Last week, this column talked about the explosive issue of public employee pension benefits and noted that, beginning soon, new rules would require government to account accurately for the future costs of those benefits.  Read more >>

'Tis the season and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future are about to visit themselves on local governments as retribution for their wastrel ways. For years cities, counties and school districts have provided public employees a perpetual "Christmas gift" consisting of lavish pension and health care benefits, but beginning this month, new guidelines by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board will require full disclosure of these unfunded government liabilities.  Read more >>

Senate leader Don Perata has a plan to provide all uninsured working Californians with health insurance at an estimated cost of $5 billion to $7 billion without a tax increase. Okay.

The Perata plan would force businesses that do not provide health insurance and their employees, through a payroll deduction, to pay into a state agency that would attempt to negotiate for "affordable" coverage. When paying taxes, workers would have to show proof of medical insurance.

This is just plain wrong on so many levels -- let me count the ways.  Read more >>

In our Republic, there are -- or are supposed to be -- fairly well defined lines of government authority. At an early age, our children are taught that there are three branches of government and that, under our system of federalism, the states share political power with the national government.  Read more >>

A horrible crisis has gripped the California education establishment. Lower test scores? Higher drop out rates? Fewer kids going on to college? Far worse than that. The disaster is that there are fewer kids to teach. A report from the California Legislative Analyst shows K-12 enrollment will drop next year by more than 6,000 students, a trend that is predicted to continue through the end of the decade.  Read more >>