This little shindig looks like about the most uncomfortable suds thrown back in the history of the world. Four guys in ties (two in SUITS!), gathered around what looks like a white yard table. You don't wear a tie when you're having a beer (well, I don't)!

And worst of all, they let Vice President Joe Biden crash the party. With his track record, he'll get the whole situation escalated worse than it already was.

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)

The latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California shows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with an approval rating of 28%. When Gray Davis was recalled as governor in 2003, his approval rating was 26%. This is Schwarzenegger's lowest approval rating since he became governor in that recall election.

But if you think Schwarzenegger's job rating is bad, take a look at the approval rating of the California Legislature. The PPIC poll says only 17% of Californians believe the Legislature is doing a good job. I'm stunned you can find that many people who think lawmakers are doing a good job.

Posted by Jim Boren at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In today's Opinion section, columnist David Brooks looks at the cyclical way in which political parties lose touch with their constituencies.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week confirms what other polls have found. Most Americans love Barack Obama personally, but support for Democratic policies is already sliding fast.

He attributes part of the problem to the fact that both parties let themselves be led by the most extreme segments of their party, instead of responding to moderate voices "in an era in which independents dominate the electoral landscape."

Can political figures ever get smart enough to realize that the way they are doing things isn't getting the long-term result they want?

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Job counselors may have to add a new segment to their employment coaching. It seems some job applicants don't understand that when they're standing in line waiting for an interview it's not a good idea to get in a fight with other applicants. And it's really not a good idea to keep fighting to the point that cops arrest you.

But that's what happened on Monday at the WinCo food store in Southeast Fresno. There were 400 people waiting in the job line just before noon as the Fresno temperature was rising. A verbal altercation began among a handful of applicants, according to police. Then it got physical. Here's the full story from The Bee.

It took 12 officers to break up the dispute and seven people ended up getting arrested. They did not get the jobs. On the other hand, they get a free night's lodging courtesy of Fresno County taxpayers.

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Last week, David Broder offered his opinion that there is less than meets the eye to the Democrats' "pay-go bill."

The Congressional Budget Office, the official scorekeeper, in a July 14 memo warned that, as introduced, it might actually allow spending to increase -- and by a staggering amount.

In today's paper, Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, a member of the fiscally conservative, moderate Blue Dog Coalition, refutes Broder's position.

Some critics have attempted to claim that this bill would allow for trillions in new spending to be added to the national debt. They are either purposefully misleading the public, or have just not done their homework.

What do you think about the proposal?

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In these difficult economic times we should be pulling together, but there are segments of our society that think they are the only ones who are hurting. The Fresno Bee editorial board points out that "attitude counts for a lot." Unfortunately, there's a lot of whining going on, especially among government officials.

Click here to read the editorial that was published Sunday.

Posted by Jim Boren at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Here's my plan to fix state government. I start with abolishing the Assembly and Senate and replacing them with a single legislative house. Under this unicameral system, lawmakers would be part-time and nonpartisan. We don't need Democrats and Republicans messing up state government with their political posturing.

You can read my plan in today's column by clicking here.

Posted by Jim Boren at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

President Barack Obama was right to address the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr, but he didn't help the situation by saying the police acted "stupidly." Now that statement was stupid. I'm not defending the officer, Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley, because he could have walked away from this incident after it was clear that Gates lived at the house and was not a burglar. This should have been a non-issue, even if Gates was beng a jerk. Charges were dropped immediately, which shows that prosecutors didn't believe the law was broken.

We all say things when we are angry, especially if we think we are being singled out unfairly. But officers should be treated with respect, and Gates was not being respectful. That's not against the law, but this is not how people should act in a society already tough enough without creating additional conflict. And you're asking for trouble from a cop if you scream at him, even if he is the professional who is trained to de-escalate such incidents. Police have a tough job, and must make split-second decisions that the rest of us have the luxury of dissecting days after the incident. I suspect that Crowley would have acted differently if he could rewind the incident. He appears to me to be a very decent officer.

Obama now realizes that he screwed up in his statement and is trying to resolve this issue by bringing the two sides together. He has even invited the officer and the professor to the White House for a beer. I hope they go because this incident does not need to be another thing that divides America. Gates and Crowley might even like each other.

Let's not use this incident to make political points to attack someone you don't like politically anyway, and let's not use it to further an agenda on racial profiling. This case was a mistake on both sides, and now we need to learn from it -- not make it bigger.

Have a beer, get to know each other. That's the sensible way out of this.

Posted by Jim Boren at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)

The latest version of the state budget has been passed by the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expects to sign it in the next few days. It will soon stop the flow of IOUs to pay state bills, but is this a real budget fix?

The $26 billion budget gap was closed with almost $16 billion in spending cuts, and the rest came from borrowing and accounting tricks. But the Assembly refused to take $1 billion from local governments and that will force Schwarzenegger to find that amount in cuts in other areas using his blue pencil on the spending plan.

This budget may fall apart in months -- unless the economy rebounds quickly and there is more money coming in from sales taxes and other revenue sources tied to the economy.

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Dow Jones industrials close above 9,000 for the first time since January, which means my 201K may be creeping back to 401K status. Hooray!

Just to get the comments going on this hot July afternoon, I wonder if the stock market gain has anything to do with having a new president. The Obama economic policy must be working if we can judge by the stock market results.

OK, there's the red meat for bloggers on all sides of the political spectrum. Have at it. (Yes, this post is a cheap trick to generate comments on Opinion Talk).

Posted by Jim Boren at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

For all the time the governor and the Legislature put in on the budget deal, you'd think it would be more thoughtful than the document patched together by budget negotiators. As today's editorial in The Fresno Bee says, it could have been "written on the back of a napkin for all the thought that has gone into it."

You can read the editorial by clicking here. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators need to come up with a better budget package that solves the state's financial problems fairly and without accounting gimmicks.

Unfortunately, the Assembly and Senate leaders will try to ram the budget through the Legislature today. But there is some resistance and it could be a long day in Sacramento.

Posted by Jim Boren at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maybe, according to the results of a new poll:

An Associated Press-GfK Poll shows that a majority of Americans are back to thinking that the country is headed in the wrong direction after a fleeting period in which more thought it was on the right track.

Obama still has a solid 55 percent approval rating - better than Bill Clinton and about even with George W. Bush six months into their presidencies - but there are growing doubts about whether he can succeed at some of the biggest items on his to-do list. And there is a growing sense that he is trying to tackle too much too soon.

The number of people who think Obama can improve the economy is down a sobering 19 percentage points from the euphoric days just before his inauguration. Ditto for expectations about creating jobs. Also down significantly: the share of people who think he can reduce the deficit, remove troops from Iraq and improve respect for the U.S. around the world, all slipping 15 points.

In what I'm sure is a less scientific poll, a related question has been posed in a Facebook poll, titled: If the 2008 Presidential Election were held today, would you vote the same way?

In that poll, 35% of the people who voted for Obama stand by their vote today. And 59.8% of the people who voted against him stand by the way they voted. More than 146,000 votes have been counted so far.

How do you think President Barack Obama is doing? Pleased as punch? Is it too soon to tell? Or are you disappointed in the direction in which he is leading our country?

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (81)

I got angry when I saw the photo of the governor and legislative leaders smiling as they announced a budget agreement last night. They shouldn't be smiling. They should be ashamed. Their inability to balance the budget drove the spending gap to $26 billion and caused more pain for Californians than the downturn in the economy warranted.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg should have been apologizing to California residents for the inept way they have governed the state in recent years.

The question I have is how much of this agreement is based on accounting gimmicks that will force lawmakers back to the negotiating table when the holes in the budget are exposed. Remember that in February they announced a budget agreement that "solved" the spending problem, only to having to admit later that their budget numbers were phony.

It took them five more months to get to Monday night's agreement. I have a feeling that this isn't the lat we har of this budget deficit.

Posted by Jim Boren at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

The health-care system in this nation is badly broken, and needs an overhaul. But it must be done right. This is the best chance for fundamental reform of the nation's health care system, but badly flawed bills now in Congress won't meet that goal.

Slow down and make sure the reform that is passed is better than the current system. The director of the Congressional Budget Office says the proposed changes won't "reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount."

President Barack Obama wants the deal done now, but the only reason for the rush is because opposition is building. The president needs to understand that he will be hurt politically by a bad bill. But more importantly, the nation will be hurt at a time that wise health care reform is needed.

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Fresno's temperature record for Sunday was broken, as the mercury hit 112 degrees and we tried to figure out how to stay cool. Today's temperature is expected to be close to that mark, causing the National Weather Service to issue a severe heat warning that will last until 9 p.m.

These temperatures are not just uncomfortable for San Joaquin Valley residents. They are dangerous, especially for the elderly and small children.

The Bee's editorial board offered safety tips in this editorial.

Know the signs of heat-related illness: Cramps are an early sign, often followed by cool, moist skin; headache; dizziness and weakness or exhaustion; and nausea. More serious signs are vomiting; decreased alertness or loss of consciousness; high body temperature (up to 105 degrees); ceasing to sweat; a rapid, weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. Call 911 if these life-threatening signs appear. Drink water throughout the day.

Posted by Jim Boren at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

As the anchor of the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981, Walter Cronkite set the standard for accuracy, fairness and dependability. He guided viewers through some of the most significant events of the 20th century, including the civil rights struggles in the
South and man's first walk on the moon.

What news stories do you remember because of the way he presented them?

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)

Myth No. 1. It costs you to park at Fashion Fair or River Park because the cost of parking is built into the cost of your merchandise. Fact: I drove to Fashion Fair this past weekend looking for something and couldn't fine what I needed. I left and did not have to pay for parking. So you can get free parking when window shopping. But try that downtown and you have to pay.

Myth No. 2. Parking isn't downtown's problem. Fact: Stop thinking like City Hall bureaucrats and think like the people who might come downtown but won't because of the parking situation. Parking is an issue, even if it's not politically correct to say that about downtown.

Myth No. 3. City tried free parking and it didn't work. Fact: It was only for meters and for a short period of time. Free parking should have been free in meters, free in garages, free in surface lots. You can keep downtown workers away from the close-in spots with timed zones, but they have to be enforced.

Myth No. 4: Parking costs downtown are designed to maximize space usage for visitors. Fact: A huge chunk of the $6.3 million in parking revenue comes from tickets. The citation revenue for fiscal year 2009 was $2,543,500. Parking meter revenue was $912,700. Daily parking and permit parking (garages and lots) revenue was $2,813,500. City Hall has a huge incentive to ticket people coming downtown. Is that customer service or government acting like government?

When looking at the downtown parking issue, don't fall for the tired old arguments that City Hall bureaucrats and council members offer. They can't get out of their thinking that making people pay money is the only answer to city problems. I'm not opposed to paying if it makes sense. But just maybe more people will come downtown if they think they are welcome and aren't easy marks for the city's revenue collectors.

Posted by Jim Boren at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Assembly Budget Chairwoman Noreen Evans explains her controversial statement that it's "meaningless" to say the state should live within its means. She offers several arguments in her defense. But one of her points is that low-income counties, such as Fresno, Tulare, Kern and Modoc, are subsidized by the state's taxpayers. Living within the state's means would require the low-income counties to pay more for the services that are provided to their residents.

Evans, a Santa Rosa Democrats, explained her position in a commentary in The Sacramento Bee. Click here to read the entire Evans commentary.

Here's how Evans puts it: "Many counties receive state services that cost far more than the taxes they generate. Modoc County, for example, annually consumes per person $1,135 in K-12 education, $658 for Medi-Cal, $113 in state supplemental payments for seniors and the disabled, and $34 in IHSS. But its residents pay only $769 per person in state personal income and sales taxes, the largest two contributors to the general fund, which pays for these services. Taxes from wealthier counties enable Modoc to consume more state services than its own means could provide. Other counties that use more state services than their own means provide include Fresno, Tulare and Kern."

Here's more from Evans:

"Yet at the same time that the governor and legislative Republicans propose eliminating services in the name of "living within our means," they support massive giveaways to special interests. This is what renders the slogan meaningless.

"California is the only state in the nation that does not tax extraction of oil from our lands. Yet when a small tax was proposed to avoid more cuts to education, the governor threatened a veto. Democrats proposed to enforce laws to collect taxes from out-of-state Internet retailers such as Utah-based Overstock. Although this levels the playing field for local businesses, which do pay such taxes, the governor threatened a veto. To avoid throwing nearly a million children off health insurance, Democrats proposed closing recently adopted corporate tax loopholes that cost the state $2.5 billion annually. Again, the governor threatened a veto."

Posted by Jim Boren at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Associated Press is reporting that a Russian-made Iranian passenger plane carrying 168 people crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday, smashing into a field northwest of the capital and shattering into flaming pieces. All on board were killed in Iran's worst air disaster in six years, officials said.

This tragedy will undoubtedly have impact here in the Valley because its destination was the Armenian capital Yerevan. The central San Joaquin Valley is home to a large population of ethnic Armenians.

At Yerevan's airport, Tina Karapetian, 45, said she had been waiting for her sister and the sister's 6- and 11-year-old sons, who were due on the flight. "What will I do without them?" she said, weeping, before she collapsed to the floor.

Associated Press photo: Iranian workers search at the site where a Russian-made Iranian passenger plane crashed just outside the village of Jannatabad, about 75 miles west of the capital Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday. All on board were killed in Iran's worst air disaster in six years.

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

A front-page story in today's paper discusses obstacles faced by today's college graduates in finding jobs now that they're leaving the classroom and entering (or trying to enter) the work force.

Faced with stiff competition, many 2009 grads are looking wherever they can. They're ready to move far from home. They're willing to accept less pay. They'll even take a job outside their chosen field.

And for many, even that's not enough. Fewer than 20% of 2009 graduates had accepted a job offer when surveyed between February and April by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That number was 50% in 2007.

If you have recent college grads in your life, either friends or family, have you noticed this changed environment? If you know students who are still in college -- I have a 20-year-old stepson going to college in Nebraska -- has today's economic climate changed the kinds of majors those students are looking at?

Photo illustration by Darrell Wong and SW Parra/The Fresno Bee

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

An article in today's Fresno Bee reminds us that it's never too early to start thinking about how to keep our children well-nourished during the school day.

School food experts are constantly tweaking cafeteria menus to tempt the finicky palates of the more than 30 million children who eat at school each day. It's all part of a broader effort to keep students healthy and well-fed, which studies show helps academic performance.

Jose Alvarado, food services director with Fresno Unified School District, said students are more sophisticated about their food choices today, so district officials need to figure out what they like.

Do you pack a lunch for your kids or do you send lunch money so they can buy something? If they buy their lunch, are you happy that they are making smart choices about what to eat and drink (or do you even know if they are using the lunch money to buy anything)?

And if you pack a lunch, what do you put in it?

For my 6-year-old, when she was in preschool and kindergarten, I would pack some baby carrots or grape tomatoes (her growing food), a drink and a 100-calorie pack of crackers or cookies. Now that she'll be starting first grade in six weeks, I may add a sandwich to that, since she'll be at school for a full day.

My two older girls are supposed to pack themselves a lunch. There's a portion of a shelf in our pantry where we keep non-perishable sandwich fixings, chips, bags and such. I try to keep a variety of seasonal fruits available. But it seems like some days they don't bother to pack their lunch, then are scrounging for heavy snacks when they get home, which can interfere with their appetite at dinner.

How do you handle school lunches at your home?

Here's a website that has some fun ideas for things to pack in your kids' school lunches.

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

A series of public hearings on the future of Yosemite National Park begin today at REI, the outdoor-sports retailer at 7810 N. Blackstone Ave. The session will be held from 4-8 p.m. The Fresno bee's editorial board discusses the importance of these hearings in an editorial thaty you can read by clicking here.

The National Park Service will hold eight other sessions locally and in Northern and Southern California.

"The debate over appropriate usage of the park has been played out many times, and now a court decision is pushing a renewed look at Yosemite's mission," the editorial says. "A federal judge has ordered the National Park Service to come up with a new plan to limit the crowds in Yosemite Valley. There's a lot at stake in this new plan, including how much public access will be allowed in the park."

Don't let the decisions be made without hearing from you.

Posted by Jim Boren at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Gottschalks, the venerable Fresno-based department store chain, closed forever on Sunday, the last day of a liquidation that saw everything on sale, including company training manuals and store fixtures. For most of 105 years, Gottschalks was a classic American success story. But then it expanded beyond its reach, suddenly couldn't compete with low-cost retailers and then fell victim to the credit crunch.

Just like that, Gottschalks was in bankruptcy and wasn't even given a chance to emerge from that status. It was quickly sold to a liquidation firm, almost as if someone feared that Gottschalks would emerge from bankruptcy a better company. It wasn't given that chance by the bankruptcy court and its major creditors.

We witnessed a sad end to this business in the past few days, with merchandise being hauled out of its stores for 10 cents on the dollar. On Sunday, the lights went out on Gottschalks, and this Valley will never be the same.

I feel sorry for the Gottschalks employees, and I know dozens of them. These Gottchalks alumni are my friends, and I know how hard they worked to keep the business afloat. In the end, some saw 25-year careers being reduced to standing in line at the unemployment office. What a complete waste.

The cynical will say that's just American capitalism. Some businesses will succeed and some won't and Gottschalks was in the second category. That analysis ignores the human face of this tragedy.

I grew up with Gottschalks. My parents bought my ninth-grade graduation suit there. This store was always my first choice for merchandise, even at the end when I knew that Gottschalks no longer existed and a liquidation company was squeezing the final few bucks out of the name.

Today is a very sad day.

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

In today's column in The Bee, I suggest that the city should stop charging for parking in downtown Fresno to encourage revitalization of the area. You can read the complete column by clicking here.

One of the main reasons (probably the only reason) that City Hall likes to charge for downtown parking is that it makes a lot of money -- $6.3 million annually in parking revenue. That comes from parking meters, city garages and lucratic parking tickets. But if the city has a commitment to downtown, why not make parking free? That way, the area can compete with other parts of Fresno where parking is free.

Posted by Jim Boren at 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

I confess to being a fan of mixed martial arts, and watch matches on television every chance I get. They are exciting and it's a one-on-one war in the octagon. It does make me a bit nervous to admit that I like something that's so violent.

And this is a very violent sport. Someone who says it isn't hasn't watched any MMA matches. The idea is to force your oponent to submit by using a variety of holds. You can even choke your opponent, hoping that he taps out before he passes out. How many sports do you know where you can win by choking your opponent?

There are many other MMA moves. I was looking on the Ultimate Fighting Championship web site and it gives this definition for an arm bar: "Includes all locks, bars, and holds that cause enough pain to cause an opponent to submit. Many of these holds can result in serious injury if the opponent does not tap out in time. A few popular submission holds are arm bars, ankle locks, knee bars, and neck cranks."

All this said, I'm not going to pay $45 to watch tonight's UFC 100's matches from Las Vegas on pay per view. That's too pricey for something I can get on cable for free later.

But while I like watching MMA, I don't think cage fights should be held at the Woodward Park amphitheater. It's just not an appropriate place for this violent sport. I like boxing, but I don't think that Woodward Park is the right venue for that sport either. There are plenty of places to hold MMA matches in Fresno, and I don't know why promoter Rick Mirigian insists on going to battle with Mayor Ashley Swearengin, who has blocked the matches at the park.

Maybe it's Mirigian's MMA mentality on this. . . You know, you can't "tap out" on anything so he continues to battle.

But Mirigian should concentrate on promoting successful cage fights -- mixed martial arts bouts -- at one of the many appropriate venues in our community.

Posted by Jim Boren at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

This morning, the city of Fresno announced its plan to keep the Fresno Metropolitan Museum open.

We just finished an editorial meeting with Mayor Ashley Swearengin and representatives for the musuem, where they discussed the plan, as well as things museum leaders plan to do differently to make the museum more successful.

One idea they mentioned that caught my attention was to get more in touch with the community -- the Metropolitan Museum is the lastest museum between Los Angeles and San Francisco -- to find out what kinds of exhibits patrons want to see at the Met.

Makes sense to me. We have a very diverse community in our six-county region that the museum serves. What kind of exhibits would draw you to the Met?

I'll go first. I'd like to see "Bodies: The Exhibition," which uses whole-body specimens to reveal how your body works by exploring it from the inside-out. Can we bring "Bodies" to Fresno?

How about you? Is there an exhibit you would travel hours to go see? Let's see if we can bring it here instead.

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

The controversy over $500,000 in employee bonuses paid by the Central Valley Regional Center shows the mentality of people spending taxpayer money. If the $500,000 wasn't spent, it would go back to the state, so what else would you do?

The Fresno Bee editorial board criticizes the bonuses in this editorial.

Marion M. Karian, executive director of Exceptional Parents Unlimited, an agency funded by the Regional Center, also criticizes the bonuses in this commentary.

Posted by Jim Boren at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

UPDATED posting.

The big water rally in Fresno last week brought thousands of people to downtown Fresno, but unlike most visitors, they didn't have to pay to park in city lots and garages. That resulted in a loss of about $10,000 in parking revenue to the city.

Parking regulations were "relaxed" because getting a water solution would be a benefit to the city that would more than exceed the $10,000 in parking revenue, according to a city spokesman. Mayor Ashley Swearengin spoke at the water rally.

City Manager Andy Souza made the parking decision. Here's the city's explanation:

1) This is a City issue, one which the Mayor and City Council have supported by Resolution, and one which has a direct impact on our City.

2) As it is a City event, and there are thousands of people attending, we need to maintain the safety of the participants, and a key element is to control where people drive and park. By placing them in secure garages away from the marching area, we were able to enhance public safety and assure that there were no traffic mishaps. It also assured that a large number of people who were from out of town and who may have been unfamiliar with downtown were able to get to the event without incident.

3) The lots used all have sufficient vacant stalls to accommodate the traffic without jeopardizing other users who would be in downtown that day.

4) The benefits realized by the city from a water solution would outweigh the parking receipts for the day.

The $10,000 figure was based on the city's estimate of the crowd, which was much smaller than the sponsors' estimate. If there were 10,000 people or more in attendance, as the sponsors contend, the parking revenue loss could be as much as $35,000.

If this definition of a city event is city policy (and not made up to cover a political giveaway), there are a lot of events downtown that meet the criteria and patrons should not have to pay to park. You can start with all the city-sponsored festivals on the Fulton Mall, and the Fresno Grizzlies games. I think city bureaucrats opened a can of worms with this one.

But we all know what is going on here. This is a parking policy that is based more on whether a group is favored by the mayor's office than what is fair to all groups coming downtown. I've always thought that the cost of parking is one of the prices you pay for having a nice downtown. But now it's being used as a political weapon and that is making me reconsider my position. Maybe all parking downtown should be free, which would solve this problem once and for all. It would take the punitive nature of downtown parking away from the city bureaucrats.

I remember city parking control officers harassing customers of the old Kern Street Coffee with parking tickets when they went inside. It was definitely odd to see the parking control officers stationed in front of this business looking for parking revenue. City Hall wasn't very business-friendly, and still isn't when it comes to how it treats people trying to find parking, and spend money downtown.

How should business people who have events at the Exhibit Hall react to the news that some groups get special treatment? Their customers must pay $7 to park, as well as the admission fee to the event. Isn't having viable businesses downtown also in the city's interest?

It's time to rethink the downtown parking mess, and maybe that's the best thing to come from this gift of taxpayer funds from the mayor's office.

Posted by Jim Boren at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)

It's been a rough year for everyone. Even those who still have jobs after the economic apocolypse that has taken place have felt repercussions -- furloughs, wage freezes or cuts, just to name a couple.

In today's editorial, we state our position that state lawmakers should share in sacrifice, and give up some of their perks.

In addition to their six-figure salaries, lawmakers get a $173-per-day, tax-free living allowance, state-paid health care and car allowances of up to $400 per month.

Are these perks really necessary, especially in times as tough as these?

What do you think? Can -- and should -- California taxpayers afford to continue to pay for all of this?

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, has turned in an impressive fundraising report for next year's race for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. At the June 30 reporting deadline, the Shafter lawmaker had raised $1.25 million. Not bad for an election that's a year away.

Florez's campaign said the last-minute boost in contributions was fueled by a "still-growing small contributor base that stormed the Internet in the last few hours before the June 30 reporting deadline with $30 dollar donations."

Florez, the Senate majority leader, had nearly $900,000 on-hand at the end of the reporting period, according to a Florez campaign statement.

Posted by Jim Boren at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

They promise one thing when they run for office, and do something quite differently when they are elected. Click here to read how lawmakers of both parties violate your trust.

And if you really want to get angry, read what Assembly Member Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, says about the state living within its means. . . And she chairs the Assembly budget committee.

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The New York Times has an interesting story today looking at the wild swing of gasoline prices and how they impact small businesses and consumers as they try to rebound from economic troubles.

Last summer, oil prices hit a record $145 a barrel, driving gasoline prices to more than $4 a gallon, the NYT points out. Then they tumbled to $33 a barrel in December, but now have more than doubled since the first of the year. That has increased gasoline prices to $2.60 a gallon nationally (and much higher in California).

You can read the Times' story by clicking here.

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's lawyer is threatending legal action against those who defame her with accusations that her resignation came because she is under criminal investigation. The Anchorage Daily News reported this weekend that Thomas Van Flein, Palin's personal attorney, said the governor is not being investigated by authorities.

"I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero, " Van Flein told the Alaska newspaper. You can read the complete story in the Anchorage Daily News by clicking here. (The Daily News is a sister paper in the McClatchy Company).

After Palin's surprise announcement Friday that she was resigning at the end of the month, rumors hit the blogosphere about the "real reasons" she was stepping down as governor. Van Flein then sent out a statement attacking "false and defamatory allegations" that Palin's resignation stems "from an alleged criminal investigation pertaining to the construction of the Wasilla Sports Complex," according to the Anchorage newspaper. Palin was mayor of Wasilla before becoming governor.

The FBI's Alaska office confirms that there is not a federal investigation of Palin, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Here's more on the Palin story from the Anchorage Daily News:

Rumors that Palin steered contracts for the 2003 construction of the Wasilla Sports Complex before leaving office as Wasilla mayor the previous fall, in return for work building her home about the same time, have been around at least since the vice presidential campaign last fall. They've resurfaced on many Web sites this weekend following her abrupt announcement she will resign from office in three weeks. Palin's house, almost 3,500 square feet with four bedrooms and four baths, is on a two-acre site along scenic Lake Lucille in Wasilla and is assessed at $532,500.

Van Flein wrote in his Saturday letter that the Palin family built the Lake Lucille house using Palin's husband, Todd, as general contractor. It said Todd "is no stranger to construction."

"The Palins used a combination of personal savings, equity from the sale of their private home, and conventional bank financing to build the house, like millions of American families" Van Flein wrote.

Posted by Jim Boren at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Have a great holiday and be safe out there. It's our nation's 233rd birthday.

We've turned our editorial page space over to Thomas Jefferson and our nation's other founders, and published the Declaration of Independence. You can read the Declaration by clicking here.

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which told the world that the 13 colonies were no longer part of the British Empire. It listed our grievances against King George III, and established basic rights. In this simple sentence, the Declaration laid out the foundation of our nation's freedom:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Posted by Jim Boren at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Associated Press just moved a breaking news bulletin: WASILLA, Alaska -- Spokesman: Sarah Palin is resigning as Alaska governor on July 26.

I will update when we hear anything else.

UPDATE: Here's a link to our story.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, raising speculation that she would focus on a run for the White House in the 2012 race.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement from her home in suburban Wasilla on Friday morning. She said she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans.

"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose," Palin said in a statement released by her office.

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)

I just posted the American Flag at my house, since this is the beginning of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. I took this photo with my cell phone. The Flag looks kind of cool with the early-morning sun slicing through the shadows, and a slight morning breeze bending the stripes on our glorious Flag.

On the Fourth, we're going to have a barbecue, and then watch fireworks around the neighborhood. What are your holiday plans? Share them with Opinion Talk readers in the comments section of this post. Some of you took us up on the offer of tickets to the Fresno Grizzlies's game. There will be a huge fireworks show after the game. What are the rest of you doing?

On Saturday, the actual holiday, we'll run the Declaration of Independence in place of our editorials and letters to the editor. That's been a tradition for the past several years. I love reading the document, and being reminded about what our founders were up against as they declared our freedom and started a revolution. The final line of the Declaration is one of my favorites. The signers were people of means and they had a lot to lose, including their fortunes and their lives. Here's that final sentence:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

This slideshow, called "Johnny the Bagger," is very inspirational. It was sent to me by my roommate.

According to the website that posted it, Walk the Talk.com provides resources for personal and professional success.

Posted by Lisa Maria Boyles at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

The governor's office offered this video from a legislative session to show that the Democrats aren't serious about the budget crisis. This was sent to me this evening from the Schwarzenegger press office in response to the blog item earlier in the day on state Sen. Dean Florez criticizing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on budget mess.

"I think this is inexcusable," Schwarzenegger said. "How do they explain this to the California people? In the midst of the biggest budget crisis, we are having a debate about cow tails. Ask the Legislature to stop debating about cow tails and let's do the budget."

The Florez responded with this statement:

Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, D-Shafter, called on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to "stop tweeting his obsession with cow tails and start tweaking the Budget to move us toward a solution."

While Florez has been meeting with Senate leadership to negotiate a Budget that would allow the state to avoid issuing costly IOUs, Schwarzenegger has been repeatedly posting on Twitter to mock legislation aimed at ending animal cruelty -- which California voters identified as a high priority with their overwhelming support of Proposition 2.

The Governor even sent a camera crew to videotape the Assembly Agriculture Committee hearing at which Florez's legislation to end the crude amputation of cows' tails was presented by Assemblymember Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, who was already set to be present as a member of the committee.

Senate policy committees for Wednesday were cancelled.

Florez derided the use of staff for the taping and subsequent YouTube posting as a clear waste of the state's resources.

"I do not understand why the Governor would spend his time and the state's resources mocking the prevention of animal cruelty. For my part, I am proud to have introduced the bill, thankful that it passed, and continuing to focus on my work to help prevent the state from going to IOUs. I can't imagine the Governor doesn't have better things to do with his time as well during this crisis," Florez said.

"We are still waiting for the Governor to sit down at the table with the State Senate and lay out what it will take to get him to support a Budget that does not hurt the most vulnerable citizens of this state."

Posted by Jim Boren at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, and the Senate majority leader, issued this statement about the state budget and issuing IOU's to pay state bills:

The Governor's cavalier attitude toward the state issuing IOUs under his watch is certainly a game-changer in the current effort to bridge the gaping $24 billion dollar hole in the state's finances.

In a nutshell, under the governor's IOU plan the state pays vendors and others it owes with the equivalent of a post-dated check that is good for the face value of the amount owed plus interest. IOU recipients, for the most part, "sell" their IOUs to a bank for the face value of the check for quick cash.

The bank holds onto and then redeems the IOU at a later date, earning millions of dollars in interest.

This type of borrowing is nothing like pulling out the state's credit card to pay the bills. Rather, this is more like the state going down the street and getting an expensive payday loan.

The Governor's payday scheme not only makes California the laughingstock of the credit markets, but it unnecessarily puts a black eye on the state's long-term credit rating.

This means that, for years to come, millions of taxpayer dollars get shoved into the pockets of Wall Street bankers every time we issue long-term debt to build schools or roads, or other needed public projects. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 billion dollars in additional interest alone will be added to the cost of selling bonds that voters have already approved.

The fact that the Governor doesn't care much about the consequences of an IOU-fueled government signals that he's willing to take extreme measures, even punishing taxpayers and ruining the state's credit, to get his way on budget negotiations.

Given this pattern, I believe that a Newt Gingrich-style government shutdown is just around the corner. Bleeding precious dollars on costly IOUs will only widen the overall budget gap, requiring even further budget cuts -- cuts that some legislators will most likely never make, thus leading to an inevitable government shutdown.

The Governor's intransigence on taking action to avoid the black-eye of IOUs makes me wonder if a stalemated government isn't really his ultimate goal.

This is an outcome that he could use as a launch pad to "reform" the legislature in a way that gives the office of the governor distinct and ultimate power - power that he has always craved.

Just as an IOU is paid off at a later date, the governor may be betting that there is a later day political pay-off in creating a stalemated government.

In either case, taxpayers will ultimately foot the bill.

Posted by Jim Boren at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin is getting nervous about too much dancing in Fresno restaurants and has ordered new rules involving the practice. This a quote from a member of the mayor's staff: "Crime peaks when there's dancing."

I'm not sure how to react to that statement, so I'll start with a paraphrase of a quote from one of my favorite movies: "I'm shocked, shocked to find that dancing is going on in here.". . . And then maybe my reaction would be: "Stop me before I dance again." Unfortunately, I'm not much of a dancer, but a lot of Fresno residents are. . . But they better stop it. It's making the adults at City Hall raise their eyebrows. Sounds a lot like the script to the movie, "Footloose."

By the way, I love that dancing scene in the warehouse in "Footloose."

Of course, with restaurants going out of business all over Fresno, this dancing thing won't be an issue for long. Besides, how dare the restaurants try to stay in business a little longer by encouraging patrons to stick around after dinner to dance, and maybe buy a cocktail or two. We have our rules in Fresno, and we don't care if they hurt our economy.

Bee columnist Joan Obra explains the dancing issue in this column in today's Bee.

Here's part of what Obra wrote in her column:

If you dine, drink and dance, it's time to pay attention to Fresno City Hall.

That's because the city is working on a policy that would change Fresno's nightlife. Under the new rules, you could dance only in nightclubs, not restaurants or bars. And you couldn't linger late at night in their parking lots.

Why would the city do this? Well, city planners say some restaurants pushed the rules too far.

Faced with sliding sales, restaurants drummed up business with drinking and dancing. After dinner, they shut the kitchens, brought in music and made room for dancers, turning restaurants into nightclubs.

Then came noise, fights and calls from angry neighbors -- resulting in police officers trying to control the impromptu clubs.

Posted by Jim Boren at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

If Assembly Member Mike Villines has to be in Sacramento because of the state budget stalemate, he might as well hold a fundraiser for his run for insurance commissioner next year. Our colleagues at The Sacramento Bee report that the Clovis Republican is taking in a little baseball along with campaign cash.

Villines' campaign for insurance commissioner is holding a $2,000-a-head fundraiser at tonight's Sacramento River Cats game in West Sacramento. The River Cats are playing the Fresno Grizzlies so we know who the assemblyman will be rooting for. The opening pitch is at 7:05 p.m. You still have time to drive up there.

If there's a mid-game budget vote in the Assembly, Villines can slip out and head to the Capitol, which is only a few minutes from the ballpark.

Posted by Jim Boren at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)