The Hackenblog

Which was not good:

“‘Q: You cut jobs at HP, you know what it’s like to cut jobs, you made tough choices – so are you saying that you want to go to Washington, DC to cut jobs? Is that the argument to the people of California – ‘Send me to Washington, I know which jobs to cut, and I’ll cut them?’ Is that what people want to hear when they need jobs?’

“‘A: Well, look. It’s unacceptable that Californians are living with 12.6 unemployment and federal employees are growing at 14.5% a year. That is unacceptable. So yes, let us start with the basic proposition that the federal government shouldn’t be getting any bigger.’

“‘That’s why, by the way, I would have voted against the financial regulatory reform bill….Barbara Boxer’s solution is to create yet another agency, to hire yet more people.’

“Just so we’re clear, Fiorina believes that in the worst recession in 60 years, government should not be hiring to fill in the gap, that higher unemployment is good, that more federal employees should be laid off so that everyone is miserable.

“What more evidence do we need that Fiorina does not understand how the economy works? She has no clue about the need for government to step in to provide stimulus and job creation when the private sector is not creating jobs.”
Fiorina: Higher Unemployment Good for America, by Robert Cruickshank, July 13, 2010

What planet is Carly Fiorina living on? Does anybody know?

Vote for Barbara Boxer. She’s rich, but at least she gets how the rest of us live.

“The 200,000-member United Food and Commercial Workers, Western States Council, on Wednesday announced its support for Proposition 19, the initiative to legalize marijuana in California.

“‘The Western States Council is endorsing Proposition 19 based upon our previous support of the medical cannabis initiative, 1996’s Proposition 215,’ George Landers, the council’s executive director, said in a statement. ‘We view Proposition 19 as an enhanced version of the previous proposition, that creates taxable revenue and produces jobs in agriculture, health care, retail and possibly textile. We further believe that the proposition will deprive narcotics traffickers of a significant source of criminal revenue.’

“Ron Lind, international president of the union, and Dan Rush of its Local 5 also spoke out in favor of Proposition 19.

“‘The marriage of the cannabis-hemp industry and UFCW is a natural one,’ said Rush. ‘We are an agriculture, food-processing and retail union, as is this industry.’”
Union endorses initiative to legalize marijuana in California, by John Hoeffel, LA Times, July 14, 2010

Ah, California.

“Ten delegates showed up on Saturday, September 1, 1849, at Colton Hall in Monterey. By the following Monday, twenty-eight delegates were present. … Only seven delegates, all Mexicans, had been born in the state. Of these seven, only two spoke English. The original preamble to the new constitution was drafted in Spanish. …”

“…”

“Glorious as it was to see the people seize power, the new state constitution’s serious defects soon became clear. The 1849 convention had failed to design a regime for taxation and government services. A convention subcommittee acknowledged the absence of government services—’We are without public building, Court Houses, jails, roads, bridges, or any internal improvement’—but said it was simply too difficult to collect enough taxes to hire people to collect more taxes, …’ The committee recommended that the state figure out how to pay for itself sometime later. Maybe the federal government would help.”
Pages 19 through 21, California Crackup. How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It, by Joe Mathews and Mark Paul, University of California Press, 2010, ISBN: 9780520266568

Even the beginning of California was strange.

We just have to want to.

“On the one hand, … a system of single-member legislative districts elected by plurality. …”

“On the other hand, … superimposed in the first system a second political system: a constitutional web of rules requiring super-majority legislative agreement about the very subjects—spending and taxes—over which the parties and the electorate are most polarized. The driving principle of this second system? Do nothing important without broad consensus. In practice, let the minority rule.”

“And then on the third hand … in response to gridlock, voters have repeatedly used the initiative process, another majoritarian institution, to override the consensus principle, which was itself put in place to check the majority-rule principle.”

“The collision of these three systems and two contradictory governing principles—one majoritarian, one so focused on consensus that it amounts to minority rule—has produced gridlock, rising debt, and political schizophrenia. And that in turn has led to all the expected symptoms in California, including apathy, delusion, disordered thinking, and the citizen anger see in polls …”

“…”

“California doesn’t work because it can’t work.”
Pages 10 and 11, California Crackup. How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It, by Joe Mathews and Mark Paul, University of California Press, 2010, ISBN: 9780520266568

This is a very good book. Everyone should read it.

Update 071310: sorry about the typos, I thought I caught them in the draft.

“California is winning a race to the bottom and our children are paying the price. The report finds that, when compared to other states, California ranks:

• 50th in student to teacher ratios, with 21.3:1 compared to a national average of 13.8:1
• 49th in student to guidance counselor ratios, with 809:1 compared to a national average of 440:1
• 46th in student to school administrator ratios, with 358:1 compared to a national average of 216:1
• 46th in education spending as a percentage of personal income, and
• 44th in spending per student, with $8,826 spent per student compared to a national average of $11,372

“Unfortunately for our children, in the context of our $19.1 billion deficit, California could soon place 50th in all categories. The governor and Republican legislators are refusing to discuss revenue alternatives. Their cuts-based approach to closing our budget gap inevitably places a huge target on K-12 education because it is the largest single expenditure from our General Fund.”
Public Education in Crisis, by Assemblymember Noreen Evans, July 10, 2010

Assemblymember Noreen Evans, Cassandra of California.

Alas.

“The real story of the Tuesday elections, it seems to me, is that voters have given up on believing in democracy under California’s current electoral system. Seventy-five percent of California’s voters—12,749,727 of them, twelve times the number who voted for Meg Whitman, six times the number who voted for Prop 14—kissed off the election.

“Despite being bombarded with a couple of hundred million dollars worth of political advertising, they could not be moved. The triumphant eMeg spent about $74 for every vote she received. (It’s a measure of how brain dead California’s media have become that Whitman—a politician who spent in excess of $80 million running against an unknown opponent but managed to win fewer votes than the feckless Bill Simon won running against the popular mayor of Los Angeles in the 2002 primary, when California had 1.8 million fewer registered voters— is today being described as the owner of a ‘powerful, well-financed machine.’) But what’s true of Whitman is true of the system as a whole. It cost all the players in the political system about $50 for every voter who turned out Tuesday.

“There’s a clear message here to California’s political class, the candidates and the armies of consultants, spinmeisters, and message polishers: Californians aren’t buying your shit anymore.”
The voters speak with their silence, by Mark Paul, UC Press blog, June 10, 2010

I wonder. I think Californians are too depressed, disgusted, or just plain too busy to vote in primaries. Also, it seems like we have elections all the time. Also, we don’t make it easy to register to vote. In Arizona you can fill out the form on your coffeeshop placemat and register. In North Dakota, you only have to show your ID on election day. In Oregon (once you’re registered), or at least Portland, you can fill out your ballot, put it in an envelope and drop the sucker off at any polling place. Yeah, mail-in voting, I never get to it in time. California makes you work for your democracy. Like many things in CA, it’s stupid, but there you have it. California should just have one big election every two years and be done with it. Lucky for me, my polling place is w/in walking distance from Casa Mayerson and less than a mile from my job so voting for me is easier than for most people.

“Dollar for dollar the clear victor in (California’s) Tuesday’s statewide primary was United States Senate candidate Brian Quintana – a Hollywood Producer and Businessman.

“Quintana spent a mere $100,000 to receive 253,243 votes which translates to $ .39 per vote.

“Meg Whitman spent over $80 million for 1,101,528 votes which translates to $72.62 per vote.

“Steve Poizner spent over $35 million for 461,823 votes which translates to $75.78 per vote.

“Chris Kelly spent over $12 million for 265,110 votes which translates to $45.26 per vote.

“Carly Fiorina spent over $6.7 million for 952,072 votes which translates to $7.03 per vote.

“Barbara Boxer spent over $3.7 million for 1,426,923 votes which translates to $2.59 per vote.

“Chuck DeVore spent over $2.1 million for 321,218 votes which translates to $6.53 per vote.

“Tom Campbell spent over $1.7 million for 366,581 votes which translates to $4.63 per vote.”
Brian Quintana Knows the Value of Comic Relief, by Brian Leubitz, Calitics, June 09, 2010

Politics in California has become too expensive for democracy in California. And God help us if Brown doesn’t win in November.

“A member of an Arizona board that oversees utilities has suggested that they cut power transfers to Los Angeles because of the city’s boycott in connection with the state’s anti-immigration crackdown.

“Gary Pierce, a member of the Arizona Corporate Commission, sent a letter to L.A. officials Tuesday discussing the possibility that Arizona cut power to L.A. from generators in that state. It’s unclear whether Pierce’s suggestion has any support from other members of the commission — or whether such a cutoff is legally allowed.

“‘If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation,’ he wrote in the letter. ‘I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona’s economy.’”
Arizona official suggests cutting off power to L.A. over boycott on illegal immigration crackdown, by Shelby Grad, LA Times, May 19, 2010

Mr. Pierce should learn to read a contract: according to Councilman Tom LaBonge, the Los Angeles DWP owns enough of those power plants to keep this from happening. And further to Mr. Pierce’s eduction, he might want to learn not to make idle threats in writing. It’s stupid, embarrassing and detrimental to whatever integrity Arizona has left. People of Arizona, does Gary Pierce really speak for all of you? Huh.

Readers might be wondering why some people really hate Los Angeles. Well, one reason is that we don’t scare easily. We ride out earthquakes, wildfires, riots, whatnot, and look great doing so. America, we love you! Welcome to Los Angeles!

Or SF is a very patient town:

Cute idea, but I don’t need to boycott the St. Francis. I can’t afford it in the first place.

Vote no on Prop 16. We have enough problems.

It’s very nice to buy commercial property in California under the existing Prop 13 rules:

“Liberal San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, the man behind a legislative proposal to legalize marijuana, wants to close some of the loopholes in state tax law that have allowed some businesses to change hands without being reassessed for rising property values and corresponding taxes.”
Bill Would End Tax Loopholes Under Prop. 13 For California Businesses, by Dennis Romero, LA Weekly, May 11, 2010

~&~

“Proposition 13 made property taxes predictable and, for many California homeowners, affordable. It’s no wonder that there’s a fierce backlash whenever anyone suggests rethinking any aspect of the 1978 ballot initiative.

“But here goes.

“A new study concludes that the rules adopted by the Legislature for commercial property sales have had the effect of shifting the tax burden to residential property owners. The California Tax Reform Association says changing those rules would produce millions of additional tax dollars for schools, police and fire protection and other local services that have been cut time and again — without any impact on taxes paid by homeowners.

“Here’s why: Under Proposition 13, residential property taxes are straightforward. When a house is sold, the tax bill is fixed at 1 percent of the sale price with increases limited to 2 percent annually. The formula is written into the state constitution and can be changed only by the voters.

“If a business property changes hands in a single transaction with a single buyer, the same rules apply. But if no one buys a majority interest all at once, the property tax base remains unchanged. Most business deals are structured to avoid a reassessment. Among the examples cited in a recent legislative report was the 2002 sale of Louis M. Martini Winery to E&J Gallo, which would have resulted in $700,000 a year in additional property tax revenue, mostly in Napa and Sonoma counties, if not for the special treatment of commercial property sales.”
PD Editorial: Old Prop. 13. It’s time to revisit the rules for commercial property sales. Sales of commercial property, such as office space, can be treated differently than sales of residences for property tax purposes, by Kent Porter, The Press Democrat, May 14, 2010

~&~

“On November 5, 2009, two ballot initiatives to remove certain Proposition 13 property tax protections for California commercial property were filed with the state’s Attorney General.

“The first initiative, titled the “Protect the Homeowners and Close Corporate Tax Loopholes Act” (No. 09-0077, the “Reassessment Initiative”), would remove the Proposition 13 limits on assessed value of commercial real property and subject such property to reassessment at fair market value at least once every three years.

“The second initiative, titled the “Education and Taxpayer Fairness Act” (No. 09-0078, the “Rate Initiative”), would raise the property tax rate on commercial real property by 55 percent (from 1 percent to 1.55 percent) and reserve the incremental property tax revenue for California public schools.

“Neither initiative would change any of the existing Proposition 13 protections for residential real property.”
California Ballot Measures Would Cut Proposition 13 Protection for Commercial Properties, By Craig A. Becker and Lawrence L. Hoenig, tax partners in the Palo Alto office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, December 2009

~&~

“Proposition 13, the famous – or infamous – California property tax limit passed by voters in 1978, requires property to be reassessed upon a “change of ownership.”

“For homeowners, that’s an easily understood provision. When one buys a house, its base tax value is pegged at its sales price.

“When it comes to commercial property, however, change-of-ownership rules adopted by the state three decades ago are anything but simple. If business property changes hands entirely in a single transaction with a single buyer, the rules governing homes also apply – but business deals are typically more complex.

“If no one buyer purchases more than 50 percent of the property at any one time, it generally does not constitute a ‘change in ownership.’ Business deals in California are frequently structured to avoid reassessment.

“That, say critics, is a giant loophole that artificially depresses commercial property taxes, thus costing local governments – and indirectly the state – untold billions of dollars.”
Dan Walters: Bill looks to fix Prop. 13 ‘loophole’, by Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee, May 11, 2010

~&~

“On May 5 the San Francisco Bay Guardian, a leftist political pamphlet, weighed in with a different view of the 1978 measure in an unsigned editorial supporting Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s AB 2492, which would preserve Prop 13′s tax breaks to residential property owners, while eliminating certain breaks for owners of commercial property.

“‘Millions of homeowners love their low taxes, and even the liberals among them are dubious about giving up their cherished perk,’ said the editorial, before going on to suggest Prop. 13′s homeowner tax breaks aren’t nearly as bad as Buffett makes them out to be.”
Guardian Editors Would Benefit from Prop. 13 Legislation They Endorsed, by Matt Smith, SF Weekly, May. 7 2010

~&~

“In Los Angeles, residential property accounted for 53% of the property taxes paid in 1975. In 2009, that figure had mushroomed to 69%, according to the report.

“Lenny Goldberg, executive director of the California Tax Reform Assn., which wrote the study, said a broken property tax system has allowed companies like Chase, which purchased Washington Mutual in 2008, to avoid paying higher property taxes on all the bank branches’ land.”
Companies ‘laughing at us’ over property tax loopholes, says lawmaker, by Shane Goldmacher, LA Times blog, May 6, 2010

~&~

“What businesses dodge, of course, the homeowner pays. It’s fair to say that lots of well-off California businesses are making out like bandits at the homeowners’ expense.

“Goldberg calculates that Disneyland, which hasn’t had a reportable change of ownership since, well, forever, is currently taxed at an average of about a nickel per square foot. For comparison, a median California home bought last year (2009) out of foreclosure, measuring 1,600 square feet and selling for about $330,000 (these are averages from the California Assn. of Realtors), would incur property tax of about $3,300 per year, or $2.06 per square foot.”
It’s time to close a big tax loophole for businesses. California’s property tax burden has gradually shifted to homeowners because commercial and industrial property doesn’t change hands as often as homes and the sales can be easily disguised, by Michael Hiltzik, California Tax Reform Association, July 13, 2009 (Even Disneyland is screwing California. Or maybe especially Disneyland is screwing California. Disneyland seems to own the City of Anaheim now, too.)

~&~

Here is the new report mentioned above at California Tax Reform Association.

Making mega-corporations, like Chase Bank, pay their fair share of California property taxes isn’t going to destroy small businesses in California any more than updating property taxes on multi-million dollar homes is going to throw seniors out of their cottages. AB 2492 isn’t going to solve all of California’s problems, but it’s a step in the right direction. And taxing legalized marijuana should get the old long green rolling right into the States coffers. Also get rid of the 2/3 majority rule, and we be stylin’.

Otherwise we’ll turn into Mississippi with a surf culture and not much else to define us and nothing left to be proud of.

Are myths.

“1. Immigrants take jobs from American workers.

“Although immigrants account for 12.5 percent of the U.S. population, they make up about 15 percent of the workforce. They are overrepresented among workers largely because the rest of our population is aging: Immigrants and their children have accounted for 58 percent of U.S. population growth since 1980. This probably won’t change anytime soon. Low U.S. fertility rates and the upcoming retirement of the baby boomers mean that immigration is likely to be the only source of growth in what we call the ‘prime age’ workforce — workers ages 25 to 55 — in the decades ahead. As record numbers of retirees begin drawing Social Security checks, younger immigrant workers will be paying taxes, somewhat easing the financial pressures on the system.”
5 Myths about immigration, by Doris Meissner, Washington Post, May 2, 2010

I knew someone was going to have to support me in my old age. And now I know who.

It’s such an embarrassment.

“The bill’s author, State Sen. Russell Pearce, said it simply ‘takes the handcuffs off of law enforcement and lets them do their job.’”

You know, I have to wonder if Sen. Pearce has ever really thought about what “the handcuffs off of law enforcement” and them doing what the police think “their job” is. I have; it’s the Rodney King Night of the Nightsticks beating tape. It’s the Amadou Diallo shooting. It’s Chicago in 1968. It’s any place where and when you let the Police think they’re above the laws they’re sworn to protect. And this is what Arizona’s government has decided to do to the people, legal and/or illegal of the state. And those not stuck in AZ, steer clear until this craziness ends or be very careful for the brief time you absolutely must be there.

“The election then. You’re probably already bored rigid with talk of it even though it’s not happening for another three and a half weeks.

“You might be one of those non-voters, giving it all that ‘Yeah, doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government still get in,’ and ‘They’re all a bunch of trough-gobbling cock-heads’ and ‘I heard a rumour about my MP – turns out he’s into snuff, sailors and Saturday Night Fever.’

“That’s fair enough, but it turns out that if you’re so apathetic that you haven’t even bothered to register to vote, you’re probably affecting your chances when it comes to getting credit for yourself.

“You know, borrowing money that you’ll spunk away on cars and electronic goods you don’t need, and then blaming the government when you can’t afford the repayments and your house gets repossessed.

“But not being on the electoral roll can affect your credit score – being registered to vote helps to verify your identity and will work in your favour when it comes to obtaining those consumer goods that you’re only buying in order to fill a hole caused by a chronic lack of self-esteem. You complete tit.”
Register to vote and improve your chances of getting a loan, by Andy Dawson, Bitter Wallet, April 12, 2010

So…I guess they have voter apathy in the UK…or something. Oh well. Vote. Vote early. Vote often. And vote as along as you can.

And why we live the way we live now:

“Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. For thirty years we have made a virtue out of the pursuit of material self-interest: indeed, this very pursuit now constitutes whatever remains of our sense of collective purpose. We know what things cost but have no idea what they are worth. We no longer ask of a judicial ruling or a legislative act: Is it good? Is it fair? Is it just? Is it right? Will it help bring about a better society or a better world? Those used to be the political questions, even if they invited no easy answers. We must learn once again to pose them.

“The materialistic and selfish quality of contemporary life is not inherent in the human condition. Much of what appears ‘natural’ today dates from the 1980s: the obsession with wealth creation, the cult of privatization and the private sector, the growing disparities of rich and poor. And above all, the rhetoric that accompanies these: uncritical admiration for unfettered markets, disdain for the public sector, the delusion of endless growth.”
Ill Fares the Land, by Tony Judt, NYT Review of Books, April 29, 2010

I’m glad someone else is saying this about the Reagan era, too.

“So, sure, let’s teach Reagan’s legacy. But front and center of that legacy is the AIDS crisis. He stood by as millions died, including some of his supposed friends from his movie days. Reagan’s inaction directly led to many needless deaths. Teach about Ronald Reagan, if for no other reason that our students will never forget an American tragedy. A tragedy whose scope could have been dramatically changed by a rapid response, but was instead ignored because the victims weren’t favored classes.

“And when our students ask about Reagan, sure, by all means, you can talk about how he spent the Russians into bankruptcy, or how he blatantly and illegally defied Congress, but what I’ll remember most about Ronald Reagan will be the action that he didn’t take. And his inaction speaks as much about the man Ronald Reagan as any action, or any myth the Right is trying to build up about him.”
Ronald Reagan Day? I’ll Be Wearing a Red Ribbon, by Brian Leubitz, Calitics, April 9, 2010

Ronald Reagan and Co. were bad for America. Can someone name one Reagan and/or Reagan era policy that hasn’t become a nightmare in the present? Do we really need a day to celebrate dismal, malicious, dire, hateful failure and stupidity? I’m sure our great and glorious State has better things to do. Like saving us all from becoming Mississippi with a surf culture. (And if not, we are well and truly fucked.)

Oh, for those of you who haven’t gnashed your teeth today: Reagan visits Bitburg Cemetery

“In February 1985, then White House deputy chief of staff Michael Deaver made an advance-planning visit to Bitburg. The 32 rows of headstones were covered with snow. Deaver was usually very skillful in carrying out his role as public relations maestro for Reagan, but this time he and his team failed to discover that 49 members of the Waffen-SS were buried at Kolmeshöhe. A decision was made by the Reagan team not to include a visit to a concentration camp, as had been previously suggested by Kohl. The president said he didn’t want to risk ‘reawakening the passions of the time’ or offend his hosts by visiting a concentration camp.”

…reawakening the passions of the time…

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
Wm Faulkner

Here are Dems I like and if you like them and find them, y’know, worthy, please give them or some of them some money. We need people to come together and support the candidates and causes that strengthen our democracy. Your support is vital to our success — take this opportunity and donate today.

ActBlue provides a unique way for you to make your voice echo in the corridors of power. Please support them with a 10% tip when you contribute.

Worthy Dems Act Blue page. In case the form isn’t working, which it might not be.

We love you, Barbara! Let’s get some money and keep you in D.C. America, we need people to come together and support the candidates like Barbara Boxer, or Barbara Boxer herself, and causes that strengthen our democracy. Your support is vital to our success — take this opportunity and donate today. As you might know, California needs all the help it can get and Barbra Boxer has been fighting the good fight for us, and for you, for many years. And she’s still got lots of tread left on her. So please send her some money so she can stay in the ring for us. (And consider the alternative [shudder].)

So please send her some dough through this fundraiser. That woman might have more money than our Barbara, in addition to more experience, has more plain good sense, a firm grasp of right and wrong, and the ability to see beyond next week. When present, these might not seem like important traits, but you sure miss ‘em when they’re absent.

ActBlue provides a unique way for you to make your voice echo in the corridors of power. Please support them with a 10% tip when you contribute.

Our Barbara Act Blue page. In case the form isn’t working.

America, it is time to love California for the best of all the things we are. Yes, I mean Jerry Brown, former Governor, former Mayor of the coolest, toughest town west of the Mississippi, and soon to be former AG of CA. The once and future Governor of California: Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown. We need to come together as a people who believe in democracy, intelligence, compassion (real compassion), education, truth, justice, equality, beauty, joy, freedom, prosperity, innovation (the good kind), tolerance, surfing, and Linda Ronstadt when she could really sing, and support the candidates and causes that strengthen our democracy. Your support is vital to our success — take this opportunity and donate today.

I’m not saying Jerry Brown is perfect, if he was perfect, why would he want to be Governor of this dying state? But he has a deep commitment to and love for California, social justice, and fairness that we haven’t seen in the CA statehouse since, well, last time he was there. Yes, I am a Jerry Brown fangirl and I am proud of it. If anyone can pull California up by what’s left of our bootstraps it’s Jerry Brown. (And consider the alternatives [shudder].)

So please send him some dough through this fundraiser. That woman might have more money than our Jerry, but Jerry has, in addition to more experience, more soul.

ActBlue provides a unique way for you to make your voice echo in the corridors of power. Please support them with a 10% tip when you contribute.

Jerry Brown page at Act Blue. Just in case the form below isn’t working, which it might not be.

The fabulous Betty Bowers says it all and better than I ever could.

And the real Reagan:

“Ronald Reagan destroyed unions…cut the budgets for education, EPA, poverty programs, etc…engaged in a public policy initiative aimed specifically at screwing over the poor…advanced the prison-industrial complex….hollowed out the Federal government to the best of his ability…ironically espoused the belief that government was the enemy (hello! he was the president *facepalm*)…was reckless and neglectful in responding to HIV/AIDS…tried to cut disabled people from social security rolls (that’s right…disabled people)…HUD grant fraud…Sewergate…”
General Electric Pandering To Right-Wing: Why Are Progressives Silent?, by Angelo, Another War of Jenkins’ Ear, March 20, 2010 (via)

And just to get back to me-me-me and my book, one of the many reasons I bothered to write the Hackenbush novels was to remember what Reagan, his policies, and minions did to hurt artists and anyone in the working class in the 1980s. To name just one here: 8% waitress tax anyone? Because the Reagan administration assumed all waitresses lie about their tips. C’mon, folks, tax cuts for the rich and balancing the budget on the backs of the working poor. It started with Reagan and he got away with it and I’m not forgetting or forgiving.

Angelo, at Another War of Jenkins’ Ear above, asks where the progressives are on this issue. Well, they’re probably too busy dealing with the horrors of the present to post about the horrors of the past. But if you have a Reagan horror story, please post it on your blog and everywhere else you can. Or if you don’t have a blog, you can post it in the comments here. You can also post the link in these comments if that widens the dissemination or something. I love Reagan horror stories, and for your convenience, I have a page of links to them.

“Congressman Alan Grayson (FL-8) today introduced a bill (H.R. 4789) which would give the option to buy into Medicare to every citizen of the United States. The ‘Public Option Act,’ also known as the ‘Medicare You Can Buy Into Act,’ would open up the Medicare network to anyone who can pay for it.

“Congressman Grayson said, ‘Obviously, America wants and needs more competition in health coverage, and a public option offers that. But it’s just as important that we offer people not just another choice, but another kind of choice. A lot of people don’t want to be at the mercy of greedy insurance companies that will make money by denying them the care that they need to stay healthy, or to stay alive. We deserve to have a real alternative.’

“The bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish enrollment periods, coverage guidelines, and premiums for the program. Because premiums would be equal to cost, the program would pay for itself.

“‘The government spent billions of dollars creating a Medicare network of providers that is only open to one-eighth of the population. That’s like saying, “Only people 65 and over can use federal highways.” It is a waste of a very valuable resource and it is not fair. This idea is simple, it makes sense, and it deserves an up-or-down vote,’ Congressman Grayson said.”
Grayson Bill Opens Up Medicare To Anyone Who Can Pay For It, Todd Jurkowski, Press Secretary, Rep Alan Grayson’s office, March 9, 2010

I like this idea, but it would be better and a better use of my taxpayer dollars if it was just FREE MEDICARE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS/NEEDS IT. Oh, sorry , the capslock was on and I didn’t notice. Actually, this is a good idea, better than the mess the House is still working on.

Anyway, hurray for Alan Grayson!

Everyone else can go to hell.

“Kennedy is also a lesbian who married her wife in the summer of 2008 when such marriages were legal, prior to the passage of Prop 8. While many LGBT couples and activists have to make complicated decisions about how to match their personal life to their politics, Kennedy’s decision to advise Arnold to veto the legislature’s legalization of same-sex marriage shows again her refusal to use her power to advance sensible and proper legislation that would help people, preferring to use it instead to advance corporate-friendly deals that hurt people:

“Although she calls herself “a thorn in the side” of a state that does not recognize gay marriage, she has advised both governors she’s served to veto bills that would have legalized it. Overturning the voters’ will would be politically damaging and legally and morally wrong, she argues.

“California doesn’t need technocrats who sit in Sacramento finding ways to cut stupid deals in support of bad policy that makes our problems worse instead of better. But in Susan Kennedy, that is exactly what we have. The flaws of the Davis and Schwarzenegger Administrations cannot be laid entirely at her feet – the chief executives bear the primary responsibility – but when the history of California’s collapse is written, Kennedy’s role in the disaster deserves a prominent place.”
Susan Kennedy and the Failure of Corporate Centrism, by Robert Cruickshank, Calitics, January 17, 2010
Sun Jan 17, 2010 at 08:59:20 AM PST

Susan Kennedy, meet Anne Marie Schubert.

Susan Kennedy and Anne Marie Schubert are two reasons why California isn’t a better place.

“Phil Angelides, chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (and former California Treasurer [yay!]), saw a used-car salesman at work after listening to the pugnacious, arm-waving Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs (GS.N) describe his firm’s pre-meltdown practices.

“‘I’m just going to be blunt with you,’ he told Blankfein. ‘It sounds to me a little bit like selling a car with faulty brakes, then buying an insurance policy on the buyer of those cars. It doesn’t seem to me that’s a practice that inspires confidence in the market.’

“The bankers adopted a ‘mistakes-were-made’ posture while defending their pre-crisis methods as a product of the times and promising to do better since, as they admitted, the Federal Reserve has been watching them far more closely than the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Blankfein, pressed on whether his company would own up to ‘excessive risk’ practices, raised the notion of a rare season of dangerous hurricanes.

“Angelides shot him down.

“‘Having sat on the board of the California Earthquake Authority, acts of God (are) exempt. These were acts of men and women. These were controllable,’ he said.”
Metaphors flying at Wall Street bankers hearing, by Steve Holland, Reuters, January 13, 2010

Phil Angelides: my hero.

And “…selling a car with faulty brakes, then buying an insurance policy on the buyer of those cars” really sums up the old moral hazard issue right there, don’t it?

Homophobia all in one family:

“The lesbian sister of Proposition 8 mastermind Frank Schubert has announced her candidacy for Sacramento County Superior Court judge.

“At her campaign Web site, Anne Marie Schubert, a deputy district attorney for Sacramento County, promotes herself as a law and order and victim’s rights candidate with several endorsements from local law enforcement organizations.

“According to voter records, Anne Marie Schubert is a registered Republican. She has hired Gilliard Blanning, a conservative political consulting firm known for championing some of the state’s best known Republican candidates and causes, to run her campaign.

“Anne Marie Schubert, 45, doesn’t mention her family or sexual orientation on her campaign Web site. But Sacramento County tax records show that Anne Marie Schubert purchased her home with Julie Greenberg in March 2005, where the women live together raising two children. Frank Schubert told the Bay Area Reporter the two women are in a registered domestic partnership.

“‘She and Julie are in a domestic partnership, and they have two wonderful children,’ Frank Schubert said.”
Prop 8′s Schubert Supports Gay Sister’s Bid for Judge, by Dan Aiello, California Progress Report, January 5, 2010 (via)

Apparently (to me), Frank Schubert has decided if a domestic partnership is good enough for his sister, he’s going to shove it down everyone else’s throat. What an asshole. So now I really wonder, given the option to marry Julie, what would Anne Marie Schubert do?

(Sigh)

“In his interview with NBC’s David Gregory, Schwarzenegger dodged a question about what he would do if the federal government does not come up with extra money to help plug the state’s $20-billion budget gap.

“‘I never really think so much about the Option B, because that’s a loser’s attitude,’ Schwarzenegger answered, saying he would keep pushing until he succeeds.

“He neglected to tell the national television audience that he does have an Option B: a ‘trigger’ he included in his budget plan Friday under which he would eliminate the state programs providing welfare, children’s healthcare and home care for the elderly and disabled, among other cuts, if the federal government doesn’t come though. That plan is unlikely to be approved by state lawmakers, however.”
Governor chides California’s Congress members over federal money, by Michael Rothfeld in Sacramento and Richard Simon in Washington, LA Times, January 10, 2010

Oh my God, how much longer is this poltroon going to continue to pretend he’s governor of California? How much longer can we last with this bs?

The groom is nervous
He answers twice.
It’s really thrilling
That he’s so willing
To make some whoopie.

“The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved an increase in the cost of a marriage license to $90 from $70. The cost of a so-called confidential license will rise to $85 from $70.

“According to a statement from the county, the fee hike will generate about $500,000 in additional revenue for the cash-strapped county government coffers between January and June.”
Cost of getting married in L.A. County is going up, by Shelby Grad, December 23, 2009

And if we’d legalized gay marriage, we could pay off the Schwarzendebt and live happily ever after forever and ever in lovely sunny California – a paradise on earth.

Dream on, Ginger, just dream the fuck on.

“As of July 2009, California’s budget shortfall was 49.3% of its general funds. States have considered drastic options to fill such gaps.

“‘I looked as hard as I could at how states could declare bankruptcy,’ said Michael Genest, director of the California Department of Finance who is stepping down at the end of the year. ‘I literally looked at the federal constitution to see if there was a way for states to return to territory status.’ (Man, we really are a failed state if we pay creeps like this to do anything governmental.)

“There were no bankruptcy options, and the legislature chose to cut back sharply on education and health care to fill the gap. Mr. Genest already predicts the 2011 shortfall will outpace the projected $7 billion gap. It is a smaller deficit than this year’s gap, but the choices will be more difficult because so many cuts have already been made.

“Mr. Genest estimated that, eventually, 40% of the state’s budget would go to the state Medicaid program, 40% to education, 10% to debt service and 6% to retiree medical services and pension—leaving little left for anything else, such as the state’s corrections system.”
State Finance Directors Warn of More Trouble Ahead, by Sara Murry, WSJ, November 13, 2009

California has really got to:

~ Ban paid petition signature collectors
~ Make referendums more difficult
~ Change the State Constitution for a simple majority for legislative changes (it’s been 2/3 for too long)
~ Factor income into property taxes more than the assessed property value (they’re not as closely related as they might seem [to an idiot])
~ Get rid of the evil 3 strikes law
~ Take term limits off the Ledge (the State ran better when there were knowledgeable people there who had something to lose [yeah, I know everyone hates Willie Brown, but this meltdown didn’t happen on his watch)

No comments on this post. I’m in too much of a fuck you mood as it is.

(via but also youtube)

Let’s roll.

Bugliosi put Manson away, he can do this, too.

(via)

Yes.