Editorials
Were women consulted in birth control draft?
In the world imagined by people at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 12 million American women give themselves daily abortions by performing the most mundane of acts: They take a birth control pill.
No City Council challenges a bad sign
Critics of the so-called Abernathy machine are having great fun with Beau Woodward's disqualification from the Bakersfield City Council race. The first-time campaigner needed a mere 20 valid signatures on his petition to run for office and he could only come up with 19. If he hadn't waited until 10 minutes before the filing deadline to submit his paperwork, he surely could've found one more willing, qualified voter on short notice.
Budget deal may be the best we'll get
California's budget impasse may very well come down to a question of whether state Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, can live with the terms of an Arnold Schwarzenegger-brokered deal.
Plan's not sexy, but it's a good start
It may not be as sexy as Paris Hilton's energy plan. But then again, the appeal of her plan may be more in the telling than in the substance.
Sacramento's royal lawmakers
Bummer. Saturday service at Bakersfield's Department of Motor Vehicle offices ended this month as a result of the state budget stalemate.
Buck gets a post office
It's fitting that the man who made music that spoke to the heart of Oildale was honored in the heart of Oildale on Tuesday.
Should police go hands-free?
Sometimes cops need to break the law. If the situation calls for them to exceed the posted speed limit, for example, and they can do so safely, few would question their right to drive faster than the rest of us.
Check your tires' sell-by date
It took only seven years, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finally got around to warning consumers about a problem with automobile tires that a British agency acknowledged long ago: Outdated tires can kill, even if they're otherwise brand new.
Make the taggers clean up the mess
It's about time! Graffiti vandals now will have to clean up their own messes under a pair of laws signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week.
How about harnessing political hot air?
A funny thing happened as Americans trudged to and beyond $4-a-gallon gasoline. They became interested in this nation's energy policy or lack of one. They started warming to the idea of developing domestic energy supplies, including exploring for oil.
Olympic Games used to showcase the old, new China
When the 2008 Summer Olympic Games open tonight, the world's eyes will be focused on China as much as on the performances of athletes competing for gold, silver and bronze.
Sports fans had their chance
Over the years, Bakersfield's assorted minor-league professional baseball teams have tried to get this city to build a new, publicly-owned stadium to replace backward-facing, '40's-vintage Sam Lynn Ball Park. On more than one occasion, the team has threatened to pull up stakes and move if something isn't done. A couple of times it followed through — remember the Bakersfield Dodgers? — only to be replaced by another team.
Protect students
Imagine arriving for the start of your final semester at the trade school you'd been attending for two years only to find the doors locked and a for-rent sign in the window.
Stop calling us at home
Figure this one out. You're trying to convince voters to come around to your way of thinking, so you call them at home with a recorded message. They might be in the mood to listen, but they might also be engrossed in a television program. Or eating dinner. Or sound asleep.
Post true gas prices
Two gas-station customers, side-by-side in the shadow of a sign displaying high prices, fill their tanks with the same grade of fuel.
Want to pay less? Drive less
If you could save money on your car insurance premiums by minimizing the number of miles you drive, would you do it?
We're kidding ourselves: Death penalty doesn't exist
Constantino Carrera is the poster boy for what's wrong with California's death penalty. The Kern County man was sentenced to death 25 years ago for participating in the double murder of a Mojave couple. The state Attorney General's office now has confirmed Carrera will not face the death penalty after all.
Olympics and global politics do mix
President Bush would like us to believe that the Olympics are just another sporting event and that he is just another sports fan.
Making up stuff to do
When will state legislators "get it?" California voters elected them to efficiently run this state. Instead, they spend their time passing lame laws that just layer on requirements and add to the budget deficit.
Don't throw away 'unwanted' babies
A few days ago, a newborn baby boy was found dead in a trash container in the Southern California city of Fontana.