Issues

I just returned from a reunion of my Class of 1962 at John Muir High School in Pasadena. Since pretty much all of us are or soon will be 80 years old our reunion was called our class’s 80th Birthday Party. And what a good time we had! Of course

Some of the best people I have ever met in my life have come from my involvement in trying to help our country change its drug policy. One of those people is my friend James E. (Jim) Gierach, who is a former state prosecutor in Illinois and director of

When I was seeking to become a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles part of the application process was to emphasize that, as a prosecutor, we were always to try to “Do the Right Thing for the Right Reason – Every Time!” If we made a mistake along the way,

There is an old saying that “In politics reality is irrelevant; it is only the voters’ perception of reality that matters.” And, regretfully, I believe that this is true. So when we have a housing shortage and people are homeless, many voters naturally look to the government for a

As I have told you before, about five years ago I was on the syndicated radio show called “Coast to Coast” with George Noory discussing criminal justice issues. Soon thereafter I received letters from twelve men who are incarcerated in various prisons all around the country, so I started

Happily many people from widely different backgrounds and experiences have reached the same conclusions that I have about the failure of our country’s policy of Drug Prohibition. One of them is Ms. Christina Dent who lives with her young family in Mississippi. Ms. Dent has written a book entitled CURIOUS:

As is said routinely, the purpose of this column is to stimulate thought and discussion. So in that pursuit I am passing along to you, with permission, a list of issues that one of our 2 Paragraphs Family members shared with me. Good stimulating questions, don’t you think? And please

The first paragraph of the article entitled “Rationales for New Regulation” in the Summer 2024 edition of Regulation: The CATO Review of Business and Government, reads as follows: “By any measure, US federal regulation is big business. Year after year, hundreds of thousands of employees at 70-plus regulatory agencies

Page one of the July 24-30, 2024 edition of The Epoch Times featured an article entitled “Mothers Blame China, Cartels” with the subtitle of “Fentanyl is ‘weapon of mass destruction’ destroying families.” Of course there are many people in the world who will try to make easy money by selling

To state the obvious, today our Great Nation is in many ways divided and even polarized. How can we address and overcome this difficulty? Through the healing power of Federalism. And what is that? It institutes two levels of government: one for the entire country (the federal government) that is

In my view, the most dangerous threat to our safety and security is not the possibility of being invaded by another country, terrorist actions by any of the world’s radical elements, climate change or even nuclear war. Instead, the greatest threat facing the safety of our country is a weak

Years ago, 23 men committed offenses that resulted in their eventually being committed to R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility, which is a state prison for men in San Diego near the Mexican border. But now those men have received their Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Irvine! Amazingly, they

The June 12, 2024 edition of the Orange County Register told us that the State of California has more than 220,000 full-time employees!~ Of course, that is in addition to hundreds of thousands of government employees at the municipal level, as well as many more who are employed by California’s

I have never seen a stronger argument against the minimum wage laws than the one published in the May 8, 2024 edition of the Orange County Register written by Faryal Ahsan and Austin Hamilton. These students cited statistics to show that California has the highest numbers of homeless in the

We as judges we have two critically important mandates. The first is to do Justice based upon the facts and law of the case and the ethics of our profession. But the second is equally important, and that is for anyone who cares to believe that Justice has been done.

Thomas Jefferson was quoted as saying that “We need a revolution every 20 years just to keep the government honest.” He is right, and we now in many ways have a “dishonest” government to prove it. How can I say that? Because without that revolution (which does not have to

One of my all-time heroes, Dr. Milton Friedman, once said that we should judge our programs by their results, not their good intentions. In an earlier 2 Paragraphs edition I discussed this in relationship to minimum wage laws, saying that it was far more productive for a society to have

The idea that “Laws Reflect Society’s Values? is basically true. But it is also true that, in many ways, “We Can’t Legislate Morality.” So in writing last week’s edition of our 2 paragraphs about Costa Rica requiring school uniforms, it started me thinking about other programs in Costa Rica. And

When I went into the Peace Corps in Costa Rica to teach Physical Education to high school students I requested to be placed in the smallest town in the country that had a high school. And that’s where I was sent. So I spent two years in Palmar Norte, which

British Journalist Miles Kington purportedly said “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” That probably defines the difference between knowledge and wisdom as well as can be done. But how does one obtain wisdom? Mentoring by us older folk

Here is a great idea that I have lifted from Wayne Allyn Root, who was the Libertarian candidate for Vice President in 2008: Candidates should run on a platform of ending all taxes on Social Security. Why? Focus upon this: workers have been required, often for many decades, to pay

Like many of you, recently I have been reading about a federal judge declaring illegal a revised version of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which prevents the deportation of thousands of immigrants who were brought to this country at an early age. I believe that People of

As most of you are probably aware, today is the 22nd anniversary of the violent attack upon our country by Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda group – truly an act of war. What you may not be familiar with is the book Fool’s Errand: Time to End the

According to Reason Magazine this year is the 300th anniversary of the birth of Adam Smith, who is considered by many to be history’s strongest spokesperson for the Free Market. For example, Adam Smith wrote in his famous book entitled Wealth of Nations: “By means of glasses, hotbeds, and hotwalls,

According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, when American poet Robert Frost was being interviewed on a 1952 television show, he said that he preferred to spend time with people who have “a definite personality.” In fact the best trait in people, Frost went on, “is taut boldness.” This is

Toward the end of the 18th century, England began sending convicts to Australia. The transportation was privately provided but publicly funded. But a lot of convicts died along the way from disease due to overcrowding, poor nutrition and little or no medical treatment. In fact, between 1790 and 1792, 12%

I am writing this edition on the Fourth of July, and thinking about where we are as a country. And that has led me also to wonder if this 2 Paragraphs series is living up to expectations. Why? Because seldom do I get feedback that discusses or enlarges upon

Happy Memorial Day, which is today. But as we use the day and weekend to gather with family and friends to travel and have good times, let us also remember the meaning of this day. According to the Congressional Research Service, it is a day of reflection and remembrance

Taking many lessons and insights I gathered while presiding over our high school Peer Court program over the years, I wrote a musical entitled “Americans All,” which takes place in an after-school “detention” class room, and is meant to help mentor our junior high and high school students. Peer Court

One of the things that I believe sets me aside from most people is that, at a fairly early age, maybe while in high school, I decided that one of the worst things that can happen to people is to be on their deathbeds, look back over their lives and

In the February 26, 2023 edition of the Orange County Register there was a Letter to the Editor that caught my eye that included the following statement: “I once had a political science professor who never told us his opinion and encouraged robust dialogue in class. A student asked him

When I was a child my parents drummed it into my head: “Jimmy, if you ever get lost what will you do?” Correct Answer: “I will find a policeman; he is my friend.” Regretfully that is seldom taught in our society today. Why? Because due to police unions and the

Recently I read a pamphlet entitled “Great Myths of the Great Depression” by Lawrence W. Reed of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). This article discusses the history of government actions that caused and perpetuated the Great Depression which lasted from 1929 until the middle of World War II.

On Sunday, January 29, 2023 the Orange County Register carried a story that originated in the New York Times entitled “Oil Drilled in Amazon Rainforest Ends Up in California.” The article stated that, due to the Ecuadorian government’s need for revenue, it is now allowing oil to be drilled in

As has been written before in this column, the biggest issue facing our country today is the problem of so many of our public schools failing our children. And that is as tragic as it is unnecessary. Why? Because today, particularly in lower economic neighborhoods, there is virtually no competition

Some of the lyrics in singer/songwriter Bob Dylan’s song It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding are “If you’re not busy being born, you’re busy dying.” I believe that this is not only true for people, it is also true for countries. And I further believe that the United States

Page one of the July 24-30, 2024 edition of The Epoch Times featured an article entitled “Mothers Blame China, Cartels” with the subtitle of “Fentanyl is ‘weapon of mass destruction’ destroying families.” Of course there are many people in the world who will try to make easy money by selling

Here is a lesson from one of my heroes, Dr. Milton Friedman, that I heartily wish all lawmakers would learn: “Incentives Matter!” And he followed that truism up with one more, which is that “You get more of what you subsidize and less of what you tax.” You would

We have all heard the cry that there is too much money in our political elections. In fact, according to Reason Magazine, in the recent primary election the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) paid $435,000 to fund a 30-second ad promoting a Republican Congressional candidate in Michigan who had been

Probably the most important issue facing our country today is that so many public schools are failing our children. Mostly they are in lower economic areas which, regretfully, are often comprised of African-Americans and Hispanics. So it is not a result of racism, or at least not directly, it is

We continue to explore straightforward ways the federal government can reduce its spending and borrowing, which are directly causing inflation and a possible recession. In fact, it would be hard to find a more critically-important topic for us and particularly our children and grandchildren to address! Part II today focuses

Our blockade of Cuba has been in place for more than 60 years. That means it has been upheld by 12 presidential administrations, and it is the longest and most leak-proof blockade in modern history. Or course, it certainly has outlasted anyone named Castro being in charge of Cuba’s