East Bay Conservative

I literally nearly spilled my steaming cup of tea all over my hand and arm when I read this week’s East Bay Express article about eliminating science labs in the Berkeley schools to free up money for “struggling” students.

How do they define a “struggling” student? It won’t surprise you to find out that this word is a synonym for “black and Latino” students.

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When I read in the paper that Friday that students had occupied a building down at UC Berkeley, I just had to have a look for myself.

I drove down to campus that evening, with the sound of media helicopters roaring in the air. It took a few minutes to walk from my parking spot to the epicenter of the protests, but when I got there I could tell the trip had not been in vain.

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By Mark Ross, Contributing Writer

It was a risky political stunt that allowed the Nazi Party to consolidate its grip on the German nation.

The sad truth is that Hitler was elected democratically. The Nazis took advantage of a weakness in the Weimar constitution that allowed proportionate representation.

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If one of Oakland’s new parking meters steals your cash, you’d better be prepared to litigate to get your money back.

A couple weeks back, I dutifully put my money into the meter and pressed the button to receive a receipt. The meter made some clicking sounds, but nothing came out.

I pushed the cancel button in an effort to get my money back, but it was too late. The meter wrongly believed it had dispensed a ticket.

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What do you call it when someone makes a career out of lambasting others for not paying “their fair share,” then turns around and refuses to pay his own taxes when he becomes wealthy?

The word “hypocrite” comes to mind, but somehow it seems too weak to describe the sort of malevolence we’re talking about here. No, I think this level of cognitive dissonance rises to the level of sociopathy, mixed with a morsel of mental retardation — we are talking about Ron Dullums after all.

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By Mark Ross, Contributing Writer

Sixteen years ago I was asked what I thought of Mrs. Clinton’s machinations on the health care front. I told the questioner that every member of Congress who backed the reinvention of American health care, as Mrs. Clinton was proposing, was booking a stateroom on the Titanic. What Americans want, I added, was for the price to go down and for there to be fewer other patients in the waiting room. Including the heretofore uninsured into the system and reducing the career appeal of the practice of medicine does exactly the opposite on both fronts.

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I’ve made no secret in the past of my utter contempt for Oakland’s school system.

I can’t imagine sending my kid to an Oakland public school — even one of the few good elementary schools sprinkled throughout the hills area. While economically, sending a child there would seem like a bargain, I simply am unwilling to put any faith or trust in these unionized teachers.

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The headline more-or-less says it all. I’ve blogged on this topic before, but it’s never been nearly this bad.

Last year, Oakland’s Ad Valorem rate was 1.33% of the tax value of the property. This year, somehow it magically has risen to 1.41%. If anyone understands how this came to be, I’d be very interested in knowing. I was unaware the electorate had passed a bunch of large new taxes.

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By Mark Ross, Contributing Writer

Well, it happened. I was sitting down at my computer cranking out some right-wing screed, when I heard a knock on the door. It was three guys in matching jump suits. A fourth was down below in the driver’s seat of a waiting van. They insisted that I come with them. I began to think things over when a firm hand clenched my arm.

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Regular readers of this blog know that I’ve pointed out several times the ridiculous number of cars parked all day long on city streets with disabled placards.

This wouldn’t be a big deal if it weren’t for the fact that they apparently are allowed to park there all day, and naturally they are not required to pay a dime.

To add insult to injury, my experience has been that when I do see someone retrieving or parking a car with the placard, 75 percent of the time the person has no apparent disability.

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