I attended Radius Commercial Real Estate’s 15th excellent annual forecast at the Hilton. One of the presenters was economist Christopher Thornberg who gave an optimistic view of the economy, much of which I agreed with. Regarding the world since Trump took office Dr. Thornberg’s rosiness hit a wall. The current state of things? “Chaos,” he […]
I love my country, America. There has been nothing like it in the history of the world. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts about our revolution and the founders of our republic. It’s easy to be sarcastic or critical of their faults but these men, intellectuals, farmers, lawyers, and businessmen, founded the United […]
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I am asked all the time whom I will vote for, Harris or Trump. My unequivocable answer is that I am not going to vote for president. “What!?” – you may say. “You have a duty as an American citizen whose forebearers fought and died for your right to vote!” Well, I reply, I didn’t […]
This is the second analysis of policies proposed by our presidential candidates. No. 1 was about trade. This one is about taxes. Both candidates like to spend but have different ideas about how to raise revenues. Kamala Harris wants more revenue from taxation. Donald Trump favors less taxes but believes lower taxes would lift the […]
I, who get my tirades published every other week, have five articles to write before the November 2 election, starting now. These articles will give context to the issues that you will hear from our presidential candidates. Readers who have suffered through my policy critiques understand that I try to explain what works and what […]
In my last two articles I reviewed the policies of candidates Harris and Trump. Here’s my take on the two. Just so you know, the standards through which I analyze politics and policy are things that have worked best over the years to make us the most prosperous country in the world: individual liberty, freedom […]
My last article (“It’s Kamala!”) was about Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president. This one is about Donald Trump as nominee for the Republicans. I’ve written a lot about Trump over the years, most of it critical of him and his policies. Like my article on Kamala, I try to rely on facts, […]
In my last article two weeks ago (“The Thing You Can’t Unsee”) I said that Biden would go and he did. Biden immediately endorsed Kamala Harris. Most Democratic leaders and potential rivals quickly capitulated to Ms. Harris. She’s the Democratic presidential candidate. I also said that based on polls, middle-roaders, about 70% of the electorate, […]
As most know, our County’s complete lack of ethical standards is something I have raged against. While other counties have a Code of Ethics (something that our Grand Jury recommended in 2020), our County blissfully dances in the darkness without pesky little rules relating to the timing of campaign contributions, acceptance of gifts, hiring of […]
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As a world and as a county, we face monumental challenges: climate, poverty, education, income inequality, systemic racism and sexism, houselessness, mental health, inflation, access to healthcare, etc… It’s a too-long list of issues that are intersectional and deep. And the only way for our leaders to even begin to unpack such a multiverse of […]
Bobbi McGinnis is the current Chair of the Santa Barbara County GOP committee, a position she has had since 2019, after being its secretary and committee member since 2013. She is a first-generation U.S. born citizen. Her parents moved to the U.S. from England in 1949, choosing Santa Barbara as their new home, with her […]
Public trust in government is at a 50-year low. According to an ambitious Harvard Business School study, the problem in our contentious duopoly is the lack of competition and resulting lack of accountability. Santa Barbara is the poster child for what this study raged against — a system that no longer focuses on the public […]
Bravery takes on many forms, some literal and some a bit more theoretical. But nuance aside, there is bravery in challenging the status quo, the “machine.” And believe you me, our local Democratic Central Committee (DCC) is a machine. Allow me to explain: Local party endorsements spring from the DCC, yet, because Santa Barbara is […]
The showdown for Santa Barbara City Council’s District 4 seat has been an unexpected, no-holds-barred battle between challenger Barrett Reed and incumbent Kristen Sneddon, who, in the face of Reed’s intense criticism, has chosen to focus on her own strong record as a councilmember, and turning up the heat on her current councilmates. Sneddon, a […]
