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Ales Spanos – beneficiary of public largesse
don bauder, After posting my questions, I remembered that back about 5 years ago when Spanos hired GS to look for potential buyers for part of the team for estate planning. Fabio said at the time it was about the difference between the taxes Spanos would have to pay in the sale versus the insane 37% inheritance taxes the kids will pay upon his demise. Spanos and his wife own 36%, and the kids each own 15%. Pernicano owns 3 %, and the one I forgot about, Bill Fox owns 1% So, based on that, even with his business holdings, if he has not already transferred part, if not all of them to the kids, neither Papa Spanos or any of his kids are actually billionaires themselves. So why don't w e not refer to them as such going forward.— July 22, 2015 5:54 p.m.
Ales Spanos – beneficiary of public largesse
WOW. That's pretty harsh. So I guess you don't watch any sports?? I watch sports and I'm far from stupid. Don Bauder watches sports and he's even farther from stupid than I am. My kid watches sports and she's even father from stupid than either myself or Don and probably both of us combined. I guess sports must have treated you badly at some point.— July 22, 2015 10:42 a.m.
Ales Spanos – beneficiary of public largesse
don bauder, Here's a questioIn for you. Who actually owns the Chargers? By that I mean who legally owns the team? We know that Alex had a 97% interest with George Pernicano owning the other 3%. And we all know that Deano has been running the team for the last dozen or so years and now that his old man has lost his faculties, seems to have total control. But is the team still Alex's or has ownership been officially shifted to the family. If Alex retains ownership, he is the billionaire, along with his wife, obviously. That makes the kids merely "the family of billionaire owner Alex Spanos." The Spanos family could only be billionaires collectively if Alex has transferred ownership of the team to his kids. And even at that, with only a 97% share, unless the kids also now own the family businesses, they wouldn't even be worth a billion collectively, and none of them as individuals. My point is this. The Walton family are billionaires. Alex Spanos may be a billionaire, but his kids are not. Let us NOT give his puke kids something they don't deserve, even if it's merely a title.— July 22, 2015 10:38 a.m.
Voice of reason at the Union-Tribune
captd/founder I don't understand why you used the phrase " word has it" that Clopton is cooperating. It's public knowledge as her attorney Anthony Brass confirmed several months ago. One would have to imagine that as a cooperating witness, that she has been told to keep hands off, so as to avoid even a hint of impropriety or bias during the investigation. BTW, Clopton and her 2 daughters were invited guests at Obama's second inauguration. You are free to draw your own conclusions from that fact.— July 21, 2015 9:51 a.m.
Iran treaty trashers spending big on San Diego TV
captd/founder At some point you must face the reality that no one is going to give your a residential solar PV system for little or nothing. As you have stated on the Reader several times, you refuse to buy a system until the utility pays you the same raTE for the electricity that you would return to the grid as they charge for it. That will never happen. If you want a system, you're going to have to pay for it yourself. BTW, except for a very few specific exceptions, POTUS can't simply "redirect" funds already budgeted. They have to be allocated by Congress On several occasions POTUS has proposed infrastructure programs, most recently in 2013 I believe and COTUS would have none of it. BTW2 POTUS's proposed FY 2016 budget is $4.1 trillion. So you are proposing the equivalent of 25 percent of the budget being "shifted". That isn't going to happen with this COTUS or any other. Here is the budget. Why don't you download it and tell us exactly where that trillion dollars is going to come from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/om…— July 18, 2015 2:09 p.m.
Fate of Chargers predicted
don bauder I know what Sam Farmer said. The exact quotes are in my comment. Read it again. Where does it say why a deal was not reached? It doesn't. In fact, specifics on the "negotiations" non existent, so one is left to draw there own conclusion. You seem to conclude that he meant that the Chargers couldn't get it done.— July 17, 2015 8:27 p.m.
Fate of Chargers predicted
don bauder, Really? No Chargers in the Coliseum?? That is interesting because in his most recent column I read something different: "The NFL will have signed leases with one or two temporary stadiums by the end of the year, and the Coliseum will be one of those". "The Rose Bowl bowed out of the interim stadium derby, but the Coliseum is still in play. The NFL shouldn't have much trouble striking a deal there, as the Chargers quietly got far down the road in negotiations with that venue last year". "The Coliseum could be a two-year home for either the Rams or the Chargers, but USC would probably object to bringing back the Raiders".— July 17, 2015 9:53 a.m.
Fate of Chargers predicted
The Rose Bowl will not have an NFL team playing there. Last week the officials with the Rose Bowl Operating Company unanimously 11-0 voted not to even respond to a request for a proposal to allow a team to play there that the NFL sent out last month. I doubt the Guggies would agree to allow an NFL team to play in Dodger Stadium, but that is just my personal view. And anyone wanting to play in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has to deal with USC, which anyone in LA knows can be problematic.— July 16, 2015 10:56 p.m.
Fate of Chargers predicted
don bauder I am not going to argue with you over semantics. If you want to believe that stadiums charging high prices for concessions at events they have is a scam, please feel free to do so. The prices at ALL stadiums are too high and very few of those stadiums are new. It's no different than concessions at a movie theatre or a concert or opera and stage productions. How much do the food vendors on the Civic Theatre concourse in San Diego charge? You are right, a scam isn't necessarily illegal. But it does involve a deceptive act, the promising of something with no intent to deliver, the misrepresentation of something, etc. I just don't think the act of charging an exorbitant price for food, drink, etc is anything like that. It is what it appears to be and you have the option to avoid it. Several years ago, before my wife passed away, we took a trip to NYC. One night we at at Luger's. For my wife, our daughter and myself, the bill was over $200, before the tip. We also ate at a couple of really good Italian restaurants and spent probably $150 at each one. So would those prices be a scam? They are way more expensive the most places and one could certainly cook the same thing for much much less. But you know what it is going in and are willing to pay the price for what you get AND you get what you want...a GREAT meal. As I said, if you want to call exorbitant price for food, drink, etc ANYWHERE as scam, knock yourself out. I just happen to disagree.— July 16, 2015 10:49 p.m.
Fate of Chargers predicted
don bauder I really don't think high concession prices are a scam. I mean, I don't ever recall anyone claiming that when a stadium opens, concessions will be cheap. There is no fraud, no deception, no attempt to cheat the patrons. It is what it is. It's unreasonable high prices for a captive audience. If you don't want to pay the prices, then don't buy anything.— July 16, 2015 5:41 p.m.