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County Retail Sales Dropping Sharply; Tax Receipts Will Feel It
Johnny, I don't mind making all the dollars public. It'll show your crap about firefighters making $200K is just that. Chiefs and a few captains maybe, but not the vast majority of employees. =========================== You cannot judge compensation unless the benefits are included, especially pension benefits. Vallejo FF's receive over $200K including benefits-in fact if you divide the VFD budget by # of employees it is around $250K per employee. Now not all of that is compensation, but it does show how much money it is costing. . . . .... if it helps, all the other agencies in the survey got raises in 2007. SDFD did not. ================================ JF, the only raises given out as I recall, was SDPD. Everyone else had a pay freeze.— July 12, 2008 8:20 a.m.
Brace Yourself for Another Bailout: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Near the Brink
Compare this with Obama's wife. She doesn't seem to have a pill-popping problem, though she's received far more scrutiny than Cindy. ======================================= Obama is in the drivers seat for this election, he has so much going in his favor that the only way McCain can catch up in 3.5 months is if he shoots himself in the foot (and this is done many ways-inlcuding NOT responding to negative ads). Will Barack Obama get elected??? Dukakis had a 17 point lead in 88, far larger than Obama's lead today, and lost convincingly.— July 12, 2008 8:10 a.m.
Brace Yourself for Another Bailout: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Near the Brink
Response to post #18: Does David Cay Johnston get into how much corporate money is sequestered offshore in tax and secrecy havens? =========================== Oh yeah, the PO boxes in Bermuda and other places........big scam.— July 11, 2008 8:52 p.m.
Lepine Drops Harassment Suit, Receives No Payment. Will Campaign Now Focus on Goldsmith's Domestic Uproars?
I hope Mike sues her for malicious prosecution.— July 11, 2008 8:48 p.m.
Brace Yourself for Another Bailout: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Near the Brink
If Bud distributed directly thru Wal Mart-I would think that would wipe out the local liquor store owner. In David Cay Johnston's book "Free Lunch" he documents extensively the "subsidies" that big box retailers are getting through local governments-allowing them to not pay property taxes and keep sales taxes-and it is mind boggling how much they get-no other business can compete against that kind of free lunch (President Bush made the only money inhis life on these free lunches with the TX Rangers). America has problems, big problems, and they have been getting worse since the late 70's. We can and need to turn it around-but that will only come with new leadership-and better representation in the Congress. Right now there are 40,000 lobbyists for the 535 member Congress (75 to 1 ratio), and not one of those 40K lobbyists are working on behalf of the middle class-the backbone of the country. We need more guys like Mike Aguirre, who stands up for the everyday Joe, and stops special interests from fleecing everyone else.— July 11, 2008 5:29 p.m.
Brace Yourself for Another Bailout: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Near the Brink
Errrr.... I meant to say: Burwell has a POINT, not print....— July 11, 2008 11:38 a.m.
Brace Yourself for Another Bailout: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Near the Brink
Burwell has a print (not about the Consitution or martial law), America cannot keep shipping all the middle class jobs overseas and then print money like it is toilet paper with capital markets crashing from speculation, heavy leverage and outright fraud. Bear Stearns should have gone BK, home loans should have been following quality underwriting standards, Mr. Bubble should have raised interest rates in 2000, 2001 or 2002, we should be paying for the stupid war or get the hell out instead of having China finance it thru T Bills and we should not be selling off ALL of OUR assets to the middle east and China (bridges, interstates, ports, Chrysler Building) for one time fixes.— July 11, 2008 11:36 a.m.
Brace Yourself for Another Bailout: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Near the Brink
Bailing out Freddie and Fannie is basically taking bad loans off of the banks that underwrote them (with no standards) and making the taxpayer pick up the tab. Freddie and Fannie's ONLY purpose is to buy mortgages so the market is liquid. If bad loans are covered then it is a corporate subsidy of the banking industry, nothing more because that is all the two firms are there for-the banks. BTW, I am reading David Cay Johnston's new book "Free Lunch" right now, goes over many similar things as this, and pretty much on the same page as you Don (and me).— July 10, 2008 8:42 p.m.
County Retail Sales Dropping Sharply; Tax Receipts Will Feel It
Contra Costa County is going to start publishing ALL county employees pay AND benefit costs online-this infromation can be received right now by anyone who asks for it under a public records request. It will show the base pay, the OT pay and the costs of benefits-including pensions and healthcare. That is exactly what we need in San Diego-a transparency of the FULL cost of an employee-including all fringe benefit costs. Contra Costa is also going to be using the employees name-that is legal, but I think using names **MAY be going too far, but it is the publics money that is being spent. So JF and JW, I bet you two can't wait until that list pops up here in SD! Here you go; http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_9823621 http://www.kcbs.com/Decision-to-Make-Salaries-Pub…— July 10, 2008 2:51 p.m.
Brace Yourself for Another Bailout: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Near the Brink
Big surprise here. Student loans are non dichargeable in bankruptcy, have huge fees added onto them, no statute of limitations and the poor and indigent get their wages and bank accounts GARNISHED without a court order-but America can still bail out millionaire and billionaire investment banks and their brokers, and now upper middle class America and others who jumped into a housing bubble with no money or skin in the game. Way to go.— July 10, 2008 2:38 p.m.