In the past few years, crime rates have been gone way up. I wonder why? I think the fact that it is now very rare that a person gets the punishment they deserve plays a very major role. Same with some people that seem to get away with tons of very serious stuff before being put in jail for a longer time than you go on vacation.

Just when it seemed we’d seen everything we were going to see in President George W. Bush’s eight-year White House run, when the major issues facing the nation seemed to be in focus and the national party conventions set the tone for what many say is the most important presidential campaign in their lifetimes, news breaks out that sets the nation on its ear.

Our leaders want to pump more money into a system that has proven itself to be broken. A system that has cost the people of this country, this state, county and town, more money than most of us can count. That is like trying to fill a trench with a wheelbarrow while on the other end a back hoe is happily digging away. They want to pour tons of money (hmm, money, now what exactly is that? It seems to me it is just a few more documents with a few more numbers and a few more signatures on it) into the giant corporations and agencies who created the problems in the first place, so they can what? Pretend to have solved the problem?

Bloggermania II was Sturday at Veteran's Park in Yountville.

Amid the financial crisis and the worsening violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iran’s nuclear program and Western efforts to stop it have slipped down Washington’s list of priorities. That’s just what Tehran’s ruling mullahs were hoping for.

Today, the Register wraps up a three-day look at gangs in Napa County.

Dear editor,

Dear editor,

Dear editor,

Barack Obama chose Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate ... what do you think of the choice?

(Editor's note: The comments on this crashed about 9:30 a.m Friday, right after McCain's announcement. We were able to rebuild most but not all of the comments)