Unfortunately, it's not going to get better until it gets far worse. There are few in the state's political and business circles  (aside from Ricochet folks) who are speaking of free markets and limited government. 

Many in SF and Silicon Valley tech circles are inexplicably fascinated by top-down paternalistic share-the-wealth policies (until they make it or come close to making it, in which case they move to the suburbs for better schools and then eventually to Nevada or Texas).

The urge to use government to "fix" problems is too strong to be countermanded anytime soon. Couple this with the vested interests of those in the government money stream (state pensioners, government workers, non-profits, educational institutions) and the cries for more taxes, higher bridge tolls, higher parking fees, higher building fees, and more regulations will drown out the cries of "stop, this is insane."

The state will continue to bleed talent and capital and the tale of two californias will continue on apace until enough now teens and 20-year olds fight off the brainwashing, band together, and protest the mortgaging of their future.

Disappointed that Lugar and party leaders didn't have the sense -- and the practicality -- to know when to step aside and bring in a successor. Shameful. As such, extremely glad Mourdock won.

Don't quite understand all the sturm und drang over the loss. What's Lugar's claim? He was there during the growth of $15,000,000,000,000 in debt; $60,000,000,000,000+ in unfunded liabilities. He was present in the face of a 10x drop in the value of the dollar. He stood watch while the growth of the  EPA, FDA, HUD, Dept of Education, Dept of Energy, Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Transportation, Homeland Security, Fannie/Freddie, Sallie Mae, Medicare, Social Security, and others grew to all powerful and financially destructive proportions.

Not all that moderate of a record and so not sorry to see him go. Think the kids and grandkids he's obligated to hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt -- or to a drastic devaluation of the dollar -- would agree. 

Next up (thankfully).

Rob Portman is a good man and would be a solid choice. He knows his stuff and can articulate the right arguments about taxes, spending , and trade.

Although it does meant there won't be much excitement around the two on the ticket. Plus the genuine niceness  of both will win out over putting the other side on the defensive (although the campaign and others could address this by indirect means). 

The interesting thing is that he played Obama in McCain's training for the debates last go round. Apparently no one in the room ever knew what McCain would say in response to any question or in a rebuttle.

Postscript to above: Dezso is a never-ending source of stories. He went to join SRL, an industrial machine club, back in the 90s. When asked what he had to offer, he responded with "jet-powered go-cart." (OK, you're in.)

He then worked as the crew chief for Craig Breedlove's attempt to break the speed of sound -- on land of all things. (The British team beat them.) I visited the playa one time only to go to the wrong camp. Had a great conversation with the train-spotting chief architect.

He helped design and serve as a judge for the inaugural X-Prize. (Won by SpaceShipOne). In 2000, he emailed and asked if anyone wanted to go to Russia to fly in a Mig jet. I thought why not. Got to go Mach 1 in an old Mig-21 (yikes).

Also did a zero gravity flight in a Russian cargo jet.  Douglas Tito, the first space tourist, was on the trip. A photo 2 weeks later on the cover of USA Today showed him on a "training mission". Sadly they had cropped me out of the photo.

A flying car has nothing on the Molnari gyrocopter.

       motorcycle + helicopter (boom)

Helps that my friend, Dezso, is the inventor. 

Saddened by the news. Such a courageous man for taking on the arrows of the media, the twitter gallery, and the rabble. Always relished seeing him on a TV panel or interview or in the middle of a crowd because you knew he would handle it better than you would even if you had 48 to think of a comeback or an argument (no you, Rob, of course but straw-man "you"). Very few like him and he'll be sadly sorely missed.

If it's Mitt, then it comes down to his VP choice. If he picks one who is aligned with tea party ideas and has honor and integrity then any lead Obama might have will close dramatically leading up to the election. That is if Newt can somehow be convinced to go on another Greek vacation and not say a word. Can almost see him opining like Peggy Noonan on the unelectability of the the Republican ticket. 

But a point Ann Coulter has been making is that if Newt's the candidate then it puts the House and Senate and many other elections in serious jeopardy.

Well played, sir, well played.

The bias also apparently extends to the way that cameras are used in debates. I didn't notice first-hand but it was mentioned to me (maybe by RLong) that the main channels used very different camera angles and cutaways for Obama/Biden than for McCain/Palin. Be interesting to watch this go round. 

When you can ride 80-100 miles and thousands of feet at pace, you can do pretty much what you want. But you do make a point. You need to earn the right. Very bad otherwise. 

Ah, he was probably rocking the blue argyle. 

From the WaPo just a few hours ago. 

"Jonathan Vaughters received another email from his good friend Sen. John Kerry, who was congratulating the manager of the Garmin-Cervelo team for a stage win at the Tour de France.

"'Kerry’s a massive cycling fan,' Vaughters told The Associated Press on Monday. 'He’s got a (Garmin-Cervelo) jersey and shorts, he always rides in it.'"

Not as good in hipster bike circles as a local bike club or coffee shop, but if you get it from the team, then yeah, it can be pretty legit.

Darn. Would love to see a photo of the bike. You can tell a lot about a person by the bike they ride (and the kit they wear). In some riding circles, it gets about as bad as high school girls. Pity the newbie that shows up with a mountain helmet, off the rack jersey, and unshaved legs. Although if you got the wheels -- as Eric Heiden, Floyd Landis did when they started racing, and that guy in breaking away -- you'll soon have people talking like Butch Cassidy and asking, who are those guys. 

You didn't mention what the free market restrictions are on taxi cabs. Instead of subsidizing rides, maybe less regulatory policies might reduce prices and increase taxi availability. Might not be advantageous for cab companies and taxi drivers but then free market principles do put a crimp on the beneficiaries of fixed prices and closed markets.

Ha. Wait until she gets to the opt out on having to abide by the Do Not Call list.

The government racket is alive and well here in SF. New meters that take credit cards but that with variable times across the city (some areas you pay until 6pm, others 11pm) and tied to events (Giants baseball, it's gonna cost). Have annoying blinking lights on them. And don't get me started on the design of the the single unit pay stations in tourist spots. Atrociously confusing. 

Always get a kick going to outlying areas and other states where it's free or $.25 for an hour. Feel like in a time machine and expecting to see Marty McFly rolling out of the diner and Mr. Sandman playing in the background.

Congrats Rob on marking a big event. I think Red Eye is going to pick up some momentum. Added it to my must tivo tv list.

Love Lauren Sivan. Especially when she does an impression of her mom.

Insightful piece with more than a few gems. Like the description of the farmers. "These men were probably about 70-80 years old, flannel shirts, seed company hats, squinted eyes and lean with a belly."

Was in Kansas for a wedding this weekend and noticed more than a few farmers at the airport waiting for charges. Most looked strong as an ox but definitely in a "lean with a belly" type of way.