Government officials in California want to hide the place they live from the public. They have proposed AB2299 to allow their names to be hidden on public property records. This is supposedly to prevent nuts from finding out where they live and demonstrating in front of their homes, or, even worse, causing injury or property damage to them. Steven Greenhut put together a good editorial in today's North County Times Perspective Section.
GREENHUT: More privileges for our government masters : North County Times - Californian:
It is clear that this would contribute to much more mischief in the Government. Also, I can envision many more groups asking for the same protection. Should a military officer be protected? Should bill collectors? CPA/Auditors? Building inspectors? Whenever people in public positions have to hide, or hide information about themselves, the Country is in trouble.
Bonnie Dumanis masked her thugs when they broke into Marijuana Collectives, so the owners and customers couldn't see the faces of their neighbors who were destroying their livelihood and causing the customers pain and suffering. It's clear that when that happens then, again, the country has a serious problem.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Everyday garbage, not tsunami trash, is the bigger problem - latimes.com
We heard about the immense amount of stuff that is floating in the Pacific Ocean from the Japan Tsunami. The news seemed to say that it was headed for the West Coast and the estimate of the size seemed to vary by an order of magnitude. This article sounds a little more reasonable about the tsunami debris -- but clearly explains how we are killing the ocean with our plastic...
Everyday garbage, not tsunami trash, is the bigger problem - latimes.com:
Everyday garbage, not tsunami trash, is the bigger problem - latimes.com:
Israeli Spying in the United States » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
I'm often told that Israel is the best ally the US has in the world. Sometimes the statement is changed to say "the best ally in the Middle East.
However, I haven't heard of the US arresting any spies from any Middle East countries except Israel. Israel spies on our Government and our companies and steals any technology that they can get their hands onto.
Israeli Spying in the United States » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Why does the US put up with this treatment? What do we do about it? We provide Israel the largest per capita aid program of around a $1B/year, and we provide aid to their neighboring countries (Egypt, Jordan etc) to prevent them from responding to Israel's many misguided attacks on Palestinians and Citizens of neighboring Lebanon. What do we get in return? Spies!
However, I haven't heard of the US arresting any spies from any Middle East countries except Israel. Israel spies on our Government and our companies and steals any technology that they can get their hands onto.
Israeli Spying in the United States » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
Why does the US put up with this treatment? What do we do about it? We provide Israel the largest per capita aid program of around a $1B/year, and we provide aid to their neighboring countries (Egypt, Jordan etc) to prevent them from responding to Israel's many misguided attacks on Palestinians and Citizens of neighboring Lebanon. What do we get in return? Spies!
Africa refugees in Israel face ugly, sometimes violent backlash - latimes.com
It sounds to me that Israel is now treating the Africans worse than the Palestinians and Christians. They've been driving out the Christians for years as has been described on many recent articles, and an episode on 60 minutes. They have been mistreating the Palestinians among them and those in their compounds, such as the Gaza Strip. Now they are showing again that they want to be "Ethnically Pure" -- and are treating the African refugees very badly.
Africa refugees in Israel face ugly, sometimes violent backlash - latimes.com:
Africa refugees in Israel face ugly, sometimes violent backlash - latimes.com:
California Oil Severance Tax
I've believed for years that California should charge a much higher severance tax on all oil, gas and any other mineral removed from the state. We now charge around 10cents per barrel Here's an article from LA Times several years ago that explains why we still don't collect more tax.
There's revenue in those hills -- and offshore - latimes.com:
Alaska has a "negative" income tax based upon the revenue it earns from oil. It charges between 25% and 50% of the well-head value. For $100/barrel oil, that would be $24-$50/ barrel. Many other states make huge amounts from their oil and gas. Here's a link to a table that shows all of the states: http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/energyhome/oil-and-gas-severance-taxes.aspx California's Severance Tax is determined by the State of California Department of Conservation. Here's their report: Why doesn't California charge more? I think the reason is that the Republicans receive so much in contributions from the industry that they will not pass that bill. Of course the environmentalists are now also at fault. Yes, oil and gas drilling and pumping could have an accident. However it is much safer than 30 years ago. With proper inspections, controls, emergency procedures, rapid response clean up ready and available, I think the problem is a non-issue, from an environmental standpoint.
There's revenue in those hills -- and offshore - latimes.com:
Alaska has a "negative" income tax based upon the revenue it earns from oil. It charges between 25% and 50% of the well-head value. For $100/barrel oil, that would be $24-$50/ barrel. Many other states make huge amounts from their oil and gas. Here's a link to a table that shows all of the states: http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/energyhome/oil-and-gas-severance-taxes.aspx California's Severance Tax is determined by the State of California Department of Conservation. Here's their report: Why doesn't California charge more? I think the reason is that the Republicans receive so much in contributions from the industry that they will not pass that bill. Of course the environmentalists are now also at fault. Yes, oil and gas drilling and pumping could have an accident. However it is much safer than 30 years ago. With proper inspections, controls, emergency procedures, rapid response clean up ready and available, I think the problem is a non-issue, from an environmental standpoint.
Guest worker idea stuck in web of politics - latimes.com
Steve Lopez today wrote a good column that describes our terrible immigration program and how it now is impacting the agriculture industry. Guest worker idea stuck in web of politics - latimes.com:
The farmers need workers badly and are willing to pay reasonable wages. However they cannot get the labor they need. At the same time, we have so very many Americans out of work, who could do some of that work, but don't want to. If the farmers don't get the workers they need, farm prices will eventually go up, because US farmers will go out of business and the produce will be imported. That, in turn, will reduce the value of farmer's land, reduce US exports, increase US imports, and reduce income and property tax collection by governments.
At the same time, we bring in IT, computer, and engineers to work in our industries for a couple of years and then send them home to compete with the US companies. The right wingers who allow these immigrants under H1-B Visas are taking jobs away from US Citizens who are trained in these fields and drive down the salaries that they could earn. That, in turn, discourages students from studying to be in these technical fields etc...a spiral downwards for the US.
The farmers need workers badly and are willing to pay reasonable wages. However they cannot get the labor they need. At the same time, we have so very many Americans out of work, who could do some of that work, but don't want to. If the farmers don't get the workers they need, farm prices will eventually go up, because US farmers will go out of business and the produce will be imported. That, in turn, will reduce the value of farmer's land, reduce US exports, increase US imports, and reduce income and property tax collection by governments.
At the same time, we bring in IT, computer, and engineers to work in our industries for a couple of years and then send them home to compete with the US companies. The right wingers who allow these immigrants under H1-B Visas are taking jobs away from US Citizens who are trained in these fields and drive down the salaries that they could earn. That, in turn, discourages students from studying to be in these technical fields etc...a spiral downwards for the US.
Many hospitals, doctors offer cash discount for medical bills - latimes.com
This article clearly points out the tremendous distortion in our US medical care system.
Many hospitals, doctors offer cash discount for medical bills - latimes.com: It is absurd that there could be such a wide difference between the "cash price" and the insurance price such that even a 25% co-pay is higher than the amount a patient would have to pay if they paid cash.
In my mind the distortion is caused by the fact that the hospitals need to recover funds expended on patients who can't pay and don't have insurance. That is the root cause--then the insurance companies, acting as a buffer between the consumer and the provider actually magnify the situation. I'm not convinced that Obamacare will fix the situation --it may make it worse. The best answer is still "single payer" system--The Government -provided medical care system which is used in almost all of the rest of the world.
Many hospitals, doctors offer cash discount for medical bills - latimes.com: It is absurd that there could be such a wide difference between the "cash price" and the insurance price such that even a 25% co-pay is higher than the amount a patient would have to pay if they paid cash.
In my mind the distortion is caused by the fact that the hospitals need to recover funds expended on patients who can't pay and don't have insurance. That is the root cause--then the insurance companies, acting as a buffer between the consumer and the provider actually magnify the situation. I'm not convinced that Obamacare will fix the situation --it may make it worse. The best answer is still "single payer" system--The Government -provided medical care system which is used in almost all of the rest of the world.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Israeli Court Rejects Appeal for Palestinians’ Release - NYTimes.com
Here's another example of how Israel's Government continues to stir up trouble in the Middle East. They purposely try to irritate the Palestinians to keep the conflict going, and continue their massive welfare payments from the US and the rest of the world.
Israeli Court Rejects Appeal for Palestinians’ Release - NYTimes.com:
If turn about would be fair play, and the Palestinians had any Israeli prisoners held without charges, the Israeli's would be lobbing missiles into the Palestinian compounds until the prisoner were released.
Israeli Court Rejects Appeal for Palestinians’ Release - NYTimes.com:
If turn about would be fair play, and the Palestinians had any Israeli prisoners held without charges, the Israeli's would be lobbing missiles into the Palestinian compounds until the prisoner were released.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals for the release of two Palestinian prisoners who have been on ahunger strike for 69 days to protest their incarceration without formal charges, sharpening concern for their lives and raising the specter of widespread unrest in the event of a death.
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Palestinians Go Hungry to Make Their Voices Heard (May 4, 2012)
Barring a last-minute deal, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, an advocacy group that has been monitoring the condition of the two men, said the court ruling was “the effective equivalent of handing down a death sentence.”
The judges said they had found no justification to intervene in the cases of Bilal Diab, 27, and Thaer Halahleh, 33, both residents of the West Bank accused of working withIslamic Jihad, an extremist organization. The court upheld the practice of imprisonment without charge — called administrative detention — if used sparingly. Yet the judges expressed unease over aspects of these particular cases and suggested that the authorities consider alternative approaches.
Citing classified evidence against Mr. Halahleh, the court said he had been engaged in transferring money for Islamic Jihad. But since Mr. Halahleh will have been in detention for almost two years when his current term ends in June, the court said, any further extension should be based on a more thorough investigation.
Mr. Diab, who previously spent years in prison on charges of military activity, according to court documents, was last detained in August 2011. Citing secret evidence that he played an organizational role in Islamic Jihad, also mainly related to money, the court suggested that the military authorities should consider administrative terms shorter than six months in Mr. Diab’s case, to allow for better judicial oversight.
In addition, one of the judges suggested that given the deteriorating health of the men, the authorities could consider the option of releasing them on parole.
Islamic Jihad is notorious for the suicide bombings it carried out last decade in Israeli cities, and more recently for firing rockets from Gaza into southern Israel. Spokesmen for the group have warned of dire consequences if a hunger striker dies.
Israel argues that administrative detention is necessary to ensure security. It currently holds more than 300 Palestinian administrative detainees, whose terms of up to six months can be renewed repeatedly.
Adding to the tensions, at least 1,500 convicted Palestinian security prisoners from various organizations have joined the hunger strike since mid-April, demanding better prison conditions.
The protest began with Khader Adnan, a detainee from Islamic Jihad who fasted for 66 days until he reached a deal in February for his release in April. Another detainee, Hana Shalabi, also believed to be a member of Islamic Jihad, fasted for more than 40 daysbefore being sent into temporary exile in Gaza. Neither case caused any fundamental change in Israeli policy.
In a separate ruling Monday, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the state to reopen a highly contentious case involving five apartment buildings in Ulpana, a development linked to the Jewish settlement of Bet El in the West Bank.
The state had pledged to demolish the buildings, home to about 30 Israeli families, by May 1, in accordance with an earlier court ruling because they were built, albeit with government subsidies, on privately-owned Palestinian land. But the government, faced with a political challenge, recently asked the court to reconsider its ruling.
The judges said on Monday that the state had presented no legal precedent and no new facts to warrant such an extraordinary step. The court gave the state until July 1 to demolish the buildings.
Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organization representing the Palestinian landowners, welcomed the decision, saying it upheld the rule of law.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Privacy Rights Groups Voice Opposition To CISPA
Here we go again! The right-wingers want to snoop into what everyone is doing on the internet, without any oversight or transparency. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act
Privacy Rights Groups Voice Opposition To CISPA - Dark Reading:
Privacy Rights Groups Voice Opposition To CISPA - Dark Reading:
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