The Ultimate Brokeback Forum

Author Topic: News & Current Events  (Read 1113864 times)

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #285 on: February 19, 2009, 01:06:35 PM »
Cal just past their budget. So, how do the Californians feel about it?

Quote
California Passes State Budget
The package included a combination of spending cuts, tax increases and borrowing, intended to close a projected multibillion dollar deficit and avert fiscal disaster for the state.  Senate leaders secured the final vote needed from moderate Republican Abel Maldonado in late-night negotiations by agreeing to his demands for election changes, government reform, budget cuts and removal of a gas tax increase, giving them the two-thirds vote needed to pass the package.

Election changes:
To win Maldonado's support, legislators also agreed to ask voters to revise the state's constitution to allow open primaries for legislative, congressional and gubernatorial elections.

The people of the state voted three separate times over the years to have open Primary elections for Federal elections and all three times it was overturned in the courts saying the parties could have whatever rules they wanted about that, so even if voters approve it (again) I don't see why the same wouldn't apply to the state elections.

Government reform:
Leaders also met Maldonado's demands to freeze legislators' salaries in deficit budget years and to eliminate new office furniture budgeted for the state controller.

That sounds reasonable.

Budget cuts:
Something I posted elsewhere today:
Quote
Cuts hurt
My friends boyfriend works for the State of California in a program that takes children out of abusive homes, homes where the parents are drug addicted and such, and works with them, hopefully toward a better life.  He got word yesterday the whole program is being shut down due to the budget problems.  What happens to those kids?  Well, they either get absorbed into another program which isn't the same kind of one they were getting help in, or they get sent back to the families from which they came.  Not only is he losing his job, they have to go tell all these kids about this, kids they've come to know and care for.  And try to make them understand it is not because they aren't valued.  OMG, just hearing about this breaks my heart, but to have to go through it, well, this guy was more upset about the children and what they'll go through now than losing his job.  Completely in tears because he knows what will happen now.  Ugh.

Removal of a gas tax increase:
The budget originally included a proposal to raise the price of gas in California by 14 cents a gallon.

As painful as that might be, the gas is nearly $1 lower than it was at the height of the increases last year here in California.  This tax might've been the one to get Californians to think about how much they spend on gas again.  Now that the price has come down the consumption level is off the charts again.  I didn't necessarily think this particular increase was the worst idea. 

When Schwarzenegger came to office during the height of a budget surplus (Really?  When was that?), like all good Republicans he wanted to return the surplus to "the people" as it's their money, and eliminate the $32 a year car registration increase that consumers had been paying for years.  I thought that was a bad idea because people were "used" to paying it and once you take it away...  Now, when consumers are afraid of any extra spending is when that tax would be most helpful, but try re-instating it now.  I bet Arnold would love to take that back now.

The 1 cent increase in the sales tax bugs me more than the 14 cent increase in gas.  In L.A. County our sales tax will be just shy of 10%!  It's like tithing to the government.  I wish they'd do it like they do in England.  The price you see on something is the price you pay, and it includes the tax in it.  If something is $27.59 that's what you pay.  Here you have to get out your calculators and add on, add on, add on...  It's just a frame of mind, but...
(And in L.A. that would be $30.28)

To get State Senator Ashburn's vote lawmakers also agreed to help the horse racing industry in his district _ and throughout the state _ by using $32 million in state funding each year to offset maintenance fees at fairgrounds.

Horse racing is gambling.  Great!  We are subsidizing gambling.

"Thanks, Assburn, I knew I could count on you."

In 1998 when the people of California voted to allow Indian Gaming all over the state, without ANY  provisions that the state require tax revenue out of them, I thought people were absolutely nuts.  They bought into the argument that "the Indians have been mistreated forever so I couldn't care less or it doesn't bother me at all that they pay no taxes on all that gambling money."  They tried to change that a bit a few years ago with a wimpy bill to get some revenue--decided on by the tribes themselves (!) -- another instance of people not thinking about the long term implications.

And that's what this Californian initially thinks of it before knowing much else about what's in it.

Offline michaelflanagansf

  • Forum Librarian and buckle bunny
  • Team Cullen
  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 27643
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #286 on: February 19, 2009, 03:56:46 PM »
Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. - Karl R. Popper

Offline doodler

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 15461
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #287 on: February 20, 2009, 12:57:00 AM »

The 1 cent increase in the sales tax bugs me more than the 14 cent increase in gas.  In L.A. County our sales tax will be just shy of 10%! 

So? Ours has been that high for years and we have sales tax on EVERYTHING. But, on the other hand, we don't have a state income tax....
In 2010, 606 people (all ages) were accidentally killed by guns.
Almost 3000 teens (15-19) die in traffic accidents a year.
1100 kids under 19 drown each year.
44 kids under 5 died of heat stroke in hot cars in 2013.
HIGH school sports account for 1.2 million trips to the ER annually.

Offline brokebacktom

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 4371
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #288 on: February 20, 2009, 06:40:58 AM »
The right uses an ad with Jesus in it to attack the stimulus package.   :o


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19055.HTML

Offline michaelflanagansf

  • Forum Librarian and buckle bunny
  • Team Cullen
  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 27643
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #289 on: February 20, 2009, 08:51:40 AM »
The 1 cent increase in the sales tax bugs me more than the 14 cent increase in gas.  In L.A. County our sales tax will be just shy of 10%! 

So? Ours has been that high for years and we have sales tax on EVERYTHING. But, on the other hand, we don't have a state income tax....

I would be interested in knowing if you had a property tax revolt in your state similar to what we had in California, doodler.  In California the reliance on sales tax, gas tax and state income tax is directly related to the cap on property taxes which was put in place in 1978.  Wikipedia provides a brief overview:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978)

It has had an interesting effect on education in the state:

http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/Articles/CalRankings.asp
Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. - Karl R. Popper

Offline BayCityJohn

  • Forum Hero
  • Tech Support
  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 22891
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #290 on: February 20, 2009, 10:20:12 AM »
OctoMom's Million Dollar Crib!?

Octo is there right now ... the house is in Whittier, California. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and a pool with no safety gates. Perfect for 14 kids.

A real estate source tells TMZ the owner canceled showings today specifically because Octo wanted to see it. She needs it because the house she's living in now may be on its way to the auction block -- as in foreclosure.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/19/octomom-house-million-dollar/

Caution: Consider the source

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #291 on: February 20, 2009, 12:11:39 PM »
I heard about his on other news sources as well.

That's about 3 or 4 people per bedroom.

Seven for each bathroom
(the 1/2 bathroom is for the half-brained mother).

I really like seeing interviews with the octomom's mother.
She is calm in the face of this all, but yet tells the truth--she
displays love for her daughter and grandkids, but emphatically
states that she disapproves of her daughters handling of her life.
Maybe she's an enabler, I don't know, but at least she is not out there
defending her daughter like alot of people would who are attacking her.
She even said that because of her daughter's decisions she "is going
to be punished for the rest of her life."  You can tell on brief interviews
when reporters are following octomom around that she is absolutely
clueless about what she has done and what is in store for her.
Now I see Oprah is having octomom's father on her show.

Offline WhenPigsFly

  • Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 599
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #292 on: February 20, 2009, 01:16:45 PM »
You can tell on brief interviews
when reporters are following octomom around that she is absolutely
clueless about what she has done and what is in store for her.
Now I see Oprah is having octomom's father on her show.


If you want some "believe it or not" moments, check out Suleman's Twitter account.  So far, my favorite is this which reveals her good parenting skills  (and which she Tweeted at about approx 3:30 AM):

 
Quote
I'm up late. My kids asked for a bedtime story so I had to look something up on YouTube for them to watch.

 
...somehow, as a coat hanger is straightened to open a locked car and then bent again to its original shape, they torqued things almost to where they had been, for what they'd said was no news.  Nothing ended, nothing begun, nothing resolved...

Offline BayCityJohn

  • Forum Hero
  • Tech Support
  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 22891
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #293 on: February 20, 2009, 03:36:23 PM »
The Catholic Crusade Against a Mythical Abortion Bill

Quote
The U.S. Catholic Church's crusade against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) has all the hallmarks of a well-oiled lobbying campaign. A national postcard campaign is flooding the White House and congressional offices with messages opposing FOCA, and Catholic bishops have made defeating the abortion rights legislation a top priority. In the most recent effort to stop the bill, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia sent a letter to every member of Congress imploring them to "please oppose FOCA."

There is only one hitch. Congress isn't about to pass the Freedom of Choice Act — because no such bill has been introduced in the current Congress.

At a time when the United States is gripped by economic uncertainty and faces serious challenges in hot spots around the globe, some American Catholics are finding it both curious and troubling that their church has launched a major campaign against a piece of legislation that doesn't exist and wouldn't have much chance of becoming law even if it did. To many critics, it feels like the legislative equivalent of the dog that didn't bark.
Quote
When Jan. 22 came and went without a Freedom of Choice Act becoming law, the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities announced a nationwide postcard campaign to blanket congressional offices and the White House with appeals to stop FOCA. Anti-FOCA groups on Facebook soon had more than 150,000 members and added thousands more each day. Priests started preaching against the legislation, and churches began circulating petitions to oppose its passage.

In the midst of all this activity, the fact that there was no Freedom of Choice Act before the 111th Congress went largely unnoticed and unmentioned.


http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1880451,00.html?xid=rss-nation-cnn


Offline fritzkep

  • German Louisiana Virginia Dude
  • Global Moderator
  • Obsessed
  • ******
  • Posts: 167898
  • Wie geht's, y'all?
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #294 on: February 20, 2009, 03:39:45 PM »
Doubtlessly so they can claim credit when it doesn't pass.

Werd ich zum Augenblicke sagen, "Verweile doch! Du bist so schön..."

Offline michaelflanagansf

  • Forum Librarian and buckle bunny
  • Team Cullen
  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 27643
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #295 on: February 20, 2009, 03:49:34 PM »
Well if you've been waiting for someone to show up for 2000 years I suppose waiting for a bill to appear fits right into your world view.
Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. - Karl R. Popper

Offline doodler

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 15461
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #296 on: February 21, 2009, 07:43:36 AM »
The 1 cent increase in the sales tax bugs me more than the 14 cent increase in gas.  In L.A. County our sales tax will be just shy of 10%! 

So? Ours has been that high for years and we have sales tax on EVERYTHING. But, on the other hand, we don't have a state income tax....

I would be interested in knowing if you had a property tax revolt in your state similar to what we had in California, doodler.  In California the reliance on sales tax, gas tax and state income tax is directly related to the cap on property taxes which was put in place in 1978.  Wikipedia provides a brief overview:


I think, at least in my part of the state, property tax is considered very low compared to the rest of the country. But the quality of health care and education are also very low and out here in the country we don't have a good many of the "services" you find in the city.
In 2010, 606 people (all ages) were accidentally killed by guns.
Almost 3000 teens (15-19) die in traffic accidents a year.
1100 kids under 19 drown each year.
44 kids under 5 died of heat stroke in hot cars in 2013.
HIGH school sports account for 1.2 million trips to the ER annually.

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #297 on: February 21, 2009, 12:49:45 PM »
If you want some "believe it or not" moments, check out Suleman's Twitter account.  So far, my favorite is this which reveals her good parenting skills  (and which she Tweeted at about approx 3:30 AM):
 
I'm up late. My kids asked for a bedtime story so I had to look something up on YouTube for them to watch.

Glad to know her kids get to bed at a decent hour.
She should just wire all the kids up now.

I have a bedtime story for them:

"There was an old woman who lived in shoe.
She had so many children she didn't know what to do..."


Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #298 on: February 21, 2009, 01:03:07 PM »
The Catholic Crusade Against a Mythical Abortion Bill
Quote
The U.S. Catholic Church's crusade against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) has all the hallmarks of a well-oiled lobbying campaign.
[snip]
There is only one hitch. Congress isn't about to pass the Freedom of Choice Act — because no such bill has been introduced in the current Congress.
[snip]
In the midst of all this activity, the fact that there was no Freedom of Choice Act before the 111th Congress went largely unnoticed and unmentioned.


http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1880451,00.html?xid=rss-nation-cnn

Another example of the priorities of love from religious organizations.

Since the passage of Prop 8 I have spent a bit of time on some religious
websites and links and there is a distinct "the sky is falling" attitude about
many of the articles and from many of the people who reply to the sites.

The other day I mentioned somewhere about a guy that is suing a college, or
the professor, saying he was not allowed to give his views about Prop 8 from
a supposed religious standpoint.  Without knowing ANY of the facts of this
case, including what would seem to be the most important thing--WHAT
EXACTLY WAS SAID by this student to have him treated the way he was, a
California Christianity site had posted an article about the religious intolerance
of this act and the people who replied to it were all up in arms calling for the
head of everyone to do with the college and the rest who support them.

If you questioned this idea of innocence before guilt, your post was not
added.

It seems the way of life for a lot of religious groups is to live your life
being offended.  And to find offense where there is none or to find it before you
even know the facts.  To dismiss those who disagree, even though they may
be right or even if they have contrary facts.  Even if they have a point!

And the majority of these people wonder why they aren't taken so seriously?

Offline BayCityJohn

  • Forum Hero
  • Tech Support
  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 22891
Re: News & Current Events
« Reply #299 on: February 21, 2009, 02:22:49 PM »
A few years ago my friend Maureen invited me to go with her to a big religious event in Saginaw, MI

She had a client who was a member of the church that was sponsoring it.

This was a sort of rally by the mostly black churches in Saginaw as a response and call to action over the increasing gang and drug related violence that was happening in that city.

I was a little hesitant at first, but then when I heard that one of my gay friends was going to be singing with his choir I changed my mind.

Most of the event was pretty much focused on the idea that the answer to the problem was prayer. A lot of the music was good, especially my friends choir.

But during the last half hour the keynote speaker, a very well known preacher from out of state, whipped the crowd into a frenzy. They hadn't been very motivated or excited for the previous hour and a half.

He didn't offer any solutions to the violence and killing that was going on. He got them all worked up with a tirade about gay and lesbian marriage. And this was after Michigan passed the anti-marriage amendment.