Jerry Sanders Wants a Sales Tax Increase? Bring it on! Prepare to LOSE, Jerry – big-time Let’s see if I can summarize what’s happening. From a financial viewpoint, the city of San Diego is going down the tubes. Reforms are being blocked by the labor union owned (well, rented) city council. We are a grossly mismanaged city held up to …
Demented CA State Senator still votes!
Most folks don’t know that one of the California Democrat State Senators suffers from apparent dementia. She seems to not know what is going on around her. Yet she still holds office, draws her salary and has highly paid handlers to take care of her. But the amazing thing is that she still votes. Her chief overseer is Senate President …
A city of 90,000 — with TWO city employees. It works!
Carl DeMaio’s San Diego managed competition proposal is a tad short of my ideal model – but a quantum leap forward from our present predicament. I enthusiastically support his efforts. Yet it does raise the question – what WOULD be my ideal model, given the constraints of the real world we live in. My proposed model is indeed not a …
Honest pension liability accounting will bring needed change
Posted on my blog: RiderBlog.NotLong.com It appears that reality finally is coming to the arcane field of government pension accounting. So why should you care? Consider the following. If (as the Dan Walters article below suggests) we start getting really serious about fully accounting for the unfunded liability of government pensions, bankruptcy can’t be far behind for many local jurisdictions. …
U.S. limits BP oil spill liability to $75 million. Madness!
The monumental British Petroleum Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been held aloft by Big Government advocates as a dramatic example of “the failure of the free market.” But is it? Short answer: Hell NO! [Ex-economist (now partisan commentator) Paul Krugman goes so far as to point to this incident to condemn libertarian thinking — chastising libertarians for trusting government …
SD Tax Fighters June endorsements
SAN DIEGO TAX FIGHTERS JUNE 2010 CANDIDATE (and PROP) ENDORSEMENTS – Version 1.0 Contact: Richard Rider, Chairman Phone: 858-530-3027 Email: RRider@san.rr.com Generally, the board of San Diego Tax Fighters chooses to dwell on issues rather than candidates. But there are times when we make candidate endorsements – sometimes reluctantly, but endorsements nevertheless. It must be pointed out that we may …
McClintock, Hedgecock & Rider agree on CA props
It’s not always the case. But on the June CA statewide props, we three agree. Yes, no, no, yes, yes. Roger Hedgecock’s endorsements can be found here. Mine have previously been posted on this website. And below are McClintock’s prop endorsements for this June — and his rationale: Prop. 13. Seismic Retrofits. YES: Earthquake proofing your house shouldn’t trigger a …
HJTA: Greed and Ambition Fuel Prop. 14
RIDER COMMENT: Prop 14 is NOT an “open primary” proposition. But it WILL effectively eliminate third parties from ballot qualification in California, and will ban write-in votes. And this supposedly promotes democracy?? — Greed and Ambition Fuel Prop. 14 May 24, 2010 By Jon Coupal Promoters of Proposition 14 on the June ballot are calling it the “open” primary. Ah …
Health care bill’s form 1099 Frankenstein
Sometimes I get irritated at my own laziness. But after all, I’m retired! Here’s an outrageous item I meant to post over 3 weeks ago, but let slide. Thankfully my bro-in-law Adam reminded me to get going on this. This 1099 provision in the massive health care bill is madness. Apparently it means my (and your) SS# or TIN (business …
Thomas Sowell rebuts Obamanomics
After my main man Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell is easily my favorite economist. But he’s more than a great free market advocate. He offers enlightening sociological and philosophical insights. Professor Sowell is truly an original thinker. Watch his YouTube interview. Even though he is a bit past his peak as a communicator, Sowell’s intellect towers above little people with little …
SD Tax Fighters’ Positions on June Props
San Diego Tax Fighters has completed its review of the June 2010 Primary Election state and local ballot measures and issued its ballot recommendations. A supermajority (75%) vote of the SD TF Board of Directors is required for a position to be taken on any ballot measure. The recommendations (with subjective exclamations marks added by Richard Rider — not by …
Public employees underpaid? NAHHHHH
Below is the link to a detailed rebuttal of a recent bogus study claiming that public employees are paid less than the private sector. This rebuttal was done by my friend Adam Summers with the Reason Foundation. Of course, the opposite is true. Today most (not all) public employees are paid MORE than the private sector average, and their benefits …
Navy naming warship the “John Murtha”?
Incredibly, the Navy (yes, OUR Navy) is planning to name a warship after the late John Murtha — a contemptible human being who served many years as a U.S. Congressman. A ragtag but vocal opposition movement is developing on Facebook… http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109473479090697 Most of the opposition is because of Murtha’s remarks calling military personnel cold-blooded murderers. You’d think that alone would …
HELP! Who to support for Poway CC?
I’m looking for guidance and input concerning the Poway city council elections. I understand that certain candidates are opposed to the proposed Poway Wal-Mart Superstore (for whatever reasons they care to claim). I’m interested in supporting candidates who will vote FOR the Wal-Mart enterprise. I care not what the claimed reasons are. My pro-Wal-Mart position is based on consumer choice, …
“Saturday Night Live” skit lampoons public employees
Watch it here: http://www.hulu.com/collections/435/144719 No matter how bad the show’s writing has been over the past decade or so, you know that an issue has developed widespread awareness when it’s the subject of a skit on Saturday Night Live. I give the writers an A for accuracy regarding the list of benefits, but this kind of truth isn’t funny to …
All transportation subsidies are NOT the same
FROM MY BLOG: A common argument for High Speed Rail (indeed ALL passenger rail) taxpayer subsidies is the childish excuse that “everybody’s doing it.” All transit is subsidized, so why not rail? There are two glaring problems with this lame reasoning: 1. All transportation is NOT necessarily subsidized. User fees more than cover the federal cost of roads. 2. The …
End SD city ban on Wal-Mart superstores
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE editorial writer Chris Reed has an excellent post on his blog about the incoherent anti-Wal-Mart arguments by Democrats against low food prices and jobs for lower income folks. I strongly recommend reading his piece. http://Wal-Mart-GOOD.notlong.com It reviews in detail a fabulous study from an honest LIBERAL economist verifying all the good Wal-Mart is doing the poor and …
Listen to Chris Reed on KOGO – or online!
Chris Reed is by far the best Opinion Editor for the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. He describes himself as “libertarian lite.” He is EXCELLENT! His primary emphasis is on our state and local economic woes. And yes, I’m occasionally a guest on his talk show. Currently Chris hosts a 2 hour KOGO talk show (AM-600), 6-8 PM, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and …
Is Green Mass Transit a Big Myth?
Short Answer – Yes. While a full bus or light rail train is more energy efficient per passenger mile, the fact is that most hours of the day such transit is lightly used, driving up the energy cost per passenger, according to studies done by the U.S. Dept of Energy. — http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?page=article&Article_ID=16923 Daily Policy Digest Energy Issues August 18, 2008 …
UPDATED: Congressman thinks Guam might capsize
In a hearing, Democrat Congressman Hank Johnson expresses his sincere concern that too many people on tiny Guam might cause the island to capsize. Trust me — this video is worth three minutes out of your life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZczIgVXjg&feature=player_embedded This is such a literally unbelievable video that initially I suspected it was an April Fools hoax. I Googled the guy and …
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