Disqus - Latest Comments for redroaster

Re: Buy Experiences, Not Things

redroaster — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 13:50:13 -0000

"It could turn out that to get the maximum utility out of an experiential purchase, it's really best to plan far in advance."

We booked a vacation trip a year ahead. Later realized we would want a kayak, but had plenty of time to plan for it. So there might be some usefulness (apart from anticipation) to advance planning. Can the research separate that out?

Re: Kansas Court: Remove Democrat From Senate Ballot

redroaster — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 18:39:26 -0000

I gather you are trying to say that the court was scorning the brief for Kobach's position?

Well, not really. Black's is cited in scores of appellate decisions annually, but in 40 years I've never seen its use interpreted that way. It has taken on considerable prestige since Bryan Garner took over editorship.

Re: Pay $120 to know if you are the victim, says Security firm that exposed ‘billion password’ breach

redroaster — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 23:15:07 -0000

Classic situation. The security firm ought to be able to get some compensation for their expertise, but above all should never put themselves and their reputation into a place where folks can -- reasonably -- snarl that they are probably hand-in-glove with the bad guys.

If they were thinking straight they could have come up with some sort of mass-funding/crowd sourced way to get paid a fair number. Instead they look like a Wall Street pig.

Re: 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review

redroaster — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:07:22 -0000

What nonsense. I just spent 2 months in Baja with my Trailhawk and it's unscathed. Though I agree the review was silly -- evaluating without offroading? But the answer is, it did whatever I asked it to, sand, arroyo boulders, into the drink -- and more comfortable after driving 550 miles on Highway 1 than I ever was in my Accord.

Re: Legal costs hit Bank of America's bottom line

redroaster — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 12:38:53 -0000

Geez, "the tentacles of the financial crisis are still squeezing Wall Street." So terribly sad!

Would this mean their bonuses are down? Or that somebody actually went to jail for trashing the economy?

Meanwhile, yawn, the working stiffs lost their houses, jobs, and retirement, and the banksters are as fat as ever. I guess it helps to own the government.

Re: Ryan Petrich gets Google Maps working on iOS 6

redroaster — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:54:45 -0000

OK, so we're traveling in Europe, going everywhere from the heart of Paris to the remote countryside of Spain, flawless Google maps giving us turn by turn. Then this iOS 6 message release message comes up, and I casually download it. Well, we're EFFED, thank you very much Apple for the Stone Age, and don't tell me that things will get better in a few months. iPad has lost a lot of luster in a big hurry.

Re: California Supreme Court Slugfest Over Redevelopment

redroaster — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:05:40 -0000

Vincent -- in the runup to passing this legislation, there were reports by the State Controller and quite a bit of reportage by the LA Times, which you can find on their sites. Both were highly critical of RDAs, with SCO citing the studies that show RDAs don't generate new economic activity -- merely move money around, and the Times pointing to the many well-documented scandals and failures of RDAs to comply with their legal mandates (such as creating low income housing). The stakes are about $5 billion/year of local property taxes that otherwise flow to local schools and government services

I've observed RDAs for many years, particularly in SoCal. RDA money has become a huge slush fund for local pols in the great majority of cities, and is a corrupt wasteful system long overdue for abolition.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Redevelopment agencies take fight to state Supreme Court

redroaster — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:17:25 -0000

Nonsense. (1) Cal. Constit., Art. XVI, §16 permits but does NOT require that redevelopment agencies exist; (2) Proposition 22 prohibits the State from interfering with tax increment – once it has been allocated – but doesn't prohibit abolishing the allocation itself.

The new laws require the payment of all valid existing obligations, so rest easy, all the bonds must be fully paid. Some marginal, sleazy, and downright unlawful stuff may not be, but that's entirely appropriate.

You claim $87 billion of RDA debt exists, which is food for thought. Does discovering this $87 billion of public debt make anyone just a bit reluctant to allow the bleeding to continue? Not a nickel of the amount, whatever it is, was voter approved – RDAs are exempt. RDAs list as "debt" future obligations that may never have to be paid, so the true number, although bad enough, isn't anywhere near $87 billion.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Opinion: Republicans should favor abolishing redevelopment agencies

redroaster — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:11:54 -0000

Bravo. Republicans have a splendid opportunity to reduce government waste and should be falling all over themselves to seize it.

If redevelopment abolition fails, it's a triumph of partisanship over principle.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Redevelopment: Complex, diverse agencies in fight

redroaster — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:56:02 -0000

This article is wrong and confused in saying: "Education spending is one of the most controversial aspects of RDAs. While most operate under a formula that ensures they don’t take money directly from local education spending, some don’t."

All RDAs statewide take about $5.5 billion per year of property taxes from other local governments INCLUDING SCHOOLS. The State must backfill local schools and community colleges their approximately $2.0B to $2.5B annual school loss. (Other local governments, mainly counties and fire districts, lose the rest.) Brown correctly says that the State can no longer afford RDAs. Sorry Vicki -- you may be doing good work, but RDAs waste huge amounts. They've become slush funds local politicians dole out to politically connected developers.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Negotiations intensify over cut to redevelopment agencies

redroaster — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:31:59 -0000

The "counter-proposal" extends existing projects 10 years. At current levels that costs the State $25 billion in lost property taxes that offset the State's school-funding obligations. RDAs are offering "voluntary" contributions of about 10% of RDA revenues. Just a bad deal all around for the State.

Re: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/feb/27/redevelopment-critical-to-affordable-housing/

redroaster — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 19:27:29 -0000

I'll buy this BS the day they decide that the priority is affordable housing rather than subsidizing the Chargers' new stadium by hundreds of millions of $$$.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Impact of Proposition 26 roiling Capitol

redroaster — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 20:26:04 -0000

You can fool all of the people -- in California at least -- often enough that the rest doesn't matter.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Personnel Profile: Grover Norquist

redroaster — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:47:07 -0000

This guy is a fruitcake.

Re: Where to Watch the World Cup in LA

redroaster — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:06:50 -0000

Not a single establishment for MEXICO???? In SoCal?????

Re: Capitol Weekly: Blight-fight funds should go to schools

redroaster — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:44:49 -0000

You don't have to like CRAs to understand that this column is wildly, crazily wrong. But don't let facts get in the way of a good rant, Assemblymember.

First, the law Judge Connolly upheld also TAKES the SAME $2.05 billion from CRAs AWAY FROM LOCAL SCHOOLS and gives it to the STATE. Please explain how money-laundering a State grab helps "the kids?"

Second, the same law gives CRAs free one-year extensions of project timelines, costing schools an ADDITIONAL $2.5 billion, according to the legislature's own estimates. See <http: www.leginfo.ca.gov="" pub="" 09-10="" bill="" asm="" ab_0001-0050="" abx4_26_cfa_20090724_153835_asm_floor.html="">

The kids are gonna love that too!

Re: Capitol Weekly: Missouri group gives $500,000 to AB 32 repeal effort

redroaster — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:08:17 -0000

Just put it down to 'He Who Must Not Be Named.'

Re: Capitol Weekly: Stanford students ‘rock’ public pension funds

redroaster — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:52:21 -0000

Mokey 48 -- So you'd prefer those clever Stanford students have their way and all CalPERS money be invested "risk-free"? Are we forgetting how Wall Street got its sub-prime mortgage bombs declared "risk-free" by the rating agencies?

Re: Capitol Weekly: Democrats prepare to counter Schwarzenegger’s gas tax plan

redroaster — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:01:28 -0000

Hard not to see this as payback for the lawsuit that stopped the state raid on gas tax funds. But a cornered rat will bite.

The Gov's 2003 car tax cut has cost the state $30 billion and counting, so he deserves plenty of blame for the crisis.

And how is being able to say "I'm cutting taxes again" a smart trade for reducing schools $2 billion, in a year schools are already going to be badly cut?

Re: Capitol Weekly: Picking the low-hanging tax fruit: 10 policies worth $20 Billion

redroaster — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:01:20 -0000

This is far too sensible to have any chance with the Thelma & Louise yahoos who want government to go over the cliff.

Californians expect something for nothing. Decent schools, for example. In 1978, before Prop 13, local property tax paid 55-60% of K-12 costs; now it's closer to 25%, a difference the State tried to shoulder -- and couldn't.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Budget outlook grim thru 2012

redroaster — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:09:52 -0000

The story has a technical glitch:

"A two-year borrowing from local governments – the locals called it a “raid,” not a borrowing – brought in about $2 billion, including $1.7 billion one year and a projected $350 million the next. But budget writers can’t do the same thing again until that money is paid back, the under provisions of voter-approved Proposition 1A of 2004, which was intended to protect locals’ funding."

This mixes up the $2 billion borrowing from local governments with the $2.05 billion redevelopment take, a true raid of local funds, that occurs over two years in $1.7 B and $350 million steps.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Push for NFL stadium in Los Angeles resurfaces at session's 11th hour

redroaster — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:02:10 -0000

Some things are legal but utterly corrupt. The "City of Industry" is that kind of corruption, the kind delivered in Sacramento by campaign contributions. Industry is a closed business fiefdom run by fat cats. Just try moving into this "city" of 800 residents. Meanwhile their lobbyists use every twisted trick in the book to turn a "local government" into a private money machine.

One current Industry lobbyist is a former California legislator convicted of taking bribes. In the 80s the city was the center of a huge kickback and bid-rigging scandal, with a city founder convicted of trying to bribe a witness. A grand jury pointed out that the city redevelopment agency was leasing 600 acres to the mayor at no cost. "No problem" said the city.

They learned you needn't break the law in an obvious way to exploit government for personal gain, and this latest is a good example.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Governor's line-item vetoes illegal, legal opinion states

redroaster — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:53:49 -0000

Not a slam dunk, but Legislative Counsel's opinion has just emerged, and takes the Kaufman side. Items which only reduced prior appropriations (as opposed to granting new expenditure authority) were not "appropriations" subject to the Governor's line-item powers.

Re: Capitol Weekly: Out of sight, out of mind

redroaster — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:47:31 -0000

I consider myself an environmentalist, but recently rolling past the Gaviota and barely seeing a platform, far off in the distant haze, I thought not allowing the drilling was a mistake. There would be no new platforms (so I understand) with any drilling from the existing ones. So it comes down to the risk of a blowout. I understand people still feel scarred from the original disaster, but it's been decades and the technology is a lot safer. Life involves trade-offs. A lot of kids are going to be hurt for lack of that $100 million. Too bad it's chump change in the budget context.

Re: Capitol Weekly: To guide a budget through, a little improvisation is key

redroaster — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:40:47 -0000

Sleazy backroom deals -- dramatic double-crosses -- hidden in this story is the budget solution for all Californians.

We sell the California Legislature to Hollywood as a reality show. Success is sure. After all, the rest of the country is already laughing.