Fighting the One-Party State at the Local Level in California

By Edward Ring
02/12/2020
It isn’t a partisan observation to say that California is a one-party state. It’s just stating a fact. The Democratic Party controls all the levers of political power in California. Consider the evidence: GOP registration is down to 23 percent of registered voters. There is a Democratic “mega-majority” (75% or more) in both chambers of the...

TAGS: corporate cronyism, corporate welfare, Democratic Party, Edward Ring, Gavin Newsom, homelessness, initiatives, teachers union, Tom Steyer, Transparency

California Cronyism and its Consequences

By Edward Ring
02/27/2019
Crony capitalism is an economy in which businesses thrive not as a result of risk, but rather as a return on money amassed through a nexus between a business class and the political class. This is done using state power to crush genuine competition in handing out permits, government grants, special tax breaks, or other...

TAGS: corporate cronyism, special interests, subsidies

Silicon Valley Moving Toward Alliance With Big Labor

By Edward Ring
10/06/2015
Back in the late 1970’s something happened to the Santa Clara Valley. Increasingly it became referred to as the Silicon Valley, because the emerging silicon based semiconductor industry found its first home in plants nestled along the southern shores of the San Francisco Bay. Boasting what are among the finest universities in the United States –...

TAGS: better faster cheaper, corporate cronyism, cronyism