Drivers are still paying too much for gas. No shit Sherlock. We’ve never heard anyone accuse the oil companies of being honest. Come to California tomorrow where we all get the quadruple whammy of even more price gouging, topped by excessive taxes, a carbon credit scheme adding more to the price and now a $0.12 additional Jerry Brown fix the roads tax. (We lost track of how many times Sacramento has screamed they need more money to fix our roads and then it magically disappears for other shit.)
“It’s easier to get HIV in California than it is to get a gun.” Yes and while many new gun laws abound that create new felonies, you can now spread HIV with impunity because thanks to California State Senator Scott Weiner it’s been reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Carl’s Jr. HQ Moving From Calif. to Nashville; Press Avoids Saying Why. Taxes, regulations, more taxes, more regulations, high cost of living, the rent too high, Jerry Brown, Democrats, liberals, high fuel costs. Enough said? Pretty soon no one will be left in the state but leeches.
Dan Walters: DAs fight governor’s measure. The let the cons out of jail early measure. If this passes it will be yet another nail in California’s coffin. Meanwhile this moron is doing about everything possible to restrict gun ownership.
Cali Rapper w/ No Criminal History Faces Life in Prison Because His Album Has a Picture of a Gun on It. So by this theory every violent Hollywood movie and TV show with guns should result in life in prison for the producers and actors. Stupidfornia.
Opinion: Controller John Chiang drops bombshell on California public pensions.
Chiang added public pension systems to his already large fiscal database. One chart reveals that their “unfunded liabilities” – the gap between assets and liabilities for current and future pensions – exploded from $6.3 billion in 2003 to $198.2 billion in 2013.
But somehow California can afford Jerry Brown’s boondoggle Choo-Choo to Nowhere.
California may be bankrupt, but the inmates who run the asylum saw fit to pay one prison psychiatrist more than $800,000 last year.
California may be bankrupt, but the inmates who run the asylum saw fit to pay one prison psychiatrist more than $800,000 last year.
The Editor and the Administrator have a neighbor who’s a psychiatrist in the California state prison system. He’s a great guy, but we’re going to be pissed if we find out this story is about him.
If this prison psychiatrist is really worth $838,706 why is Charles Manson still crazy?
Bloomberg has the crazy details:
The chief psychiatrist for California’s overcrowded prison system was paid $838,706 in 2010, more than any other state employee that year, payroll figures released today show.
Note how Bloomberg casually throws in the word “overcrowded” as if it’s relevant to the story and somehow justifies the exorbitant salary.
The doctor, whose name wasn’t released, had a salary range of $261,408 to $308,640, according to data released today by California Controller John Chiang. The total compensation was raised by bonuses or payout of unused vacation time, according to the controller’s office.
Bonuses? For $800K this guy should have cured Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez and Scott Peterson and then driven over to Nevada to cure O.J. Simpson.
The folks at U.C. Berkeley really are geniuses. They’ve come up with a very clever way to fund their leftist utopia. Why, if we didn’t know better, we’d almost think they were money-grubbing capitalists.
The folks at U.C. Berkeley really are geniuses. They’ve come up with a very clever way to fund their leftist utopia. Why, if we didn’t know better, we’d almost think they were money-grubbing capitalists.
The San Francisco Chronicle has the devious details:
Out of state students will soon be greeted at the border and escorted to the nearest state university
The number of out-of-state students is soaring at UC Berkeley, with new figures showing more than a quarter of newcomers on campus – freshmen and transfer students – won’t be from California this year. That’s up from 23 percent last year, and 15 percent two years ago.
More important for the campus, the nonresidents pay nearly three times the tuition of in-state students, and will bring in $80 million this year, up from $54 million last year, spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said.
How big is the scam? Well, let’s just say there’s a lot of BS in every BA degree.
… Nonresidents pay about $35,000 for a year at UC, compared with $12,000 for California residents. UC has calculated that every 1 percent increase in nonresident students brings in nearly $1 million. Last year, 6 percent of all undergrads across the system – not just newcomers – were nonresidents. UC’s Board of Regents wants to increase that to 10 percent, although it will be several years before that goal is reached, even with this fall’s new students.
There’s an old saying that every trend begins in California. Universities in other states will soon catch on to this scam. Next thing you know all students in all states will only be accepted at out of state schools.
Sure, it’ll cost parents a small fortune, but their financial pain will surely be assuaged by the knowledge that leftist professors’ salaries and retirement plans will be safe.
California is experiencing the fastest rate of disinvestment events in the three years since a specialized tracking system was put into place.
Must be something about warm climates and beautiful scenery that alienates businessfolk. How else does one explain the way they seem to shun locales like Greece, Spain and California?
There's a reason no one's doing cover versions of "California Dreamin'" in 2011
Professor Mark Perry explores the phenomenon:
“Today, California is experiencing the fastest rate of disinvestment events based on public domain information, closure notices to the state, and information from affected employees in the three years since a specialized tracking system was put into place.
Our losses are occurring at an accelerated rate. Also, no one knows the real level of activity because smaller companies are not required to file layoff notices with the state. A conservative estimate is that only 1 out of 5 company departures becomes public knowledge, which means California may suffer more than 1,000 disinvestment events this year.
Layoff notices? The Golden State must have a lot of ATMs.
Based on the legislature’s recent rejection of business-friendly legislation and Sacramento’s implementation of additional regulations, signs are that California’s hostility towards business will only worsen. California is such fertile ground that representatives for economic development agencies are visiting companies to dissect our high taxes, extreme regulatory environment and other expenses to show annual savings of between 20 and 40 percent after an out-of-state move.”
California’s problem must be a lack of high-speed rail. Business dissatisfaction couldn’t be the fault of the state’s politicians, the same ones have been in office for eons.
We’re mystified, but luckily California has zillions of bright, highly compensated employees on the state payroll. They’ll surely figure this thing out sooner or later.
We don’t know what it’s like in the other 56 states, but in California we have an interesting situation in which morons are in charge of the education system.
We don’t know what it’s like in the other 56 states, but in California we have an interesting situation in which morons are in charge of the education system.
In Riverside, California (the Editor’s hometown) the voters approved construction of a new high school back in 2007. The total cost of its construction eventually reached an astounding $100 million.
One. Hundred. Million. Dollars. For that kind of money the school mascot should be George Soros.
The architect's rendering of HIllcrest High School was very accurate. Except for its inclusion of students.
Construction is now complete, but the district can’t afford to open it because it would cost another $3 million to operate it each year and the district is tapped out. So neighboring schools will remain overcrowded while the new Hillcrest High School gathers dust and cobwebs.
Yahoo News reports the idiocy:
Wendell Tucker of the Alvord Unified School District said the district’s $130 million operating budget had been cut by $25 million.
“When the California budget goes down and income in the state goes down, funding to K-through-12 education goes with it,” Tucker told USA Today. “We made a number of budget adjustments. Right now, we simply are out of adjustments, and it’s not feasible … to open this school.”
And it’s not clear that things will be any different in 2012. “We’ll look at it on a year by year basis,” Tucker added.
But wait. We know this is hard to believe, but it gets worse.
… even though the school won’t be in use, the district will still have to spend $1 million to maintain the buildings and run air conditioning and other systems, to keep them from deteriorating.
May we be so bold as to suggest that if the school ever opens it might be a good idea to make economics a required class.
They may have removed the cancer from Jerry Brown’s nose, but the cancer of socialism is still growing unchecked in the state of California.
It’s been said that Jerry Brown was born with a nose for politics. Maybe so, but he has a little less of that nose today.
CBS Sacramento has the proboscis particulars:
Gov. Jerry Brown has undergone surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his nose, his office said Saturday.
Brown nose: They're still ignoring the real cancer in the state of California
The governor’s office said in a statement that Brown, 73, had the procedure under local anesthetic Friday, after tests revealed the presence of basal cell carcinoma, a common, slow-growing form of skin cancer, on the right side of his nose.
“All of the basal carcinoma cells were removed, but some reconstructive surgery to the nose was required as a result of the procedure,” his office said. “Governor Brown is at home and has continued to conduct state business today.”
They may have removed the cancer from Jerry Brown’s nose, but the cancer of socialism is still growing unchecked in the state of California. Everyone knows this ugly growth is killing the patient, but no one is willing to cut it off. In fact, Brown’s solution to the state’s budget crisis is – no surprise – more taxes.
This is one of those cases where the cause of death is known in advance and the obituary is written long before the patient actually dies.
The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), however, has stymied Orcutt, California’s American flag monument, calling it an impermissible act of “public expression.”
Just a few miles down the road from IHateTheMedia.com’s intergalactic headquarters you’ll find the lovely little village of Orcutt, California. There’s trouble in Orcutt.
A private group raised $60,000 to erect a 60-foot flagpole and monument at the entrance to the community’s Old Town section. Since it’s located right between a freeway exit and a park-and-ride lot, it may not be the most picturesque spot. But no one ever said patriotism had to be picturesque.
Scale model of the "offensive" American flag monument in Orcutt, California
Plans for the monument show a 60-foot American flag surrounded by pillars representing each branch of the military.
So far, so good. But now The Weekly Standard reveals what happened when the State of California got involved:
The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), however, has stymied the effort, calling it an impermissible act of “public expression.”
The Orcutt Pioneer reports that, although the Old Town Orcutt Revitalization Association (OTORA) “intends its flag as a tribute and symbol of freedom” — which would seem to be how most Americans would view their nation’s flag — “CalTrans sees it as a form of speech or expression, something more personal than patriotic.”
OTORA, a typical Tocquevillean-style private civil association, has been fundraising for over a year to collect the necessary $60,000 to build the flagpole and monument, above which would wave a 12-by-18-foot iteration Stars and Stripes. But CalTrans has declared that its policy forbids such efforts. In a letter to OTORA, CalTrans explains that it developed its policy in response to a ruling released by a 3-judge panel of the notorious Ninth Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, a ruling that was issued in response to impromptu flag-hanging in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals? Who ever would have expected those patriots to make a decision like this?
Remember just a few months ago when using the word target was so offensive that it caused Democrats to swoon? Well, times have changed in California.
Remember just a few months ago when using the word target was so offensive that it caused Democrats to swoon? Well, times have changed in California.
The Contra Costa Times tells the vivid tale of violent imagery:
If you won't vote for higher taxes, John Burton thinks you should be shot
John Burton, the state Democratic Party chairman, came under fire Friday for suggesting Gov. Jerry Brown “try shooting” a Republican to persuade them to vote for taxes.
In an interview with Bay Area News Group this week, Burton said Brown “can try shooting somebody and tell the next guy, ‘You don’t want that to happen to you, you better step up and vote.’ “… What’s Jerry going to do unless he took out a gun?”
What have those evil Republicans done to so outrage the state’s top Democrat?
They’ve refused to vote for tax increases.
Why shooting’s too good for those bastards. They should be horse whipped. Drawn and quartered. Maybe even forced to watch old Arnold Scharzenegger campaign speeches.
Last October, gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown told a crowd of leftist lunatics, “I’m not going to sign any bills until we get the budget solved and that may take me a couple of months.”
Jerrry Brown was sworn in as California governor on January 3. So it’s time to check in on the Honorable Governor Moonbeam.
Last October, gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown told a crowd of leftist lunatics, “I’m not going to sign any bills until we get the budget solved and that may take me a couple of months.”
As we said at the time, “Note that he said it may take him a couple of months. This guy’s such an economic wizard that he may just get the whole thing wrapped up in a couple weeks. With a little luck, maybe just a day or two.”
How’s that little budget problem going, Jerry? Solved it yet? What’s that? You want to raise taxes to solve the problem but can’t get the Republicans to cooperate? And you want to cut spending but can’t get the Democrats to cooperate?
Maybe you should California residents an exit fee at the Arizona, Nevada and Oregon borders as they flee the state. That should balance the budget in no time at all.
You elected him, California. You’re getting what you deserve.
We can only assume that the California legislature has not yet heard the news that they’ve spent the state into bankruptcy. How else can what’s going to happen on June 1 possibly be explained?
We can only assume that the California legislature has not yet heard the news that they’ve spent the state into bankruptcy. How else can what’s going to happen on June 1 possibly be explained?
Want to make a movie? California will give you free money.
The Hollywood Reporter has the details:
That morning, movie and TV producers can drop off applications for a share of $100 million in annual state tax credits for productions that meet certain requirements and shoot in the state during the year.
What’s the rush? “We will exhaust all $100 million in tax breaks on June 1st,” Amy Lemisch, executive director of the California Film Commission said Friday morning at a commission meeting and breakfast for producers in Los Angeles.
In other words, the entire amount allocated by the state legislature for the year will be spoken for the first day that applications are accepted. Actually, more productions will seek tax breaks than is available for the year on that one day.
In case that didn’t make sense, let us sum it up for you:
The bankrupt state of California is handing out money to movie producers like they’re homeless beggers on Hollywood Blvd.
The only way this seems to make sense is if the entire state of California is now living in LaLaLand. It’s one giant horror movie produced, directed and inflicted on the state’s residents by Hollywood. None of it is real.
It’s like The Truman Show in real life and if a resident of California can escape to another state, he’ll find out he’s lived their entire life on one big movie set.
Those vile racists in Marin County, California have built border fences topped with barbed wire in order to keep minorities out. Figuratively, of course, but that’s how the Obama administration looks at it.
Those vile racists in Marin County, California have built border fences topped with barbed wire in order to keep minorities out. Figuratively, of course, but that’s how the Obama administration looks at it.
The Bay Citizen reports the lily white details:
The draft report, released Wednesday, came in response to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s determination that Marin had “failed to comply” with the 1964 Civil Rights Act and two other anti-discrimination statutes.
Marin’s Community Development Agency recommended amending zoning regulations to ease the construction of new apartments, passing new laws requiring new developments to offer housing at below-market rates, and stepping up programs to combat discrimination by landlords and realtors.
Chuck Hauptman, HUD’s Regional Director for Fair Housing, said officials were reviewing the plan “to see if it is acceptable as far as content goes.”
Oddly enough, this is one of the most liberals enclaves in liberal California. Despite the fact that the Obama administration has somehow determined that the county is “too white” and, therefore, somehow racist, 77.77% of its voters cast their ballots for Obama in the 2008 Presidential election. Another .26% voted for lunatic leftist Cynthia McKinney and .18% voted for conservative Alan Keyes.
Bottom line: More than 78% of these racists voted for black candidates for President.
He’s only been in office for two weeks, but Jerry Brown is already making people long for the good ol’ days when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor.
He’s only been in office for two weeks, but Jerry Brown is already making people long for the good ol’ days when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor. His State of the State speech on Monday night must have been the most disjointed, poorly-delivered political speech in history. And we’d say that even if he hadn’t used the situation in Egypt to push another tax increase.
Jerry Brown makes a point. We're just not sure what it was.
Let’s just let the Los Angeles Times take if from here:
Citing the pro-democracy unrest in Egypt and Tunisia, Gov. Jerry Brown called it “unconscionable” that GOP legislators are vowing to block his attempt to ask voters to extend tax hikes to balance the budget.
“When democratic ideals and calls for the right to vote are stirring the imagination of young people in Egypt and Tunisia and other parts of the world, we in California can’t say now is the time to block a vote of the people,” Brown said in his first State of the State address in nearly 30 years.
He said the budget has tough choices but that the people “have a right to vote” on the package.
Let’s see. Mubarak’s been in power for 30 years and Egypt is a corrupt state on the verge of collapse. California’s Democrats have run the state legislature for 30 years and California is a corrupt state on the verge of collapse.
On second thought, maybe the comparison isn’t so outlandish.
Food prices are not up just because increasingly wealthy Indians and Chinese are putting strains on worldwide food production. It’s also because insane Federal policy has destroyed the Breadbasket of the World.
You may have noticed – and seriously, how could you have missed it – that food prices are soaring.
It’s not just because increasingly wealthy Indians and Chinese are putting strains on worldwide food production. It’s also because insane Federal policy has destroyed the Breadbasket of the World.
Reason Magazine describes the disaster that has become the California’s Central Valley:
California’s Central Valley is a 450 mile long stretch of flat and fertile land that produces much of the food that we enjoy every day. But the people in small towns like Mendota (the cantaloupe capital of the world) are suffering these days, in part due to two federal policies.
In order to protect a threatened fish species called the Delta Smelt, much of the water that used to be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farms on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley is now allowed to flow into the ocean. The result is predictable: hundreds of thousands of acres of farm land lies fallow and tens of thousands of jobs have been lost. In Mendota, the unemployment rate is over 40% and food lines are the norm.
But people going hungry in a region dominated by agriculture is only one of the contradictions in the Central Valley.
Nearly all the valley’s farm workers are immigrants from Mexico and Central America, and many of them are undocumented. These people are crucial to the valley’s economy, but they’re breaking the law according to the federal government.
Watch the video. It will simultaneously break your heart and piss you off.
