Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Okay, this is a story about — well — self defense, heroism, saving the life of another and courage. These are things you will probably will not find on CBS, NBC, MSNBC or ABC. Try searching “Meghan Brown” ( or other relevant terms) on any of these sites and see what you find? Here are a few screen captures of what I found today!
Meghan Brown’s story is inspiring. CLICK here to read it … The story is also covered by countless bloggers over the world… and the British Press!
Congrats Meghan!
Roger
Much fun can be had by being a patient person this year:
Horoscope 2011, forecast for the 2011 year of the white Rabbit
The coming 2011 year of the metal Rabbit is around the corner. It is not the size of this animal that makes sense for the whole year, but its inner nature. It looks like we’ve got quite sophisticated period with gracious manners and sensitivity. This 2011 year of the white Rabbit your may pin hopes on your sense of intuition. But don’t be impatient or be in harry, in 2011 year of the Rabbit without concentration you will fail.
Roger
This November represents , more than any time I can remember, a battle between individual citizens vs. incumbant politicians and their beneficiaries. One critic of democracy stated that a tipping point is reached when those who profit from government spending exceed — in power and influence — those who can provide the resources for that spending…. then the system changes. As for me, I try not to be too cynical, but a real problem exists when one party and one system controls the counting of the ballots.
Personally, I can understand how hard it is for those who enter politics to maintain a perspective over time. It is often easier to just get along. Some historians trace this back to President Andrew “old hickory stick” Jackson who “invented” both the “campaign” and the “campaign promise.” In traveling the country, he would place a hickory stick at every road intersection with his name etched or painted, hence the moniker. In addition, he would promise every voter what they wanted to hear, whether or not he planned to deliver on said promise. Today, many politicians haven’t strayed too far from this approach to politics and this is real troubling for those who have to “feed the beast.” Many California cities are approaching real bankruptsy and the monsterous $100 Billion unfunded pension liability of the state casts a heavy shaddow on the future. ( read my blog on this subject.)
When California’s Proposition 13 became law and maintained the dream of home ownership, politicians and their interests had to become more resourceful in the pursuit of ‘revenue enhancement.” It has taken them some time, but they found that they could raise certain fees without the consent tof the ‘governed.’ Many fees were originally set to cover the basic costs of the service provided, but it has now become an ‘opportunity.’ If you wanted to pour a short replacement driveway for your home, it might cost you $2000 in labor and materials; however, the ‘permit fees’ to the city might cost you an additional $2400. There was a time in California and still in most of the country where there are few fees — if any– fees associated with ‘flatwork.’
The State of California, the counties and many of it’s cities are once again facing huge shortfalls ( real and budgetary — there is a difference) and want to distract the voters long enough to pass the November 2nd election and resume a program of aggressive revenue enhancement.
Here’s a link to what should be on the 2012 Ballot in San Luis Obispo as it has already been submitted for certification. BTW, Thomas Jefferson had a remarkable quote that may seem quaint to some… but will ressonate with others and I prefer to end this blog on a positive note:
Thomas Jefferson
Vote on November 2nd
Years ago, Californians attempted to limit the growth of statewide government spending by placing a cap on how much one’s property tax could be raised in any year. However, local governments not satisfied with living within their means and buffeted by internal pressures; they exploited a loop hole. Simply put, all ‘revenue enhancement’ was in the form of raising the fees for many activities well beyond the original cover-their-cost intent. All one has to do is look at a comparison of how much it costs to offer a service and how much is charged for the service. For example, water and trash collection fees have been highly inflated as well as cell phone ‘taxes’ in which the cities have no real cost or negliable.
The problem of increased fee’s is mainly a symptom of poor management. Local governments have inflated each others salaries beyond reason ( review case of the City of Bell). In our town San Luis Obispo, California of roughly a mere 40,000 people we have a city manager who makes over $300,000 a year not including perks. Our little county ended up having to fire it’s chief and second in command for — what I would call — lapses in ethical judgement. In the midst of the worst economy in history, they are still hiring!
So are we surprised at what is currently on the November Ballot??
So, here we are. However, we have not discussed the giant financial crisis that looms ahead. Cities have what are called ‘unfunded liabilities.’ These are obligations — many related to retirements past and future — that are growing exponentially. Some cities have chosen or looking at bankrupsy and defaulting on all their retirement benefits rather than face the voters and the unpleasant realities early in the process. What this means is that a retirement isn’t just scaled back, but cut to zero.
So here are a few questions I would think would be fundamental to ask today’s candidates for local office:
I am sure there are many other worthwhile questions to ask… but these need to be answered first.
November 2nd isn’t that far off!
Roger
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More Reading:
“The two largest pension funds in California, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), have lost billions of dollars in value. Hundreds of thousands of retiring state employees and teachers now face the stark choice of accepting much reduced pension checks or working past their retirement age.”
“How bad is it? It’s this bad. A new Stanford study indicates that the State of California’s unfunded liability for its three largest public employee pension systems will grow to half a trillion dollars by 2025. Is there any better example of the tyranny of government, that it would plunder the wealth of several generations of Californians. With these results, how can anyone justify electing the same people over and over again to the California Assembly?”
“While it surely is not the preferred method of dealing with financial shortfalls, the approval by the Vallejo City council to change their firefighter pension agreement may set the tone for the rest of our state. Sadly, Vallejo had to file for bankruptcy protection before organized labor saw the handwriting on the wall….”
““We found the city’s system of internal control to be nonexistent, as all financial activities and transactions revolved around one individual, the former chief administrative officer, who had complete control and discretion over how city funds were used,” the auditors wrote.”
“An investigation by California Watch early this year found the state’s local governments and tow companies generated an estimated $40 million from checkpoint impounds in 2009. Many of the unlicensed drivers who lose their cars at checkpoints are illegal immigrants. The Cedillo measure was touted as an anti-corruption provision since police officers in Bell, near Los Angeles, admitted last month that the city used revenue from impounds to pay top officials massive salaries. Bell police referred to checkpoints as “tow-a-thons,” says former Sgt. James Corcoran, who investigated corruption issues in the city.”
They also have a facebook page which can be useful
What do you give your spouce for her 38th wedding anniversary? Well if you look on line for suggestions, they are all boring! I guess they thnk if you have been married that long , you shouldn’t need any hints! To a degree, I do believe this to be true.
Laura and I have a fondness for books and what better gift that to find a first edition of a familiar author Alexander Dumas ( Three musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo and Man in the Iron Mask among many others), but not one of his familiar books. The book “the Conscript: a Tale of War” was not one you often see listed with his other works, but the plot may see very familiar to you.
Not every old book is expensive; in fact, many old books are amazingly affordable. It is picking the right book for the right person that is the key… and this one was a hit.