Democrat correspondent Meet Marty Robinson and it wonÕt take long to figure out heÕs not your typical automotive repair shop owner. The 30-year-veteran mechanic and car lover is running a shop in Diamond Springs and really means it when he says, ÒWeÕll treat you right.Ó Not only does Robinson offer some of the best labor [...]

There seems to be an indication that the economy has hit the bottom and is stabilizing, as is real estate. A survey of economic conditions in the 12 Federal Reserve regions issued last July 29 shows signs of stabilization in Fed regions of Boston, Kansas City and San Francisco. Those areas reported Òmodest sales increases [...]

Democrat columnist Is punishing children a good thing? Or even a necessary one? I wondered this while researching an article on positive reinforcement a few months back. In the article, published in Horse&Rider magazine, I observed that many enlightened horse trainers now believe punishment isnÕt all itÕs cracked up to be as a behavior modifier. [...]

Democrat columnist Yet another ÒracistÓ episode serves to remind us that we have millions of miles to go before we can claim that our society is truly colorblind. Henry Gates Jr. was arrested for disorderly conduct, in his own home, and the incident earned a kneejerk rebuke from none other than the leader of the [...]

Democrat columnist As promised back in April, following an update on how my New YearÕs resolutions were going up through the first quarter of the year, here is the next update. But first a refresher. Back in December I was walking from the library to the ThompsonÕs Toyota dealership on Forni Road. A fellow in [...]

Democrat columnist ItÕs time to discuss what is going on in health care since there have been so many rumors tossed around and I am using the term ÒrumorsÓ in a euphemistic sense. The other night, President Obama said in a nationwide news conference that our health care system is broken and that having 47 [...]

Once again the Democratic controlled Legislature is ripping off the taxpayers instead of cutting programs that have been costing more than the state has collected in revenue even in ordinary good times. Much of this excess spending was started when the dot.com millionaires cashed in the stock options, a unique economic phenomenon that will not [...]