Ok, I admit it. Soon after my high school graduation, I failed the English Placement Exam. That meant that I had to take English 1A, euphemistically known as “Bonehead English,” my first quarter at Foothill Community College in Los Altos Hills, California. This was in the late 1970s when our hippy-dippy tenured high school teachers […]
I finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up. I want to be a bioethicist. Some prestigious hospital or university would pay me big bucks to, in response to a medical/ethical crisis like the birth of a cloned human being, issue Solomon-like wisdom and guidance for public officials, reporters, and everyone […]
I thought about good old Mr. Bulwer-Lytton, the art of fiction writing, and making up bad stories when I read about the new admission requirements for students who wish to be accepted for the University of California. Since 1983 several English professors at San Jose University have sponsored the annual Bulwer-Lytton Contest for “the opening […]
The Golden State Warriors with their lightening passes, 3-pointers from the other side of the moon and tenacious defense clobbered the Cavs to win the NBA Basketball Championship. It’s exciting to watch a team perform at the top of their game.
In the public policy arena, the stakes are higher. We need our local elected officials […]
Most of the political animals that make their living in Washington D.C. have heard of a crafty and devious maneuver called “The Washington Monument Strategy.” Legend has it that “The Washington Monument Strategy” got its name – and, no doubt, is now a permanent feature in the unofficial Bureaucratic Hall of Fame, which is located […]
During last year’s debate over Placer Legacy, a proposed county program that would help preserve open space and agricultural lands I perpetuity, I remember several opponents confidently standing up and saying in public forums that the Legacy program wasn’t needed because of the Williamson Act. Most people in the audience shook their heads and naturally […]
With my feet firmly in place, courtesy of the sticky soda-coated floor, the lights in the local movie theater dimmed and I began my struggle with the chewy candy in my mouth that had, like Super-Glue, latched firmly onto my teeth. I began to wonder what would make an otherwise sane man spend upwards of […]
Last Wednesday, it was about 8:50 in the morning when I started to walk across the street from my office to the State Capitol. The Assembly Insurance Committee was scheduled to meet at 9 o’clock that morning to deliberate and take action on five bills related to workers’ compensation, disability benefits and annuities. My job […]
When I was a kid, we used to walk through groves of giant eucalyptus trees on the way to Stanford football stadium. When we got to the stadium, we picked up a football program, which was full of pictures of the star players and statistics about the opposing teams. On the front cover of the […]
Even columnists have heroes. Of course, we don’t demand that our heroes do really hard stuff like courageously rushing a well-defended machine gun next or throwing down the throttle on the X-15, climbing to the very edge of Heaven, and breaking the sound barrier. Being a sometimes cerebral and self-centered lot, the pundit guild will […]
