Tag: California

#rsrh So, the South California secession movement.

Not going to happen – the California state government’s not going to want to give up the tax revenue from the inland regions; and the current federal government probably wouldn’t be happy at the thought of one (or even two) new Republican Senators, to say nothing of the Republican Congressmen who would probably now survive redistricting.  And the minor little detail that losing a portion of California’s electoral votes would gut the Democratic party like a fisherman gutting a trout.  Still, the state is too large.  Which is something that I’d say about Texas, too: given my druthers, I’d break up some of the larger states until we got to sixty or so*.  Which is undoubtedly yet another reason why it’s probably a good thing that I’m never given my druthers.

No, I don’t even know what ‘druthers’ are, and I’m faintly afraid to check.  The word’s sufficiently archaic that it probably means something fairly distasteful.

Moe Lane

*At least one of which would be Puerto Rico.  Or they could go independent.  Either’s fine.

#rsrh Amazon ready to end California affiliate program.

A friend and colleague of mine just got this email:

Subject: Notice of Contract Termination Due to Potential New California Law

Hello,

For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of California residents. Unfortunately, a potential new law that may be signed by Governor Brown compels us to terminate this program for California-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers – including but not limited to those referred by California-based marketing affiliates like you – even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.

We oppose this bill because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It is supported by big-box retailers, most of which are based outside California, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that we must take this action.

As a result, we will terminate contracts with all California residents that are participants in the Amazon Associates Program as of the date (if any) that the California law becomes effective. We will send a follow-up notice to you confirming the termination date if the California law is enacted. In the event that the California law does not become effective before September 30, 2011, we withdraw this notice. As of the termination date, California residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com [ http://www.amazon.com/ ], Endless.com [ http://www.endless.com/ ], MYHABIT.COM [ http://www.myhabit.com/ ] or SmallParts.com [ http://www.smallparts.com/ ]. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned on or before the termination date will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule.

You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of California. If you are not currently a resident of California, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here [ https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/network/your-account/payee-info.html ]. And if you relocate to another state in the near future please contact us [ https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/contact?subject=&ie=UTF8 ] for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program.

To avoid confusion, we would like to clarify that this development will only impact our ability to offer the Associates Program to California residents and will not affect their ability to purchase from Amazon.com [ http://www.amazon.com/ ], Endless.com [ http://www.endless.com/ ], MYHABIT.COM [ http://www.myhabit.com/ ] or SmallParts.com [ http://www.smallparts.com/ ].

We have enjoyed working with you and other California-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to California residents. We are also working on alternative ways to help California residents monetize their websites and we will be sure to contact you when these become available.

Regards,

The Amazon Associates Team

Continue reading #rsrh Amazon ready to end California affiliate program.

California withholds legislator pay until budget fixed!

Alternative title: Hey, I was wrong about something!

I was absolutely certain that there was insufficient moral courage in the California state government to actually make stick the new rule that if California legislators don’t produce a balanced budget on time every year, then California legislators don’t get paid until they actually do produce a budget.  That’s probably because I’m a bit cynical when it comes to political foxes and fiscal hen-houses, particularly when it comes to rapidly-becoming-failed states like California.  So I assumed that Gov. Brown’s veto was, while nice, just part of the political kabuki theater that is West Coast politics.

Turns out I was wrong: Continue reading California withholds legislator pay until budget fixed!

Budget kabuki in California.

Let me sum up the situation: Democratic Governor Jerry Brown of California vetoed a garbage budget that the Democratic controlled-legislature of California hastily passed under a deadline so as to not lose any of their paychecks (there was an initiative passed that makes that the penalty for not passing a budget).  The Governor instead wants his garbage budget passed, complete with ‘temporary’ tax hikes, but would rather blame Republican legislators for insisting on getting ‘spending caps and pension reform’ in return for the tax hikes than in, say, actually instituting spending caps and pension reform.  And the aforementioned penalty for a late budget?  Turns out that there’s a loophole: the legislature just had to pass something, so they’re going to end up keeping their salaries.  Just you watch.

In other words, welcome to California.  Here’s your accordion!

Moe Lane

(Via AoSHQ Headlines)

California lifeguards make $100K/year?

(Via RCP) Well, the full-time ones at Newport Beach do; more than half of the 14 in 2010 (13 now) made more than 100K in salary, and all but one of ’em made made more than 100K in salary-plus-benefits.  Before you ask: those are the permanent people on salary; the city also hires over 200 part-timers, who don’t get that kind of compensation.  Why, because of our old friend in bold:

The Lifeguard Management Association represents the 13 full-time, salaried employees in collective bargaining with the city whereas the Association of Newport Beach Ocean Lifeguards represents the part-time, seasonal lifeguards.

As Orange Punch notes, the problem here is not precisely that full-time Californian municipal lifeguards are making 100K/year: it’s that full-time Californian municipal lifeguard salaries are comparable with those of other Californian municipal employees.  Which includes, apparently, their pension plans (90% of salary after 30 years on the job).  Remember when private sector workers had that kind of pension plan? – No, neither do I: I’m not sure that they ever did.

Continue reading California lifeguards make $100K/year?

Loretta Sanchez, *stupid* Democratic racist.

(By the way: if you want to contest the idea that Loretta Sanchez is a known racist, I suggest that you take it up with former Congressional Republican candidate Van Tran.  The race-baiting in that campaign reached the point where Sanchez was openly declaring that the Vietnamese were trying to steal the seat from ‘our community,’ which was almost as ironic as it was racist.)

Let us count the number of factually incorrect things that Rep. Sanchez can say in one minute, thirty five seconds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ7WbyiJ3ak&feature=player_embedded

OK, let’s go: Continue reading Loretta Sanchez, *stupid* Democratic racist.

#rsrh Mickey Kaus’ excellent CA redistricting point.

On the question of whether Democrats have taken secret control of the redistricting process in California… really, at this point, how could you tell?  Right now (assuming Wikipedia isn’t smoking crack) the California partisan breakdowns are as follows:

D R V
State Assembly 52 27 1
State Senate 25 15
Congressional Districts 34 19

…and, looking at the partisan breakdowns of Californian Congressional districts, I’m missing how a hypothetical Democratic conspiracy can make currently-Republican districts less Republican without also making rather more Democratic districts less Democratic.  This is where the devil’s bargain of racial gerrymandering bites Democrats on the hindquarters again; California’s heavy urbanization takes too much off the board when it comes to electoral skullduggery.

As Mickey puts it, the worst-case scenario would be the status quo.  Which is what I’m expecting will be the end result, mind you.

#rsrh Anti-labor Democrats? HAH!

I agree with Mickey Kaus on one thing: people like that aren’t Republicans, Lefty agitprop peddlers to the contrary.  But progressives in California who are fighting public sector unions aren’t fighting them because public sector unions are bloated ticks on the backside of the American economy.  No, they’re fighting them because there’s not enough for both progressives and the aforementioned bloated ticks.  These guys  would happily go back to the old cash-for-votes deal if only the treasury wasn’t so bare.

Put another way, this is all just strictly business.  Nothing personal.

Sacramento Teamster attacks counter-protester.

There’s just something special about seeing a would-be member of the modern Left’s Sturmabteilung shove around a counter-protester while screaming about ‘fascists.’  I assume that’s why the report is that this is a MoveOn.org guy: that sort of behavior is precisely the sort of room-temperature IQ maneuver that you’d expect from that crowd.

Note that the counter-protester got shoved twice; also note that Mr. Brownshirt was fully decked out in his gang leathers Teamster jacket in the process.  Hey, why don’t you sing “Look for the Union Label” next time you commit assault for the cameras?  That should really bring the message home that you’re operating under the sanction of your union.

Via @brooksbayne.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: I fully expect this kind of situation to escalate until somebody’s dead or seriously injured.  And I expect that to happen because the union goons that Dick Trumka is currently winding up and setting loose don’t understand that cameras are everywhere now, and that threats of violence and/or acts of intimidation are not going to be sufficient this time.  So the unions will get more violent, and it will get caught on tape, and that’s when things will get truly ugly.

So now would be a good time for the union leadership to start walking back from all of this.  They won’t, because the union leadership has a collective mental map of the political landscape that’s twenty years out of date, but they should.

Sympathy for the Moonbeam.

While the rest of the country is focused on Arizona, California remains in a bit of a fix – and by ‘fix’ I mean ‘rampaging financial crisis.’  The state needs to come up with twenty five billion dollars to handle its budget shortfall, and incoming Governor Brown has decided to split the baby* in the new budget.  He’s proposed 12.5 billion in spending cuts and 12 billion in tax hikes.  Said tax hikes will take the form of extensions on current tax rates (which will need to be ratified by the voters in a June vote; the spending cuts will hit everywhere except K-12 education & prison guards (which are represented by two lobbying groups that were heavy supporters of Brown).  But the controversy over that may pale in comparison to Brown’s proposed elimination of redevelopment agencies, which is currently having the same effect on local governments as a thrown rock does, right after it impacts the hornet’s nest.  No doubt more controversy, objections, push-back, push-push-back, and scenes of torch-bearing mobs are all to follow.

All in all, I’m glad that I’m not Governor of California – and, truthfully, there’s a certain relief in the notion that I’m not obligated to give the Governor of California advice on how to fix his state’s long-time financial woes.  I will, anyway** – I’m that nice a guy – but I don’t have to, and arguably the state of California has already made it clear that fiscal conservatism is not welcome over there.  Which is their privilege: but it means that all I have left to offer is a certain rough sympathy.  Which, for what it’s worth, I extend.

Moe Lane

Continue reading Sympathy for the Moonbeam.