San Francisco Chronicle

In the aftermath of Iowa and New Hampshire, many Americans have begun to question the nominating process itself. Are two tiny rural states really the place to kick off an all-important national selection process? According to a survey conducted for the Associated Press and Yahoo News, fewer than 1 in 5 voters favors Iowa and New Hampshire's "favored state" status, and nearly 80 percent would rather see other states get their chance at the front of the line. more

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has released his budget threatened by $14 billion of red ink, many are asking whether California can afford the ambitious health care reforms that passed the state Assembly in December. Given the social and economic costs of leaving as many as 6.5 million Californians uninsured, the better question may be: Can we afford not to? Those worried by the possible impact of the budget gap on health reform include Senate President Pro Tem Don… more

President Bush seems to have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a full nelson.

Just a year after Democrats charged into power on Capitol Hill against a Republican president with bottom-scraping poll numbers and a soured war, it's the Democrats who are crying uncle in the biggest budget confrontation since the 1995 government shutdown.

Democrats do not want a repeat of that fight, which crippled the GOP revolution and revived Democrat Bill Clinton's presidency. Yet they seem… more

When it comes to taxes, the United States is not very creative. We have the traditional income, sales and property taxes, as well as sin taxes on tobacco and alcohol. In comparison, Ireland has a tax on plastic bags and Denmark has a tax on disposable tableware. The United Kingdom has a landfill tax. China has a tax on disposable wooden chopsticks and Sweden has a carbon tax.

Are these countries just desperate for revenue? No. There are good reasons for… more

Twenty-five years ago, 49er quarterback Joe Montana connected with Dwight Clark on a last-minute miracle pass that changed the history of pro football forever. The metaphor for saving California health-care reform in 2007 resides in that memory.

Several national media reports of the death of reform are premature. But we are truly down to the final minute. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original plan was good, but not perfect. Those for whom the perfect is the enemy of the good have effectively… more

Crazy weather patterns have appeared recently in the form of humidity in usually foggy San Francisco, California-like weather in Washington, D.C., torrential downpours and massive flooding in Britain and torrid temperatures in the Mediterranean. These and other episodes such as Hurricane Katrina add more evidence to the scientific studies that say we are at the outset of an era of blowback, environmentally speaking. Human activities have pumped massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the bill has come… more

Facing rock-bottom poll numbers and the judgment of history, President Bush has little to lose politically in using the last 18 months of his presidency to try to prove critics of his war policy wrong. The president followed that path Thursday, finding promise in a "young democracy" in Iraq despite descriptions by his own administration of a deeply fractured society. The rest of his Republican Party, however, is looking at something entirely different: elections for the House, Senate… more

Whether you watch ET by buying the DVD at Blockbuster or downloading the movie from Amazon onto your computer, you get to enjoy the cute alien anytime you want. Whether you download the Smashing Pumpkin’s latest album from iTunes or buy the CD at Wal-Mart, you own the music for your listening pleasure.

There’s only one difference. Buy the DVD or CD and you’ll pay sales tax; buy your entertainment digitally and you won’t. This is wrong. California’s sales tax… more

With all the controversy swirling around embattled San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew regarding FBI investigations and his in-district residency, some have asked the question: How did this guy ever get elected?

Ironically the answer reveals a new dynamic in San Francisco elections that may diminish the nastiness of mudslinging campaigns, to the relief of all. San Francisco has seen its share of vicious political races. Campaign mailers showing Nazi swastikas, cockroaches and pornography, along with accusations of anti-Semitism, slum landlordism… more

Since last weekend’s horrific explosion and freeway collapse caused by a gasoline tanker, most of the blame has fallen on the driver, but it’s important to remember that the gasoline, which was headed toward a station on Hegenberger Road, had all of our names on it. The accident is a reminder that those of us who use gasoline -- virtually everyone -- play small parts in an enormous and largely invisible trade in toxic, flammable fuels.

The risks seem counterintuitive… more