, which makes useful changes in the high-speed rail bond measure, Proposition 1, on the November ballot. AB 3034 would tighten oversight and spread funding more equitably around the various regions of the state, thus enhancing the measure's chances of passage.
Let the governor know he should sign AB 3034 -- it's a measure he has supported, after all -- and get on with the business of advancing high-speed rail for the state's future. E-mail him here.
And if he does veto AB 3034, then the Legislature should vote to override that veto. High-speed rail is too important for California to be held hostage to Sacramento's games.
The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Report offers a taste of how ordinary citizens are treated when they go before a legislative committee to offer their opinions. Democratic Sen. Pat Wiggins of Santa Rosa, interrupted a Sacramento pastor's testimony Wednesday to call his points "bull----." Oh, and thanks for participating in our democracy.
You can watch the exchange on You Tube by cicking here. Pastor Robert Jones was in a Capitol hearing room testifying at a session on cutting global warming emissions, The Bee reported. Jones had asked the lawmakers to consider the impacts on minority communities when drafting global warming regulations.
Jones was almost two minutes into his remarks when you can hear Wiggins, who was off camera, say, "Excuse me, but I think your arguments are bull----," according to the Sac Bee.
Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, who was chairing the committee, jumped in to rescue the hearing from Wiggins' onslaught and thanked Jones for testifying. It was a pretty feeble response by Kehoe considering that a legislator on her committee had just swore at a member of the public while he was trying to testify. She should have immediately censured Wiggins, and asked Wiggins to apologize on the spot.
Of course, the lawmakers take care of their own, especially in the state Senate. Why do you think Democratic senators allow their leader, Don Perata, to bully people? Wiggins' remarks are just following Perata's lead.
Here is a link to Wiggins' Web site and you can call her Sacramento office at (916) 651-4002 if you would like to tell her what you think of her remarks to Pastor Roberts.
Wiggins, 68, served three terms in the Assembly before moving to the Senate. She has been a state senator since 2006.
 Today's editorial addresses a growing danger in the fight against drug abuse. While illicit drug use has been declining for the past several years, many people are unaware that today's teens are instead turning to prescription drugs for their highs.
John P. Walters, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, talked about this when he met with The Fresno Bee's editorial board last week.
Many teens mistakenly believe using prescription drugs is less dangerous than getting high with illegal drugs. They are also more easily available than street drugs -- most young people reporting getting them for free at home, either with or without permission, from the person for whom they were prescribed.
And parents are often unaware that this is happening.
Eight out of 10 eligible voters skipped the June primary election, so they have no right to complain about the Legislature. If you don't like what they are doing, vote them out. You have another chance in November when every Assembly member is up and half the state Senate.
My column today explains why it's the voters' fault for the mess that the state is in. Click here to read my take on state politics.
With voter turnout down substantially, people belonging to special interest groups -- government workers, business interests and others who get goodies from Sacramento -- have a greater influence because they vote in higher numbers than the general population. It's no accident that public employees have Cadillac health-care plans and those working in the private sector have huge co-pays -- if they can get health insurance at all.
So now the voting population has become an exclusive bunch. The voters who do cast ballots seem happy to send the same people back to Sacramento, even though they can't balance the budget, fix our deteriorating infrastructure or solve problems that damage the quality of life in California.
A Sacramento judge has dismissed a lawsuit by proponents of Prosition 8, the measure that would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. The initiative's supporters objected to the ballot title and summary, which reads:
"ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
"Changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.
"Provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
Proposition 8 backers were afraid that characterizing the measure in that fashion would turn people off -- they fear that many Californians would object to taking away people's rights. So they want different language that doesn't refer to the fact that Proposition 8 would take away people's rights.
They argued, in effect, that the truth is misleading, The judge didn't buy it. Let's hope California voters don't buy it either.
When President Bush's cabinet-level drug adviser, John P. Walters, was at The Bee this week, I asked him if he thought it was a good idea for parents to use home tests to screen their kids for drugs. He advised using professionals, but he didn't really elaborate on that.
Well, yesterday, I found out why. US News & World Report magazine has this article: "5 Ways Teens Might Cheat on Drug Tests--and How to Catch Them." The subhead is: "These tricks are out there on the Web, so parents need to be informed." There also is another article on the same site, "7 Reasons Parents Should Not Test Kids for Drug Use."
I knew a father once, who straightened out an otherwise good kid who was experimenting with drugs and alcohol by testing him on a regular basis. I always thought that was a good last resort because it also could help kids with peer pressure. "I'll pass; my dad tests us," is not such a bad refusal skill in a pinch. What do you think?
From the first paragraph on, this story is frustrating and chilling:
Google "beat drug test," and the search engine spits out page upon page of ploys and products that can make incriminating urine seem drug free. All it takes is a computer-savvy teen to access them. The ease of cheating, in fact, is one of at least seven reasons parents shouldn't try to test their kids for drug use. Instead, experts say, they should seek out a professional assessment.
It's not just that parents will be fooled by the tests, but also that kids can accidentally kill themselves in their lame attempts to fool their parents. I guess this trick was most startling to me, because it's designed to fool even witnessed urine tests.
"Possibly the oddest trick of all is a device marketed to those trying to beat witnessed drug collections . . . a sort of prosthetic penis called the "Whizzinator" that claims to come equipped with clean urine 'guaranteed' to remain at body temperature for hours, with the help of special heat pads. "Believe it or not, [the prosthesis] comes in different colors" . . .
You would think with all those college degrees our elected officials have collected in the state Capitol, they would have figured out one simple idea: better to prevent children's health problems with a shot or a pill early on rather than dealing with crushingly expensive treatments later on.
Sadly, some members of the Legislature don't get it. But one group is trying to help them out. Members of a group called momsrising.org will drop off booklets at the Capitol on Tuesday telling the true-life stories of sick children. The moms will show how to save $24.3 million and, at the same time, take better care of our children. The answer is health insurance coverage for the little ones. Put that in place, and they'll see a savings of millions in reduced hospitalizations. Here's the announcement from the group:
As California kids head back to school, California moms are urging legislators to hit the books, too and learn why even in this tough budget year, it makes economic sense to provide health care coverage for all children. MomsRising.org, the online grassroots organization for moms and everyone who has a mom, will deliver a bound collection of personal stories from its California members about the importance of health care coverage for children:
11 AM, Tuesday, August 12
North side of the State Capitol (on L Street)
Sacramento
The booklets each contain 44 stories of California families who need or who have health care coverage. MomsRising.org is delivering them to send the message that providing health care coverage for all children is a fiscally sound policy that will ultimately save the state millions of dollars. Approximately 763,000 children in California have no health care coverage. A study of nine local Children's Health Initiatives (CHI) in California, conducted by the Center for Community Health Services at the University of Southern California, found that providing children health insurance reduced hospitalizations in the CHI counties by 25 percent and saved up to $7.35 million annually in preventable hospitalizations. If all low-income children had health insurance, the state could save $24.3 million per year in preventable hospitalizations.
Tuesday's delivery is part of MomsRising.org's ongoing effort, in collaboration with The 100% Campaign, to encourage the California legislature to include universal health care coverage for children in health care reform. The 100% Campaign is a collaborative effort of Children Now, Children's Defense Fund, and The Children's Partnership.
Add high-speed rail to the list of hostages in the state's budget farce. On Thursday the Senate passed AB 3034, which would tighten oversight and widen funding opportunities in the initial phase of the rail project. The changes would make Proposition 1, the high-speed rail bond on the November ballot, more palatable to people in places like Sacramento and San Diego, enhancing its chances of passage.
But AB 3034 must be signed by the need of the day Monday, or the original high-speed measure will stand. And that need runs smack into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vow to let all legislation languish until there's a budget.
Here's E.J. Schultz's story on the issue, and our editorial today.
The governor's frustration over the budget is understandable, and shared widely. But his tantrums aren't helpful, as when he ordered a cut in the pay of state workers and fired a bunch of them -- as if the Legislature cares about those people.
If the passage of the high-speed rail bond is threatened by all this childishness from the governor and the Legislature, that will be a tremendous setback. California can't afford the conventional answers to growing transportation needs. We need high-speed rail to take the pressure off congested highways and take up the slack for failing airlines. But if Proposition 1 fails in November, it will be a generation before we get going on high-speed rail again -- and by then it will be too late for the once-Golden State.
 The energy policies of Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama haven't been easy to nail down. They've become flip-floppers on energy as the public has grown restless on the issue, and now Paris Hilton offers a compromise that makes sense -- and she was joking.
In this video, Hilton responds to McCain's anti-Obama ad that mentions her. Then she offered an energy policy that could have been sugegsted by a serious presidential candidate -- just not these two.
This is what Hilton said in the video, delivered on a backyard lounge by a pool in a bathing suit:
Barack wants to focus on new technologies to cut foreign-oil dependency, and McCain wants offshore drilling. Well, why don't we do a hybrid of both candidates' ideas? We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars. That way, the offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in, which will then create new jobs and energy independence. Energy crisis solved.
I can't wait to see what Britney Spears says about fixing the energy crisis. She was slammed by McCain as being -- and he figured this out all by himself - a "celebrity." Do you think her parents know?
I love it when presidential campaigns have a bit of humor in them. You have to admit that McCain and Obama are a couple of humorless guys. That doesn't mean they won't be good presidents. But there won't be a lot of laughing in the White House -- at least not intentionally.
 I learned from my colleague, Genevieve Hinson, a fellow blogger on centralvalleymoms.com that the TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is looking for deserving Valley families to feature on the program.
If you haven't seen it, the producers take a good-hearted family, whose life is in ruins through no fault of their own, and build them a new house. Through project-management magic, they swarm thousands of volunteers over power tools and donated supplies and create a fantastic home. The team does it all in seven days, while the family is on vacation. It's amazing.
That got me to thinking. Maybe this would work on the California budget. Let's send the Legislature off to Disneyland for a week and turn Ty Pennington and a swarm of specialists loose on the budget. When our so-called "public servants" get back from losing their lunches on Space Mountain, a beautiful budget will all be done. Can't you see it now? There the legislators stand, crying outside the Capitol still wearing their light-up Mickey Mouse ears, and Ty Pennington screams out, "Ready, California? Move that bus!" I'm choking up already, aren't you?
But I digress into Fantasyland. Here are the details from Gen:
Ty Pennington and his crew from ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" are searching for families in the Sacramento and Central Valley area.
The family must own their own home. They should be able to show how the makeover of their home will make a huge difference in their lives.
Nominations can be e-mailed to Jason Hammonds at castsnorthcali@gmail.com.
Photo: I don't know about you, but I'd be willing to give this Emmy-winning cast of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" a shot at making over the state budget. At least, they know how to hit a deadline.
The Valley will be represented by dozens of people, including politicians and party faithful at the Democratic National Convention in Denver Aug. 25-28.
According to the folks over at sanjoaquinvalleyfornia.com, the Valley force includes three members of Congress -- Dennis Cardoza, Jim Costa, and Jerry McNerney. Three other elected officials -- state Sen. Dean Florez, Assemblymember Nicole Parra and Fresno City Council member Cynthia Sterling -- also are going. The full list of delegates also is on the Web site.
How about you? Have you ever been to a national convention for the Republicans or Democrats? How was it? I haven't attended yet, but it's on my "bucket list" -- you know, things to do before I kick the bucket. On TV, they all look like they are having so much fun. I'd love to be in the middle of all that excitement someday.
 The Roundup, a political newsletter out of Sacramento, turned me on to this Paris Hilton video answering presidential candidate John McCain's ad mentioning her. It's not bad, especially when Hilton starts citing her energy policy and what it takes to pick out a vice president. She might even run for president in between getting a nice tan.
You can watch it by clicking here. It's less than two minutes long, and already has had more than 2.4 million views. It's on the Web site Funny or Die.
Hilton refers to McCain as that "wrinkly white-haired guy." Hilton says McCain using her in his ad must mean that he's endorsing her for president. So now she's running. "I'm Paris Hilton and I approved this message because I think it's totally hot."
The McCain campaign started this back and forth with an ad that mocks opponent Barack Obama, saying he is a mere celebrity, like Hilton and Britney Spears. Oddly, Hilton's parents are big McCain supporters and have given the Republicans campaign donations.
(Photo: WWW.FUNNYORDIE.COM)
Ruben Navarrette Jr., whose column appears on The Bee's op-ed pages, will be talking about immigration on tonight's airing of "The O'Reilly Factor" at 5 and 8 p.m. on the Fox News Channel. Ruben graduated from Sanger High School and Harvard University. He now is on the staff of the San Diego Union Tribune. Read his most recent column on immigration in Sunday's Vision section by clicking here.
 I see the airlines are instituting a new round of surcharges on travel, charging more money for suitcases, snacks -- even water. That's just one more reason why we should have more options for travel in California -- like high-speed rail, for example, zooming up through the center of California and taking folks to the coasts north and south.
The plans for high-speed rail are very exciting, but there's some infighting among the supporters. Come on, people, if the thing doesn't get started, nobody goes anywhere. We write about the importance of jump-starting this project in an editorial in today's Bee. Read it by clicking here.
Associated Press photo: On Friday, China unveiled a new high-speed rail route from Beijing to Tianjen, which will help transport Olympics visitors. The new train cuts travel time for 70 minutes to 30 minutes.
The Friends of Fresno State, a group of volunteers not affiliated with the university, is surveying the community about attitudes toward Fresno State. The material from the survey is part of a comprehensive report that will be released to the community in its entirety. You can take the survey by clicking on www.nollassociates.com.
The research is being conducted by Noll Associates. Sponsors are looking for "cost-effective ways to communicate a balanced and accurate regional and national understanding of the contributions of academics, community engagement, and athletics at Fresno State."
We urge our readers to take part in this online research. You have until Friday to complete the survey. You can access the survey by going to www.nollassociates.com, and then clicking on the link where it says, "Take the Fresno State Survey here."
The editorial board believes this survey will help improve the university, and we have agreed to urge our readers to take the survey because the sponsors have committed to making all the information from the survey and related research available to the public
 Good news from the Fresno State Alumni newsletter: David Mas Masumoto of Del Rey, who writes essays every month or so for the Vision section, will be lecturing alongside his daughter, Nikiko, Aug. 12 at 4:30 p.m. at the Satellite Student Union. They are the first in the fall 2008 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) lecture series at Fresno State. "From Generation to Generation: Family Stories that Bind," is their topic. The lecture is free to OLLI members and open to the public for a $10 admission fee, payable at the door. For details, call (559) 278-0008, email osher@csufresno.edu, or visit www.csufresno.edu/olli/fall
Read Mas' most recent column -- an homage to duct tape -- here.
Here are the winners and losers from today's Boren/McEwen political podcast:
Winners: Bill chooses Fresno mayoral candidate Ashley Swearengin for being the fund-raising leader against opponent Henry T. Perea. My pick is Steve Samuelian, former Assembly member and now lobbyist for the Fresno County Council of Governments, for getting a 20% raise for his COG lobbying. Fresno government agencies must have plenty of money to be handing out a 20% raise to their lobbyists.
Losers: Bill picked Assemblyman Mike Villines, Mayor Alan Autry and others who complain about activist federal judges putting fish before people. The law is clear. If they don't like the rulings, change the law. My losers this week are Assembly Speaker Karen Bass; Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill and Villines for partying at the Chukchansi casino hotel expansion event instead of staying in Sacramento and solving the budget problem. Do your job, then you can party.
Love gardening? Hate gardening? Love fresh food? No time to grow it? Have I got a business for you!
Micro-economics has hit the food business, according to a story in the New York Times. People in San Francisco who love fresh food but don't have time to grow it are hiring their own personal farmers to grow fruits and vegetables in the back yard.
Growing a garden sounds like a good part-time job for a teenager can manage, hmm? Even caterers are getting in on this act because more people want local food. Now there's something for everyone. Read the full story here.
"The highest form of luxury is now growing it yourself or paying other people to grow it for you," said Corby Kummer, the food columnist and book author. "This has become fashion."
The race to succeed Mayor Alan Autry may not be all that visible during the 100-degree days of this Fresno summer, but there's a lot going on right now in the campaigns of Henry T. Perea. I examine the mayoral race in this commentary that was published in today's Bee.
Here's part of the column:
One of the things the candidates must target in the fall campaign is the new set of voters who will be casting ballots this time around. The November turnout could double the number of voters who cast ballots in June's mayoral primary. That means the 31.2% turnout in Fresno two months ago could jump to more than 60% because of the excitement of the presidential election.
On Saturday, we learned that Swearengin has raised more money in recent filings than Perea. But you can be sure that both candidates will be well funded -- either by direct contributions or from independent expenditures by entities "out of control" of the candidates.
Here's the finance details from The Bee's Political Notebook:
The reports cover the period from May 18 through June 30. Overall, Swearengin, longtime director of the Regional Jobs Initiative, reported raising $72,227.80 and Perea, a current City Council member, reported $23,582. Since the June 3 election, the gap was wider -- $48,800 for Swearengin and $9,100 for Perea, who finished ahead by 216 votes out of 56,776 cast in a field of 11 candidates.
Heading into the fall campaign season, Swearengin had $75,787.66 in her treasury as of June 30, compared to $31,087 for Perea.
There is progress in Washington for veterans suffering from mental illness. By a vote of 409-4 the House on Friday approved funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which includes $3.8 billion for mental illness treatment and $584 million for substance abuse treatment in the VA, significant increases over current funding. All local representatives voted yes, with the exception of Congressman George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, who did not vote.
Mental health care is exceedingly important for veterans, as reports show the rates of suicide and substance abuse are above the national average.
I got an e-mail from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Friday, which reported that homeless veterans will also get extra help in this bill, an issue which has been of particular concern in the Valley:
HR 6599 allocates $130 million for the homeless grants and per diem program, rejecting a proposal from the Bush Administration to cut the program by $8 million. This allocation also includes $32 million to hire additional personnel as part of the joint HUD-VA "VASH" program for veterans supportive housing. A separate bill funding the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appropriates an additional $75 million at HUD for rent subsidies.
The bill also includes $500 million for medical research at the VA, $38 million more than the president requested and $20 million more than was allocated in the current budget.
With House action on the VA spending bill, Congress has now adjourned for its summer recess and will not return to Washington until the week of September 8. In September, these will be efforts to complete action on HR 6599 before FY 2009 begins on October 1. However, the other FY 2009 discretionary spending bills - including those covering mental illness research, services and housing programs are unlikely to be passed before October 1. As a result these other programs are expected to be funded after October 1 at current FY 2008 levels - perhaps through March of 2009.
There are also many other benefits listed; take a look at the full document here.
Shouldn't Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines and Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill be locked in a room in Sacramento resolving the budget mess instead of partying at an Indian casino in Madera County? Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata wasn't at the grand opening of the Chukchansi casino expansion Thursday night, but he's always been a caucus of One anyway.
Read today's editorial in The Fresno Bee to see what your leaders were doing instead of what we elected them to do. Click here to read The Bee's take on the political partying.
 Today's Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down editorial thumps the Food and Drug Administration for botching the salmonella investigation. Rep. Dennis Cardoza was very direct about the mess at a hearing on Thursday:
Remember spinach? So did he.
"Frankly, I would just like to hear what in the heck went wrong? We all sat here, a little more than a year ago and had nearly the same conversation about spinach. Was nothing learned from that experience? Were we any better prepared this time?", said Cardoza. "You could describe our current food safety system as 'outbreak roulette'. One spin of the outbreak wheel and your industry may be bankrupt, your loved ones sickened. This is unacceptable, and we need to take steps to improve the response of government and industry to foodborne illness outbreaks."
Amen to that one.
Here is a full copy of Cardoza's opening statement. And you can get a full copy of testimony provided by the witnesses on the committee Web site here.
We are holding this hearing in the midst of one of the most costly and disruptive food illness outbreaks in recent memory.
Since April, almost 1,300 Americans in 42 states and the District of Columbia have been infected with Salmonella Saintpaul.
This outbreak was first identified May 21 by the New Mexico Department of Health. As the number of cases mounted, state officials alerted the CDC of the outbreak. Meanwhile, but unbeknownst to New Mexico officials, authorities in Texas also alerted the CDC that similar cases had emerged in their State.
The investigation faltered almost from the beginning as health officials in both states began asking patients what they ate before they became ill. They used standard questionnaires which list the major--but NOT all--food items that patients may have consumed.
The questionnaire listed peppers, but not specifically jalapeno peppers--a food commonly consumed in the Southwest. But a number of those affected remembered eating tomatoes. So with little else to go on, FDA issued a nationwide warning linking consumption of certain raw red tomatoes to the outbreak of salmonella Saintpaul.
Hundreds of miles away, however, a different conclusion was being reached in Minnesota. A cluster of salmonella Saintpaul cases emerged in connection with a local Mexican restaurant. Among the customers and employees sickened, jalapenos were the common thread.
So over TWO MONTHS after the first outbreak began, over a thousand illnesses reported and hundreds of millions in losses to tomato farmers later, jalapeno peppers were implicated by FDA as the source of the current outbreak.
This missed connection between jalapenos as the ultimate source of the outbreak is extremely troubling.
Clearly serious flaws continue to exist in the methodology used by some States to collect primary epidemiological data. Furthermore, the process used by the CDC to verify and refine the collected data calls into serious question the effectiveness of communications between the States, CDC and FDA.
I want to note for the record that both the Texas and New Mexico Department of Health were invited to serve as hearing witnesses, but unfortunately both declined due to scheduling conflicts.
Given the FDA's reversal on the source of the outbreak, I am extremely interested to hear from FDA and CDC regarding the performance of the survey instruments, the methodology employed in interviewing the patients and the sampling protocols.
Frankly, I would just like to hear what in the heck went wrong??
We all sat here, a little more than a year ago and had nearly the SAME conversation about spinach. Was nothing learned from that experience? Were we any better prepared this time?
What was particularly troubling to me as I watched salmonella investigation drag on and on and the illnesses and losses mount, is the federal government's continued inability to effectively and accurately trace products from the retail level back through the supply chain to its origin.
Some food safety experts that we will hear from today assert that these trace-back efforts have been hampered by a lack of uniform recordkeeping or product descriptions. Or that trace back requirements within the 2002 Bioterrorism Act has been both poorly implemented and poorly enforced by FDA.
But Industry officials on the other hand claim trace-back efforts in this current outbreak have worked well and as expected.
As expected, there is disagreement and hopefully today we can stop the rhetoric that has been circulating around this investigation and start working on solution. Because there is no disagreement that the status quo cannot and must not continue.
The poor handling of this outbreak has confused consumers and damaged producers. You could describe our current food safety system as "outbreak roulette". One spin of the outbreak wheel and your industry may be bankrupt, your loved ones sickened. This is unacceptable, and we need to take steps to improve the response of government and industry to foodborne illness outbreaks.
We must stop being reactive and waste precious time pointing fingers as soon as an outbreak occurs. The House-passed version of the Farm Bill tried to take a step in this direction by allowing marketing orders to include food safety protocols. I strongly supported this provision, with the hope that growers could fill the void of food safety while Congress debated the merits of overhauling our current tracking systems. Because tracking only solves the mystery after a health problem has broken out. That's helpful, but the marketing order approach helps improve grower and shipper practices before consumption and before a possible outbreak.
Unfortunately, that provision lost out in the strange dance we called "Conference". And, as such, the status quo for food safety remains in place.
But marketing orders and cultural practices are only part of the story. Today we are here to take a closer look at the legal and technological capacity for traceability in fresh produce, we have four very distinguished panels to hear from today. This hearing is purposely structured to include members of Congress, agencies, industry, scientists and consumer interests.
We all have a role to play in re-examining and reshaping this country's food safety system.
 When the Kindle (a wireless reading device sold by Amazon.com) first came out last November, I wasn't that impressed with the whole idea. Just another gadget I thought. But that was before I got an iPod for Christmas.
You know what one of my favorite things is about the iPod? It reduces clutter in my life. I don't have to keep track of hundreds of CDs, or buy an entire CD just to get one song I like.
It is so portable. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, I can have a different playlist at my fingertips, at home, at work, in the car or while I'm running. Makes me think I might someday adapt to that same compact enormity of what the Kindle can hold.
Guess some other people think so too. This article on TechCrunch.com says that 240,000 Kindles have been shipped since November.
"Doing a little back of the envelope math, that brings total sales of the device so far to between $86 million and $96 million (the price of the device was reduced to $360 from $400 last May). Then add the amounts spent on digital books, newspapers, and blogs purchased to read on the device, and you get a business that has easily brought in above $100 million so far."
Unlike the iPhone, I don't know of anyone personally who owns a Kindle. I'm not rushing out (yet) to buy one of these, but it's definitely a technology to watch. Especially if Amazon delves into the $5.5 billion college textbook market, like it's talking about doing. Can you even imagine how that would change things for students?
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is desperate to catch up with Fresno, it appears. He's proposing a system of garbage police to cite residents of the city who fail to separate their garbage correctly. The binbusters would poke through the refuse, and issue citations for up to $1,000 to garbage miscreants.
It's similar -- though not as expensive -- to the system that's been in place in Fresno for some time. And it's causing a few chuckles hereabouts at the expense of sophisticated, cosmopolitan, urbane San Franciscans who don't know food waste from scrap paper from plant clippings.
Yo, Gav -- come on down. We'll show you how it's done.
The Senate has passed the Hubbard Act, which we supported in an editorial this week and it's now up to President Bush to correct the unfairness to sole survivors serving in the military. Read our blog about it here.
The Hubbard Act honors the Valley's Hubbard brothers; Jason, Jared, and Nathan. Both Jared and Nathan lost their lives serving their country in Iraq. Jason, a sole survivor, was granted an early discharge but was denied separation benefits and even penalized for part of his enlistment bonus when he left the Army. And he's not the first to be handled so poorly. We hope that will end now and that President Bush will sign this bill immediately.
Here is the press release from Rep. Devin Nunes' office issued a few minutes ago:
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Representative Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Representative Jim Costa (D-Calif.) today announced that the Senate has passed the Hubbard Act, to honor America's military "sole survivors."
The Hubbard Act, which now awaits signature by the President, is named in honor of the Hubbard brothers; Jason, Jared, and Nathan. Both Jared and Nathan lost their lives serving their country in Iraq. Jason was discharged as a sole survivor, but was denied separation benefits when he left the Army.
The bill, which passed the House earlier this week, will provide sole survivors a number of benefits already offered to other soldiers honorably separating from military service. In addition, sole survivors will not be required to repay any portion of their enlistment bonus; may participate in the Montgomery GI Bill educational program; and may receive separation pay and transitional healthcare coverage.
"It's been 65 years since the Sullivan brothers were lost at sea during the battle at Guadalcanal, which spurred the establishment of a sole survivor policy. Since that time, Congress has made a lot of changes to the benefits available to separating servicemen. In all that time, no law has been passed on behalf of sole survivors. The Hubbard Act rectifies this oversight and honors the patriotic service and enormous sacrifice of the Hubbard's," said Rep. Devin Nunes.
Background
Under the Department of Defense's "sole survivor" policy, service members who lose all their siblings in war are not allowed to return to a combat environment. The policy - portrayed in the film, "Saving Private Ryan" - is intended to protect American families from losing all their children to war.
But recent experiences during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan show that the policy is deeply flawed. Sole survivors who leave military service early under the policy have been asked to repay all or part of their enlistment bonuses. They have also been denied access to the separation benefits veterans need when transitioning out of the Armed Forces, including the GI Bill, transitional veterans health care, and the Veterans Home Loan Guarantee Program.
The Hubbard brothers of California illustrate the flaws with this program.
In November 2004, Jared Hubbard, a Marine, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Six months later, his brothers Nathan and Jason Hubbard enlisted together in the Army - to honor Jared and to serve their country.
Nathan and Jason Hubbard served in the same unit in Iraq. Last August, the brothers were returning from a scouting mission in two Blackhawk helicopters south of Kirkuk. The helicopter carrying Nathan crashed, and he was killed. Jason Hubbard's helicopter landed nearby, and he was ordered to help secure the crash site.
Jason Hubbard was required to leave the combat theater because he had become a "sole survivor." When he voluntarily separated from the Army under this policy, he was asked to pay back his enlistment bonus. He was also denied transitional health care and the GI Bill.
The Secretary of the Army personally intervened to resolve Jason Hubbard's health care and bonus issues. But he is still not allowed access to the GI Bill unless he goes through the lengthy process of changing his discharge code.
Jason Hubbard is one of 51 sole survivors identified since the September 11, 2001, terrorists attacks.
The Following is a summary of the Hubbard Act of 2008:
The bill would allow a service member who voluntarily separates under sole survivorship to qualify for the following provisions, many of them retroactive to September 11, 2001. It specifically:
-Waives the requirement to pay back any portion of their enlistment bonus upon separating from the military;
-Authorizes participation in the Montgomery GI Bill educational program, as long as they initially participated in the program;
-Authorizes full separation pay;
-Authorizes transitional health care coverage for 120 days. (Not retroactive);
-Authorizes use of commissaries, base exchanges, and morale, welfare and recreation for two years;
-Authorizes entitlement to the Veterans Home Loan Guarantee program;
-Authorizes conversion of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) policy to a term policy called Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI);
-Authorizes veterans' preference in government employment, if applicable when applying for a government position. (Not retroactive);
-Authorizes unemployment compensation. (Not retroactive); and
-Authorizes veterans employment and training through Department of Labor. (Not retroactive).
 The local Web site MindHub has a string going about the best donut places in town. I offered a tongue-in-cheek comment suggesting that I thought all donuts (or is it doughnuts?) are alike. Well, those are fighting words hereabouts.
One responder said that's like going to People's Church and shouting to the congregation that there wasn't a Resurrection. That, too, was tongue in cheek, but it does give an indication that donuts are a big deal in Fresno.
My pal Suzanne Bertz-Rosa thought I was a bit off my rocker with my point about all donuts being the same: "Whaaaaaaa? Are you kidding me? Heck no!"
"I've been off donuts since I moved back to Fresno (ok, other than hitting Krispy Kreme a few times), but living in SF I could tell you exactly which donut shop had the best old fashion or chocolate cake," Suzanne said on Mindhub. "They need to be slightly crunchy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside with an insanely sweet frosting."
So I bow to the MindHub survey started by Jaime Holt. Let's get back to Jaime's original question: Where's the best donut in Fresno?
If we can get a consensus, I'll buy the first two dozen donuts and pass them out to whoever wants to join me in this sugar fest. I'll bet we can get The Bee's Will Albritton to film the encounter and post the video. Oh, the stories they'll tell about this gorging.
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