Free Talk Live

Authorities in Sacramento, Calif., say law-abiding citizens are hurting city revenues.
Let us explain: The people of Sacramento have been doing such a good job of avoiding parking tickets that city officials say it’s starting to affect revenues. Sacramento’s Parking Services Manager Howard Chan says the city had planned on collecting $10 million in fines from parking offenders. But people have done such a good job of parking legally and feeding the meter that the city is now looking at a $1.2 million budget deficit.

In Auburn, New York, the city is threatening to invoke eminent domain to seize private property for a private hotel conference center, saying the public good outweighs the private property rights of some citizens.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Facing potential bankruptcy, the board that governs the once flush-with-cash Kansas City school district is taking the unusual and contentious step of shuttering almost half its schools.

Whatever Bank of America says must be true, right? Which is rough news for one man who just found out he's been dead since 2009, according to the bank. They also reported the sad news to the three major credit rating agencies, and that really put a kink in his request for a bank loan for his new home.

“It is unclear how disarming law abiding citizens would better protect them from the dangers and threats posed by those who would flout the law.” ~ Gov. Rick Scott, 2012

That was the response to the Mayor of Tampa’s request to have the Florida Governor to take away the right of the people to keep and bear arms in Tampa during the RNC convention this August. When faced with the actual evidence the fears expressed by Tampa Mayor and city council are completely irrational.

Joey Scuotto, a commissioner with a restaurant down the street from City Hall, has said he wants an outright ban on gourmet food trucks citywide. "We have so many restaurants struggling to stay afloat in Sunrise," he told the Sun Sentinel. "I see it as a disadvantage to the businesses that the food trucks come in here." Talk of a ban has sparked an outcry from local food truck owners and onlookers irked by what they call an attempt to stamp out competition.

"nstead of declaring bankruptcy, Maywood officials decided to outsource all city functions. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will patrol the streets, while the neighboring city of Bell will cover other city functions, such as staffing City Hall.

Maywood already relies on contract workers and outsources many city services. The director of parks and recreation, for instance, is a contractor, and the city's lights, landscaping and street sweeping are handled by private companies. Los Angeles County maintains the library and fire department."

Fed up with crime, citizens hit streets
Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News

Detroit -- With its handsome brick homes and trimmed lawns, Russell Woods is an unlikely setting for a revolution.

For the past three nights, however, residents from all over the city who are fed up with crime have descended upon this neighborhood in a northwest section of Detroit.

As they patrol the tree-lined streets, they're encountering residents who share their views.

You’d never know from the media coverage that:

* The Bush team tried to conditionally approve the Solyndra loan just before President Obama took office.

* The company’s backers included private investors who had diverse political interests.

* The loan comprises just 1.3% of DOE’s overall loan portfolio. To date, Solyndra is the only loan that’s known to be troubled.