Free Republic

San Diego County used some of its money to provide belly-dancing classes for pregnant women. Santa Clara County issued grants to provide a "Buddhist perspective" on building a spiritual foundation in children. San Francisco children enjoyed field trips to places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. Sold to voters a decade ago as a way to help poor children develop, California's First 5 programs have also been criticized over the years for mismanagement. Now, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican lawmakers have set their sights on billions of dollars generated by the initiative championed by filmmaker...

YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO rich or too thin, the saying goes, and it certainly holds true for California's June 6 primary. State Controller Steve Westly, a former eBay executive and Democratic candidate for governor, has spent $34.5 million of his own fortune in hopes of earning the right to face Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this fall. The other Democrat in the race, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, would certainly be out of the running by now but for a wealthy friend who spent $6 million on an "independent" expenditure to prop up his flagging campaign. As for the Governator, he's not...

They don't make humanitarians like they used to. Ten years ago, if someone were asked for an example of a humanitarian, chances are Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to helping the poor, would come to mind. Fifty years ago, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who brought modern medicine to a remote area of Africa, was a humanitarian icon. When he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 he used the $33,000 to expand his hospital and build a leper colony. One hundred years ago, Andrew Carnegie was busy giving away a fortune, much of it to public libraries and education....