So, let’s see, increasing insurance costs, a lack ofnew hospital development by the private sector, an inability by the public sector to build or improve health facilities without increased taxes via bonds (as the CEO of a public healthcare district, this is firsthand knowledge), overflowing emergency rooms, what more can I add?

Is government responsible for any of this? Let’s just touch on a couple of mandates…

Government mandates on nurse staffing ratios: Instead of a look at how individual hospitals fare in the provision of quality health care, based on an individual facility’s number of nurses needed for a select number of patients, let’s instead mandate a "one size fits all" ratio of patients per nurses based on the lowest common denominator…the worst providers of service. Oh, we already did that.

Result: Higher costs to provide a mandated number of employees in every unit, on every floor, in every hospital, regardless of the benefit or measurable outcome.

Government mandates for seismic retrofit of facilities: Yes, we all want our hospitals to stand up in an… Read More

In the Sunday FR was an article featured also on Sunday from the San Diego UT, concerning water storage. Democrat leadership pronouncing DOAany funding for new water storage in California had me more than a little dismayed. The Governor hasn’t even delivered yethis State of the State speech where he may well outline a proposal for one or two new water storage projects as part of the much needed infrastructure overhaul and augmentation this state desperately needs. Yet already, this prepronounced negativity. This on the heels of all the talk on the Assembly floor of working in a "bi-partisan way" [evidently meaning Republican principles being excluded in all or part in negotiations] and the enthusiastic embrace of "post-partisanship" from the Governor’s Inaugural day. I wouldcall the statement that "Democrats don’t support water storage" a wet blanket on the "new spirit" down in Sacramento, but you need water to dampen the #@&% blanket.

But that statement isn’t completely true. Governor Schwarzenegger in last years state of the state speech listed new water… Read More

The group of GOP volunteers that are suing the state to have Jerry Brown’s election overturned because he was officially on "inactive status" as a lawyer for a short time while Mayor of Oakland has had a few developments. According to the Plaintiffs, on January 4 the case was assigned to Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gail Ohanesian in Dept. 11, and apparently the Court has asked the parties to agree to a hearing date on the merits by January 12.

Readers of FlashReport will know I am a critic of this lawsuit and see it as a sure loser and even anembarrassment for the Republican Party. Brown has been a lawyer in California for 40 years, has served as Secretary of State and Governor, and is surely qualified to be the state’s Attorney General. Simply because he changed his statusas a lawyer for a few years while serving as Oakland’s Mayor, to take advantage of the lower cost dues structure for inactive attorneys,shouldnot be a basis to overturn a vote of the people wherebyBrown waselected with an overwhelming majority and received an 18 point lead over his opponent in the race. By the way, I voted for his opponent.

On… Read More

After two straight collapses, the San Joaquin GOP is now at a crossroads. After what could be described charitably as civil war over the last two cycles, it is time for the members of the Central Committee to put their animosities aside and realize who they are actually supposed to be fighting. Now, after losing Richard Pombo’s seat in Congress and the Podesto campaign for Senate district 5 in 2004, it is the hope of many that unity of purpose within the local GOP will win out and revitalize a committee into a modern party apparatus modeled after such successful programs as San Diego. With a much stronger base of local elected officials and legislators along with a top tier donor base in the county that begins with GOP heavyweight Alex Spanos, it is entirely within the realm of possibility that the county GOP can once again be a determining force in winning elections (the way it was in 2002) rather quickly if the right decisions are made.

The genesis of this civil war began with a race for Stockton city council that pitted the two rival factions against each other. Almost three years later the committee is a shell, broke and with no hope of funding unless… Read More

Today’s Guest Commentary is penned by Jeff Miller, the Chairman of the Riverside County Republican Party. Miller flew up to Sacramento on Friday and attended the inauguration of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has written this piece, after reflected on the Governor’s remarks…

Remember the Californian Dream that needed so much protecting just three months ago? That dream where solitary visionaries, like Disney, DeMille, Hewlett and Packard, and Jobs & Wozniak, could work through the night in a garage and create sensational things that could best be summed up by B.C. Forbes who long ago stated, “The purpose of capitalism is… Read More

Everyone who paid attention to the race in the 11th congressional district remembers Jerry McNerney’s 55 position changes on his Project Vote Smart questionnaire. That spirit of ethical convenience continues now after Contra Costa Times reporter Lisa Vorderbrueggen reported on her blog that McNerney has said he joined the congressional "Progressive Caucus."

McNerney’s… Read More

Today’s Guest Commentary is penned by Jeff Miller, the Chairman of the Riverside County Republican Party. Miller flew up to Sacramento on Friday and attended the inauguration of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has written this piece, after reflected on the Governor’s remarks…

Remember the Californian Dream that needed so much protecting just three months ago?

That dream where solitary visionaries, like Disney, DeMille, Hewlett and Packard, and Jobs & Wozniak, could work through the night in a garage and create sensational things that could best be summed up by B.C. Forbes who long ago stated, “The purpose of capitalism is not to create a pile of wealth, but a pile of happiness.”… Read More

When a newspaper makes an error that causes you heartburn, your resulting choice is really not much of one,is it? If the reporter or editor concurs that a mistake has indeed been made, and thus agrees to run a printed correction or retraction, you know that it will not get nearly the "play" the original offering did, with only the most avid news readers actually seeing such apologetic tidbits.

Alternatively, you could write a letter-to-the-editor, correcting the mistake in greater detail and noting the actual facts. Other than making you feel better, perhaps, this too has its shortcomings. By appearance anything other than the paper’s admission of error will simply look like your differing opinion. As well, how many readers of the original piece will actually get to the letters section of the editorial page?

You could sue. Uh-huh. Moving on, then…

It’s a catch-22, with the print news media in most cases in a much stronger position than those they cover.

So, it’s nice to see a newspaper, even after a fairly egregious and blatant error, taking action to own up, retract and apologize, while displaying the… Read More