Free Republic

Actor-director Rob Reiner is taking a lot of well-deserved media and political heat - from politicians in both parties, for a change - over a lavish promotional program for preschool education financed by tobacco tax money that is controlled by a commission he heads. Although Reiner and the First 5 California Children and Families Commission insist that he didn't play a direct role, it's perfectly clear that the commission was using public money to boost a Reiner initiative to tax the wealthy for preschool programs. Reiner temporarily stepped down from the chairmanship last week as political and media criticism mounted,...

Preschool ballot measure has fatal flaws, Senate leader says. Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, one of the state's leading Democrats, on Tuesday withdrew his support for a universal preschool ballot proposal in another blow to actor Rob Reiner's initiative. Perata, at a breakfast meeting with The Bee Capitol Bureau, said his reversal on Proposition 82 was unrelated to mounting criticism of Reiner's dual leadership roles with the First 5 California Commission and the political campaign to pass the $2.4 billion initiative. Instead, the Oakland Democrat said his own analysis determined the plan has fatal flaws.Proposition 82 would increase income...

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair stepped up his government's campaign against anti-social behavior on Tuesday, promising stiffer fines for offenders and special classes to coach parents struggling with unruly children. Blair has made restoring respect to British society a key priority for his third and final term in office and is targeting issues such as binge drinking, drug abuse, school truancy and petty crime in blighted urban communities. The carefully coordinated launch of his Respect Action Plan was seen as a bid to quickly set the political agenda as Parliament returned from its Christmas recess. New opposition Conservative...