Wading In

Balancing the budget? Let's get creative By Kelvin Wade June 24, 2010 The state Legislature is considering researching electronic license plates on cars. The plates would bear the license plate number when driving but whenever stopped for more than four seconds, would provide advertising for other drivers. The motive for this is to raise money to help close the $19 billion gap in the budget. What else can we do to raise money? Why not allow corporate sponsorship of state services? Just imagine the Turtle Wax Department of Motor Vehicles? What logo would work better at the DMV than a turtle? What's wrong with the Golden Grahams Bridge in San Francisco? Hometown Buffet's Donner Memorial State Park? Drop a rollercoaster or two in Old Sacramento and you've got Six Flags Old Sacramento. And it's a no brainer that the Shasta Cola Company rebrands Shasta State Park. Think about brands such as Masterlock and Brinks sponsoring state prisons. You're not breaking out of M...

Phoning our democracy in By Kelvin Wade June 17, 2010 Alvin Greene, the 32-year-old South Carolina political novice booted out of the Army, facing a sex charge and living with his father, shocked the political world by winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Many quickly speculated Greene was a Republican plant. But if he isn't, what does this say about our democracy? By now you've had to have seen the odd Alvin Greene interviewed on television. The last time we saw him I think he was explaining to Forrest Gump all the different ways to prepare shrimp. Why would people vote for a man whose speaking style is almost as annoying as a vuvuzela? It's been theorized that South Carolina voters just voted for the first name on the ballot. A 1998 Ohio State University study by Professor Jon Krosnick and Joann Miller showed candidates whose names are listed first on a ballot received up to a 6 percent boost in votes. The authors reviewed ...

By Kelvin Wade (This is updated from a blog entry I wrote three years ago.) Got a call from the insurance broker last week saying the accident is no longer on my record and he could shop around for a lower rate. The accident. It’s hard to believe it’s been three years. I've often told friends that I never wanted to be the victim of a "freak accident." No one wants their demise to be fodder for the Darwin Awards. But like O rings in the Challenger disaster, little things can often add up to big problems. What happened to me three years ago, with apologies to Lemony Snicket, was a series of unfortunate events. I'd had some minor setbacks during the day that put me in a grumpy mood. I was distracted, preoccupied. Being a distracted driver doesn't require a cell phone, CD or foodstuffs. One's thoughts are enough. I was in my minivan on my driveway with the engine running, ready to take Lauryn, 10, and Kawika, 2, out for dinner. That w...

Don't sack the plastic bag just yet By Kelvin Wade June 10, 2010 The Assembly passed AB1998 that would ban stores in California from freely using plastic grocery bags. Customers would have to use reusable bags or purchase paper grocery bags made with 40 percent recycled paper for no less than a nickel each. The Senate is likely to pass the bill, and Gov. Schwarzenegger supports it. You don't have to be Rand Paul to be uneasy about this. Though it's not 'environmentally correct,' maybe we should put the brakes on this idea. I'll concede that plastic is not a positive for the environment. Yes, plastic bags are made from natural gas and petroleum, non-renewable energy sources. Plus most experts believe it takes plastic 1,000 years to break down in a landfill. (Save that spork you used to eat your lunch because your great-great-great-grandchild can use it to eat his.) And too much plastic ends up in the ocean. There is a mass greater than the size of Texas pollutin...

Stymied on who to vote for? By Kelvin Wade June 03, 2010 Several readers have asked me for my picks on next Tuesday's election. While voters need to make up their own minds, I'll tell you what I'm thinking. For the partisan offices, everyone has his or her own ideology and criteria. You'll get no help from me there as I'll be using a nonpartisan ballot. As for the rest, the country may be in an anti-incumbent mood but I always ask myself if the incumbent has done something worth firing them over. If they've done a good, competent job, they deserve to stay. That's why I'd keep Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez, as well as Assessor/Recorder Marc Tonnesen. Given criminal defense attorney Dan Healy's experience as well as the respect and endorsements of sitting and former judges, he's the best choice for Superior Court Judge. Solano County Superintendent's job seems like a good fit for the well-credentialed Jay Speck. But education is such a ...