Soon ... some time after the holidays, I'm planning to temporarily abandon my "decline to state" status and signup as a Republican before the primaries. The CA Republican Party does not allow decline-to-state voters to vote in their primaries and I want to throw my vote to Tom Campbell for the Republican nominee for CA governor.
Sure, sure. I don't always agree with Tom's positions -- he and I don't see eye-to-eye on the health care reform debate, f'rex -- but he is a bright guy. Sharp as a tack. He thinks things through. He's amenable to changing his mind when different factors are brought to his attention. (And back when he was my Congress critter, he answered my e-mails at 3A Washington, DC, time when I dropped him notes after midnight California time.)
He listens.
Why would I change my unaffiliated to Republican-affiliated? Because Meg Whitman is the front-runner in current polls and I do =not= want Meg Whitman as the Republican nominee. And Whitman as Governor? Oh, noes! Sure, I could vote in the Democratic Party primary as an unaffiliated voter, but voting there will probably not make a huge difference in which candidate (Jerry Brown, anyone?) is chosen to run.
Tom Campbell is a =much= better choice than Whitman, but knowing the state party, he probably won't make the cut unless Meg really blows it between now and then or enough decline-to-states join (or re-join) the Republican party and vote for Campbell.
Update: For the June 2010 primary, it turns out, decline-to-states CAN vote in the Republican primary =if= you request a Republican ballot, either at your polling place on Election Day, or in advance by contacting your county elections office. Which is what I now plan to do. (Although the push this year to implement the bar failed, the push is still on within the party to bar decline-to-states from voting in future primaries, so be aware.)
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Let me introduce The Giulio Verne
We've been watching the Giulio Verne for the last few days as it slowly moves along the waterfront toward Potrero Point.
The TransBay Cable (a 53-mile long, 400 MW high voltage DC transmission line connecting the PG&E substation in Pittsburg with one down at Potrero Point in San Francisco) is becoming a reality.
Soon the spewing Unit#3 at Potrero Point will shut down. Unit#3 has the honor of being San Francisco's #1 source of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Take a bow, Unit#3.
When the cable is functioning, next spring, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) will allow San Francisco to close down Unit#3. The three peaker plants at Potrero Point must remain available, however, until such time as San Francisco has replacement alternative power generation in place.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Barney Frank Confronts Woman At Town Hall
"Trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table."
Barney Frank Confronts Woman At Town Hall Comparing Obama To Hitler
Barney Frank Confronts Woman At Town Hall Comparing Obama To Hitler
Friday, June 12, 2009
Smog check?
Yesterday morning I took pictures of three ships leaving within a ten-minute-or-so period, all of them spewing crap into the air. We, of course, need to have our cars smog-checked every two years. Ships coming in and out of harbor. Not.
Why not?
Update: Ah. ... A federal appeals court agreed Wednesday [27 Feb 2008] that state air pollution regulators can't order ships arriving at California ports to reduce their toxic contributions to local smog." The Court ruled that the State Air Board's rules couldn't take precedence over the federal Clean Air Act and the state would have to get a waiver from the EPA to allow its rules to go into effect.
OK. So when is =that= going to happen, now that TPTB at the EPA have changed? Soon? Have we asked?
Why not?
Update: Ah. ... A federal appeals court agreed Wednesday [27 Feb 2008] that state air pollution regulators can't order ships arriving at California ports to reduce their toxic contributions to local smog." The Court ruled that the State Air Board's rules couldn't take precedence over the federal Clean Air Act and the state would have to get a waiver from the EPA to allow its rules to go into effect.
OK. So when is =that= going to happen, now that TPTB at the EPA have changed? Soon? Have we asked?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Privacy? Circumspection? Privacy? Privacy? Fuggedaboutit.
And so with nary a care, Leah Garchik spills the beans about Gavin's new digs, with enough information (price, street) that any stalker worth his/her salt could track down the address in (oh ... say ...) about ten seconds.
I dunno. If I were someone who attracts stalkers like Gavin does, I'd be a bit annoyed at Ms Leah leaking the info just because she could.
Maybe it's just me.
(And, yes, even though I'm not a stalker, the challenge of the day -- after finishing the ***Sudoku and both crosswords -- was to track down Gavin's new address. And it didn't take that long. ...)
I dunno. If I were someone who attracts stalkers like Gavin does, I'd be a bit annoyed at Ms Leah leaking the info just because she could.
Maybe it's just me.
(And, yes, even though I'm not a stalker, the challenge of the day -- after finishing the ***Sudoku and both crosswords -- was to track down Gavin's new address. And it didn't take that long. ...)
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Prop 13, Education, and the current budget crunch
Read an interesting comment yesterday in my alumni magazine. An earlier issue had an article ("Struggling for Words") in which English Professor Jonathan Lovell rued the effects Prop 13 has had on education since it passed in 1978.
Oh, really? (or words to that effect) was the comment.
While the state of public education is deplorable, Prop 13 is certainly not one of the causes. Assessed values, tax receipts and school funding have all increased at faster rates than inflation since its passage in 1978. The provisions of Prop 13, which create a more stable tax base, will provide a relatively "soft" landing during the recession, as not all assessed values will fall from the grossly inflated market values of recent years. Without Prop 13, the decrease in property tax revenues would be even more dramatic than what we're actually seeing. -- Pete Conrad, '82 Business
Something to think about.
Another benefit of Prop 13 for education, which I've never heard mentioned, is that it created an incentive for families to stay put, not to trade up to a bigger house. As a result, our children went from K-12 with pretty much the same set of kids. The parents worked together for years and were gung-ho about working with the schools. We knew each other, our quirks, our pet peeves, our strengths. Instead of people moving in and out and up, we had a stable foundation for volunteerism and fundraising.
But, yeah. I hadn't thought about the precipitous fall in property tax revenues that there would've been without Prop 13.
Oh, you say? But wouldn't we'd've had a mess more money if Prop. 13 hadn't been around? Yeah. We would've. Year to year. And we would've spent every frickin' dime and be left now with unsustainable programs and no funds to run them. Rainy day funds are an anomaly in this state. Alas.
Oh, really? (or words to that effect) was the comment.
While the state of public education is deplorable, Prop 13 is certainly not one of the causes. Assessed values, tax receipts and school funding have all increased at faster rates than inflation since its passage in 1978. The provisions of Prop 13, which create a more stable tax base, will provide a relatively "soft" landing during the recession, as not all assessed values will fall from the grossly inflated market values of recent years. Without Prop 13, the decrease in property tax revenues would be even more dramatic than what we're actually seeing. -- Pete Conrad, '82 Business
Something to think about.
Another benefit of Prop 13 for education, which I've never heard mentioned, is that it created an incentive for families to stay put, not to trade up to a bigger house. As a result, our children went from K-12 with pretty much the same set of kids. The parents worked together for years and were gung-ho about working with the schools. We knew each other, our quirks, our pet peeves, our strengths. Instead of people moving in and out and up, we had a stable foundation for volunteerism and fundraising.
But, yeah. I hadn't thought about the precipitous fall in property tax revenues that there would've been without Prop 13.
Oh, you say? But wouldn't we'd've had a mess more money if Prop. 13 hadn't been around? Yeah. We would've. Year to year. And we would've spent every frickin' dime and be left now with unsustainable programs and no funds to run them. Rainy day funds are an anomaly in this state. Alas.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Two grooms
Found this in the Papyrus stationery store @ 243 Montgomery while I was walking down to the SPUR Urban Center opening yesterday afternoon.
Soon. ...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The government plans to demolish and rebuild 85 percent of Kashgar’s Old City..
SJ Rozan posted a link to a NYTimes news story on Facebook.
To Protect an Ancient City, China Moves to Raze It - NYTimes.com
Saying it fears earthquake damage, the government plans to demolish and rebuild 85 percent of Kashgar’s Old City.
Discussion continues on SJ Rozan's Facebook as to whether this urban renewal in Kashgar has anything to do with earthquakes or perhaps something to do with the Chinese central government's take on the local Uighur Muslim population.
No, it couldn't be anything like that. Why look at this signage at Kashgar's Idkha Mosque, the largest mosque in China:
All of it shows fully that Chinese government always pays special attentions to the another and historical cultures of the ethnic groups, and that all ethnic groups warmly welcome Part's (sic) religious policy. It also shows that different ethnic groups have set up a close relationship of equality, unity and helps to each other, and freedom of beliefs is protected. All ethnic groups live friendly together here. They cooperate to build a beautiful homeland, support heartily the unity of different ethnic groups and the unity of our country, and oppose the ethnic separatism and illegal religious activities.
Cheyney (Laughing Planet) weighs in ... Well worth the read.
A few of my photos of Kashgar Old City (October 2006 trip through Xinjiang province and over the Karakoram highway into the Hunza Valley in Pakistan)
This is the stairway up to the second floor living quarters in this building.
A wood carver's stash.
Rug shop.
Hardware store.
Did the Chinese government ask if these folks wanted their homes razed? "For their own good" Why does that remind me of Tibet?
To Protect an Ancient City, China Moves to Raze It - NYTimes.com
Saying it fears earthquake damage, the government plans to demolish and rebuild 85 percent of Kashgar’s Old City.
Discussion continues on SJ Rozan's Facebook as to whether this urban renewal in Kashgar has anything to do with earthquakes or perhaps something to do with the Chinese central government's take on the local Uighur Muslim population.
No, it couldn't be anything like that. Why look at this signage at Kashgar's Idkha Mosque, the largest mosque in China:
All of it shows fully that Chinese government always pays special attentions to the another and historical cultures of the ethnic groups, and that all ethnic groups warmly welcome Part's (sic) religious policy. It also shows that different ethnic groups have set up a close relationship of equality, unity and helps to each other, and freedom of beliefs is protected. All ethnic groups live friendly together here. They cooperate to build a beautiful homeland, support heartily the unity of different ethnic groups and the unity of our country, and oppose the ethnic separatism and illegal religious activities.
Cheyney (Laughing Planet) weighs in ... Well worth the read.
A few of my photos of Kashgar Old City (October 2006 trip through Xinjiang province and over the Karakoram highway into the Hunza Valley in Pakistan)
This is the stairway up to the second floor living quarters in this building.
A wood carver's stash.
Rug shop.
Hardware store.
Did the Chinese government ask if these folks wanted their homes razed? "For their own good" Why does that remind me of Tibet?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
"Outrage" Documentary: Outing Gay Conservatives
"Outrage," a new documentary from filmmaker Kirby Dick, takes issue with the secret lives of closeted gay politicians -- especially conservative Republicans who outwardly oppose gay rights.
The film, which premiered last week at the Tribeca Film Festival, features tell-alls from men who say they've had relationships with various Republicans, including Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Bush strategist Ken Mehlman and former Senator Larry Craig.
[...]
Whoo. Boy.
What do you think of "outing" closeted gays?
Justified if they're publicly bashing gays and gay rights?
When is privacy a right and a given? When not?
[found through a mention on Huffington Post]
The film, which premiered last week at the Tribeca Film Festival, features tell-alls from men who say they've had relationships with various Republicans, including Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Bush strategist Ken Mehlman and former Senator Larry Craig.
Whoo. Boy.
What do you think of "outing" closeted gays?
Justified if they're publicly bashing gays and gay rights?
When is privacy a right and a given? When not?
[found through a mention on Huffington Post]
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Haven't seen "A Gathering Storm"?
The National Organization for Marriage's A Gathering Storm advertisement against gay marriage has triggered yet another parody, this one starring Alicia Silverstone, Lance Bass, George Takei, Sophia Bush, and others.
Oh, please. Hurry with that giant umbrella that will save us from the storm of gay people about to shower down on us opposites.
(The original ad)
Oh, please. Hurry with that giant umbrella that will save us from the storm of gay people about to shower down on us opposites.
(The original ad)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Live Vote: Give President Obama a grade
Live Vote: Give President Obama a grade
Found this via a Facebook comment from SJ Rozan.
The teabaggers are giving Obama an F grade. (Currently 44% - F)
Want to leaven the results? Vote!
Found this via a Facebook comment from SJ Rozan.
The teabaggers are giving Obama an F grade. (Currently 44% - F)
Want to leaven the results? Vote!
Monday, March 02, 2009
Obama vs. The Fear
Obama vs. The Fear / Grin and be enthralled, or tremble and stuff dollar bills into your mattress?
[...]
This seems to be the bottom line, at least for now. We have, for the first time in just about forever, an enormously ambitious, confident, risk-taking president so full of grand and even borderline radical ideas they barely fit into a single generation, much less a single speech, and we have him at a time when we need, well, someone exactly like that.
That he just so happens to be tremendously intelligent, progressive, serene as an oak tree and utterly magnetizing? I guess you just call that a bonus.
What he ("he" being Mark Morford) said.
[...]
This seems to be the bottom line, at least for now. We have, for the first time in just about forever, an enormously ambitious, confident, risk-taking president so full of grand and even borderline radical ideas they barely fit into a single generation, much less a single speech, and we have him at a time when we need, well, someone exactly like that.
That he just so happens to be tremendously intelligent, progressive, serene as an oak tree and utterly magnetizing? I guess you just call that a bonus.
What he ("he" being Mark Morford) said.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Let us now gaze down on the Port of San Francisco
Specifically, Piers 23, 19, and 17. (Click on the photo to get an enlarged version.)
Note the pilings on the north apron of Pier 23.
Note the shabby temporary patches on the roof of the Port building facing the Embarcadero where Pier 21 would be, if there were a Pier 21.
Check out the pilings on the north apron of Pier 19. You can barely see the pair of orange cones keeping you from accidentally walking where the worst of the damage to the apron is. (The apron has crumpled and is no longer horizontal.) What you can't see in the picture very well is that the bulk of the apron to the west of the orange cones has disintegrated and fallen into the drink as well.
Check out the pilings at Pier 17 (the last pier you can see in the picture). They don't look in very great shape either, do they?
To quote from a SPUR document, published in The Urbanist in August, 2007:
The Port's 10-year Capital Plan is based on a comprehensive survey of the physical condition of all Port properties under its ownership. The Plan identifies the cost of bringing the Port into basic compliance with health, safety, seismic and Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, as well as fulfilling waterfront open-space needs, at nearly $1.5 billion. Almost one-third of the costs identified in this Capital Plan are for substructure repair and seismic strengthening of the Port's pile-supported structures.
Something must be done.
What will it be? What to do, what to do, what to do. ...
Note the pilings on the north apron of Pier 23.
Note the shabby temporary patches on the roof of the Port building facing the Embarcadero where Pier 21 would be, if there were a Pier 21.
Check out the pilings on the north apron of Pier 19. You can barely see the pair of orange cones keeping you from accidentally walking where the worst of the damage to the apron is. (The apron has crumpled and is no longer horizontal.) What you can't see in the picture very well is that the bulk of the apron to the west of the orange cones has disintegrated and fallen into the drink as well.
Check out the pilings at Pier 17 (the last pier you can see in the picture). They don't look in very great shape either, do they?
To quote from a SPUR document, published in The Urbanist in August, 2007:
The Port's 10-year Capital Plan is based on a comprehensive survey of the physical condition of all Port properties under its ownership. The Plan identifies the cost of bringing the Port into basic compliance with health, safety, seismic and Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, as well as fulfilling waterfront open-space needs, at nearly $1.5 billion. Almost one-third of the costs identified in this Capital Plan are for substructure repair and seismic strengthening of the Port's pile-supported structures.
Something must be done.
What will it be? What to do, what to do, what to do. ...
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Justice Rehires Attorney Fired Amid Gay Rumor : NPR
Justice Rehires Attorney Fired Amid Gay Rumor : NPR
This should never have happened. That she's been rehired is a good thing, but for pete's sake, how can anyone justify this to begin with?
Off with their heads! May the people responsible be ineligible for another legal position for the rest of their lives! How dare they mess with this attorney's life like this?
This should never have happened. That she's been rehired is a good thing, but for pete's sake, how can anyone justify this to begin with?
Off with their heads! May the people responsible be ineligible for another legal position for the rest of their lives! How dare they mess with this attorney's life like this?
Monday, February 02, 2009
Mormons donated more to California's Prop. 8 campaign than they'd previously copped to
Mormon church reports $190,000 Prop. 8 expenses.
Mormon church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, Friday reported nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
Now there's a huge surprise.
Up until Friday, the Mormon church had denied any direct financial support for the campaign beyond a reported $2,078 spent for bringing church Elder L. Whitney Clayton to California.
Church officials complained that Karger's complaint was full of errors and that the church had "fully complied" with California law.
The report filed Friday contained few details about how the money was spent.
[...]
While the deadline for the report, which covers the period from July 1 to Dec. 31, is Monday, many campaign contributions by major donors and independent committees must be reported within days after they're made.
The final reports are due today, because U.S. District Judge Morrison England late last week refused to exempt the yes-on-8 campaign from making their filings today.
If the Prop. 8 campaign was exempted from disclosure because of reports of harassments of individual donors, said Deputy Attorney General Zackery Morazzini, the same case could be made for any controversial initiative. Courts would have to "keep the entire California electorate in the dark as to who was funding these ballot measures," he said.
England agreed.
He noted that some of the reprisals reported by the Prop. 8 committee involve legal activities such as boycotts and picketing. Other alleged actions, such as death threats, mailings of white powder and vandalism, may constitute "repugnant and despicable acts" but can be reported to law enforcement, the judge said.
Even if there have been illegal reprisals, that would be insufficient reason to grant a wholesale exemption for a multimillion-dollar initiative campaign, England said. He also rejected the Prop. 8 campaign's argument that the $100 disclosure limit established in 1974 should be increased for inflation, saying some states require reports of contributions as low as $25 and the Supreme Court has never invalidated them.
[ref:Prop. 8 campaign can't hide donors' names]
Interesting to see what comes out today that the yes-on-8 campaign was so anxious not to have come out.
Mormon church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, Friday reported nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
Now there's a huge surprise.
Up until Friday, the Mormon church had denied any direct financial support for the campaign beyond a reported $2,078 spent for bringing church Elder L. Whitney Clayton to California.
Church officials complained that Karger's complaint was full of errors and that the church had "fully complied" with California law.
The report filed Friday contained few details about how the money was spent.
[...]
While the deadline for the report, which covers the period from July 1 to Dec. 31, is Monday, many campaign contributions by major donors and independent committees must be reported within days after they're made.
The final reports are due today, because U.S. District Judge Morrison England late last week refused to exempt the yes-on-8 campaign from making their filings today.
If the Prop. 8 campaign was exempted from disclosure because of reports of harassments of individual donors, said Deputy Attorney General Zackery Morazzini, the same case could be made for any controversial initiative. Courts would have to "keep the entire California electorate in the dark as to who was funding these ballot measures," he said.
England agreed.
He noted that some of the reprisals reported by the Prop. 8 committee involve legal activities such as boycotts and picketing. Other alleged actions, such as death threats, mailings of white powder and vandalism, may constitute "repugnant and despicable acts" but can be reported to law enforcement, the judge said.
Even if there have been illegal reprisals, that would be insufficient reason to grant a wholesale exemption for a multimillion-dollar initiative campaign, England said. He also rejected the Prop. 8 campaign's argument that the $100 disclosure limit established in 1974 should be increased for inflation, saying some states require reports of contributions as low as $25 and the Supreme Court has never invalidated them.
[ref:Prop. 8 campaign can't hide donors' names]
Interesting to see what comes out today that the yes-on-8 campaign was so anxious not to have come out.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Blagojevich -- just "an exploration of ideas and thoughts"
"You should be able to do that in a free country that guarantees the right of free speech especially when you're doing it in what you think is the sanctity of your home and you want to do it out of your home phone because you don't want any interconnection with the government lines so someone thinks you're talking politics on a government phone ..."
Charming.
Rachel Maddow is that good. ...
Charming.
Rachel Maddow is that good. ...
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Clinton foundation donors
The Clinton Foundation has released its donor list on its Web site.
And /ahem/ the site seems overwhelmed by the interest. (I got a timeout each time I tried. Couldn't get through.)
NYTimes article to get you through the wait. And one from Huffington Post.
And /ahem/ the site seems overwhelmed by the interest. (I got a timeout each time I tried. Couldn't get through.)
NYTimes article to get you through the wait. And one from Huffington Post.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Obama logo ideas that weren’t chosen | Logo Design Love
Obama logo ideas that weren't chosen | Logo Design Love
Interesting information and links re the design of the Obama '08 logo: how it was chosen, how it evolved.
Interesting information and links re the design of the Obama '08 logo: how it was chosen, how it evolved.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Providing stability. Securing the future.
This year, our financial markets have been tested in unprecedented ways. And though the global landscape has become increasingly complex, one thing has remained consistent: Citi's commitment to helping our clients and customers find solutions that will drive their financial success.
and the full-page ad in today's San Francisco Chronicle (Page A16) goes on.
hahaha hohoho.
c2008 Citigroup Inc. Member FDIC. Citibank and Citibank with Arc Design are registered service marks of Citigroup Inc. Citi never sleeps is a service mark of Citigroup Inc.
Citigroup's latest news
Citi dodges bullet
Government will guarantee losses on more than $300 billion in troubled assets and make a fresh $20 billion injection.
By David Ellis, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: November 24, 2008: 2:03 AM ET
Citigroup secured a massive government aid package over the weekend following a painful selloff last week in company stock.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The U.S. federal government on Sunday announced a massive rescue package for Citigroup - the latest move to steady the banking giant, whose shares have plunged in the past week.
Oh.
So how much does a full-page ad in the Chron cost?
and the full-page ad in today's San Francisco Chronicle (Page A16) goes on.
hahaha hohoho.
c2008 Citigroup Inc. Member FDIC. Citibank and Citibank with Arc Design are registered service marks of Citigroup Inc. Citi never sleeps is a service mark of Citigroup Inc.
Citigroup's latest news
Citi dodges bullet
Government will guarantee losses on more than $300 billion in troubled assets and make a fresh $20 billion injection.
By David Ellis, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: November 24, 2008: 2:03 AM ET
Citigroup secured a massive government aid package over the weekend following a painful selloff last week in company stock.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The U.S. federal government on Sunday announced a massive rescue package for Citigroup - the latest move to steady the banking giant, whose shares have plunged in the past week.
Oh.
So how much does a full-page ad in the Chron cost?
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