Stephen Frank's California Political News and Views |
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Frank Discussion Not Lecture For Conservatives www.capoliticalnews.com |
March 11, 2010, 11:52 PM
You know that the
Depression is bad. San
Fran is laying off bribe paying workers--then cutting the pay of
those they
hire back.
"A $522 million city deficit has turned the unthinkable into reality. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has ordered - not just suggested - that 17,424 unionized workers be laid off and then rehired with a 6.25 percent wage cut. No deals, no sweet talk, just action." Maybe the workers could save some money by ending their bribes to the unions--which caused this problem in the first place.Wonder if the union officials are taking a pay cut? Wonder if the unions are lowering the bribes to allow the workers to continue on the payroll?
March 11, 2010, 11:49 PM
Radicals
hate freedom and any symbol of our heritage and liberties.
"In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the arguments of atheist Michael Newdow, who has been on a long legal quest to remove the pledge from schools because he maintains the inclusion of the phrase "under God" violates the constitutional separation between church and state." All of our history is under attack. When you do research you will note that the Obama wing of politics never defended out Pledge of Allegiance--wonder why?
March 11, 2010, 11:43 PM
"Sales-tax
revenue for
California cities and counties plummeted by more than 47 percent in
2009, but local officials hope to see a rebound
in the first quarter of 2010."
Have you seen government cutting spending by large amounts? Time for massive spending cuts, along with tax cuts to get the economy moving again. Until we cut taxes and spending, repeal AB32, we will continue the California Depression.
March 11, 2010, 11:40 PM
Arnold
and the Democrats claim they are "green". But, for years they have been
stealing
the money from our recycling centers.
"The recycling centers are owed more than $20 million by the State of California and can no longer afford to operate. State budget raids are to blame. The State of California has been raiding the Beverage Container Recycling Fund to pay for unrelated programs, a budget maneuver that left the formerly self-sustaining deposit fund unable to pay handling fees to private recyclers, like myself." The money stolen from the recyclers is but a small amount of the billions stolen from other trust funds to cover the out of control Capitol spending and deficits.
March 11, 2010, 11:37 PM
Businesses
do not pay taxes, fines or fees. These financial matters are all passed
on
to the consumer.
Want to know why California can not get out of its’ Depression, this is another piece to the puzzle. "Businesses from Stockton to Bakersfield are on the hook for a penalty that will start at $29 million a year because the Valley missed an air-pollution cleanup deadline. The penalty will begin in 2012, unless the Valley manages to achieve the unlikely goal of just a few ozone violations over the next three years. Deciding how to pay it will be the biggest issue of the year for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, officials say." Jobs will be lost. Revenues will be lost. Families will be harmed--all based on smears, lies and corruption. Shame on us for continuing laws based on know corruption by Al Gore and the phony scientific community.
March 11, 2010, 11:34 PM
Criminals
wear ankle bracelets. Enviros demand cars have special windows.
The special windows stop the bracelets from working. Looks like another reason Enviros harm our society. "The rules would require special windshield coatings on new cars to reduce air conditioner use. It's meant to be green-friendly, but law enforcement groups are seeing red, worried the coating will block signals. A letter from the Peace Officers Association said, "The crippling of important GPS monitoring and the utility of cell phones to seek emergency assistance is not helpful." Any common sense left in Sacramento ?
March 11, 2010, 11:32 PM
High
taxes, bad policies, not just the recession, is
thecauseof12.5%unemployment.
Ending the national Recession will not end the California Depression. "In some of the articles Ive written for CalWatchdog, Ive devised new ways of looking at policies and their consequences, such as my California Jobs Gap calculation here and here. It showed that Californias unemployment rate was much higher than the national average even before the recession began even, in fact, during the boom times." Our policies are the cause. Time for adults to run Sacramento .
March 11, 2010, 11:30 PM
CalSTRS,
by raising benefits and cutting contributions caused its own
demise.
"In exchange for boosting CalSTRS payments to retirees, the state has saved money by cutting its annual contribution to the pension fund with two different legislative deals during the last dozen years. Its not the main reason the nations second largest public pension fund is now seriously underfunded. Investment losses in the stock market crash get the bulk of the blame. But the need to cut deals, giving something to get something, shows how the California State Teachers Retirement System is different from nearly all of the other public employee pension systems in California ." At what point will we demand honesty and competence, not politics, to run our government pension systems? This is the problem: "The benefit increase, AB 1150, gave older teachers an incentive to stay in the classroom during a time of teacher shortages. A pension that paid 2 percent of final pay for each year of service at age 60 was boosted in small steps to 2.4 percent at 63. The benefit increase was expected to cost $363 million in fiscal 1999-00. The state Department of Finance opposed the bill, saying benefit increases were premature because CalSTRS still had a $1.9 billion unfunded liability.Another bill in the package (AB 1102) made a smaller pension boost, allowing unused sick leave to count toward years of service. Members who joined CalSTRS and CalPERS prior to 1980 already had the unused sick leave provision."
March 11, 2010, 11:27 PM
The UC
students forced the tuition hike on themselves.
"Hundreds of University of California students rallied against a 32% tuition hike last week. Let's hope their future employers get a better work product. With just a little research, the students could have discovered that compensation packages won from the state by unions were a big reason for the hike." Why the hike? "In the last decade, government worker pension costs (not including health care) have risen to $3 billion from $150 million, a 2,000% jump, while state revenues have increased by 24%. Because the stock market didn't grow the way the legislature predicted in 1999, the only way to cover the skyrocketing costs of these defined-benefit pension plans has been to cut other programs (and increase taxes)." If the students took a logic course, an economics course, or a course in common sense, they would know that their support of bigger government, big wage/benefit increases and support of things like AB 32 would raise the cost of their education. This is suicide by the students.
March 11, 2010, 06:35 PM
FDR wanted bigger
government, so does President Obama.
Roosevelt created make work projects--Obama has phony stimulus program. FDR did not want an independent Supreme Court,nor does Obama. FDR spent money not in the Treasury--as does BO. FDR played footsies with Hitler--Obama apologizes to terrorists. "In the three years following the implementation of Roosevelt 's policies, wages in 11 key industries averaged 25 percent higher than they otherwise would have done, the economists calculate. But unemployment was also 25 percent higher than it should have been, given gains in productivity. Meanwhile, prices across 19 industries averaged 23 percent above where they should have been, given the state of the economy. With goods and services that much harder for consumers to afford, demand stalled and the gross national product floundered at 27 percent below where it otherwise might have been." With trillions in new deficits, America will soon have hyperinflation--thanks to the policies of President Obama. He is fighting hard to wrest the title of worst president in modern times from Jimmie Carter.
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Submitted by Kathleen Rogan
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Friday, March 12, 2010
Perspective from the Right 3/12/10
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14 comments:
The UC students forced the tuition hike on themselves.
...
If the students took a logic course, an economics course, or a course in common sense, they would know that their support of bigger government, big wage/benefit increases and support of things like AB 32 would raise the cost of their education.
How's that again? UC students forced the tuition hike on themselves? That doesn't even fit with what the linked article says.
Kathleen posted, "When you do research you will note that the Obama wing of politics never defended out Pledge of Allegiance--wonder why."
Here's a bit of research. 9th Circuit ruling on Newdow v. Rio Linda USD, 193 pages of fun reading.
COUNSEL
...
Craig M. Blackwell, Theodore C. Hirt, Peter D. Keisler, McGregor W. Scott, Gregory G. Katsas (argued), Robert M. Loeb, Lowell V. Sturgill, Jr., Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for defendant-intervenor-appellant United States. [emphasis added]
A lot to view on this ultra-right "news" blog, too much to really focus on for me, but here some further opinion.
I think I am for bigger more efficient government, rather than the patch-work of duplicated agencies we have at the State, County, and local level.
Although you'll never hear it from the far right conservatives I think the last President brought us large inefficient government at the federal level. And, the new President with generally brighter people is having to play catch-up.
Reform including wage, benefits and pensions is clearly needed through-out our government systems. Think any politicians are working to solve that problem? Jerry Hill said they will be working on that at the State level-- we'll see what that looks like in another year.
Blame unions? Without them, employees were exploited. That's why unions exist.
FDR = Obama = Hitler and terrorists. Obama is soft on terrorists = nonsense.
The great depression (1930's) and the great recession (we are currently involved with) would have recovered better without government assistance? Don't see how that would happen. Our recession, most of the major financial institutions and banks collapsing = worse than the great depression. Take a further look at pictures and data from that time.
Are tax revenues actually down 47% in 2009? I don't believe it, nothing I can find from a google search supports that.
On a bipartisan basis campaign reform is also needed.
If the pledge of allegiance issue is about "under god", over time its been just fine with or without those two words.
See, Kathy, we can find common ground on at least some things! No issue with your entire laundry list of comments.
About the tax revenues being down, I looked around a bit. I know Half Moon Bay lost a lot of revenue because the Ritz was hit pretty hard last year. That's a pretty extreme hit. How bad? 30%. That's really bad, but it's not 47%.
So how about property tax? From SFGate, "A forecast from consulting firm Beacon Economics predicts that property tax revenue in the state will fall 6.1 percent in the next fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30, 2010. The following year will see a 3.6 percent decline, followed by a more modest 0.8 percent drop, it predicts." Again, nowhere close to 47%.
The closest I could find, and it's dire, no doubt about it, is from the State Controller last year, "Compared to April 2008, General Fund revenue in April 2009 was down $6.3 billion (-39%). The total for the three largest taxes was below 2008 levels by $6.3 billion (-40.3%). Sales taxes were $452 million lower (-50.9%) than last April, and personal income taxes were down $5.7 billion (-43.6%). Corporate taxes were $142 million below (-8.6%) April of 2008." Here individual revenue streams were down in that range, but on average worked out to -39%. So, the claim about sales tax revenues may well be right once you get to the end of the year, but it's also not the whole story.
The point of that particular section was a suggestion that the only thing to do is cut spending when revenues are down by that much. And that would seem to be the common sense thing to do. But I'd point out the "common" in that phrase, and remind that sometimes the best thing to do in the down times is to invest. My employer used reserves last year to invest, and this year we're seeing real payoffs from having strengthened our offerings while our competitors were laying off their talent. Customers are asking for things we can deliver and our competitors are coming up short. The state has made big cuts, but weathering the storm counts for something, too, and I'm strongly in that camp. If, for example, we shut down our university systems, we'd save a ton of money. But we'd also destroy our state's future.
Back in the old old days with very few universities, America did just fine moving forward. I think this push, "every child in the world has a right to an American education", is overrated and propaganda. I need to take care of me and mine and community first, only. If more communities were to do that we would have a better American Society , now we are stuck with nothin but entitlement seekers and whiners. SCREW THAT! Locally, governments need to take care of their own. If they can't take care of their own, then vote the leaders out or move. Or let the city die, like detroit. Too many entitlement seekers in detroit. Our UC's need to seek out, in America's poor to rich communities, the best and the brightest. Our UC's are no longer any good. They have been dumbed down.Too many commie professors (not from here). Now, we are forced to pay for illegal alien students and foreign students. What about our kids??
Our President still has not released his college records. Until he releases all records, no one has a right to call him a genius. He has yet to show us his grades or any papers he has written. Only one has escaped, the media won't show. His paper showed his support for the USSR and how they should be able to have more nuke missels and the usa should have less. He should not even be president because his father was not born here and Obama has dual citizenship. Plus, he has never held a job, everything has been handed to him including the George Soros paid for it Obama Presidency. How'd we let that one slip by?? Hmmm....DEMAND THAT OUR PRESIDENT RELEASE ALL OF HIS RECORDS! DEMAND THAT OUR UC's support America's best and brightest from all communities in America first. You have every right to demand it. Fight for America's best and brightest. We have sunk to a new low. Now we can't afford to take care of our own. Our children are suffering and they are supposed to be our future. Ha! It is time we get back to our American roots. Let's take care of each other and it starts in America's small communities.
Our UC's are no longer any good.
Current UC Berkeley ranking
Current UCLA ranking
You think he wasn't a quality writer? "Along with 40-odd classmates, he won a precious spot on the law review at the end of his first year through grades and a writing competition."
You may not think of it as a job, but being president of the Harvard Law Review is a lot of work. He also worked for a Chicago law firm. Maybe you don't like lawyers, but lawyering is real work, as is teaching at the University of Chicago Law School.
It was handed to him, he never earned any of it. He is the ultimate entitlement baby. He never has written anything brilliant. He did not work at the law firm long enough to earn him any special credentials. He also lost his law degree. He did not even write his book Dreams of My Father, or whatever it is called, Bill Ayers did. Remember Bill Ayers? Who hates America. Who terrorized Americans. Also, in his book, that he supposedly wrote, he said he sought out marxist fellow students. He choose his friends carefully. But, I believe you are just posting propaganda. I am one person who does not believe any crap you post.
Richard, thank you for your comments. Had the article (above) stated specific pockets of economic weakness in 2009 which amounted to -47% as you had with the Ritz Carlton -30%, or certain parts of the CA economy which are weak, well okay, but the quote was "Sales-tax revenue for California cities and counties plummeted by more than 47 percent in 2009", and that would be from 1/1/09 through 12/31/09, so I don't think so. I know you were looking at sales taxes 4/1/08 through 3/31/09 down 50.9%, but those statistic reflect the year prior. So, roughly between CA sales taxes down about 51% in 2008 and down an additional 47% in 2009, total down about 98% over 2 years, so I don't think so.
Last August in an interview Governor Schwarzenegger indicated as have others 30% of the world wealth has disappeared in this serious recession. The State of CA was posted in an article late January or early February on this blog. I think your employer is fortunate his reserves invested in the business worked-out, many established business have had major problems.
Kathleen, although I tend to agree with you on local issues, I think your national politics comments are whacked. The old days including the racism and isolation are gone, and although "me for mine" is tribal from the very old days it doesn't work well on an economic justice level in the multi-billion world population where 2 billion people are marginally surviving or starving.
The information about our President you are choosing to buy into above is idiotic, try google, or here's a link PRESIDENT OBAMA BIOGRAPHY
From page 2, "Obama was elected the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review, and he graduated magna cum laude in 1991. After law school, Obama returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer, joining the firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland. He also taught at the University of Chicago Law School.."
Any President of the United States has been fully vetted by the United States government, as would be the case at lower levels of government such as when he was only a US Senator, and in those other legal and teaching (college professor) jobs. Many people (including those who contributed over the internet) sent money to the Obama campaign.
You think this President is not bright enough, not good enough, not American enough, not white enough? Now he hasn't had enough hardship, and his speeches and writing are not him? Actually, the facts are against this "no nothing" far right-wing radicalized thinking, position and lame tactics.
Kathleen this county and the world is in a serious recession (1/3 of the wealth gone), want to blame that one on President Obama too, or did something happen before he became President and walked into this crisis 1+ years ago?
This time I'm with Richard, and have no toleration for the New McCarthyism which targets and discredits productive people. When a President is elected, that President is the President of all the people. Did some of these right-wing "wingnuts" miss something in their civics classes?
I respectfully disagree, Kathy. Our President is continuing to exacerbate our economic problems by keeping the very people in charge who caused or enabled the problems to happen in the first place. It is progressive policy's that have caused these problems and are slated to continue and implode in the very near future. I predict we will have to go back to me, mine and community with really no choice. Mark my words. The "idiotic" and "whacked" words you used to call my words and statements are of no offense to me. It's ok. I understand your fear and the position you need to take to protect your party. It's o.k. I hold no such loyalties to any party. Only to me mine and our community.
This is a constitutional republic, not a democracy. And, as the Tenth Amendment makes perfectly clear, the fact that a court says the federal government may do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, to whomever it wants, does not mean that the states or the people have to go along.
Kathy said "I think I am for bigger more efficient government, rather than the patch-work of duplicated agencies we have at the State, County, and local level."
There are a lot of us whacked, idiotic right-wing wingnuts out here. We don't want bigger government and want government which is supposed to represent ALL the people to let us get on with our lives without such interference as all the government agencies and many that work there try to impede our success. The disagreements between the left and the right are just as HUGE as the disagreements between the council majority and their friends and the rest of Pacifica.
Many independents are not as enthralled with the President as they were when they voted him in. Should be an interesting 3 more years.
Kathy, you seem to be advocating fiscal conservancy at the local level while at the federal level, bigger government and the resultant run away, reckless spending. Which one is it going to be, prudence or la vita loca?
Ricky, you're pretty funny... short answer neither, which may be la vita loca?
Kathleen, you're right President Obama might have canned all of President Bushes people, but then the economy was in a free-falling. I can't imagine how much damage would have occurred had all those major banks and insurance carriers collapsed. Lehman had a big enough ripple.
10th Amendment? Looks like it favors State's rights. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." So, what am I missing?
From my view, this State to State legislation is so inefficient, messy and seemingly cumbersome since the 13 States, 300 growth of the country. So, although you and I probably agree on smaller government, and observing how redundant and utterly bloated and self-serving government seems, I think a better efficiency would be ridding many of the overlapping agencies and services. But, here where we fence-- for the sake of unified rights and regulations I'd be more inclined to give most of the administration to the Federal Government.
What does it matter, we are not making legislation, just expressing a point of view. Kathleen, I'm just a middle-of-the-road pragmatist, tend slightly toward the left, favor solid business practices, and no I don't always vote the party line. Hi Lois, glad to hear from you-- hey we agree on smaller government what's the problem?
bigger more efficient government doesn't sound like smaller government...but if that's what you meant - then fine. Efficient government is kind of an oxymoron, in my opinion.
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