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In keeping with its reputation for inconsistent legal interpretations, the Supreme Court of California has decided that police officers have a right to search a suspect's cell phone without a warrant. In a 5-2 ruling handed down Monday, law enforcement needn't be bothered by that pesky fourth amendment protection which was thought to be enjoyed by every American. It used to be that detained persons could only be searched for disclosed weapons without a warrant, but today, all bets are off as th

Fueled by a growing demand for locally produced food year-round, the number of farmers' markets extending their operations into winter months is on the rise, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Northern states are leading the charge by pioneering techniques to extend growing seasons with indoor gardening methods. Nationwide, at least 900 farmers' markets run between November and March, a 17 percent increase from 2008. Traditional, weekly farmers' markets typically begin in the spr

An acquaintance, undeniably well-off, complained to me recently that a tax increase on those making more than $250,000 was unfair to small businessmen like her husband (a physician).  I experienced a rush of liberal orthodoxy and immediately asked if she didn’t think there was a problem with the concentration of so much wealth at the upper end of our society.  She agreed.  And she complained about how much bank executives made.  But, she argued that $250,000 was too low to be considered anything

For a movement supposedly dedicated (at least in part) to anti-elitism, "Tea Party" was always a strange name. True, the name was meant to conjure up images of the Boston Tea Party rather than demure ladies sipping from china cups, but all the same, the name "Tea Party" was (and is) a strange name for a supposedly populist, neo-Perotista uprising. This is probably because, as Tuesday's election results showed us, the Tea Party is not well-suited to this role. In fact, for the Tea Party to remai

With the Boxer-Fiorina race continually veering between a toss-up and a slight Democratic leaning, the battle for who will be California’s next junior Senator should be heating up at a rate which could place it in comparable company with races such as the negativity-laden Illinois Senate Race and the acrimonious Ohio Gubernatorial Race, to say nothing of some of the more nasty crossfire which has recently begun percolating in the Governors’ race at home in California. But it isn’t. Fiorina and

One of the most common criticisms of the two-party system is that the Democratic and Republican parties have become so polarized that they can no longer work together to solve the problems facing the nation.  Ironically, however, when they are able to achieve some form of bipartisan consensus on a given issue, the results often seem to exacerbate the problem. Or alternatively, they create a whole host of related problems in accordance with the law of unintended consequences. Consider the bipart

As we enter the final stretch of the 2010 mid-term election season, the American public’s dissatisfaction with the Democratic and Republican parties is driving record numbers of people to voice support for third party and Independent alternatives.  In recent months, a widespread majority of Americans have consistently stated that they think there should be a third major party competing with Democrats and Republicans at all levels of government. In a Fox News poll from July, a 57% majority agree

There’s no doubt that when it comes to the Gubernatorial race, former Governor, Democratic nominee and California political icon Jerry Brown is in a tough fight. His opponent is deep-pocketed, ideologically flexible, savvy and has the appearance of uniqueness. She has huge segments of the press on her side, the narrative solidly in the bag and is busy remaking her own state party into a juggernaut that can bankroll not just her race, but every other race in the State. Against such a force of nat

A CBS 5 KPIX poll on July 12 had Whitman ahead of Brown by 7%.  Just two weeks ago, a poll had Brown ahead by 6.  Sure, polls can skitter a bit, but the trend definitely shows Whitman surging and Brown faltering. Brown’s positive ratings have been falling steadily too, which is never a good sign. It should not be this way. California is a heavily Democratic state. Jerry Brown should be way ahead. But he’s not. In fact, he appears to be slipping.  Part of the problem of course is that Meg Whitma

California Democrats hoisted an alternative budget plan last Tuesday that would require few if any budget cuts.  However, this is just another in a long line of increasingly desperate and risky plans by both parties to balance the budget by grabbing assumed future revenue, selling bonds based it, then hoping everything somehow works. Or, if it doesn’t, at least maybe you won’t be in office then. This is no way to run the most populous state in the nation, especially when it’s having crushing