Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Governor Schwarzenegger has taken his first steps to correct California's faults. Unfortunately, they are not ground-breaking, just politics as usual. First, he repealed an unpopular increase in vehicle license fees, then he asked the legislature to place $15 Billion in bonds to bail out the state on the March 2004 ballot. So we reduce a potentially important funding source and then ask future generations to pay for it and the rest of our problems. There is nothing bold here, just a typical politician dodge. Money from the increased vehicle license fees were supposed to go the the cities and counties (Oh well). Taxes like the vehicle license fee serves two functions. They provide revenue and can provide a disincentive for the item taxed. This is an important consideration in California where automobiles are a major cost to the state. The State, counties, and cities spend billions to build and maintain roads. California businesses must spend billions to comply with environmental standards where the automobile is the biggest polluter. An increased vehicle license fee, not only provides revenue for cities, but also reduces the incentive to own a car. With fewer cars on the road, the costs to the state and businesses would be reduced. Apparently our new Governor doesn't understand this. But he does appear to understand that bond measures are the politician's friend. For politicians, bonds are like a credit card, but better. The state sells bonds to pay for things now, then pays them back with interest in the future. The beauty, for a politician, is that the debt and interest won't be paid until they are out of office. So the Governor wants to pay off our current deficit through bonds. No hard choices here, just pass the deficit off to future generations. Who cares if it causes a crisis in 10 or 20 years, the Governor won't be around to suffer the consequences. Welcome to the new California. The Who said it best, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." 8:52:38 PM     Comment []

I just got back from two hours in the dentist's chair getting an old filling replaced. Apparently it was a big filling and was a challenge to replace. To unwind from the experience, I'll catch up a little. Last week was busy. I had neighborhood meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday I was elected as the President of the University Neighborhood Coalition. Wednesday, at the United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County board meeting, we had to lay off our Executive Director (something I never imagined that I would have to do). On Thursday night, I went to the Sharks game with my dentist, Paul (we were classmates at Santa Barbara). Paul bought dinner at the game, it included donuts. He said it was good for business. Friday, Michele and I drove down to Santa Barbara for Art Sylvester's Retirement Celebration. I forgot my wallet and we missed all of Friday's events. But we made the BBQ on Saturday, which was a lot of fun. I talked to several of my old professors, including Bob Norris who taught the first geology course I took. I told him how his class and field trips helped me pass the Geology Registration test. When I talked to Art, he said he didn't recognize me because I had put on weight (I guess I need to get out into the field more). On Sunday, we drove back to Monterey to pick up Syrah (we are dog sitting while Mom & Dad spend the week in Yosemite). We took the slow road from Arroyo Seco to Carmel Valley. Every so often, you need to take the back roads through central California. I was pleased to see that they still exist. As we drove down into the Carmel Valley, we did our best to avoid the western newts crossing the road. We appeared to be far more successful than other drivers. Last night, I missed Monday Night Football because I went to a dinner put on by our financial advisor's company. The dinner caused a traffic jam, so it took a half hour to drive the last half mile to the hotel. I had enough time to swallow dinner then show Michele where I parked the truck so she could go off to band rehearsal. I made my way home on the 22 bus (an hour from Palo Alto to downtown San Jose with various interactions with other passengers). The bus driver closed the evening, telling me as I exited, "The bus, it's not just transportation, it's an adventure!" 6:18:12 PM     Comment []