Conservatives do believe government restrictions on free enterprise are a bad thing, lp. They especially have problems with rent-seekers functioning as privateers for the democratic party. See, even out in the hinterlands, we've heard of the ADA abuse and while I went with the top of the google list on the problem in California, I'll find something by the LATimes or WSJ if this seems to much like biased "hearsay":

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Because there are more than 2,400 provisions in California alone pertaining to disability access in businesses and public areas, no one seems to actually know what the legal standards are, other than some of the more obvious wheelchair requirements. This has allowed many mean-spirited activists to take advantage of the deep, and not-so-deep pockets of businesses.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, co-authored SB 1186 in an effort to assist California businesses in the complex compliance issues with the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act, without facing the threat of a lawsuit.

SB 1186 was originally authored only by Dutton. It addressed businesses “right to cure” before a lawsuit could go forward, meaning the business owner could fix the problem before legal action was gaken.

But Steinberg said that he knew the bill would be killed, so he jumped in to co-author SB 1186. The bill was modified to appease disability advocates, who feared changes to the provisions would seriously weaken rights under the State’s Unruh Civil Rights Act for people with disabilities.

====================================================================

"knew the bill would be killed", a  declarative statement that says quite a lot but seems to have left out that crucial bit of information - by whom?

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But there was a group of disability activists at the hearing who openly expressed their anger about the bill.

“I want it all—I am like everyone else,” said one activist confined to a wheelchair. “This is not a poor small business problem.” The woman said that she is currently looking for a state job and as she visits different state agencies, the lack of wheelchair access makes it very difficult for her.

From the back of the hearing room, two wheelchair-bound women complained loudly about not being able to easily access the hearing room dais in order to testify. When a sergeant offered to bring them a cordless microphone, they only spoke louder and nastier to those standing near the aisles, as they shoved their way toward the front of the room.

People stepped aside to make room for both of them to pass, but those gestures were only met with more scorn. “Get out of my way,” said Ruthee Goldkorn, a well known wheelchair-bound disability rights activist, who has been the plaintiff in many disability access lawsuits throughout California.

===========================================================================

Any state's popoulation includes a healthy number of perpetually aggrieved and greedy but add in 2000+ little provisions regarding their area of expertise and you've created a cottage industry devoted to bleeding the businesses everyone else relies on for a living. Call it justice for a business screwing up if you want but it looks suspiciously like a tax to me, one put in place one provision at a time and for the benefit of a reliable democrat constintuency. Well, two really - lawyers and the social justice bloc.

http://www.calwatchdog.com/2012/05/10/ada-lawsuit-abuse-divides-activists/

-- Edited by catahoula on Friday 27th of July 2012 07:37:56 PM

-- Edited by catahoula on Friday 27th of July 2012 07:48:50 PM

Since politicians and the media did all the heavy lifting looting BP, I'll admit I was curious as to why the Macondo affair was a testament to the benefits of governing for trial lawyers but no matter. Now, I'll agree that they may very well have their social utility but when they get to the point of bankrolling a particular political party, they're evidently detrimental to a state's economic health.

Maybe not as much as the staff lawyers for all those non-profit environmental groups -- or maybe more... only the financial post-mortems will tell.

"I am sympathetic to privatization and free markets, in most cases. We also need politicians who are not beholden to their $$$ contributors. And an electorate that can think for themselves."

I'd guess close to 100% of people on this board are with you on that statement.

re: BP. "If they hadn't, the feds would have regulatoried their ass to death, right along with their stock price. No trial needed at all"

The feds wouldn't do a thing unless Congress told the regulators to crack the whip. And Congressman are under the eye of the People. and We were not happy.

You don't crap in your own backyard. It smells and you may step in it. You crap in OP's yard. 

-- Edited by longprime on Thursday 26th of July 2012 08:44:13 PM

Tough to pick any one particular Political faction, Cat. 

Your list: For Public-employee unions, because they are making their own noose, scaffolding, trapdoor, and trigger. 

For environmentalists. Fifty years ago, I waterskiied on the Willamette River. You then swam with the algae rafts, fertilized by rafts of crap. Dissolve oxygen content of this great river was Zero for much of the summer, which meant that stuff fermented instead of breaking down by oxygen processes.  We got to see the Cascade mountains 25% of the time in August, now we see the majestic range most of the days of August (reduction of field burning). Although we live on a hill for our personal residence and beach vacation home, we enjoy the fact that we go down to the flat areas, we now know that the standing water is not sewage but rainwater or ground water seapage. 

For Trial Lawyers, Good ole free enterprise to seek out wrongs and pots of gold. Trial lawyers are going to make a bundle on the LIBOR fix. Maybe even Deepwater Horizon, unless Pres. BO gave the participants a pass when he negotiated a settlement fund. 

For teacher's union: DS had excellent public school teachers and mentors. Nationally recognized and tops in their profession. A few of his teachers should make more money. We showed up enough times at his public preK-12 schools to make it known that we were behind the teachers. Then again, DS was the model student, smartest kid in school, attentive, got his work done, and determined to have fun even if he was bored with the work. Same with his current employement-he'll make some EC activity to keep himself engaged and fun- Does not include gurls.

As for Jerry brown-rot Brown: Have you ever seen what brown rot can do to a stone-fruit (cherry, plum, prune, peach, apricot, almond) tree and its fruit. It isn't pretty. Bleeds the tree, kills the sapwood, and destroys the fruit. If you are lucky, the infection is localized and/or can be pruned out. You kinda tolerate the Brown rot and control it as best as you can Tenvironmental factors has more to do with the outcome than anything one can do with control measures. The environmental factors have not been good. 

In Europe, Bankers, Politicians, and populace are beginning to reap their benefits. Just as we are reaping the benefits of Bill and GWB. I withhold opinion on BO since his tenure is based on what Congress allows him to do,  on the legacy of GWB, and lesser extent on Bill. 

I would agree to "One-party government weakens accountability and breeds hubris". My state, above CA, has 3x refunded state taxes and overbuilt prisons with no way to fund them. Now we are closing prisons, have prisons guarded by predators who have civil service protections. We also overrate "first responders", their disability benefits and retirement programs are huge and out of line even with being dangerous (some of the time.) 

I am sympathetic to privatization and free markets, in most cases. We also need politicians who are not beholden to their $$$ contributors. And an electorate that can think for themselves. 

-- Edited by longprime on Thursday 26th of July 2012 03:50:37 PM

-- Edited by longprime on Thursday 26th of July 2012 03:55:04 PM

Most of us R's have to be stealthy on the Left Coast. As for high speed rail, a better proposition would have been high speed to Las Vegas. That is where the worst congestion can be ,ESP on a holiday weekend. Ridership would be higher in my opinion.

Jobs created, ridership numbers, revenue projections... these things are always bs and that they're always overly optimistic isn't exactly a secret.

======================

True story:

My daughter, wife, and I were in Tuscaloosa, Alabama a couple of weeks ago (wanted to see if the loggers had cut every tree, fouled every spring, dammed the creek... in other words, done the kind of things less benighted states reserve the death penalty for, heh.).... and my wife and daughter made a trip into town, both to cruise through the UofA campus and do a little shopping nearby. Partly a mother/daughter thing and partly a "maybe the little one will consider attending", which would be pretty neat since we plan on heading over there when she finishes HS.

Enough digressing, on to the point: They go into a little jewelry shop between the campus and downtown, which two co-eds are running. (Talkative and charming girls, according to my wife, which I believe since they managed to ask my daughter how she's liking orientation.) Anyway, after a few minutes the only other customer leaves, a lady of around mid-forties in age, and the co-eds start talking about how this was her fifth visit in as many days and that she's been loading up on earrings, charms, pendants, etc., every one in the elephant motif. Seems she from California and a republican, which amazes our two shopkeepers since they're pretty darn sure there aren't any republicans in California. Can't see how they'd survive, for one thing.

They ask her if she's the only one and she she say's "no, I've got friends... that's who the jewelry's for: some of them have to represent quietly."

Well, I am not in CA, so anything I say is just jest. 

I wonder what a R Congress and MR would do to stimulate the economy, if anything?

Remember, when the emporors of Great Britain, USSR, France, Rome and China stopped building roads, ships, and walls, their empire started to collapse. 

"No, I didn't vote for the ones who represent my legislative district. We also have two US Senators that are as Blue as they come"

heh! Take that, longprime! Sorry about your state, samurai. I fear we are all close behind.

"The wealth gap between the Wealthy (5%) and the lesser wealthy (15%) and middle class minus (80%) is so wide, by well worn and cited statistics, is that no matter what tax increase or decrease we give to the lessers and middle- classes ; It's not going to affect the deficit by much"

A major problem with your analysis of the data. The administration is not trying to raise taxes on the wealthy (by your definition 5%) and the lesser wealthy (by your definition 15%). They are trying to get the money from families making 250K or more (that's about 2-3%, far less after deductions). No matter how you cut it, you cannot get most of the money out of 2% of people. Most of the money is in the other 98%, and I guarantee you if rates get too high, the top part of that 2% that have the really good tax attorneys will find ways to skirt around it.

SLS: "I have absolutely no faith in my legislators"

You voted for them. 

We do have a representative republic. 

Suppose we elect another, Ceasar  I read that GWB, has not been invited to the GOP convention. GHB however may attend providing his health allows it-afterall he was a bonafide pilot. 

I do not dispute the premise that passengers are lost leaders.  Airlines have finally figured it out that baggage, food, and of course seat placement makes money vs just moving people from point A to B to C. The business person who used to be the money maker is now the loss leader with the casual traveller with all their requirements the money maker. 

However, sometimes we need to recognize that without people at point B, there wouldn't be a need to move freight. 

Ultimately, CA's and OR-Wa high speed rail proposals will be based on how many jobs and tax revenues will be created against unemployment and welfare. I guess 

Let's leave it to the politicians, shall we?

-- Edited by longprime on Monday 23rd of July 2012 09:30:21 PM

-- Edited by longprime on Monday 23rd of July 2012 09:30:49 PM

"We can let W's tax cut expire. It really was a giveaway to the rich-trickle down probably never happened and if it did, the giveaway was the water and fertilizer to the credit boom and bust."

You may consider it a giveaway to the "rich" because supposedly they didn't need the cut. But obviously, everyone benefited from the tax cut, enabling millions to pay zippo in federal income taxes, and everyone to lower their rates. It will be quite a surprise to many how much their taxes will go up if this expires, because many think just that, it was a "Bush-tax-cut-for-the-rich". And that is why, if they actually want to raise some serious money, they should let the tax rates expire completely, as most of the tax giveaway was to the lower income levels. Not enough money in the "rich" households to put a very big dent in the deficit. And make cap gains taxed the same as income.

But if they do that, there will be screaming all around, and it doesn't work with the class warfare tactics. Got to just sic it to the "rich", whose fault everything is. Not fix the problem.

The money is indeed in the middle, which makes that whole "only on those making 250k or above" a pile of utterly banal coon****. "Let's spend today", with the promise that the rich are going to cover it, while it's really your middle class child who's going to be living a third-world life to pay for it.

(The stats to back that up, btw simply abound.)

----------------------------------------

Even if all the money does come through and the tunnel gets dug, High-Speed Rail Authority boss Dan Richard says, the bullet train won't arrive in San Francisco until 2028 or so. Until then, the tunnel would be used only by Caltrain.

-----------------------------------------

That's the kind of understanding of the time-value of money that's usually a capital offense in business but this is government, after all. Since you can't sell the stock, moving would seem to be the best idea.

-- Edited by catahoula on Monday 23rd of July 2012 05:14:31 PM

Your last post but one has the cure, lp, and none other than one of O's collectivists admitted you can convince the patient to take it. It's just mainly a matter of circumstance

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste," Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama's new chief of staff, told a Wall Street Journal conference of top corporate chief executives this week.

He elaborated: "Things that we had postponed for too long, that were long-term, are now immediate and must be dealt with. This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before."

Won't be pleasant, nor pretty, what with some of the more hard-core in Sacramento, LA, and San Fran immolating themselves and whatever private property they can coax into burning but...

IMO

We can let W's tax cut expire. It really was a giveaway to the rich-trickle down probably never happened and if it did, the giveaway was the water and fertilizer to the credit boom and bust. 

We've had extensions to the cut, and I doubt it really aided in stimulating the economy-much as the R's said BO's fiscal stimulus didn't do much good other than putting us more into debt. 

Combine the mandatory, across the board budget cuts, the resumption of normal tax rates, tax reform, closure of tax havens ( google: tax havens 21 trillion or http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/23/business/super-rich-hidden-wealth-offshore/index.html ) and nominal tax increase on the top ~1%ers, we can see ourselves  as the place to be. 

If MR was a true American, he would reveal his taxes and where hundreds of millions are held.  I just had to add this last piece to make sure that everyone knows that we are still have and have-not country. 

-- Edited by longprime on Monday 23rd of July 2012 09:31:07 AM

Yes, catahoula, that's pretty much how it is.  Longprime is right, not about any reforms, because that will never happen in this state, but about CA leading the way to the light at the end of the tunnel, you know, the light that turns out to be another train coming straight at you. 

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=oregonlive+pers

Sunday's Oregonian, (July 22, 2012) lead feature is "Spiking (Peaking) of hours worked in the last 3 years prior to retirement. 

Can you tell me how to LetMeGooglethatForYou?

-- Edited by longprime on Sunday 22nd of July 2012 10:11:30 PM

au contre, California, may be the light at the end of the tunnel. Californica will lead the way in public employee pension reform, welfare, undocumented assistence, and higher ed reformica. Will be argumentively difficult at the same time for discussion purposes amazingly and comparatively easy. But not theoretically painless for all concerned

The HighSpeed Rail will be built by the Chinese, as they have for most RR around the world. Afterall, they did learned the trade of RR building in California. We can get graduates of Leland Stanford to sell bonds and finance the thing.

And get a few Republican suppliers, disbursers, and lawyers and the picture will be complete. 

It's Sunday, cliche day. 

yeah...foolish timing, don't you think?  

Don't forget our US-MOC, who are also exempt from the laws that they pass. 

If we had MR, he would declare all law maker's pay,  be paid in the Bahamas but at a the venable HSB branch. Rumor is that he has made some good contacts that can facilitate transactions. 

It's Saturday, no date.

-- Edited by longprime on Saturday 21st of July 2012 08:14:07 PM