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Pssst! Howd'ya Like to Retire with $300,000 a Year of Taxpayer Moolah
Cops are not heroes. Often they're immature cowards shooting so much steroids they cannot reason at all. As noted above, the average Marine in Afghanistan faces far more danger...and they're not swaggering down the street demanding "respect" from the neighbors. The average cab driver or store clerk faces far more danger, day to day, than the average cop. With crime going down dramatically (entirely due to demographics, absolutely NO correlation with anything the cops do) it's time to reduce our police forces too. We can't afford our over-paid over-pampered cops. Time to get rid of as many as we can. They do very little to prevent or investigate crime. If I were Mayor, I'd have every single cop tested for steroids, and fire all those who come up positive. That would reduce our costs while dramatically increasing the quality of the officers that remain.— October 1, 2010 7:55 a.m.
SOHO vs. Developers: What’s Worth Saving in San Diego?
I'm mostly a fan of SOHO. Bill Manson wrote a very good article. It is broadly sympathetic to SOHO while describing some of its accomplishments and failures. It's far from a hit piece. So the comments attacking his character are unwarranted. He's a writer, not a publicist. Sarai, by writing about SOHO he's drawing attention to the issue as well as the organization, which is the only way solutions are found. As to the portrait of the Coons, the author seemed complimentary. "You wouldn’t want to cross him — he’d slay you with a devastating barrage of facts." I wouldn't mind being described like that, especially if I'm forced to operate in the cesspool of San Diego politics. Jim Mills doesn't get quoted enough today, though we should all be listening to him more. I appreciate the author taking the time to get his frank views on our "for sale or for rent" elected officials. The effort to preserve noteworthy structures from our past is worth it. SOHO, warts and all, has done quite a lot of good...making mistakes and deals along the way, no doubt. On balance, I'm glad SOHO exists and that this dedicated band of mostly volunteers takes on the hard work to preserve San Diego's history where they can. After all, compared to the stadiums, ballparks, convention centers, "luxury" condo boxes, and hosting golf and political party nominations, the public costs (or lost opportunity costs) of historical preservation are miniscule.— September 29, 2010 9:46 p.m.
Price Slashes, Improved Team Haven't Helped Padres
With IP video, like YouTube, anyone with a web browser and broadband can watch an unlimited array of programming, including live sports from around the world. With unemployment high, and some turning away from conspicuous consumption, it's not just baseball that's lost audiences. Consider that the stadium concerts of the 80's and 90's have all but disappeared. With exaggerated terrorism fears too, why would a frightened American willingly put themselves into a large crowd in a confined space? What are youngsters more likely to play today, anyway? Baseball, or Xbox? Since parents are now taught that every priest and little league coach wants to kidnap their kids, little Johnny and Suzy are in the living room instead of the playing fields. They're not clamoring for Mom and Dad to take them out to the ball park. These factors all militate against any notion that Moores' and McGrory's ballpark scheme will begin paying for itself when the Great Recession is over. San Diego taxpayers are on the hook for this white elephant. While everyone agrees that the structure itself is perfectly designed for watching baseball, that makes no difference when the game of baseball is less interesting to the average American with every passing year.— September 29, 2010 8:49 p.m.
Escondido: Do Your Homework on the Portland Beavers
Don, regarding your #36... Yes, there seems to be a strong correlation with optimism and boneheaded decisions. In fact, Martin Seligman, a noted researcher in the field of optimism and pessimism, points to proof that optimism makes one discount risk and ignore long term problems. Pessimists, however, tend to accurately assess risk and consider the longer term prospects of an action. Yet Seligman's research also shows, conclusively, that Americans overwhelmingly elect optimists. If there is any fatal flaw for democracy, it could be this. Democracies, in consuming their bread and circuses, elect optimists who cannot foresee the inevitable consequences of their hubris. So professional liars-for-hire like Fabiani and Peace who wear rose colored spectacles to shade their eyes from the blindingly bright future. They delude themselves, then go on to delude others to great acclaim and wealth. These myopics crowd the cameras to denounce the nay sayers and pessimists, who right thinking people should scorn. We sourpusses were quite correct to be pessimistic when assessing these chumps' bold schemes. Our record is solid, theirs dismal. To be a professional political hack in today's San Diego requires a certain dullness of mind, lack of curiosity, and endless sunny optimism. Such lumpen-pols will always fall for the crooks gimmicks. Maybe it's time we elected a few pessimists for a change? Otherwise, democracy isn't going to be with us for much longer...it just doesn't work when too many optimists run the show.— September 27, 2010 8 a.m.
Escondido: Do Your Homework on the Portland Beavers
Rip me off with a ball park Give me corporate pork Buy me a mayor and council seat After the vote our team always gets beat 'cause it's fraud, fraud, fraud economics Taxpayers lose, it's a shame Then it's one, two, three million gone From this big shell game— September 24, 2010 12:28 a.m.
Prop R, for Rewards at Southwestern College
In the late 80's and early 90's there was a long running legal dispute about the SDCCD foundation. I was the student representative on the Board of Trustees in 89-90 and recall many heated accusations and angry words about how the money was diverted from the district and used for other purposes. I don't know how it was eventually resolved. So it's clear this issue has been around for a long time. The college boards especially escape scrutiny. Most voters don't even realise these boards exist, or how much money they control. Our DA has zero interest, it seems, in looking into what they get up to. Anyone remember the scandal with the City College property deal? Millions of dollars lost to insider dealing, and even when it was exposed nothing happened. So San Francisco, San Diego, Southwestern...looks like a pattern Susan. Maybe the State Attorney General should take a look...except the occupant of that office is good friends with community college board members, having been one himself. Susan, maybe Cato or Reason would fund a deeper look into the broader issue of community colleges using their foundations for less than public purposes? Worth a try... Best, Fred— September 16, 2010 11:04 p.m.
Public Funding
Is it just coincidence that the following Reader user accounts were created solely to comment on this article? * sdstudent * sdbestdad * sddemmom * hcsdebator * surfermom Is it just coincidence that they all repeat the same arguments, in very similar language? But the question isn't about Beiser's business experience...it's very clear he has some. The point of Matt Potter's article is that Rosen, a guy who sells TV equipment, came to the school district, wrote grants as a "volunteer", and then benefited from those same grants by selling TV equipment to the district for "educational" purposes. I have written a few grants in my time. It's considered unethical to write a grant for which you are the beneficiary. So I think Rosen's multiple-personality posters here are blowing smoke...it's not about who is the better capitalist, it's about who is more ethical. I think Rosen needs to answer some hard questions. Does he think it's ethical to write an educational grant, using taxpayer money, and then spend that grant money on his own TV equipment business? I'm glad Matt Potter brought Rosen's self-dealing into the light. I was already concerned about his business connections to faith healers and religious-right wackos, now that I see he's playing fast and loose with education funding grants to benefit his own business, I'm convinced he's not a good candidate for the school board. Best, Fred Williams— September 16, 2010 10:36 p.m.
Does the D in Prop D stand for "Dash for Cash"?
Todd Gloria is saying, "If you bribe us, we'll finally try to do the right thing". Uh huh. So why is the City and CCDC "studying" how to spend $800 million on a downtown stadium? Much as I'm a fan of Donna Frye, I'm voting NO on Prop D. Best, Fred— September 15, 2010 10:10 p.m.
Prop R, for Rewards at Southwestern College
These community college foundations, as Richard Rider points out, seem to engage in shady business. They claim to be acting as conduits for scholarships and fund raising, but they often act as slush funds for the board of trustees. The self-dealing Susan has exposed here is worthy of further investigation. That a public entity would contract with a PR firm to use intimidation to "isolate" its critics and silence dissent is scary. Is it true that the college paper has been shut down? Perhaps the Reader would be interested in publishing the article the administration wants to suppress? Susan, this is a great piece of journalism. You really dug up the facts, and connected the players with the money. Kudos. Now lets see if the DA or US Attorney is paying attention, or if they too participate in our elected officials' Reader boycott. Best, Fred (BTW: Hi Richard. Long time no see!)— September 15, 2010 9:57 p.m.
The cheap motels on San Diego's Midway Drive, the vending machines
It's been a long time since I choked up reading a story. A school counselor risked her job and reputation to help me "run away" from my toxic family and quietly rent a room from some friends of hers until I graduated at 17. David, I too remember wearing the same clothes, day after day, the classmates' ridicule, laughing off insults. Books, school, work, and art helped me escape. It has never been easy, and others who have had a normal and comfortable upbringing will never understand. That's just the way it is. I suspect you share the same deep pride in knowing where you've come from, and how long a journey you've made. You've got a resilience that many others, with their comfortable and normal upbringing, just don't have. You can look grim facts in the face and not be paralysed. David, I want you to keep writing so I can keep reading what you've written. It's not an easy way to make a living, but you've got genuine skill...and empathy those from typical backgrounds can never achieve. Thanks for writing this. I wanted to send you an email through the Reader, but didn't find your profile to do so. Feel free to contact me. Best, Fred— September 15, 2010 9:39 p.m.