California!! It's Another Country!!

[barfle]

There is good news happening in California. Barbara Boxer's "call me Senator" remark has prompted a response.


I'm sure Haggis will love it. Not so sure about OT.

[Haggis@wk]

There is good news happening in California. Barbara Boxer's "call me Senator" remark has prompted a response.


I'm sure Haggis will love it. Not so sure about OT.

Heh.

Apparently some believe her vulnerable, I have my suspicions.

[OperaTenor]

I'm kind of ambivalent about her anymore. I used to think she actually cared about representing the citizens in her constituency, but I pretty much doubt it these days.

Just another flavor of corporate lackey...

[barfle]

Apparently some believe her vulnerable, I have my suspicions.

Even Californians can recognize a if it's shown to them often enough.

[Haggis@wk]

What do people in the world's tenth largest economy do in a severe recession? They stop taking the bus, fill up their tanks, and start driving. It's happening all over California.

The San Jose Mercury News has an entertaining story on BART defectors, solid Bay Area liberals who have given up on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system:

For three years, Veronique Selgado took BART from the East Bay to her job working for an airline at San Francisco International Airport. But she recently switched to driving because BART raised fares and upped its SFO round-trip surcharge from $3 to $8, boosting her daily trip cost to nearly $20.

"It's outrageous," Selgado said. "At what point do they stop raising the prices, when it's $50 a day to go round-trip to work? At what point does BART stand back and say, 'People can't pay that much to commute'?"

[Giant Communist Robot]

Clearly the Senator is sensitized to gender issues and resents anyone recognizing she is female.

[jamiebk]

There has to be more to the story. Even at $20.00 per day (for BART) the numbers just don't pencil for taking yoru own car. I can't calculate the cost of operation, but the IRS pegs this as follows:

55 cents per mile for business miles driven
24 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

Assuming she drives 40 miles per day @ say...$ .35 that's about $14.00 right there. Next is the Bridge toll at $5.00 (OK now we are at even money for the commute -vs- BART. Add parking now which is easily $15-20 per day and it is over the top at around $38-40/day or $760 per month compared to the "$20.00 per day" on the buss (or about $400). Driving one's own car costs about $40-50/day with mileage, tolls, and parking.

My parking costs $400.00 per monthly bridge toll (with Fastrack discount) is $5.00 per day and I travel 102 miles per day.

That's $714.00 per month for mileage @.35; $100 for tolls; and $400 for parking. Total = $1214 just to get to work! The bus would cost $8.40 each way or $336.00.

[Shapley]

1) She may have free employee parking at the airport.

2) If I recall correctly, the San Mateo Bridge was toll free, although it's been twenty years since I was there. Depending on where she is in the East Bay, it may be quickest route to the airport. I used to drive that route frequently.

3) Carpooling will greatly reduce the impact on the wallet.

4) Assuming she is really a "solid Bar Area liberal", as the article says, then she will consider the 'protest value' of such a move.

5) Bay Area liberals are not noted for the grasp of economics.

[Haggis@wk]

There has to be more to the story. Even at $20.00 per day (for BART) the numbers just don't pencil for taking yoru own car. I can't calculate the cost of operation, but the IRS pegs this as follows:

I think this part of the article addresses some of those issues.

Millbrae resident Robert Smith, 63, had taken BART and Golden Gate Transit to his job in Sausalito because his employer provided transit vouchers, but eventually he threw up his hands, bought a Honda Civic and started driving.

It took him 21/2 hours each way by train and bus, turning his nine-hour workday into a 14-hour endeavor. Now he drives, and it takes him 45 minutes each way, which he said is well worth the extra gas and toll bridge costs.

"It just got to the point where it was too much of a hassle time-wise," Smith said. "It's just not worth it."

Many commuters agree that, if convenience and cost were equal between transit and driving, they would ditch their cars in an instant. But all too often that's not the case, now more than ever.

Rick Mann loves public transit but hates the two hours and 15 minutes it takes him to walk from his Milpitas home to a transit station, catch a train, transfer to another train and then walk to his job as a software engineer in Sunnyvale.

So he drives instead. It takes him 10 to 15 minutes.

Americans as a whole hate delays when there's a quicker way. IMHO, the economic consideration often takes a back seat. I'll always take a nearby toll road rather than spend 15 - 30 additional minutes on the public roads to reach my destination. It''s worth it to me to spend $3.50 to save up to an hour a day in commuting costs. But I recognize that not everyone agrees, the MRHYN will seldom use the toll roads, regardless of the time it might save here.

[jamiebk]

Well, it's not just about the money then. It is a matter of time and convenience. No public transportation option is going to beat a direct drive by car. They do have some "express" busses, but even those require a few stops and of course, they usually don't take you directly to your destination. There is also the flexibility thing. So many times, I find myself after work running errands on my way home....food store, dry cleaning, shopping for gifts or getting the oil change dor car filled up. All of that is impossible with public transport (for the most part).

[Haggis@wk]

In California: Tire Inflation Nazis. You’d think their budget problems would encourage them to prioritize. But then, if they could do that, they might not have budget problems to begin with.

[Shapley]

So, would they require them to be inflated to the tire manufacturer's specifications or the auto manufacturer's specification? Or, will there be a 500+ page government guideline on tire inflation, in order that every possible vehicle/tire combination is covered? Worse yet, will they mandate tire sizes be kept consistent with original issue?

My Toyota has a tire inflation warning light on the dash. Darn thing comes on every time the weather changes...

[jamiebk]

I hate these CARB people...They think that they have some God-given mandate to save Californian from itself. They are idiots and until some one starts using common sense, they will continue to enact stupid regualtions that continue to erode our personal freedoms. As it is, I can't light a fire in my fireplace on "Spare the Air" days (that are becomming more and more frequent). Now they are running ads with cute little doe-eyed children saying that "when our neighbors burn wood, I can't breathe because my asthma gets bad". It's all bullshit.

[dai bread]

"Who hath smelt wood-smoke at twilight?
Who hath heard the birch-log burning?
Who is quick to read the noises of the night?
Let him follow with the others:
-for the Young Men's feet are turning,
To the camps of proved desire and known delight!"- Kipling.

Now, that is considered to be pollution.

[Haggis@wk]

California Healthcare woes

The estimated cost of the Democrats California Health Care bill is over $210 billion dollars a year! Nearly 250% more than the existing state revenues. But wait – there is more – or less depending on how you think about it. The Democrats don’t even have a funding mechanism in place to pay for their bill. Instead, they want to create a committee (itself costing $1 to $2 million) to come up with a funding mechanism. Of course, that means a government committee to devise a tax scheme to pay for government bureaucracy.

[Haggis@wk]

Sacramento is once again making its irrelevance and incompetent leadership plain to see:

State lawmakers are taking aim at what some of them see as a menace to California’s environment: free parking.
There is too much of it, the legislators say, and it encourages people to drive instead of taking the bus, walking or riding a bike. All that motoring is contributing to traffic jams and pollution, according to state Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), and on Thursday he won Senate approval of a proposal he hopes will prompt cities and businesses to reduce the availability of free parking. …
The bill, supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Sierra Club, provides financial incentives for cities and counties to stop providing free parking on the street and at government offices and to reduce the amount they require businesses to provide.

[jamiebk]

Sacramento is once again making its irrelevance and incompetent leadership plain to see:

State lawmakers are taking aim at what some of them see as a menace to California’s environment: free parking.
There is too much of it, the legislators say, and it encourages people to drive instead of taking the bus, walking or riding a bike. All that motoring is contributing to traffic jams and pollution, according to state Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), and on Thursday he won Senate approval of a proposal he hopes will prompt cities and businesses to reduce the availability of free parking. …
The bill, supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Sierra Club, provides financial incentives for cities and counties to stop providing free parking on the street and at government offices and to reduce the amount they require businesses to provide.

I suspect that the cities' businesses will not support this. It's only going to "drive" more business away form the city and into the suburbs...which again, creates more driving. These people are idiots

[Haggis@wk]

Vallejo city worker brutally attacked by mob

I actually thought this was in another country when I first saw the headline. Something is going wrong in this country. Maybe the title is right and California is another country.

VALLEJO, CA (KGO) -- Dozens of teenagers saw it happen in broad daylight, but no one has come forward to identify the mob of young people who beat up a Vallejo city worker. Police have released surveillance video to generate tips.

The attack happened in front of two cameras on Feb. 1 at approximately 3:19 p.m.
Surveillance video from a minimart near Vallejo High School shows the 46-year-old city of Vallejo worker in a back hoe being hit with rocks by some kids. He then drives back to the location at Nebraska and Broadway streets to confront the kids who begin attacking the man. The city worker gets knocked down and eventually a crowd of up to 40 people begin beating the man while he is on the ground.
Police say the mob fractured his skull, broke his jaw and collarbone, and knocked several teeth out of his mouth.

On top of it all, they went through his pockets and stole his wallet, all while people cheered in front of another camera from a bystander who shot video. Police have already identified several suspects in the video, but they are also offering $1,000 for the arrest and conviction of any other suspects who took part in this mob beating.

'I saw some punches thrown, but that's about it," said a witness who believes there were close to 40 people in the area.

"That's the way it is out here every morning," Vallejo resident Leonardo Morazan said. "I even went and talked to the principals before last year. About a year or two years ago they jumped my son. They stole everything from him. I had to go inside and say, 'You know, this needs to stop."

The victim, a 20-year city employee, was transported to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Vallejo where he was treated for his injuries. There is no word yet on his condition.

[jamiebk]

Terrible incident. Kids started throwing rocks at the worker...he became enraged and confronted them...hysteria ensued. Sounds like Harlem or East LA. Here's a clue....it's not just happening in CA.

[Trumpetmaster]

Terrible incident. Kids started throwing rocks at the worker...he became enraged and confronted them...hysteria ensued. Sounds like Harlem or East LA. Here's a clue....it's not just happening in CA.

It is truly tragic this is going on....
BTW....they cleaned Harlem up....