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No Fannie, no Freddie

No Fannie, no Freddie

The Obama administration took its first, tentative step this month toward a future without Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the troubled mortgage...

 

Renewable energy 'on' switch

California is blessed with renewable energy resources that it has barely begun to harvest, an enlightened electorate that understands the...

 

The scourge of Somalia

Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey lived a life many would envy, until it was cut short Tuesday by a band of Somali pirates. On their...

Gun safety, Texas-style

When a 19-year-old sophomore named Colton Tooley opened fire with an assault rifle last fall near the UT Tower at the University of Texas,...

 

Thomas the silent

Justice, they say, is blind, but may it also be dumb? Critics of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas don't think so. They fault the court'...

 

Digging up couch potatoes

We now know where the couch potatoes lurk in this country, thanks to a new report from the U.S. Centers...

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Target's turnaround

Target's turnaround

Target has adopted new guidelines for donations to trade associations that prohibit the use of the company's contributions in political...

Yes on Measure Q

Yes on Measure Q

There's something honorable, even patriotic, about entry-level jobs in city government being open to all comers and filled fairly on the...

Resettling the Uighurs

Resettling the Uighurs

It's a high compliment when someone seeks to live in a country that imprisoned and abused him. That's what five Chinese Muslims held at...

Yes on Measure N

Yes on Measure N

What if Los Angeles put something in the City Charter and then discovered that it was unconstitutional? It would probably remove it from the...

There go the Lakers

There go the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are saying goodbye to broadcast TV, thanks to a lucrative new deal...

Another bite by Apple

Another bite by Apple

As CD sales plummeted, music executives looked in hope toward a new business model: Instead of trying to sell albums for $15 to $20 apiece,...

Saving sharks from the soup

Saving sharks from the soup

Sharks star in more than scary movies. Their predatory existence is vital to keeping the oceans' ecosystem and fisheries in balance; their...

Yes on Measures I and J

Yes on Measures I and J

Last spring, leaders of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power used a tactic that looked an awful lot like extortion, telling the...

Yes on Measure H

Yes on Measure H

Campaign reform is like a game of whack-a-mole: Knock down a special interest's ability to influence an election and it pops up somewhere...

The party of no-governing

The party of no-governing

If you're the leader of the minority party, the last thing you want to do is declare yourself irrelevant. Yet that's what the top Republican...

No on Measure O

No on Measure O

The "O" in Measure O stands for "oil," whose seekers would have to pay a premium for drilling in the city of Los Angeles if this measure...

Too deferential to Defense

Too deferential to Defense

House Republicans are using a bill to fund the government through Sept. 30 as a vehicle to roll back spending on many programs favored by...

Democracy by Internet

Democracy by Internet

After the revolution in Egypt, it has become a truism that the Internet can foster dissent and political freedom. But in a thoughtful speech...

A true terrorism list

A true terrorism list

Last fall, President Obama offered a sweet deal to one of the most reviled regimes on Earth: If the government of Sudan would allow a...

Misstating Measure H

Misstating Measure H

Being a responsible voter is a difficult job, especially when one is confronted with a big batch of confusing ballot measures. Conscientious...

Down on Rizzo's farm

Down on Rizzo's farm

What do the former city officials of Bell consider themselves today? Pigs or hogs?

Taking aim at pensions

Taking aim at pensions

Eager to expand the police force, then-Mayor Richard Riordan helped persuade voters a decade ago to sweeten the pensions for public safety...

The tongue-tied speaker

The tongue-tied speaker

When it comes to President Obama's policies, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) is happy to tell the American people what to think....

A daring bet at Belmont

A daring bet at Belmont

If this were a standardized test about standardized testing, it would follow a format like this:

Vote no on Measure L

Vote no on Measure L

The Los Angeles Public Library system is one of the city's most valuable assets, but its budget is being stretched increasingly thin....

Foreign entanglements

Foreign entanglements

For 18 days, Egyptians sent a single, clear, powerful message from Tahrir Square to the world: that even the most brutal regimes...

A dependency court cure

A dependency court cure

Secrecy in California's dependency courts, where cases of child abuse and neglect are heard, has protected negligent parents, foster parents...

Egypt's finest hour

Egypt's finest hour

Every lover of liberty will share in the exhilaration of the Egyptian people after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. A revolt by...

Parks in Council District 8

Parks in Council District 8

The Los Angeles City Council would have a tough time functioning with 15 members like Bernard C. Parks. But it needs at least one. Parks...

No-nonsense budgeting

No-nonsense budgeting

Gov. Jerry Brown has been in office for only about a month, and it's way too early to make a call about his effectiveness. But his...

Lohan's tiresome act

Lohan's tiresome act

In the latest episode of Lindsay Lohan: The Reality Show, the 24-year old actress appeared in court on charges of felony grand theft for...

Fine-tuning the Patriot Act

Fine-tuning the Patriot Act

An important message was sent Tuesday when the House failed to extend three provisions of the Patriot Act. It's not that the extension won't...

Rethinking enterprise zones

Rethinking enterprise zones

Three reports by three respected organizations in three consecutive years, all finding that California's enterprise zones do not live up...

Targeting Muslims

Targeting Muslims

Next month, Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, plans to hold hearings on the radicalization...