December 12, 2007 by Jamie Court & Judy Dugan - OpEd Commentary California's elected officials have failed this year to take care of any pressing state problems -- except their own. No healthcare reform. No prison reform. No solution to the multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Instead, this year's principal public policy result is a ballot measure to extend legislators' current terms in office. The biggest beneficiaries are the most powerful: Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate leader Don Perata, who otherwise would be forced out of office next year by term limits....read more February 8, 2007 There's More Than Meets the Eye to an Early Primary by Jamie Court - Commentator Jamie Court, president of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, says California politicians have an ulterior motive for supporting a February presidential primary....read more November 2, 2006 Eminent domain's slippery, costly slope by KAI RYSSDAL: Host / JAMIE COURT: Commentator Measures in four Western states would force local governments to pay property owners if regulations -- such as zoning -- reduce their property value. Commentator Jamie Court argues that would actually hurt taxpayers and homeowners....read more October 11, 2006 Take the politics out of the money by KAI RYSSDAL: Host / JAMIE COURT: Commentator Members of Congress are back in their districts campaigning hard, many on the dime of lobbying groups after not passing any lobbying and ethics reform. Commentator and consumer advocate Jamie Court says it all comes down to getting what you pay for....read more October 10, 2006 So Much Cash, So Few Votes -- Less Corporate Money, More Voters; by Jamie Court - Op-Ed Commentary Proposition 89 would start restoring sanity in political spending, and not just by reforming the financing of ballot measures. It also would provide for public funding for candidates willing to forgo private fundraising from special interests, which is likely to reduce overall candidate advertising. Ironically, the voters who would benefit most from the reform are the ones most likely to stay home, discouraged and disgusted by the power of money. The question is whether they will see past the blitz of deceptive, negative advertising to find out what the power of one more vote could be....read more August 16, 2006 Sacramento's orgy of bagels, cocktails and cash by Jamie Court - Op-Ed Commentary The same special interests and lobbyists nibbling, sipping and twisting arms this week will be putting up big money to stop Proposition 89. Their ads will rev up fake outrage that any tax would pay for politicians' campaigns. What they won't mention is how the price of our gasoline, healthcare, housing and telephone bills is a lot higher when lobbyists do the paying....read more July 7, 2006 Lay's legacy: Commoditize everything by Kai Ryssdal - Host / Jamie Court - Commentator Commentator and consumer advocate Jamie Court says Kenneth Lay's vision has become the operating principle from Wall Street to Capitol Hill....read more June 25, 2006 by Jamie Court, Op-Ed Commentary AT&T is spending tens of millions of dollars on advertising, lobbying and campaign contributions in California to bring what it claims is more choice and greater competition to the cable television industry. That's half right. There would be more choices. But not for you and me, just for AT&T....read more June 22, 2006 Federal cable franchise? Bad idea by Host: Kai Ryssdal / Commentator: Jamie Court (FTCR) With all the talk about net neutrality, commentator Jamie Court says we've missed another important debate ý a possible rollback in local restrictions on cable companies....read more March 20, 2006 by Op-Ed Commentary: Jamie Court (FTCR) Tonight, Arnold Schwarzenegger is to return to the Beverly Hilton for the first time since his contrite apology to voters after the defeat of every single one of his ballot measures in last year's special election. The governor will probably be anything but contrite as he panders to donors who will pony up as much as $100,000 each to fund his reelection campaign....read more |
