San Diego County Tax Collector escheating of funds owed to citizens and business appears to be government theft

The San Diego Union Tribune today (Sep 10,2016) had an article by Joshua Stewart:  "Deadline Nears for County Refunds" that pointed out that monday Sep 12 is the deadline for people who may be due a check from the San Diego County Treasurer to file a form to request the funds or they will be "escheated" to the government, and the rightful owner will never again be permitted to claim the funds.  The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Dan McAllister says he is confused:  "Why wouldn't anyone want some quick and easy money?"  There are more than $352,000 in funds waiting to be claimed. McAllister says he "has a team of investigators that try to track down people who might have a claim to the funds."  I looked at the list of funds, and the majority of the funds belong to banks, mortgage companies, title companies and even a trailer park.  You can't tell me that Dan McAllister's team can't find Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, or First American Title Company.  Is he really trying to find the rightful owners?  Or does he want to capture the money for the County?  I think it appears to be theft!
I understand that the county is authorized to do this under California Revenue and Taxation Code sections 5097 and 5102  It does make some sense to put pressure on citizens and agencies to "close the books" on old accounts.  In the past, when all records maintained on paper, it was expensive to keep, file, search, and find records.  Now that technology permits very easy record keeping, there is minimal additional expense involved in maintaining records.  I believe it is time the state rules on escheatment of funds be modified to allow for funds to be claimed after longer periods of time than just 4 years.  Of course, a penalty, such as 10% per year could be levied for periods after the 4 yr period to encourage closure of accounts.  In addition, the Government agency should not be permitted to escheat the funds unless it can honestly show that it really did make an attempt to contact the rightful owner.  I'm not sure that holding a little "press conference" or putting an article in the newspaper constitutes a valid attempt.
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Yucca Mountain best solution to nuclear waste problem-By Darrell Issa

I have always been concerned about the nuclear waste storage problem.  I had hoped that President Jimmy Carter, who was a nuclear engineer, would have solved the problem.  But the problem isn't an engineering problem, it is a political problem.  So, we really need a political solution.  We also need some politicians willing to solve it.

I don't always agree with Darrel Issa, our 49th district Congressman.  However his editorial in Sunday's San Diego Union Tribune was absolutely correct!

Yucca Mountain best solution to nuclear waste problem | UTSanDiego.com

Yucca mountain is the correct location for the storage, and we should get working on it ASAP!  3000 Tons of the stuff in California, all stored in relatively unsafe locations really doesn't make sense.

I've also been a fan of nuclear power.  I think we should be using more of it. It is important that the nuclear power plants be properly sited, well designed, carefully constructed, be operated safely, and the waste from those plants be safely and permanently disposed of. I think it is a shame that we aren't going to rebuild San Onofre and redesign or repair the potentially leaky tubes.  The State and Country has too much invested in the site to abandon it.  However, I don't believe any new nuclear power plants should be designed our built until the storage problem is resolved.  Yucca Mountain is the answer!

Repeal of ObamaCare Medical Device Tax

The Union Tribune had an editorial today advocating the repeal of the tax on medical devices.  On rare occasions, the UT editorial staff goes above politics and states a well-researched opinion with a solid foundation.  This, isn't one of those times.  New hope for repeal of Obamacare tax | UTSanDiego.com  The UT complained that the tax was destroying jobs etc.

USA Today's editors the opposite side of the debate in their editorial, however they did publish a rambling opposition opinion by Tom Fogerty that complains that the tax somehow reduces innovation.  But back in 2013, Michael Hiltzik wrote a convincing column that the tax should remain-- I find I usually agree with Michael Hiltzik's opinion. .

First of all, the tax on the devices is only 2.3% which is hardly noticeable on a patient's medical bill. I don't know if there is sales tax added on medical devices but the 2.3% is probably less than 1/3 of the state, county or city sales taxes that would be added.  If there is not sales tax on such devices, then 2.3% is negligible compared to taxes on everything else.  Does the 8% sales tax we pay on electronic gadgets stop innovation?  Second, the 2.3% tax is reduced by the savings a company gets on their income tax, so that the 2.3% is actually around 1.4% after taxes.  The tax isn't charged on eyeglasses, hearing aids or exports.  So over half of the industry's products aren't affected.  Because it isn't charged on exports, it shouldn't affect international trade.  Yes, it is likely that the tax pushes up the price of those devices by the amount of the tax.  But we also know that a very large percentage of the cost of getting a heart stent, hip joint, knee joint etc is the cost of the operation and recovery.  The cost of the device itself is probably less than 25% of the total medical cost.  Also much of the cost is actually paid by the Government!  If a medicare, medicaid, military, or VA patient gets a new hip, the Government pays the tax as part of the overall medical bill.

I recently read the book America's Bitter Pill by Steven Brill.  It is a very long and very detailed description of how the ObamaCare --Affordable Care Act --was put together, and the struggle to get the important website up and running.  The negotiations among the many stakeholders in the process of developing the bill was very complex and very intense.  As part of the plan, it was recognized that by adding all of the new patients through Obamacare, some businesses would reap sudden windfall profits.  Doctors, hospitals, Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies would get a huge boost in sales and profits when new patients were added.  As part of the process, all of the participants gave up some "share" to make it fair to all.  The medical device companies share was the 2.3% tax.  They are now experiencing that windfall in sales and profits.  However they have spent $150 million over the past 5 years to lobby and make contributions to political campaigns in the hopes of eliminating this tax.  The problem is, if the tax is eliminated then next the other businesses, such as hospitals, will then want to also eliminate their "share."  The Republicans know this, and understand that if that tax were eliminated, it would possibly cripple Obamacare.  That, I believe, is their main goal. They have been working very hard to find some way to make the ACA appear to have failed, so they can more easily kill it.  They want to kill it, not because it doesn't work, but because they don't want credit given to the Democrats or Obama.  The "NIH" or "Not Invented Here" complex.  The Republicans killed the Clinton medical plan, and had many opportunities to present their own.  However they have never proposed any plan that appeared to work.

Concerning the tax effect on innovation.  A device such as an improved hip replacement part would sell just the same with the additional tax as without if the improved device, is, in fact, improved.  How many patients would worry about a 2.3% tax when selecting the best hip replacement joint?

It is revealing that Tom Fogerty and the San Diego Union Tribune editorial board carefully avoided any mention of facts or fairness among the industry stakeholders in Obamacare. Their editorials cited unsubstantiated loss of jobs and innovation as the rationale -- none of which meet the test of facts.  You have to wonder if the editorial was written as quid pro quo for the medical device manufacturers placing ads in the newspaper? 

The American Studies Association (ASA) says its academic boycott is not discriminating against Israelis. | UTSanDiego.com

It amazes me how "thin skinned" the Israelis are.  Whenever an organization says they aren't going to buy stock in Israeli companies they scream discrimination.  When an organization initiates an "academic boycott" they scream  The American Studies Association (ASA) says its academic boycott is not discriminating against Israelis. | UTSanDiego.com.  When members of the US Government complain about Israel's continuing to build settlements on Palestinian land, they complain loudly and act insulted.  However, on the other side, they have continued to defy the US by building settlements, they have just blown up many Palestinian homes and slaughtered thousands of people calling it "defense".  They say they are a "friend and ally" of the US -- but have not supported the US in any war with troops or weapons, even though the US has bought most of their weapons for them.  I haven't heard of Israel supporting any of our efforts to stop ISIS, even though ISIS is a threat to Israel as well as Iraq.  Also, they are the only Middle East government that has directly attacked US ships, and the only one from whom the US routinely arrests spies.  .