Search query: utah

The most dangerous icebergs are those that are completely submerged, as ships may not be able to spot them in time. The huge and growing problem of California public pension fund liability has for too long been treated like a submerged iceberg. Many didn't even know it was there. Those who did often kept quiet about it, hoping the problem would somehow magically go away (or perhaps they just wanted to kick the problem down the road a few years in hopes someone else would have to deal with it.) H

Making left turns on some city streets up here in North Lake Tahoe has become about as challenging as navigating a double black diamond run at Squaw Valley.  There's no visibility over the snow piled up on the media so you can't see whether cars are coming from the other direction.  Triggering the left turn light at an intersection may require you to climb part way up an icy slope. It’s the winter of ’11 – one to tell your grandchildren about.  More than 50 feet of snow has deluged the high cou

Frustrated  with the state’s government, one Independent activist in Utah has taken  a novel approach to dealing with his representatives in the  legislature: he’s put them up for sale online. Bidding  opened early last Friday on an eBay auction for Utah State Sen. Jerry  Stevenson.  The seller was Randy Miller, founder and president of the Utah League of Independent Voters.   Judging from the original listing, which has since been deleted by  eBay, Miller was not confident that he would find a

After a year of covering the ongoing budget crisis, it now appears to me to be 1) insoluble (except via outside intervention) and 2) comical (even if unintentionally so.) While this indeed is a 'Very Serious Matter', the truth is that the stonewalling antics of the various involved parties in Sacramento resemble the Keystone Kops more than any serious attempt to balance the budget. There's been much running around and frenzied activity in Sacramento - but practically no results. Did you know th

There's debate in some circles about the causes and even the existence of global warming, but there is no question about the critical importance of the quantity and staying power of the annual Sierra snowpack to California.  A weak snow season or an early melt can have a multi-billion dollar impact on California's agricultural industry -- largest in the nation -- and can also squeeze manufacturers, even homeowners. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Western Mountains provide 5

“We overpromised” says the head of a pension reform group, and this may well be true. The amount being paid into the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) by teachers, schools, and the state cannot possibly meet the amount that will be owed in the coming years. But the real problem for California is that by law CalSTRS can demand that the state make up any funding shortfall they have. That’s right, CalSTRS can legally force to state to fund them. Right now, the state is paying 23

What's that you say?  You didn't even know open carry was legal in California? Why yes it is. The gun must be in clear view at all times and be unloaded. You may also legally carry ammo on a clip next to the holstered gun.  You don't need a license. In a move either brave or foolhardy, State Assembly member Anthony Portantino has introduced a bill, AB 144, which would ban open carry in California. It's a given he will be hearing from lots of concerned folks about this, most especially from pro-

President Obama recently said he wants to eliminate mindless, burdensome, and unneeded regulations at the federal level. California Senate President Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) agrees, saying he wants to do the same for California and will propose "urgency legislation that directs each state agency to review its regulations, identify any duplicative, archaic or inconsistent rules." You know things are changing when a Democrat proposes this. The Republican response was definitely positive.

California, along with many other states, has unfunded public pension obligations that it hasn't the remotest possibility of being able to meet. A Stanford study last April determined California's unfunded pension liabilities to be $500 billion. That's right, California owes half a trillion dollars and it hasn't a clue where the money will come from. This sorry state of affairs is due to multiple factors. California public pension funds have been mismanaged for years and have used unrealistic e

Arizona allows anyone concerned about the mental health of another to report them to authorities to be evaluated, even as they continue to slash their mental health budget. Many other states including California are of course doing the same. Such cuts do put those needing help more at risk.  However, the key to recovering from mental illness is for the person to want to change. States can't make anyone change nor can they lock someone up for acting oddly. This is certainly a good thing as such