Coast Contact

Nullification

2011-03-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

The American Civil War settled the issue of the power of the Federal government over state governments. The right of Nullification of Federal law would signify that individual states have the right to pick and choose the laws they will obey. This would essentially mean that all 50 states are really independent nations and that the United States is not a single nation but is a confederation. That would make this nation similar to the Euro Zone and the European Common Market.

I thought conservatives wanted nothing to do with European style government.

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

2011-02-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

"In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should 'have his head examined,' as General MacArthur so delicately put it. "

ROBERT M. GATES, the secretary of defense.

Overturning the Defense of Marriage Law

2011-02-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama is not the first president to conclude that he has the power to decide when laws are to be enforced and which ones. Richard Nixon famously said, “When you're in office, you have to do a lot of things that are not, in the strictest sense of the law, legal. But you do them because they're in the greater interests of the nation.”

Using the Nixon interpretation of law any president can do almost anything. Richard Nixon would have been impeached and found guilty of protecting law breakers had he not resigned from office. It appears that those who succeeded President Nixon have not learned from his mistakes.

"Wisconsin Power Play" is Democracy in Action!

2011-02-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

Paul Krugman's February 20, 2011 New York Times column ignores one simple fact. The United States is a democratic republic. That is a type of republic where the people elect their representatives and may engage in some forms of popular referendums.

Mr. Krugman has ignored a few unpleasant facts.

1. "Wisconsin’s new union-busting governor, Scott Walker", ran for office on a pledge to do exactly what he is doing. Wisconsin may be known as a strong liberal state but the voters had a choice. The public employees may not like the results but elections have consequences.

2. The Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin senate ran away en masse to Illinois so that they could stop a vote on a bill they oppose. Is this democracy? I don't think so.

3. The Koch brothers have the same rights as everyone else. There are plenty of well-to-do Democrats that can sponsor any event or people they support. Attacks on the Koch's is indeed childish.

4. Neither Wisconsin nor the United States are anything like Middle East potentates. We have democratic republic here and the will of the people is carried out by those we elect. The losers in each election must accept the fact that the majority did not agree with their viewpoint.

5. What we have here is anarchy!!

Business Greed

2011-02-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

You think that business isn’t greedy? Here are some facts. All of these items are taken from recent news articles from well known and well respected business journals.

Item 1
From AOL.com
ASBESTOS, Quebec -- A plan to increase production from Canada's last asbestos mine near this town named for the deadly mineral has enraged physicians and public health workers around the globe.

The Jeffery Asbestos mine has been shuttered since 1982, when the American company that ran the mine, Johns Manville, filed for bankruptcy in the face of an avalanche of asbestos-related lawsuits. But plans are afoot to reopen the mine, exporting most of the deadly contents to nations such as India, China and Vietnam that have no restrictions on the use of asbestos and where cheap and durable building materials are in high demand.

Canada is currently considering a plan to provide $58 million in loan guarantees, which would allow to the mine to resume operations. Leading the charge is G. Bernard Coulombe, an Asbestos resident and the force behind the loan guarantee push. Mr. Coulombe scoffs at the notion that Canadian chrysotile asbestos is a carcinogen, and maintains that it is perfectly safe, something the World Health Organization denies. It’s no surprise that Mr. Coulombe believes his product is safe, as he owns a full 65 percent of the mine.

Item 2
From International Business Times
G.E’s Jeffrey Immelt’s appointment has labor leaders concerned
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) pointed out in a press release that in just the past five months, Immelt has eliminated “scores” of U.S. jobs when he ordered the closure of GE plants in Virginia, Massachusetts and Ohio.

“We are rewarding the guy who is turning off America’s lights, literally,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger.

“Two of the plants on Immelt’s hit list made incandescent light bulbs. Replacement bulbs will be made in – you guessed it – China.”
IAM further noted that while Immelt was closing down U.S. plants, he was signing deals with the Chinese.

In the past week alone, Immelt inked multi-billion dollar deals for 50 GE power plants in China, as well as a joint venture that will place GE’s most sophisticated cockpit avionics in the hands of a country that is poised to compete directly with U.S. aerospace manufacturers, IAM explained.

“The U.S. aerospace industry is currently one of the few with a positive impact on the nation’s balance of trade,” said Buffenbarger. “We can ill afford to place its future in the hands of a man who is supporting its most determined competitor.”

Item 3
From Forbes.com (Forbes Magazine site)
January 2009 Layoffs
Layoffs for January 2009 at America's 500 largest public companies*:
163,662 People in ONE month. 68 companies were involved. Read the list here.

Item 4
From the Wallstreet Journal on line
June 10, 2010

U.S. companies are holding more cash in the bank than at any point on record, underscoring persistent worries about financial markets and about the sustainability of the economic recovery.

The Federal Reserve reported Thursday that nonfinancial companies had socked away $1.84 trillion in cash and other liquid assets as of the end of March, up 26% from a year earlier and the largest-ever increase in records going back to 1952. Cash made up about 7% of all company assets, including factories and financial investments, the highest level since 1963.

Read the rest of this article here.

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

2010-03-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

We are facing congressional failure. It’s primarily the fault of the Democrats because they control both houses of Congress. Instead of focusing on the number one problem in the country they focused on health care. Of course health care is important but the first issue is money to pay the daily bills.

California has a civilian workforce of over 18 million people. 12.5% are unemployed. According to state statistics employment in the manufacture of durable goods has declined by 9.6% in the past year. The decline in non-durable goods employment has been 7.4%.

Everywhere we look, we see that the goods we buy are manufactured in another country. Services are no different. Have you called Citibank, Earthlink, or Dell? Help lines are provided in India or Philippines. Pricewaterhouse Coopers has outsourced their data maintenance to India.

The highly respected Institute for Supply Management monthly report has been above 50% starting in August 2009. A number of 50% or higher is supposed to indicate a growing economy. While new orders have provided a positive situation for the companies, it has not translated into needed jobs. ISM, the AMA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other manufacturing associations need to work together by hiring lobbyists who will fight for laws rewarding American manufacturing and penalizing imported goods.

When you phone or email your congressman and senators you need to yell at them “Jobs. What are you doing to encourage job creation in this country?”

What’s Wrong with the Middle?

2008-07-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Please go to my commentary on the Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-evans/moving-uphill-to-the-midd_b_112764.html

Your interest and comments are appreciated.

Los Angeles High Schools Are Failing

2008-07-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Times had an article in June of 2006 stating that only 44% of city high school students graduated in four years. For all of California the rate was 71%. The drop out rate for the school system was over 25% versus a state rate of 14%. Of course the school districts excuses are just what you would expect. Primarily LAUSD focuses on the problem of non English speaking students that are mostly Hispanic.

The Los Angeles high school curriculum lacks occupational training. Instead the focus is on college preparatory classes. Their argument is that college prep classes also prepare students for jobs that do not require a college degree. The reality is that many students do not have the capacity to succeed in algebra, geometry, physics, and the other college required courses. Many of the students lack the reading and comprehension skills necessary for these classes. That is the reason there is a high drop out rate. The consequence is a major impact on our society. Teenagers join gangs, become drug pushers, or become petty thieves because they have no skills and no path to any kind of success in life.

Do you need to know geometry, physics, etc. to learn a trade or skill? Perhaps basic math would be helpful but there are many jobs that do not require a knowledge of those college prep classes. I am a college graduate from CSUN and I have never needed geometry or physics in any business administration function I held.

The San Fernando Valley Business Journal has a front page story in their July 7, 2008 issue discussing the shortage of skilled welders and metal fabricators. They say the shortage could be 200,000 people by 2010. The training won’t come from any of the local high schools.

Do all the jobs in banking, health care, tourism, and the entertainment industries require a college degree? Clearly the answer is no. Clearly the high schools of Los Angeles are a failure.

Installing A Husband

2008-07-03T09:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance -- particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5. In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed undesirable programs such as MLB 2.5, NFL 5.0, NBA 3.0, NCAA Football and Basketball 4.0, Fly Fishing 6.5, and Golf Clubs 7.1. (and possibly NASCAR 400.0 or 500.0 and Texas Hold ¡em 2007)Conversation 8.೦ no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?
Signed, Desperate
-------------------------------------
Dear Desperate:
First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an Operating System. Please enter the command: 'I Thought You Loved Me.exe' and try to download Tears 6.2 and don't forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run t he applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. As a final backup program, you might try Bun-In-The-Oven (BITO) as a long term solution. Keep in mind that BITO can come in versions 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc. and requires you to sign a 9 month installation agreement followed by a 18 year maintenance contract. You should make sure your Husband 1.0 operating system is compatible with the BITO version before you install this program.But remember, overuse of the above applications can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, or even crash leaving you with no operating system. Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources).Also, do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0 .In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Food 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.Good Luck,

Tech Support

Corn and the Economy, Serious Inflation

2008-06-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

The National Corn Growers Association http://www.ncga.com provides a list of 22 categories of products that use corn by-products. An example is corn sweeteners marketed through Cargil http://www.cargill.com/products/food/ps_corn_sweeteners.htm. I am not familiar with all of these products that include brewing adjuncts, corn syrup, dextrose, etc. Of course corn growers see big opportunities in the production of ethanol.

The impact of the floods along the Mississippi River basin this year will soon impact all of our lives. The USDA reported today that corn harvests this year will be 87.3 million acres, down from last year's 93.6 million acres. Corn futures for July contracts have jumped 25% from $6.00 per bushel to more than $7.50 per bushel. My source is Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D91KDEN80.htm.

So what is more important? Is it an on going war in Iraq with a victory that the Republicans cannot define or is it the American economy?

The Death of Newspapers

2008-06-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Jon Fine’s weekly column in Business Week entitled Media Centric has been writing about the slow death of daily newspapers for the past two years. Here in Los Angeles we have seen the Los Angeles Times shrinking away along with its many smaller localized newspapers. The Orange County Register and the Daily News of Los Angeles have been the Times primary competitors. Sadly they too have been shrinking before our eyes.

The Daily News has had a 4 page opinion and editorial section every Sunday. It has featured some of America’s best columnists. Those writers have included Thomas Friedman, Richard Cohen, David Brooks, Bill O’Reilly, Maureen Dowd, and Thomas Sowell. Today they announced the shrinking of that section to two pages buried in the front section. http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_9661925?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews. . Clearly we will see less of their writing in print in the future. Blame it on the internet. The Daily News only printed about one third of all the letters I submitted to their opinion page but it was always fun to know that my letters might appear. That is why I was motivated to start two BLOGS. They are http://coastcontact.wordpress.com/ and http://coastcontact.blogspot.com/ /. The same items do not appear in both BLOGS. This entry is the exception.

Tell me again, this is progress, right?

“My Winnipeg”

2008-06-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

“My Winnipeg” is a new movie reviewed today in the Los Angeles Times. It was made by a film maker that has lived his life there and according to the reviewer is perfectly happy to spend the rest of his life there. Of course I would not have read the review at all except that it is the birthplace of my parents and the home or birthplace of many of my relatives. I have not been there since the age of 9.

The Times critic gave the film a thumbs up. It can be seen a Landmark’s Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles. A search on the web tells me it is playing in other cities too but apparently not yet playing in Winnipeg.

http://www.mywinnipeg.com/ really is all about that city.

The Los Angeles review http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/la-et-winnipeg20-2008jun20,0,3238973.story

The Energy Crises

2008-06-19T21:38:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading a full page article by Renee Schoof and Kevin G. Hall entitled “Understanding ethanol” printed in my local newspaper. It was distributed by McClatchy-Tribune but is not on line. The article answered such questions as What are biofuels? and What is ethanol?. Unfortunately the question Does using ethanol help the environment?, How long before ethanol becomes widely available? and others are vaguely answered leaving the reader wondering if these solutions will work.

I tried researching the issue on the internet and was disappointed in the results. I still do not know the cost to produce this gasoline alternative. The costs are clearly more than just the cost building the factories for processing and the costs of transportation. The impact on the food supply could negate any benefits. The web sites provided in the newspaper article were all posted by companies and organizations that are promoting ethanol including one that posted an article of concern about “Big Food’s campaign against ethanol.” www.ethanolrfa.org , www.iogen.ca and www.ncga.com/ethanol/main/index.asp .

zfacts.com has an array of facts that I cannot verify including this item "Ethanol Today," (8/'05) states "Five years ago, a US General Accounting Office report showed that ethanol had received $11.6 billion in tax incentives since 1968, while the oil industry had received over $150 billion in tax benefit over the same period.

Recent statements from presidential candidates and other politicians provide little or no leadership। There is a lack of information on the internet. This nation is in real trouble and no one knows the answers. Even worse, no one is prepared for the changes we face.

I have established a link to gas prices in California through gasbuddy.com to tell us how serious this problem is but you all knew that.

Tim Russert

2008-06-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

Tim died from a heart attack yesterdy. He was 58 years old. He was the greatest interviewer of all time. I recorded and watched every one of his shows (Meet The Press on NBC and Tim Russert on MSNBC). Even as I post this item on my BLOG the accolades are non-stop as they should be. He made me feel that there was one interviewer who really asks the right questions. The Associated Press reported that many feared the grilling he would give his guests but they knew he was the conduit to the truth. http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080613/D919FDKO0.html

All of America will miss him.

TIM RUSSERT 1950-2008

Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa and the Jews

2008-06-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, there are a lot of Jewish people in Los Angeles. Many are political activists. In fact Jews hold many political offices in California. Both of our U.S. senators are Jewish. We have many Jewish house members too. So Mayor Villaragosa wants to appeal to those voters in his upcoming re-election. Thus visiting Israel might benefit him and the three council members (districts with high Jewish populations) who are accompanying . However, Jews are not easily persuaded.

I am Jewish but I am more concerned with the multiple issues surrounding our city than the mayor’s trip with an entourage of 20 people to Israel। Two articles in local papers worth reading about this trip are the editorial in the Los Angeles Daily News

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_9420932 and an article in the Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-israel11-2008jun11,0,4598943.story.

List of elected Jews from California to Washington, D.C.
=U.S. Senators: Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein

=U.S. House Representatives: Howard Berman, Susan Davis, Bob Filner, Jane Harman, Adam Schiff , Brad Sherman and Henry Waxman

An Investment Experience

2008-05-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

I have been listening to Bob Brinker on KABC radio for years. His program is called Moneytalk. He says he started his weekend investment show about 20 years ago. It is a listener call in show where he answers questions about investing in stocks, bonds, and other kinds of investments from real estate to whole life insurance policies.

I became so impressed with his advice that I started subscribing to his newsletter two years ago. I tracked his recommendations (that are not discussed on the radio but are provided in his newsletter) compared to my own investment ideas. However I never actually acted on most of his recommendations until this past July 2007. I decided to do that because I was not happy with my progress in investing. My decision was a serious error.

In his July 2007 newsletter he wrote “In summary, The Marketimer stock market model remains in positive territory as the second half of 2007 commences. We expect the S&P 500 Index to achieve new record highs, and we believe a strong case can be made for a move into S&P 500 Index 1600’s range as we move foreward… into 2008.” Mr. Brinker followed up on that statement on August 17, 2008 with this alert that he emails to his subscribers, “…the current S&P 500 Index level, is regarded as an additional buying opportunity for subscribers looking to add to stock market holdings.

Marketimer © expects the S&P 500 Index to register new historic record highs as we move forward into next year.”

After dropping to 1270 now Mr. Brinker is forecasting S&P 500 Index in the 1400’s range in the coming year. I have dropped my subscription.

To add to my dismay the GABELLI ASSET FUND (GABAX), one of his recommendations has tracked the fall of the S&P 500 Index and in fact has performed even worse. Mr. Gabelli’s income as the manager last year was over $9 million (as reported in the shareholder’s report).

Mr. Brinker offers no apologies!

Mr. Brinker did teach me something. Listen to everyone but trust no one. Do lots of homework before you make any investments.

It’s All About Subsidies

2008-05-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

The question is should our government be giving subsidies to anyone or any group? This is a problem at all levels of government. It exists at the smallest local level up to the Federal government. Some examples are listed below.

My neighborhood beautification group (West Park Neighborhood) asked the neighborhood council for $300.00 to subsidize our block party. It was granted and we had 150 to 200 people in attendance. We did not earn enough money to repay the council. The council did not ask us to repay them.

The state of California was contemplating a subsidy to build a new football stadium in the Los Angeles area but this idea was blocked by county supervisors. The city of Industry had asked for power to divert $829 million in county property tax revenue from basic government services < http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-indust17apr17,0,867083,full.story >. This was a wise action by the supervisors considering that the county lacks sufficient funds for those basic services.

The Federal government subsidies for ethanol amounted to $7.0 billion in 2006. There was and $18.0 billion subsidy for oil companies that that was created in 1986 and eliminated in 2008 (H.R. 5351: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008). $16 billion in subsidies were given to farmers every year between 2002 and 2005. Wind turbine investments are subsidized through the use of shortened depreciation schedules.

Think about it! No more subsidies from government for anything. Perhaps such policies would enable government to balance its budgets.

Lobbyists Are Everywhere

2008-05-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

ABC’s 20/20 on its May 9, 2008 edition had a piece on the lack of information about auto tire aging। The gist of the piece was that tires over six years old should be discarded। Car manufacturers recommend this procedure but tires manufacturers were represnted by a spokesman who insisted that there is no evidence to support that idea. Even when confronted with the fact that the British tire manufacturers have established that standard he stood by his position.

Brian Ross, the ABC reporter, informed viewers that American tire manufacturers have prevented aging information from becoming public or passing laws to protect the public through the use of lobbyists. Consumer Reports web site advises that Strategic Safety LLC, a safety research firm, submitted comments to NHTSA in September 2003, saying it has identified 20 cases in which tires six or more years old failed, resulting in nine deaths. NHTSA says it is still working on a proposal but why? Are the lobbyists preventing new regulations? Apparently Brian Ross would say yes.

In most cases, a visual inspection or check of tread depth will not reveal the problem, the experts say.

The Ford Motor Company has urged the federal government to adopt a six-year expiration date, citing "comprehensive research" and "defendable data driven by analysis."

Ford, BMW, Chrysler, Toyota and VW/Audi now carry warnings about aged tires in manuals given to car owners. Even some tire companies have begun to issue warnings. Bridgestone/Firestone, Michelin and Continental now recommend that tires older than 10 years should not be used, even if they appear safe by visual inspection.
I will be checking my new Toyota tires in the morning. The 2001 Nissan has its original tires. I will be replacing all four tires.

No on California Propositions 98 and 99

2008-05-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

Propositions 98 and 99 on the June 3, 2008 ballot will harm all Californians. The titles of these two proposals are totally misleading.

First both of these propositions will essentially end community redevelopment and will allow slums could go on existing indefinitely. These laws will allow slum owners to perpetuate the unacceptable living conditions for the poor. The CRA in Los Angeles has removed slums and replaced them with decent housing. These laws will effectively put the CRA out of business.

Proposition 98 is even worse because it would eliminate rent control for all California renters. Over one million Californians depend on rent control to survive, so abolishing it will have a tremendous impact. As scary as those numbers are, Prop. 98 would also jeopardize numerous laws that protect all 14 million California renters, including the fair return of rental deposits and laws protecting tenants from unfair and unjust evictions.

It’s no surprise then that more than 85% of funding to put Prop. 98 on the ballot came from wealthy landlords and organizations representing them. They only care about abolishing rent control and renter protections so they can make more money at the expense of seniors, veterans, single moms, students and working families.

Voters should vote a resounding ‘NO’ on Election Day on both Propositions 98 and 99.

Paying the Ultimate Price – Your Death

2008-04-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

Lawyers who represent those found guilty of murder always plea for mercy. They ask the court to set the penalty to a life sentence rather than a death sentence. Clearly if you are sentenced to life in prison, that is a better penalty than death. No one wants to die!

Killers never consider that when they commit their crimes। Families and loved ones are devastated by the loss of their husband, wife, son, daughter, etc. Those who oppose the death penalty are more concerned with the life of a killer than the life a killer has taken.

California Death Row has more than 600 inmates. We, the citizens of this state, must pay for keeping these killers alive and well. Here is an example of just one killer described in the Los Angeles Times on March 28, 2008. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-azusa26mar26,1,7568812.story

A jury Tuesday voted for the death penalty for an Azusa gang member who took part in a crime wave that rocked the tranquil San Gabriel Valley city in the early part of the decade।Ralph "Swifty" Flores, 26, sat stoically as a clerk read the verdict in Los Angeles County Superior Court.Flores -- who had grown a mustache over the gang tattoo "Azusa 13" inked below his nose -- was convicted last year of killing four people.For Azusa, the case marks the end to a violent chapter in which a handful of gang members called the "trigger clique" terrorized the town with a series of shootings, killings, robberies and hate crimes targeting blacks.Their rampage lasted from 1999 to 2004.Besides Flores, seven other Azusa 13 gang members were convicted of the crimes and sentenced to lengthy prison terms -- five of them in one 2004 trial."It was a violent time for the city," said Sgt. Mike Bertelsen, Azusa's gang expert. "We were having a murder a month at the end of 2002."

Despite the unrelenting random killing of innocent people there are are those who continue to oppose the death sentence. Recent examples are Jamiel Shaw Jr., 17, a black youth, was shot in the head and back at 2150 Fifth Ave. in Arlington Heights at about 8:40 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, 2008 and prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old woman with the murder of an LAX baggage handler, Samantha Padilla, who was shot and killed on freeway off ramp in South Los Angeles.

Now the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that lethal injections are not cruel and unusual punishment when carrying out the death penalty। The state of California should proceed immediately in putting those killers to death। If not, the death penalty should be removed as a form of penalty for murder। I favor the death penalty if it is carried out within a year or two of the sentence. It is a mockery of the law to leave people on death row for deacades.

A New kind of Billboards

2008-03-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here in the San Fernando Valley we have seen a new kind of advertising that is worse than the usual billboards. At least the usual boards are above my line of sight as I look down a boulevard. The new kind is on trailers parked along all of our main streets. Just call Mobile Advertising at 818-723-0497 and you to can advertise your business at a really low cost. There are laws limiting the parking of any vehicle for more than 72 hours in one place on our streets. Apparently they are not being enforced. When I called Councilman Dennis Zine’s office in December I was told they are working on a law to limit this form of advertising.

How long does it take to write and implement a law in Los Angeles?

Help for the Rich

2008-03-14T12:41:00.001-07:00

Isn’t it nice to be a big financial firm? Bear Stearns Cos., one of Wall Street's oldest banking firms, has received a bailout from the federal government and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Bear Stearns, the nation's fifth-largest investment bank, made its fortune dealing in opaque mortgage-backed securities - a strategy that might be its undoing amid the worst housing slump in a quarter century. The bank has racked up $2.75 billion in write-downs since last year, and faced a possible collapse without some kind of lifeline. This was reported today in a lead AP story http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080314/D8VD9NG80.html.

Meanwhile the Los Angeles Times reported today that the Region has seen a 19% decline in housing prices from the peak in less than a year. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-homes14mar14,1,7243732.story. In my own neighborhood homes are selling so poorly that asking prices have already dropped more than 25%. There is little help to bail out homeowners who bought their homes in the past few years by taking advantage of adjustable rate mortgages.

When you consider the paltry help to private individuals compared to aid the big corporations receive is it any wonder that the public yearns for new government leadership? It’s what we all knew in our hearts. The government protects the rich and to hell with the rest of you.

A California Attack on the Poor

2008-03-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

California’s Proposition 98 (California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act) and Proposition 99 (Homeowners and Private Property Protection Act) have misleading titles. Both are about preventing government from redeveloping blighted areas where the property will be returned to private ownership. In other words community redevelopment agencies would be eliminated because no redevelopment would be permitted. Slums could go on existing indefinitely.

Proposition 98 goes one step further by eliminating rent controls on apartments and mobile home parks. Apartment owners associations and mobile home park associations couldn’t be happier. The consequence of that will be the dislocation of the poorest in our society.

The ongoing issue of affordable housing in Los Angeles has been well documented. Proposition 98 would allow legalized unreasonable rent hikes on those least able to pay. That includes the poor and the elderly. Mobile home parks are commonly occupied by the elderly as a form of low cost housing. Most of those living in those parks are on social security and have little in the way of additional forms of income.

Who is supporting Proposition 98? The primary contributors are mobile home park owners and apartment associations. The information is listed on the California Secretary of State’s web site.

Who is supporting Proposition 99? The California League Of Conservation Voters http://www.ecovote.org/. This organization says its mission is “to protect the environmental quality of the state by increasing public awareness of the environmental performance of all elected officials, working to elect environmentally responsible candidates, and holding them accountable to the environmental agenda once elected.” What’s the connection between this conservation group and Proposition 99? They do not say on their web site. When I telephones them to ask about their support for this imitative I told someone will be calling me back later in the week. They are the only group that has donating money to support this issue. The state says they have donated $300,000.00.

This website, http://rentersrights.blogspot.com/, is a good place to start in fighting these two laws.

Star Wars Has Started

2008-02-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

It was reported by the Washington Post on January 19, 2007 that China had “used a ground-based missile to hit and destroy one of its aging satellites orbiting more than 500 miles in space… The test of anti-satellite technology is believed to be the first of its kind in two decades by any nation and raised concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. satellites and a possible arms race in space.”
Now, just 13 months later the United States has shot down an aging spy satellite we had put into space. The stated reason we shot down this satellite was because there was concern that there could be harm brought to people living in the area of that crashing projectile.

Honestly, I do not believe this scenario. The U.S. probably did shoot down a satellite but the reason this was done was to send a message to China. That message is we too have the capability of shooting down satellites.

The Washington Post article went on to say, “The Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said the Chinese action makes it essential that the administration begin negotiations to stop any possible space arms race. "The Chinese anti-satellite test is terrible news for international stability and security, and could presage the dawn of a new arms race -- this time in space," Markey said. "American satellites are the soft underbelly of our national security, and it is urgent that President Bush move to guarantee their protection by initiating an international agreement to ban the development, testing, and deployment of space weapons and anti-satellite systems."

Is this an opportunity for John McCain to bring up the topic of national defense and the need to have someone of his experience in the White House? Absolutely. He just might do that. Then again may be he is wise enough to not scare the American population. In any case, star wars is here.

Balkanizing America

2008-02-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

Kosovo has declared itself an independent nation. This has been a Serbian province for centuries. However more than 90% of Kosovo's population of two million people are ethnic Albanian. Their faith is Muslim. The remaining Serbian population of 6 ½ million people is Christian. The hatred between Christians and Muslins resulted in the Balkan War in the late 1990s. Ultimately there was bombing by NATO in 1999 to stop the fighting between the two groups.

Within hours of the declaration, Russia called an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council for later on Sunday and said it would ask it to declare Kosovo's claim to independence "null and void" -- a request that was unlikely to succeed as the U.S., France and Britain all have vetoes in the Security Council and support Kosovo's independence bid.

Meanwhile in the U.S.A. the Latino population, which is primarily Mexican, has been growing for decades. In 1970, California's 2.4 million Latinos represented less than one-eighth of the state's total population. The 7.5 million Latinos counted in the 1990 census represented a quarter of California's residents. By 2005, more than a third of all Californians were projected to be Latino. The city of Los Angeles is now 40% Latino.

Could the Latino population in the southern part of United States decide that they want to succeed and form their own nation or perhaps reunite with Mexico? This is not as far fetched as you might think. The primary Latino groups deny that they support any idea of separation from our country according to their web sites. Those groups are National Council of La Raza (NCLR), MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán or Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán), NCLR claims it does not support “Reconquista”, returning the southern USA to Mexico. They acknowledge that the accusation does exist. They could change their position on this subject in an instant.

Would the United States go to war to stop a succession? The answer is yes! The Civil War defined the view that this nation is indivisible. Why then is it acceptable for Kosovo to separate from Serbia? I wish I knew the answer.

Is This Government Rebate a Good Idea?

2008-02-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

Congress has voted to add $168 billion to the deficit over the next two years. It’s for an economic aid plan because of a perceived recession. I know, there is an election coming in November. Neither political party wants to be accused of not caring about the citizens. The problem is that the Federal government has no excess money. The national debt now exceeds $9 trillion. In 2000 that number was $5.6 trillion. My source is the Office of the President http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy01/guide04.html.

We will have to borrow the $168 billion dollars that will be given to the citizens. It’s not all rebates because the final plan will give money to retired people on social security and disabled veterans. We have not paid for the Iraq War or the various earmark spending projects passed by Congress and signed into law. John McCain avoided voting for or against this give away by not returning to Washington, D.C. He was correct in not voting for tax reductions that lacked compensating reductions in spending.

The real sorry part of this story is that many people will not be spending that money on anything new. Most of us will be receiving only $600 or $1,200. Many people, like me, will be using the money to pay prior existing bills.

Furthermore, inflation is a real. I believe it is much worse than the reported CPI inflation index. The most flagrant proof is the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner for ten people that rose by 11% between 2006 and 2007.

As the government floods the nation with more cash, the Federal Reserve is now starting to say inflation may be the next big issue. That translates to no more interest rate cuts and perhaps an interest increase. Yikes, they just lowered the interest rate. Does anyone know what they are doing?

Government Inertia

2008-01-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

That the economy was going south should not have come as a surprise. Talk of the impact of the sub-prime mortgage market has been in play for at least a year. I too did not believe that this mortgage mess would have such a staggering effect on the entire economy. However, I am not an economist. Ben Bernanke is and his Federal Reserve Board should have been able to evaluate the impact. Where were the financial gurus? As recently as July 5, 2007 Bob Brinker, the leading writer of financial newsletters, was writing that he foresaw a bright future for the stock market.

Now that the nation is in this mess I expected a quick acting congress would inject money into the economy within one or two months. Instead the reports are indicating that tax rebate checks to stimulate the economy will be arriving sometime in May. That is five month from now. That is too far in the future.

The Democrats and Republicans run the government and both are failing. The evidence is obvious to me. It’s Katrina, it’s reacting to a recession, it’s protecting our nation from a terrorist invasion, and most of all it’s about making our government effective.

If there was ever a time when we needed an independent that could rise above the fray, now is the time. I don’t know if that person is Michael Bloomberg or another independent. In my view we definitely need new leadership.

CPI, Can We Believe This?

2008-01-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

After posting this commentary on Thursday, January 10, the Associated Press publishes this article on January 16. The newly reported inflation rate is still not accurate but the trend is obvious. http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080116/D8U737180.html

Forget Core Inflation. That was an idea created by Alan Greenspan. He was wrong. The core inflation measurement ignored all the things we need to live like food and energy.

“The Consumer Price Indexes(CPI) program produces monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services”। That is quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor that manages this program.

We really need a measurement that is reliable. I just can’t believe that the current CPI is accurate. There have been articles posted on the internet that do challenge the CPI accuracy. My own views and experiences are the bases for this opinion.

Here is four items that support my opinion.

- Thanksgiving dinners for a family of 10 were reported in the news to cost 11% more in 2007 than 2006.
-Gasoline nationwide has increased in price from $2.14 to $3.10 per gallon during the past 12 months. That is a 44.8% increase.
- Cavaretta’s is a local Italian deli that makes fabulous sandwiches. The 2007 price for their small subway style chicken sandwich was $4.50. This year the price is $5.25. A dismaying 16.7% increase.
- The price for milk at my neighborhood Trader Joe’s (actually over 1½ miles away) increased by 33%.। We buy milk there because it’s about 60% of the prices charged at the local supermarket (about ½ mile from my home).

Will the government become more accurate if there were a change in political parties? No. We all know that the information has been managed because the politicians don’t want to admit the truth.

Los Angeles issues for 2008

2007-12-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

With the beginning of a new year Los Angeles government needs to identify and address the issues for 2008। Crime is always the number one issue but there are many other problems to tackle.

Here are my issues:
1. The number of police is too low compared to Chicago and NYC. We need to change the ratio.
2. LAUSD needs to be broken apart.
3. Illegal immigrants are over running our city. Our society is being affected both socially and financially by their presence. If Congress won’t pass legislation to make them legal we need to start returning them to their native countries.
4. There is a lack of affordable housing.
5. The city must become business friendly. There is a lack of decent paying jobs. There are plenty of jobs available at $10 per hour or less. No one can live here on that pay except students still living with their parents.
6. The traffic makes getting to work a nightmare for many people. We need better roads and an improved public transportation system. The “subway to the sea” is a good start.
7. We need to spend more money on our infrastructure. Paving streets and sidewalks, cleaning streets, cutting trees, replacing dead trees, improving and repairing parks and other public facilities.
8. Neighborhood councils need to be given direct control over the monies spent in their communities. An advisory roll is insufficient. Leadership of the councils should be elected on regular ballots not by a select few.
9. Oversight committees should be given the ability to stop payment when bond monies are misappropriated.
10. Planning commission meetings must be required to meet in the community that is affected by their decisions.

Oh, This Hurts!

2007-12-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

How many people are following the debates (really forums) put on by each political party? Many commentators have said the numbers are small. I have not found any data on the internet to support or contradict those statements.

Although most of the candidates tend to mimic each others opinion in each political party there are some differences. Watching the news and listening to the candidates has slowly helped to define my positions. I am disappointed that none of the candidates have a vision of the future.

Here are my views on some of the leading candidates.
-Mitt Romney has changed most of his positions from the time he was governor of Massachusetts to when he became a candidate for president. His views as governor were relatively liberal and mostly aligned with the Democrats in that state. Now as a past governor and a man trying to win support in his conservative party he has espoused views that support very conservative positions. Romney is a flip flopper. He bows to opinion and has not taken any stand on any issue even if it is unpopular. His speech on his Mormon religion was excellent but does not changes his flip फ्लोप्पिंग ways on issues that really matter. He has not said anything that makes him a standout in the crowd.
-Mike Huckabee has declared himself the Christian candidate. He does not believe in evolution. He has implied that there is something wrong with Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion. There is no religious qualification for this job. As to Huckabee’s position on issues he seems to have mimicked Mitt Romney when he was governor of Arkansas. To Huckabee’s credit he does defend his action when he was governor. Defining himself as the Christian candidate eliminates him as someone I would support.
-Hillary Clinton has defined herself as the candidate with the experience that will enable her to walk into the White House and capably go to work because she was there before. She voted for the war in Iraq and does not regret it. Recently Mrs. Clinton voted to declare a military group sponsored by the state of Iran a terrorist organization. In light of the NIE report that Iran stopped developing nuclear weapons in 2003 it appears her decision was wrong. Her contention that experience trumps new ideas is hard to swallow. Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney came to the current administration with significant experience and their assessment of Iraq was entirely wrong. Still she is smart, wise, and seems most likely to be the candidate most likely to succeed as president.
-Barak Obama calls himself the man with hope (his book “The Audacity of Hope”) and the man with new ideas. He points out that he would not have voted for the war in Iraq. He would directly personally negotiate with the leaders of other countries to avoid war. He does have some issues that he has not resolved or cannot resolve. He is young and in his first term as a Senator. His experience in government is small. Mr. Obama was not present to cast his ballot on the resolution to declare a military group sponsored by the state of Iran a terrorist organization (the one that Hilary Clinton voted yes). He then proceeded to criticize Mrs. Clinton’s decision to vote yes. In the Philadelphia debate in October Mr. Obama criticized Mrs. Clinton’s equivocation on driver’s licenses for illegal aliens but he too gave a long answer to the yes or no question (Should illegal aliens be issued driver’s licenses?
-John Edwards has a clear vision of where he stands on most issues. Like Barak Obama he has limited experience in government. He did vote for the Iraq war but has regretted that decision. His positions have been strongly in support of unions and working class people. He is wealthy and that has been held against him because he earned the money as a lawyer. I have not found any significant contradictions in his positions although he has become more strident with the passing of time.

Is Everything Really Local?

2007-11-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

I live in the Northwest part of the San Fernando Valley in a community called Canoga Park. Most of the Valley is within the city limits of Los Angeles. It’s a one hour drive to downtown Los Angeles. That is the location of city hall and where the city council meets. This is not a convenient location for most residence in the San Fernando Valley.

As a result, city decisions about this community are made with little input from Canoga Park residents (most are at work during city council meetings). To give each community in the city a sense of participation the city charter requires the government to create local neighborhood councils. However the local councils have no authority to affect any services provided to the communities. The councils only have advisory authority. I posted a blog entry about neighborhood councils on August 27, 2007.

The consequence of this government arrangement is local participation in neighborhood councils is minimal. After all, who wants to be a part of a group that cannot accomplish anything? Despite this predicament, a home owner three blocks from me is trying to organize a local group that might be able to influence the downtown bureaucracy with respect to maintenance of the neighborhood (street paving, tree trimming, street cleaning, etc.).

I have visited many of my neighbors to encourage them to participate in this endeavor. Some have said they are interested. This will be an ongoing effort. I will post success or failures here.

Balancing Los Angeles City Budget

2007-11-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

There are 39 separate categories (departments or commissions) listed in the Los Angeles city budget. However 28 of those categories have budgets in the current fiscal year that are higher than last year’s budget. Those budgets are anywhere from 8% higher to 100% higher. The city clerk department has a budget that is twice last year’s budget.

I obtained this information from the mayor’s city budget website, http://www.lacity.org/mayor/budget/. I downloaded the information into an Excel spreadsheet and proceeded to do a little analysis. I am not an accountant but the information was just easy to acquire, as it should be, and did a little reading and sorting of data.

Here is another bit of surprising information. This year’s actual spending is exceeding the budget in 14 of the 39 departments.

I questioned why many of the departments exist. The housing department caught my eye. The department costs over $38 million dollars in salaries and another $6 million in operating expenses this year. ”The Los Angeles Housing Department has four program areas, housing, rent, code enforcement and compliance” The department also manages the Displaced Tenant Relocation fund that is estimated to be $500,000 this year. The total budget for this department in 2005-06 year was $36 million. That is a 22% increase in just one year ($38 million dollars plus $6 million).

The city’s elected officials know that there is a budget issue but have done little to stem the unbudgeted spending. Many are taking their pay raises with claims that they will donate the money to charity but the money for those raises is not really available. Worse are recently negotiated pay raises for all city employees. The police department’s new headquarters has seen its cost double from approximately $200 million dollars to $400 million. Many millions of dollars is being allocated for a new children’s museum.

Now the mayor has declared an emergency that enables the city to ask city voters for a new phone tax that only requires a majority yes vote to pass। If it wasn’t an emergency passing the tax would require a vote of at least 66.6%.

The lack of responsibility among city council members and the mayor is the emergency.

Presidential Debates Have Been Disappointing

2007-11-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

How boring! Most of the candidates in each party’s debates (they are really forums) mimic each other. The contenders of each party try to catch their opponents in an error. The one exception is Ron Paul. He is a Republican who actually brings his own thought to those utterly uninspiring debates. He has raised enough money to actually become a contender.

The Democrats are particularly unanimous in their views. Each of them tries his/her very best to avoid taking a stand on any issue. Actually they try to avoid all issues. The best example is providing a commitment to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Hilary Clinton flipped on this issue for two weeks and then said no. At the November 15 debate Barak Obama used 192 words before finally saying “yes”.

The Republicans also take the same views with the exception of Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani. Unlike Ron Paul the other Republicans subscribe to the idea of not telling voters anything about their views. Rudy Giuliani’s social liberalism and Mitt Romney’s religion have become talk show fodder. I find it utterly dismaying that Mitt Romney’s religious belief have become an issue. That Romney’s Mormon religion is being discussed is an indicator that bigotry still exists in the United States or that it is at least important in the Republican party. No wonder I have become an Independent. I personally dis-associated myself from a friend who showed himself to be a bigot and I would not be part of any group that stood for any bigotry.

I like Rudy Giuliani. His social liberalism makes him an excellent candidate for president against any Democrat. He could win next November. He and Hillary will have to take firm stands on real issues to win.

Political Junky

2007-11-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

I am a political junky. Some people love sports so much that they stay home to watch every game no matter what the sport. I would watch political show all the time if it wasn’t for my lovely wife. Even as I am watching This Week on ABC, I am recording Meet The Press on NBC. The DVR is a wonderful thing! I listen to talk radio all the time, even when I do not agree with the hosts. Know thine enemy would be my reasoning. I admit I have been watching all the Dancing with the Stars programs but that’s because of Julieanne Hough. This only proves that there are some things that will distract me (please don’t tell my wife, she never reads these blogs).

I do not have access to any of the politicians so everything I write is based upon all of those columnists that I admire. I put together the pieces by reading their commentaries and adding the news reports.

I read blog writers become recognized by writing almost daily. That is now my objective. Yes I am envious of the columnists in Newsweek, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Washington Post. I am not earning a dime but I am having fun doing these postings.

Ann Coulter, Political Conservative Commentator and Author

2007-10-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Her words tell us more about her than anything I can say.

Some things she has said or written:

“If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another Democrat president,” Coulter told The New York Observer। “It’s kind of a pipe dream, it’s a personal fantasy of mine, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women.”

In one of her books she lashed out at 9/11 widows, saying, “I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much।”

On advertising guru Donny Deutsch's CNBC show "The Big Idea."
In response to a question from Deutsch asking Coulter if "it would be better if we were all Christian," the controversial columnist responded: "Yes."
"We should all be Christian?" Deutsch repeated.
"Yes," Coulter responded, asking Deutsch, who is Jewish, if he would like to "come to church with me."
Deutsch, pressing Coulter further, asked, "We should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians?" She responded: "Yeah."
Coulter deflected Deutsch's assertion that her comments were anti-Semitic, matter-of-factly telling the show's obviously upset host, "That is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews."

The Iran Nuclear Issue – It’s All About the Oil

2007-09-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to New York to do what? If he was trying to win friends and influence people he said everything he could to scuttle that objective.
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070926/D8RSTOS00.html.

We all support freedom of speech. Ahmadinejad’s purpose in speaking at the U.N. and Columbia University is to convince us that he really has no ulterior motives. http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070924/D8RS0GKG1.html. It is the same methodology used by Hitler before WWII.

Iran’s goal is to acquire a nuclear capability. The reason is to gain control of all the oil producing nations in the Middle East. In a localized sense Israel and Iran would be at a standoff if both had nuclear weapons (I assume Israel already has them). Iran’s statements about destroying Israel are an appeal to Arab nations to join Iran in opposing their common enemy. In joining together Iran would likely also become the leader of the Arab world against the West. That in turn would give Iran the overwhelming power to effect the West because of their combined oil resources.

The free world needs a leader like this!!

2007-09-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister John Howard - Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks। A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia and her Queen at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his Ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown। Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state, and its laws were made by parliament। 'If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you', he said on National Television 'I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia : one the Australian law and another Islamic law that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option', Costello said. Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked to move to the other country. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should clear off. 'Basically people who don't want to be Australians, and who don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well then, they can basically clear off', he said. Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.' 'However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the 'politically correct' crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia . However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of Australia being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. And as Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language! Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture. We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us. If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like 'A Fair Go', then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. By all means, keep your culture, but do not force it on others. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'. If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU chose.'

Why are most Mexicans in Mexico so poor?

2007-09-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Daily News reporting on President Felipe Calderon of Mexico on Sunday, September 3, 2007 (http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_6788647?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com) “Criticizing the United States for its treatment of illegal Mexican immigrants has become routine for most Mexican politicians, including Calderon. Because the immigrants send home about $20 billion a year and because the yearly emigration of more than 400,000 people from Mexico relieves that country of masses of the poor, the government in Mexico City has little incentive either to stem the emigration northward or to support stricter measures making it harder for Mexicans to cross the border.”

So I wondered why are most Mexicans in Mexico so poor? I looked at Wikipedia ,ask.com and Google. The answers I found were very limited. Those that I found echoed my suspicions. The web sites are http://www.funqa.com/economics/4400-1-Economics.html and http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/11-24-98.html and http://www.mindfully.org/WTO/2003/Mexico-Poor-NAFTA22mar03.htm .

The message from all of these web sites is clear. The wealthy of Mexico have the power to keep most the country’s population very poor and they like it that way. It’s all about cheap labor. Their attitude is if the poor don’t like it they can sneak into the U.S.A. They have gotten away with this because to many American companies like the cheap labor force and the American government is complicit in this situation. It’s not a Democrat or Republican thing. It is a U.S. government thing.

The American public uproar is the best thing Mexicans have going for them to change the Mexican government. So President Calderon’s statements are just part of that government’s public stance to convince Mexicans that their government really is concerned about the well being of its population. As to the marches in the U.S. about illegal alien rights, those are the words and actions of do-gooders who have played into the hands of the wealthy Mexicans.

A very inadequate educational system and major government corruption are the two issues most commonly identified as destroying the Mexican economy. Many Mexicans can not read or write. Bribery is a way of life in almost every part of the government including the police. These two problems discourage foreign investment.

Notice that Carlos Slim, the wealthiest man in Mexico, is now listed as the third wealthiest man in the world according to Forbes magazine. He along with other wealthy Mexicans couldn’t be happier with this situation. Carlos Slim alone is reported to control 20% of the Mexican economy. Can you imagine what would happen to Mexico if the wealthiest in that nation were forced to surrender and share what they have with the average Mexican? I am not a communist but I believe that the wealthy families of Mexico are one significant cause of that country’s problems. The U.S. could force this situation to change. The U.S. won’t do that because the situation benefits American corporations.

I Don’t Like Gay People

2007-08-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

This commentary is all Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's fault. This is not a topic I am really interested in discussing. I don’t like gay people. I find their behavior disturbing on two counts.

I do recognize their right to perform revolting acts. If they want to do those things it’s their business. If they would just keep it private. That’s all I ask. Instead some do their thing in public places. (Associated Press item: A defiant Sen. Larry Craig denied any wrongdoing Tuesday despite his guilty plea this summer in a men's room police sting, emphatically adding, "I am not gay. I never have been gay.")

If that isn’t enough, many of these people parade and announce their behavior to the whole world. Gay parades seem to have become a fad in many big cities. Two that come to mind are the parades in West Hollywood and San Diego. Many also seem to take specific pride in announcing to others that they are gay. The announcements are of course more prominent within the entertainment community. I even had an individual call for an appointment for a job interview. He advised me that he lived “a different life style.” Do I care what his sexual proclivities are? Of course not but since he advised me, I concluded that he would be making that fact part of his behavior at work. I did not interview him.

I have actually known men who I suspected were gay. Since they kept their sexual preferences to themselves it did not bother me. Apparently they are the exception. Gay men want to make their sexual behavior known. I never told anyone about my sexual behavior. It’s all about women. How dull? Well not to me.

Securing America

2007-08-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Every few months I review my emergency supplies that I have put away for a catastrophic event that renders my home uninhabitable. I have two portable cases stored on the side of the house that hold non perishable foods, blankets and sleeping bags, a crank radio and flashlight, cooking and eating utensils along with a small propane stove, and a first aid kit. Additionally I have 15 gallons of water stored in a shed and an old propane barbeque.

I recently watched that terrible classic movie "The Day After” starring Jason Robards. “The Day After, a dramatization of the effects of a hypothetical nuclear attack on the United States…” That movie is nothing short of frightening. It was shown on ABC and could easily be called a movie prepared by today’s liberals. It was extreme because the story told of total devastation of the entire country. Still there was a real part to this story. After all who could have foretold 9-11? If that could happen couldn’t the events of “The Day After” happen too?

Our President projects his desire to protect America. He has not yet closed our borders to an invasion. Only next year, seven years after 9-11, are we asking for a list of all passengers on an airplane before it departs from another nation. Our ports only inspect less than 5% of all imported goods. We are so unprepared that we cannot even care for the people devastated by Katrina.

Those candidates for president never even discuss this issue. They prefer to discuss issues that impact a minority of our citizens. How many are faced with the issue of abortion or health care?

Will any candidates or the current president ever confront this issue? Sorry to say it but it’s doubtful.

Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils

2007-08-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils get a D grade. They are not quit a failure. There is still the possibility that they can be made a success.

Despite all of these apparent efforts on the part of the city council I believe that the neighborhood councils were created for the purpose of quelling calls for neighborhood autonomy. Their purpose is to give neighborhood activists an outlet for their frustrations.

The city charter change in 2002 provided for advisory neighborhood councils. The city council decided to provide $50,000 per year to each council for secretarial expenses and community projects that had not been budgeted in the conventional budget allocations. There are 86 councils in the city and so the city has allocated $4.3 million to the councils each year.

The evidence to support my contentions are 1) the controls the city council has imposed on how the annual $50,000 is to be spent and 2) the rule that the neighborhood councils views are advisory and have no regulatory authority.

What goes for an accomplishment (on the neighborhood councils web site) by a neighborhood council is a meeting held by the Tarzana council that explained the rights of renters being evicted from their homes due to a condo conversion. The council was unable to stop the conversion so other than telling renters their “rights”, nothing was accomplished.

The recent pressure brought to bear by the Tujunga Sunland council denying Home Depot a permit to turn a K-Mart into one of their hardware stores shows that the neighborhood councils can impact the community. It was the same fervor that denied Walmart from taking over a store in Northridge. Clearly zoning matters can be influenced by neighborhood councils. Only by banding together and packing city council meetings can these councils be a success.

As to other accomplishments to date, there is a dearth of such information. Of the fourteen neighborhood council web sites I checked only one listed their accomplishments. That is West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. My own neighborhood council did buy a new sound system for the senior center. Could that have cost more than $10,000? What happened to the rest of the money they received?

Has there been a major outreach to obtain greater community involvement in neighborhood councils? Well certainly not my neighborhood. The same group of people who control the chamber of commerce run the neighborhood council.

This is not representative government.

Democrats Goldilocks Candidate

2007-08-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Karl Rove has spent this past week issuing multiple attacks on Hilary Clinton. (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070819/D8R46NK00.html). The questions about his attacks are:
1. Do the Republicans really fear her candidacy and believe that early attacks are the best thing they can do to start their campaign?
2. Is Karl Rove pointing out Hilary’s vulnerability to Democrats, in the hope they will vote for another candidate, because they know she is the strongest candidate?
3. Perhaps Karl Rove is making these attacks now as a favor to his friend George W. Bush because he has said he won’t be involved in the upcoming campaign and these are his parting shots.

Most Democrats know that a controversial candidate could enable the win for the Republican. So do Dems need Karl Rove’s help in selecting their candidate for president? The answer is No! I believe Karl is involving himself in the Democratic primary to influence the outcome.

Hilary is a controversial candidate. She is also one of the smartest candidates. She engenders passion. She is not a Goldilocks candidate. That passion will translate into a hard charging group of men and women who will provide the power needed to win the presidency.

If Democrats really want a Goldilocks candidate they need look no farther than Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson. However, history tells us that Dems do pick controversial candidates to run for president. Unless they do something really stupid, one of the three leading candidates will be the Democratic nominee. I would bet on Hilary.

American Auto Manufacturing Is Coming To An End!

2007-08-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Naming Robert Nardelli the new CEO of Chrysler is just one more step in the torturous decline of the American auto industry. Professor Peter Morici of Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland (http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=1270) clearly points out the error of new Chrysler owner Cerberus Capital Management LP. Could Robert Nardelli be a partner in this private equity investment firm? That might explain the investment.

I use Consumers Reports® as a guide to buying cars. One fast look and you quickly realize that most Japanese cars and some European cars are the leaders in quality. Is it no wonder that sales of the big three (GM, Ford, Chrysler) are in the dumps. The closing of those companies will impact our economy in ways that will be nightmarish to our economy.

Whose Fault is This Anyway?

2007-08-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Just two years ago the housing market was booming. Homes stayed on the market in Los Angeles just a few weeks before being sold. Even those homes in poor condition were sold within two months. People were buying homes with little or no down payment and low monthly payments. Now all of that has changed and we have at least two Democratic candidates calling for some kind of relief for those foolish buyers. The web site http://patrick.net/housing/contrib/nobailout.html defines the problem better than I. That web site also suggests what many of us feel about the low down payment/low monthly payment buyers. I too agree that it is unfair for the government to bail out these foolish buyers. After all, to be fair, we would then have to bail out those people who have lost money in the stock market or opened a business that failed. There would be no end to government bail outs to people who have made financial mistakes.

I find it astonishing that candidates for president would suggest such a plan. The candidates are looking for a way to gain support in the upcoming primaries. If they suggest tougher restrictions on lenders that would be appropriate. Democratic candidates need to define other reasons to vote for them that will have a positive impact on our nation. More of these kinds of ideas will cause many American to vote for a Republican in the next election even if they perceive problems with the Republican candidate.

An Unpleasant Reality

2007-08-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

I was born to Jewish parents and had a Bar Mitzvah at age 13. As an adult I am neither a Zionist nor a religious Jew. My view of being Jewish is being part of the social Jewish order. Perhaps that is a tribe but I like to think of Jews as being part of a nationality that was changed in name to Israeli in the 20th century. The group also has its own religion and as a result it is unique. After all, what other nation has its own religion? So I care about the survival of Judaism as much as Italians in America or Koreans in America care about their ancestors in their native lands.

Jews, as a group, have adopted American values as much as any group could. There are exceptions but they are a very small group. Jews have adopted the attitude of Western Europe and America in regards to birth rate. We simply have a low birth rate. That unpleasant reality dooms a Jewish state. Israel as a Jewish state will come to an end between 2020 and 2050 unless there is a dramatic increase in the birth rate of Israeli Jews.

The Arab Muslin population of Israel is growing at the rate of 5% a year. The Jewish population of Israel is growing at the rate of 3% a year at best. I have researched this on the web a dozen times and have read many articles on this subject. Every one has stated the same or similar conclusions. An example is the jewishvirtuallibrary.org . Their 2003 article states that the birth rate among Arabs is twice that of Jews. Newsmax.com has a 2004 article titled “Will Israel Become an Arab State?” You do your own investigation by entering the search words “Israeli birth rate” and you will realize that all the Arabs have to do is be patient and Israel will be theirs.

A Real National Health Care System

2007-07-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is a very personal thing for me. I went onto Medicare when I turned 65. That is more than three years ago. I left my employer just before turning 65 and they provided coverage until my 65th birthday. My wife was always covered by dependent health insurance. Now that I have no health insurance she must be covered by a private plan. The cost of that plan has now reached $360.00 per month and the co-pay for each visit is $50.00. Yes, I am paying for this insurance because I do have the money but it hurts every month.

It is easy to understand why 47 million Americans have no health insurance. If an employer does not provide a health plan or does provide one that requires a high cost to the individual or family, the employee might find he/she cannot afford the cost. This is a situation that does impact lower level employees in many businesses.

The Republican candidates have been slow to present their ideas on health care. Rudy Giuliani just issued his plan today. He offered a “consumer-oriented” solution that relies on giving individuals tax credits to purchase private insurance. This is a wonderful idea if the individual has the money to pay for the plan. In my case there is too little income to claim a tax credit. Giuliani argues against universal health care by calling it socialized medicine. That is an argument that goes back to the late 1940s when the American Medical Association called universal health care a step towards communism. There does not appear to be any logical reason to argue against universal health care.

The evidence for a change in our health care system is coming from all sides. Emergency rooms are being used as primary care facilities. The cost to hospitals is causing them to sometimes close their doors. Both large and small companies are struggling with their medical insurance costs. Examples are the American auto manufacturers, southern California food chains, and public transportation companies. Why are employers responsible to provide health care?

Universal health care seems to be a Democratic Party issue. All three major candidates have supported a version of universal health care. Why are Republican candidates opposed to this idea? I would like to believe they really care about the best possible care but all evidence seems to point to protecting the current system. Do those Republican candidates see health care companies as major campaign contributors? My guess is the answer is yes.

Wild Oats: Sale Won't Lead to Price Rise - What?

2007-07-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the $565 million sale of Wild Oats Markets to Whole Foods Markets. The commission contends that the consolidation of the two largest natural food chains would result in raised prices and stifled competition.

Wild Oats lawyers said competition is expanding because other supermarkets are selling more organic and natural products. They contend that prices will actually drop. Huh? Lawyers will say anything for their clients.

Let’s see, we now have six major oil companies in the entire world (BP, Chevron-Texaco, Exxon-Mobile, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and Total) More than one half of all revenue in the oil industry is obtained by these companies out of a total list in the Global 500 of 34.. What do you suppose would happen if these companies were split into 12 companies?

Do you suppose if Kroger or Safeway was the only major chain of super markets that prices would decline? Are we better off now that Wells Fargo Bank has bought Crocker and First Interstate? There are now only two major banks in California. Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank.

This is not a new phenomenon. Even during the Clinton administration the consolidation (merger and acquisition) continued unabated.

George W. Bush’s War

2007-07-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

If you read Robert Scheer’s commentary, Bush in Free Fall, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070724_bush_in_free_fall/
and then read HEROES AND HISTORY by David Brooks http://www.isranet.org/picks_of_the_week.htm#heroes
you may wonder if these two writers are on the same planet. If the David Brooks report is accurate than Robert Scheer’s commentary is pointless. George W. Bush believes he is on the correct course. He considers himself to be beyond, or is it above, the arguments about the Iraq War. He sees himself as the leader of a free world that must convert the rest of the world to his view.

To answer Robert Scheer’s questions there is no disaster and therefore the message of poll ratings does not mean anything. His view is he is the commander in chief and does not have to listen to anything Congress or the people say about this war. Unless two thirds of the congress supports our withdrawal he will not even entertain this idea. At that point I still doubt he would listen to the public. It is not likely he will be impeached. Such discussion is pointless.

We can only hope that the president does not steer us into any additional wars.

The Rule of Law

2007-07-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

My previous BLOG entry was about the illegal entry of other nationalities into this country. Most recently in my life I completed a 13 months study course in law. This is not a promotion of my business. This is a discussion of American law. I was struck by the overwhelming amount of legal decisions handed down by our courts. For those of you not familiar with this field, I want to tell you that our nation has a very complex but very thorough legal system. Literally volumes of ruling exist for every state. There are businesses that earn their income by collecting and documenting all the rulings in this country. We are a nation of laws and ruling on the meanings of those laws.

People entering our country illegally are breaking our laws. They are here in the US illegally. They have no legal right to be here. When they demonstrate about their rights, they are complaining that they have no legal rights.

Illegal aliens do have one right. They have the right to be heard in a court of law. It’s the same right of a burglar. He has the right to defend himself in court. We go even farther than many countries because we say that the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

It’s all in the laws that are appealable to the highest court in our country. Everyone, by law, is subject to the same laws including the president of the United States and all of the people working in our government.

The citizens of Iraq and Mexico do not understand our system of government and I doubt they ever will.

The Los Angles Times Opinion is Open Borders to Everyone

2007-07-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 21, 2007 the Los Angeles Times editorial, horrifyingly titled “All-American deathtrap”, contends that building and maintaining an irrigation canal within our country is unfair to illegal immigrant because they have to swim across it when they are sneaking into our country.

I do not want to have anyone die but those people are here illegally. I would extend that 23 mile waterway from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Ocean if it will deter the entry of illegal aliens. Our safety and our culture are at stake. The primary issue is uneducated and most likely illiterate/unskilled Mexicans are entering this country.

They are not people who have entered the USA with the intent of becoming part of our culture. That was the intent of all those who came here through Ellis Island. Many communities here in California have populations that are more Hispanic than White (non-Hispanic). Unfortunately they choose to speak Spanish and behave as if they are still in Mexico. There are communities in Los Angeles with second and third generation Mexicans who still do not speak English. The men wait at street corners and in the front of building supply businesses hoping for any kind of laboring job. The women take any kind of work they can obtain. This may be better than Mexico for them but it does not make our nation healthier.

A second reason for stopping the flow of illegal aliens is the possibility of terrorists entering our country. Just this past week Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, issued statements that he is concerned about the possibility of a terrorist attack in this country during this summer season.

Would the Los Angeles Times have a different opinion if someone here illegally attacked a Los Angeles landmark? To read the Times editorial click this. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-canal21jul21,1,6586085.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true

Time for New Leadership in Los Angeles

2007-07-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles is the second largest city in the nation with a population of almost 13 million people in the metropolitan area. We have some very rich people here and we have some very poor. What we do not have is a governing body to manage the issues that implicate this significant population.

Everyone thought that Antonio Villaragosa, as mayor of Los Angeles, would bring a new vitality and direction to the city. This has not happened. Instead we have experienced a non stop series of photo ops featuring the mayor. When it comes to substance there has been a dearth of successes.

Here is my list of the mayor’s lack of performance.
- He has supported a subway to the sea but there is no money to build it.

- Light rail projects have been delayed for an indefinite period of time. The Expo line was not given a color code because of some perceived significance in a minority area. The San Fernando Valley east west line became a busway that barely operates faster than traffic on nearby streets.

- He wanted to take control of the school system but lacked the legal authority to complete that task.

- There was the increase in fees to city property owners to pay for new police officers but the enlistments have not filled the police department objectives.

- The airport has not been updated in at least 20 years but bickering among members of the airport commission and the arguments with adjoining cities has resulted in no significant new construction.

- The harbor area has the reputation for significant pollution but no action has been taken to curtail polluting activities.

- Automobile travel times have stretched by 50% and as a result many one hour commutes have become 1 ½ hour commutes. The idea to turn Pico Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard into one way streets has not materialized. To make matters worse the street maintenance has been poor at best. Many streets, including Wilshire Boulevard have not seen resurfacing in many decades.

- Housing costs are now so high in Los Angeles that there has been a major migration to suburbs. Gang activity has contributed to that migration.
Gang activity has brought to attention but no tangible results in reducing the impact.

- The city is a sanctuary for illegal aliens. The impact is streets and fronts of hardware stores have lines of people loitering while waiting for work. Many hospital emergency rooms have been closed due to the number of illegal aliens using those rooms as their only source of medical care. Illegal aliens are a member resource for street gangs.

Being mayor of Los Angeles is a tough job. We need a tough mayor and city council to bring order out of this chaos. I do not believe we have the right people in office now.

Where are all the liberals?

2007-07-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

They call us the “left coast” and we are “liberals”, communists, and just plain fools. It’s just not true. What we are is thinking people.

According to the California Secretary of State more than 18% of the registered voters are identified as “Decline to State” on their voter registration forms. “Decline to State” is the official designation for those registering to vote without stating a party preference. It was those “Decline to State” independents and thinking Democrats that recalled Gray Davis and put Arnold Schwarzenegger into office.

The other west coast states have even larger numbers of unaffiliated voters. In Oregon more than 29% and in Washington State more than half of the registered voters have no party affiliation.

My source for this data is the secretary of state web sites.

Are we ready for a robust third political party?