Columnists

I've had some amount of not-so-great behavior in my past. Some of it consisted of getting jobs that were over my head and then quitting when I was unable to fulfill the expectations of the job. This was a very unprofessional behavior and I regret it. Yet, in employment scenarios, it is hard for a medicated, mentally ill person to keep up with demands of most jobs. Additionally, it is difficult for us to relate on a personal level to coworkers and supervisors, since we may not have enough in common, and we may not know enough about how social interactions are done. Both of those factors are significant barriers to employment.

In 1989, I landed a job at Sears Service Center, Concord location, as a television repair technician. (The salary and benefits of the job were great.) Yet, I was really struggling with the job demands and with a coworker was critical and harsh toward me. Some of the other coworkers also weren't that nice. After work, when I'd been there for two or three weeks, the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck. The following day, there was no reprieve from the expectation to show up and do work; it was business as usual. The earthquake was the final bit of dust on the camel's back. -more-

Get the Money Out of (Gubernatorial) Politics

When it comes to putting a proposition on the State Ballot, California sets a high bar. To qualify, petition-backers must gather a number of signatures equal to at least 5% of the total votes cast for the office of Governor at the previous election. Gathering a million legitimate signatures in 180 days can wind up costing millions of dollars. Not surprisingly then, special interest groups and corporations have dominated successful initiative-qualifying campaigns in California.

But when it comes to running to become governor, you only need to gather 7,000 valid signatures. And if that's too much trouble, there's another option that makes running to occupy the Governor's Mansion far easier than trying to get a proposition on the ballot. As the Chronicle's Joe Garafoli recently noted: "All it will take is $3,916."

Yep. While it's costly and time-consuming to place a proposition on the ballot, you can flat-out buy yourself a spot as a contender to win the state's highest elected office!

With such a low bar, it's no surprise that previous recall efforts have drawn the attention of past-due-date celebrities and publicity seeking wing-nuts who might not be able to find 7,000 fans to sign a sheet but can scrape together a couple of thou. -more-