California is in an economic death spiral. Since January the state budget deficit has ballooned from 9 to 16 billion. Why? Because high taxes and oppressive regulations have caused big reductions in revenues from both individual and corporate income taxes. What does Governor Brown propose? Even higher taxes! And the result will be...wait for it...even bigger reductions in revenues! What an idiot.

Social Security was intended to prevent destitution among the elderly. In other words, it was to be a welfare program for those elders who were imprudent or unlucky in their finances. Fine, let it be so. But many seniors are in no danger of destitution. So, why are they receiving monthly benefits that they don't need, at the expense of struggling young workers? Please don't tell me, "I paid into SS for 40 years, so I am entitled." I did too, but I say it is nothing but theft for affluent seniors to take SS benefits when they don't need them. Such payments are contrary to the fundamental purpose of the program.

Ms. Nandipati, the spelling champ, attends a private school, Francis Parker, in San Diego. You can be confident that none of that school's graduates are functionally illiterate. It is disgusting that the same cannot be said about public schools.

Even Michael J. Fox admitted recently that embryonic stem cell research has been a failure. That is equivalent to admitting the sun rises in the east.

Doug3370 was always the slow kid in his class. His learning is only up to 1992. He will probably never catch up with reality.

A fitting monument for Obama would be a carving of his face on the side of Bandini mountain.

I bought gas today at an ARCO station in San Diego; it was $4.30 per gallon. Last week I bought a medication that has been $60 for years; it is now $80. Obama has succeeded in recreating the 1970's phenomenon of stagflation. The only difference is that interest rates are now low for both borrowers and savers. My local credit union will pay 1.75% on a CD, but only if you invest at least $50,000 for at least 5 years.

During the Clinton administration Holder proved he was corrupt by his handling of the Marc Rich pardon and the pardons of Puerto Rican terrorists. No doubt that, plus his race, is why Obama appointed him. But the blame for Holder does not stop there. Harry Reid and all the Senate democrats knew what Holder is, but they consented to his appointment anyway. Thus, they are equally corrupt.

Bush was right in 2000; using our troops for nation-building is a bad idea. But then he tried to build a nation in Afghanistan. Big mistake. Afghanistan has never been a nation in conventional terms. It is a collection of barbaric tribes constantly fighting each other, sharing only a warrior culture, and speaking about 10 different languages. In addition, Afghans are muslims, so democracy does not fit well. We should have just bombed the hell of them for a month, killing as many as possible to teach them a lesson, and let it go at that.

Brown and Obama have the same policies: higher taxes, more regulations, and payoffs to unions. No wonder both are bankrupting their governments. Let us hope that American voters next November are not as stupid as California voters.