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| 2009/2/17-19 [Politics/Domestic/California, Industry/Jobs] UID:52585 Activity:moderate |
2/16 So California is going to lay off 20% of employees. Seems like a
good idea, but won't all those people now get unemployment benefits? So
we'll be paying something like 60% of their salaries (depends on
their income) for 0% of their work.
\_ It's a great idea because we're starving the beast. Who needs
a big government? Every man should be self reliant for his own
life style. Ya know, buy your own electric generator and sustain
your own godamn lifestyle. -Republican troll
\_ 500K people are losing their jobs per month. Should the government
tax us more so that no one loses a gov't job?
^who still have jobs,
\_ Definitely not. The government should tax foreigners who are
taking most of the wealth that America trickled down to.
\_ The last time CA had a big layoff was 1974. I think it's time.
However, 20000 layoff notices doesn't mean 20000 layoffs.
\_ Just to be clear: layoffs seem like a good idea, but paying
people to not work seems like a bad idea. We should layoff
when the economy is *good* so that people get off of
unemployment quickly not when the economy is bad and people
will have trouble finding other work.
\_ That's very true. We should also save money in the good
times to spend in the bad. Please call me if you have
any inkling that any of these two things might actually
happen.
\_ San Francisco does it. I can't see why the State can't. |
| 2009/2/17-19 [Computer/HW/Drives] UID:52586 Activity:kinda low |
2/16 What's the best way to turn your iPhone into a hard-drive/backup
device (while not jail-breaking it)?
\_ I use a program called Discover which turns your iPhone into a FTP
site using wifi. -scottyg
\_ Looks like it's free, great! Any problems you've seen on it?
Some people online says there are problems with big files. |
| 2009/2/17-19 [Politics/Domestic/California, Politics/Domestic/California/Arnold] UID:52587 Activity:nil |
2/16 By the way, you had better hope you're not owed a CA state tax refund
this year. You'll be getting an IOU instead:
http://www.ftb.ca.gov/refund_delay_2008.shtml
\_ It was less than $300 for me, so I just redirected it to 2009
estimated tax.
\_ Mine was around 2 grand. Ouch! -op
\_ File amended return. Apply to current year, then decrease
your current withholdings by the same amount. You get your
refund whether CA likes it or not.
\_ What's the best web site to calculate the optimal W2
number for withhold?
\_ who cares about 1 month delay? You living paycheck by paycheck?
\_ I have no faith in Arnold and the idiots^H^H^H^H^HGOP in the
ledge. |
| 2009/2/17-22 [Uncategorized] UID:52588 Activity:nil |
2/17 Good thing we don't profile
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE51G30V20090217
\_ So did profiling catch this plot, or did good policework? |
| 2009/2/17-21 [Uncategorized] UID:52589 Activity:nil |
2/16 Stocks are low. BUY BUY BUY!
\_ I agree, at least for the long term. Where to buy though, there
are so many that look good? I am avoiding financials. |
| 2009/2/17-19 [Politics/Domestic/California/Arnold, Politics/Domestic/California/Prop] UID:52590 Activity:high |
2/16 California is truly f'd for sure this time. Can we find another pair
of stupid radio DJs to start a drive to recall Arnold?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/us/17cali.html?_r=3&hp
\_ It will only help if we get a governor with a spine, and get rid of
the incompetent legislature.
\_ How do you expect that we will get a decent ledge? With the 2/3rd
requirement to pass a budget and ridiculous gerrymandering
\_ How do you expect that we will get a decent ledge? With the
2/3rd requirement to pass a budget and ridiculous gerrymandering
creating permanent seats for wackos and wingnuts on both sides
of the debate, we essentially have tyranny of the nutty
minorities. I don't see how you fix California without having
a constitutional convention, and I can't see how that would
ever happen.
\_ We can amend the constitution with an initiative. In the past
the super-majority to pass a budget issue was put in front
of the voters and they voted it down, they might be more
receptive after this year.
\_ I actually like the super-majority rule. Why don't they
cut more spending? They talk about the budget as if
it's set in stone and there's no way to solve it except
raising taxes.
\_ What is the rationale for tyranny of the minority for
simple rule changes?
\_ Example of simple rule change?
\_ Redistricting is the only thing that will fix the legislature
problem IMO.
\_ I thought a proposition to redistrict passed in the
last election?
\_ Redistricting plus removal of the 2/3rds rule plus removal
of the set-asides. California's troubles are a layer cake.
\_ Oh hell no. The 2/3 requirement for RAISING taxes needs
to remain. In fact, it should be 2/3 for raising total
expenditures.
\_ Ah, I see. You're actually a wingnut.
\_ No, we got into this mess because as fast as
revenue went up, we spent even more, vastly
outpacing inflation + population growth.
\_ Where are you getting your figures?
\_ http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/laomenus/lao_menu_economics.aspx
Spending in 97-98 = 52.8B, 07-08 = 102B
Spending based on pop + infl:
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/summers_20090126.shtml
\_ What is the figure of population +
inflation? The reason article is playing
games with averages that make it very
difficult to tell how honest he is
being. This article is more balanced imo:
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3020153
\_ GDP is going to grow a bit faster
than population + inflation.
\_ Why do you think its the governator's fault when the budget has been
hung up in the legislature all this time?
\_ The governor has vetoed a compromise, and the Republicans
refused to override his veto.
\_ Really, the problem is not so much legislative incompetence
as legislative inexperience. The problem is term limits,
which ensures that no one in the legislature has the experience
or the relationships to work through a budget impasse like
this one. -tom
\_ The budget has doubled in 10 years, and rose faster under
Arnie than under Davis. The Governor has line-item veto. He
could fix this problem if he wanted to, but instead worked on
budgets that papered over problems for years.
\_ line-item veto only works when there is something to veto.
The budget is still stuck in legislature....
\_ Shouldn't budget numbers be looked at as a constant % of
GDP rather than absolute dollar value? Some folks like to
bitch that spending has gone up 82% since 1998, but so
has GDP. Looking at things in terms of relative share
is important.
\_ Do we have to spend every freaking dollar? If GDP
went up 82% then what if we increased spending 60%?
Would that be wrong?
\_ It would be wrong if the state does not have enough
money to provide the services it should. For
example, per-student funding to UC has dropped
40% since 1990. So yes, if the state gets more
money, it needs to spend it to begin to restore
services which have been cut in previous hard
budget times. -tom
\_ Our tax burden is still among the highest in the
nation (#6 I think). We should be able to confine
ourselves to such a budget without putting
the state in danger of insolvency like the
Democrats + Arnie are doing by refusing to make
any meaningful cuts.
\_ We are no where near #6.
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005
http://tinyurl.com/9mv2z (Money Magazine)
\_ this isn't 2005 (although even taking that
data I think my post still stands to reason)
\_ What, taking the data that California
is actually in the middle of the pack
in terms of state and local tax rates?
And of course, California's average
income is higher, which pushes the
tax burden higher. And doing things
in California costs more (land and
salary), so we need more state money
per capita to provide the same
services. Do you have anything other
than ideological ranting? -tom
\_ It's not middle of the pack.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/sr163.pdf
Average income being higher does
not push the tax burden higher,
are you on crack? Tax burden is
a function of tax rates.
A rich state should actually get
away with less, because govt's
costs do not scale linearly
with income. A car in CA still
costs the same as a car in OK,
basically. Land is not a recurring
cost, in general.
Also, for tax burden, it is much
worse for CA when you look at the
burden on those who actually pay
the tax. CA's income tax is very
progressive and we have a large
population of low-income freeloaders.
\_ Are you really this stupid? Among
other things, a car in CA pays
20% more for gas. Property is
absolutely a recurring cost, and
I noticed you completely ignored
the question of salary. -tom
\_ You are a complete idiot. The
car itself costs the same.
Land itself is not a recurring
cost either.
I said "costs do not scale
linearly" not that there are
no higher costs. Higher
income trumps those costs.
\_ Let me put it this way;
how much more do you think
it costs to do business in
California, compared to,
say, Kansas City? Are you
really trying to make the
assertion that California
business operators spend
about the same as Kansas
City business operators?
-tom
\_ We need to deport IMMIGRANTS
\_ Nope, like I said, he's another
wingnut. Part of the problem.
\_ We have the highest income, sales, and
gas tax in the nation.
\_ Where do you get your BS from?
Tennessee has 9.25% sales tax.
NY has the highest gasoline tax.
CA has very low property taxes,
as I am sure you know.
\_ Low in terms of % of value,
but not in absolute terms.
We pay about the same property
tax as everywhere else and
a high income tax to boot.
\_ Paying the same dollar
amount on a mansion in
Malibu and on a shack in
Wyoming is not "paying
about the same property
tax." You're a moron. -tom
\_ A mansion in Malibu
pays a lot more tax
than a shack in Wyoming.
Stupid argument. Reality
is that California is
#26 in local property tax
collections per capita
and #20 per household.
http://tinyurl.com/aopmde
\_ And top-3 in property
value. -tom
\_ So? That doesn't
mean we should be
top-3 in taxes paid.
I know your dream
is to be #1 in this
particular category,
but some of us think
paying average taxes
is just fine and
that the State
should be able to
survive with that
given that income
taxes are also high.
I don't use any
more services here
in CA at my $650K
house than I do at
my $150K house in
another state. In
fact, that house is
bigger but the tax
bill is much less.
Cost of living is
less there, too, but
not *that* much less.
You just love to pay
taxes. I'm happy at
#20 for property
tax. Feel free to
mail in more on my
behalf when your
next bill is due.
\_ Services cost
more to provide
in California,
due to higher
land, labor,
fuel and food
costs; therefore,
the state needs
more money to
provide the
same services
as cheaper
states. That's
why our state
services are
massively
underfunded. -tom
\_ Do you think
services cost
8x more,
because that's
the difference
in property
tax I pay even
though the
cost of living
is only 40%
less and the
other house is
2x the size. I
assure you
that the fire
and police
work just as
well and that
the schools
are better
than in most
of CA. Our
services are
not
underfunded.
We allocate
money
incorrectly
and, sad
to say, the
illegal
immigrants
are sucking
the State's
coffers dry
by using
services they
do not pay for.
do not pay
for.
\_ You have
no content.
Goodbye.
-tom
\_ Loser.
I give
you a
real
example
of
property
tax
disparity
dispar-
ity
and you
can't
handle
the
truth.
\_ I agree with you that Arnie has been very
fiscally irresponsible but at this point the
GOP is being reckless. Aren't they just as much
to blame for pushing the state towards fiscal
insolvency?
\_ No, because they aren't the ones who added
the spending. The Dems and Arnie busted
the budget repeatedly even during the times
of bubble-inflated tax revenues.
\_ They had their share in busting budgets,
if nothing else, they could have shut the
state down during the boom years. Now
they are just appearing as immature
obstructionists.
\_ I agree. If conservatives hadn't decided to push for
three-strikes and put all those extra people in
prison, we wouldn't be in this mess. We warned you
at the time that it going to get too expensive.
\_ Don't forget the "car tax" cut!
\_ Or Prop 87, when California tried to put
royalties on oil production (like almost every
other state does, when oil or mineral
resources are extracted) and was opposed by
the GOP, combined with Big Oil. |
| 2009/2/17-21 [Science/GlobalWarming] UID:52591 Activity:nil |
2/17 "Nuclear subs didn't know they'd hit each other"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090217/wl_afp/britainfrancenuclearweapons |
| 2009/2/17-22 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:52592 Activity:nil |
2/17 Paris bicycles surrender
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7881079.stm
\_ Yeah, people suck.
\_ And this is why too much socialism is bad. People barely take good
care of their own stuff, let alone stuff that are not theirs.
\_ Each bicycle travels 10k km per year, so even if they had to
buy a whole new bicycle every year at the cost of 400 Euros, that is
4 cents/mile, which is really really cheap.
4 cents/km, which is really really cheap. |
| 2009/2/17-22 [Politics/Domestic/California, Politics/Domestic/911] UID:52593 Activity:nil |
2/17 The CA budget compromise only includes $3.1 Billion of actual cuts.
The rest are reductions of planned spending.
http://www.flashreport.org/blog.php?postID=2009021716041678 |
| 2009/2/17-25 [Politics/Domestic/California/Arnold, Politics/Domestic/California/Prop] UID:52594 Activity:moderate |
2/17 Calculate how much you're about to get taxed per year for the next 5
years:
http://www.sacbee.com/1098/story/1627728.html
\_ $2000 for me. Pocket change, considering that I'm well over 6 dig salary
Even if I pay 10X, if it improves traffic conditions, air quality,
better city planning, less crime, etc, I'm all for it. Then again,
I'm a socialist, so I want to see social programs done right
\_ Just repeal the stupid Prop 13 (appeals to poor liberals most of whom
are renters), put a tough border + deport illegal immigrants who are
leeching on our infrastructure costs (appeals to conservatives).
That solves 1/2 of the problems.
\_ Just repeal the stupid Prop 13 (appeals to poor liberals most of
whom are renters), put a tough border + deport illegal immigrants
who are leeching on our infrastructure costs (appeals to
conservatives). That solves 1/2 of the problems.
\_ When your landlord's property taxes go up who do you think
is going to cover the difference? Hint: you.
\_ I rent in a rent-controlled place but yeah, I could imagine
rent going up for a bunch of people.
\_ $2000 for me. Pocket change, considering that I'm well over 6 dig
salary. Even if I pay 10X, if it improves traffic conditions, air
quality, better city planning, less crime, etc, I'm all for it.
Then again, I'm a socialist, so I want to see social programs done
right.
\_ Since you are a socialist and $10K is pocket change then pay
my share, too. Thanks!
\_ paying individual is capitalism. Sorry.
\_ Not me. My share to the glorious state, comrade. Clearly
you can afford to pay much more than you are.
\_ Uh, it's not going to improve conditions, why would you expect
that it would?
\_ Do you honestly think that we can chop $15B from the state
budget without any reduction in services?
\_ 1) !reduction != improvement
2) Gov't has DOUBLED IN 10 years! Have you seen a doubling
of services?
\_ Apparently you still don't understand math.
\_ What do you intend to cut then?
\_ The current compromise only has real cuts of $3B. Most of
the "cuts" are reductions in planned increase. So the
actual proposed cuts are 3%.
\_ And $15B in new taxes right? Which you claim are
unneeded. Where would you chop the state budget by
$15B?
\_ Just about anywhere. Across-the-board cuts.
\_ Close the prisons and let the prisoners all out?
That would just about do it. Or shut down the
CSU and Community Colleges?
\_ I've worked as a contractor at "Department of Health Services"
when I was in school. There are PLENTY of people who can be cut
and not cause ANY drop whatsoever in service level. Now, if you
ask me if I think they'll cut the right set of people, of course
not. Incompetent at one thing almost always implies incompetent
at other things, like the ability to determine incompetence in
people.
\_ So your solution to the budget crises is "fire all the
imcompetent people" which you believe to be impossible?
\_ $570/year for me. I'm with pp, this is well worth it.
\_ *WHAT* is well worth it?
\_ $570/year to keep the unwashed masses from losing all hope
and burning down my neighborhood.
\_ That $570/year will fund Irvine and Orange County's
shuttle-homeless-to-Venice program. Works wonderfully.
Crime has gone down in Irvine+OC by at least 25% since
the program started, and may I add that Laguna Beach
is a lot cleaner now than 5 years ago? OC OC OC!!!
\_ I'd rather spend $570/year to give kerosene and
matches to the homeless and set them loose in OC.
Your enclave has no soul, and neither do you.
\_ Uh, I was just trolling as a typical lame OC person
that I totally despise. I hate OC but people in
it love OC and their BMWs and their homes -pp
\_ Then you and I are brothers. Here's your
kerosene tank. Party time TBD.
\_ You're also black? Cool man.
\_ Silly troll. |
| 2009/2/17-21 [Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:52595 Activity:moderate |
2/17 http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2006/05/24/hack-your-toyota-prius-gps-navigation-system Hack your Toyota Prius so you don't have to press the stupid I AGREE legalese before using the GPS. Thanks oj! \_ My Lexus has the same problem. Also, it won't work while driving. 'sup with dat? $50K for a crippled car. Toyota sucks so hard I will never buy another. This was my first and likely last. I owned Nissan, BMW, and Honda in the past. \_ I was not aware that BMW/Honda/Nissan didn't put in GPS disclaimers. My Toyota's GPS sucks because of that nanny feature and that the UI is sluggish (1-2 second response) and it drives me nuts. Do your other car's GPS have the same problem or no? Maybe I should start looking at other brands -former Toyota fan \_ So you won't buy a car because of its electronics which is subject to change from year to year? \_ So you won't buy a car because of its electronics which is subject to change from year to year? \_ I won't buy a car because of the attitude of the manufacturer who thinks I need a car-nanny. \_ That's a safety feature. \_ That no other car has. \_ It takes time for features to proliferate. \_ Which model year of Prius is it? My 2008 Prius doesn't ask me to press "I agree" when I use GPS. \_ The latest nav s/w fixes that problem, but breaks the ability to use the nav while the car moves. |
| 11/22 |