mugshot.CONNOR

Off the beat: A state and a people divided

I’ll be the first to admit the attitude I developed toward state politics as child was certifiably starry-eyed. I grew up near Sacramento, and it was hard not to be awed by the big white dome downtown. Of course we all grow up, and in politics we grow up fast. Read More…

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Isocrates on divestment

The Critic Who Counts

Nothing like a scandalous political quid pro quo, complete with new information about an ideologically stained physical assault on Sproul alongside bylaw violation charges galore to awaken our senses. I give you, Divestment: Season 2. After this latest flood of melodrama, politicians in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento look like snoozers. Read More…

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The promise of online education

The Critic Who Counts

Let’s get this straight: online education will never completely replace in-person instruction or totally eclipse the most fundamental tenets of the traditional university. At least, it shouldn’t. Nevertheless, California State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, introduced a bill in late February that would require the 50 most impacted Read More…

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College sports at a crossroads

The Critic Who Counts

If impulsive California legislators and the money-hungry National College Players Association have their way, UC Berkeley athletes may soon be going pro. The Sacramento Bee reported Saturday that California State Assembly Bill 475, currently being considered in committee, would require UC Berkeley and UCLA to pay student athletes an annual Read More…

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Filibuster is still foul

The Critic Who Counts

Things are pretty bad when Washington is happy about a filibuster. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, with help from a small group of primarily Republican senators, staged a nearly 13-hour filibuster of John Brennan’s nomination to direct the Central Intelligence Agency last week. Paul’s anti-Obama rant added up to little more Read More…