Turkey Recipes
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FAA computer problem causes widespread delays
Widespread flight cancellations and delays are reported nationwide because of a problem with the
Widespread flight cancellations and delays are reported nationwide because of a problem with the
FAA system that collects airlines' flight plans.
Tehama District Fair Board to consider new monster trucks
With the move out of state of a major PBR event held in Red Bluff around fair time in recent years, there is the possibility of not having PBR as part of the fair, but as a stand alone event at another time, Fair CEO Mark Eidman said.
Several alternatives were mentioned, such as an olive, olive oil and wine tasting event and bringing back Rock Cross, which was discontinued due to the amount of setup it took between Thursday's PBR and the event.
The board heard a proposal for a second Monster Truck show, held during Mothers Day weekend in May.
In light of uncertainty of the economy and the October show, the organizer of which was recently charged with growing marijuana illegally, board members voted 3-1 in favor of putting out to bid the second show.
Bev Ross, Farrell Shatswell and Bob Kerstiens votes yes and Tonya Redamonti voted no. Pete Dagorret and Donald Crain abstained.
Board members Cindy Brown, Gerald Sanders and Ray Bianchi were absent.
The board received a proposal for a show in May with the offer of bringing Gravedigger and Maximum Destruction, both of whom have not been in Red Bluff in years.
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REDDING GOT THEIRS. WE'RE STILL WAITING...
By Amanda Winters
Thursday, November 19, 2009
What had been billed as a grand opening was more of a partial opening Wednesday at the new Walmart Supercenter in Redding.
Last week, the chain's corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., announced Nov. 18 would be the official grand opening day, but Redding Store Manager Mike Black said more inspections and training were needed before the full store could open.
The Walmart on Dana Drive is 220,581 square feet, larger than the Anderson Walmart Supercenter, which is 173,000 square feet and opened in June 2006.
Black said about half the store was opened at midnight Wednesday, with the deli, bakery and meat areas remaining closed.
The McDonald's inside the store also was not open Wednesday. Shasta County Senior Environmental Health Specialist Fern Hastings said a final inspection is needed for the fast-food restaurant. The store's grocery permit was issued Tuesday.
"There were a couple things to finish," she said.
Black said employees were going to be trained in the unopened portions of the store over the next few days before they would be open to the public, possibly later this week.
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HARRY RIED'S UNDOING HAS BEGUN
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has assembled a compromise health package that would expand coverage to more than 31 million Americans at a cost of $849 billion over the next decade, a senior leadership aide said late Wednesday.
The cost of the package would be more than made up for by cuts in future Medicare spending and an array of new taxes, the aide said, reducing projected budget deficits by $127 billion no later than 2019 -- the biggest cost savings of any health care package so far assembled by congressional Democrats. The measure would also save the government money in the long term, the aide said, cutting projected deficits by as much as $650 billion between 2019 and 2029.
The aide did not release a formal cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, saying Reid was still awaiting a final report. But, he said, Reid has "received very good news from CBO confirming that we have produced a fiscally responsible bill that reduces the deficit, extends coverage to millions of Americans and meets the President's cost test."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has assembled a compromise health package that would expand coverage to more than 31 million Americans at a cost of $849 billion over the next decade, a senior leadership aide said late Wednesday.
The cost of the package would be more than made up for by cuts in future Medicare spending and an array of new taxes, the aide said, reducing projected budget deficits by $127 billion no later than 2019 -- the biggest cost savings of any health care package so far assembled by congressional Democrats. The measure would also save the government money in the long term, the aide said, cutting projected deficits by as much as $650 billion between 2019 and 2029.
The aide did not release a formal cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, saying Reid was still awaiting a final report. But, he said, Reid has "received very good news from CBO confirming that we have produced a fiscally responsible bill that reduces the deficit, extends coverage to millions of Americans and meets the President's cost test."
###
AND THIS IS THE BEST THE SENATE CAN DO!!!
Still Raises Taxes
· “… higher payroll taxes ...” (Erica Werner, “Senate girds for historic debate on health bill,” Associated Press, 11/19/09)
· “… medium and large companies would pay a fee …” (Erica Werner, “Senate girds for historic debate on health bill,” Associated Press, 11/19/09)
· “… adding an array of tax increases, including a rise in payroll taxes for high earners.”(Shailagh Murry and Lori Montgomery, “Senate unveils health-care bill,” Washington Post, 11/19/09)
· “… the Senate would rely primarily on a new tax on high-cost insurance policies …”(Shailagh Murry and Lori Montgomery, “Senate unveils health-care bill,” Washington Post, 11/19/09)
· “… the costs would be more than offset by new taxes and fees and by reductions in the growth of Medicare.” (Robert Pear and David Herszenhorn, “Senate Health Plan Seeks to Add Coverage to 31 Million,” New York Times, 11/18/09)
Still Cuts Medicare
· “… 10-year, $849 billion measure that would remake the nation's health care system, relying on cuts in future Medicare spending to cover costs ...” (Erica Werner, “Senate girds for historic debate on health bill,” Associated Press, 11/19/09)
· “Like the House bill, Reid's proposal would be financed through billions of dollars in Medicare cuts …” (Shailagh Murry and Lori Montgomery, “Senate unveils health-care bill,” Washington Post, 11/19/09)
· “… the costs would be more than offset by … reductions in the growth of Medicare.”(Robert Pear and David Herszenhorn, “Senate Health Plan Seeks to Add Coverage to 31 Million,” New York Times, 11/18/09)
Still Uses Budget Gimmicks
· “Many provisions … would take effect in 2014 … The delay is intended primarily to reduce the cost of the legislation.” (Robert Pear and David Herszenhorn, “Senate Health Plan Seeks to Add Coverage to 31 Million,” New York Times, 11/18/09)
Still Written Behind Closed Doors
· Senate Majority Leader Harry “Reid, D-Nev., wrote the legislation with White House aides during weeks of secretive negotiations …” (Erica Werner, “Senate girds for historic debate on health bill,” Associated Press, 11/19/09)
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| SCIENTISTS PREPARE TO OPEN PANDORA'S BOX WITH 50% SPECIES INTEGRATION (Guest in Eastern Time) |
 Expert Says New Human-Animal Hybrids Plan Could Lead To Genetic Armageddon A mouse that can speak? A monkey with Down's Syndrome? Dogs with human hands or feet? British scientists want to know if such experiments are acceptable, or if they go too far in the name of medical research. To find out, Britain's Academy of Medical Sciences launched a study this week to look at the use of animals containing human material in scientific research. (See Reuters link below) The study is expected to take at least a year, but its leaders hope it will help establish guidelines for scientists in Britain and around the world on how far the public is prepared to see them go in mixing human genes into animals. But there is already a "sort of understanding" within the scientific community.### |
WHAT WOULD MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION LOOK LIKE?Written by Malcolm Maclachlan, Capitol Weekly |
| November 19, 2009 |
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For more, visit the Capitol Weekly Web site.
With multiple initiatives in circulation and an Assembly bill gathering headlines, discussions about legalizing marijuana have become part of California’s political discourse. Advocates on one side argue that the result will be an economic boon as tax revenues rolls in and jails rid themselves of nonviolent offenders. Defenders of prohibition say legalization would be a nightmare of stoned kids, addiction and highway deaths. Or maybe the reality would be a lot more mundane. “Most of the popular debate is dominated by two groups—avid pro-marijuana crowd, and the true prohibitionists,” said Michael Vitiello, a University of Pacific law professor who has written several articles on the topic. Both sides, he said, are prone to “gross overstatements.” By contrast, Vitiello calls himself a “tepid legalizer.” On the one hand, he said, he doesn’t “expect Western civilization as we know it to end” if pot becomes legal. He points to the widely-circulated statistic that per capita marijuana in the Netherlands, where pot has essentially been legal for years, is half that of the U.S — partially, he said, because few there view the drug as “cool.” Medical research, Vitiello said, is increasingly pointing to the idea that people choose or avoid certain drugs based on their own brain chemistry. Marijuana is already so prevalent in California, he said, that most people who would use it probably already are. On the other hand, he said he doubts projections that legalization will result in big tax revenues and thousands of non-violent offenders leaving prisons. The bigger impact would probably come on local jails, where many people head for a period after a marijuana arrest but never actually go to prison. “The idea that we’re going to empty our prisons and save a billion, I don’t know how they’re getting that number,” Vitiello said. Most in the debate agree that very few people are going to prison in California merely for smoking pot. The bigger issue is how many people are going back to prison on a parole violation of failing a drug test for marijuana. This has become a major rallying point for pro-legalization activists. “My estimate is that there are thousands of people today in state prison in California for having done nothing but smoking marijuana because they were on parole,” said James Gray, a retired Orange County Superior Court judge who has become a major legalization and libertarian activists. According to Corrections spokesman Paul Verke, only 256 were found to have violated parole in California last year solely for failing a marijuana test. He added that he did not know how many of these were returned to custody. Some in the legalization community say they have been seeking these figures, unsuccessfully, for years. “CCR will say it’s not many, parole officers will say they never do that, but on the other had we know family members who say that they have,” said Margaret Dooley- Sammuli, deputy state director with the Drug Policy Alliance. “Clearly this is an area where we don’t know what happening, and clearly this is a problem.” Another area where the actual effect would be unclear is on tax revenue. The legalization initiative filed by the founder’s of Oakland’s Oaksterdam University, which teaches students about cultivation and other aspects of the medical marijuana business, cites a figure of $15 billion in illegal marijuana sales in California annually. While estimates vary, few contest that pot is California’s top cash crop, easily outpacing our state’s vaunted wine industry. That initiative calls for unspecified taxes. AB 390, the marijuana legalization bill being carried by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, calls for a tax of $50 an ounce. Growers would pay a licensing fee of $5,000, with a $2,500 annual renewal. While it’s very unlikely AB 390 will get anywhere, some have pointed to these fees as a possible model of taxation. But the state would be trying to overlay these taxes on an already-thriving illegal market, with numerous large operations already running without the knowledge of authorities. Legalization would also likely inspire more people to grow their own. Few people are going to grow and ferment their own wine, or grow and roll their own tobacco for that matter. But small amounts of marijuana can be successfully grown by anyone who can keep a houseplant alive. In fact, Vitiello said, there is a natural tension between the desire to relax law enforcement and the hope of brining in tax revenue. If not reporting a crop is nothing more than a minor tax offense, he said, there will be little incentive for most people to report to the Franchise Tax Board. Making penalties strong enough to get people to report, however, could actually send more people to prison, at least in the short term. John Lovell, lobbyist for the California Peace Officers Association and several other law enforcement groups, scoffs at the idea that legal pot would be a moneymaker for the state. “The hard dollars will be far more than any revenue that is brought in through any kind of spurious tax effort,” Lovell said. Lovell referred to studies from Maryland and British Columbia that he said point to the dangers of people driving while under the influence of marijuana—a problem he said would get much worse under legalization. He also pointed to a RAND Corp. study he said that shows pot taxes would be a fraction of what proponents claim. Most of the tax penalties in current bills and initiatives, he said, amount to little more than “licensing fees.” Another issue is the penalties for selling to minors. Many proponents have said the penalties should be similar to those for adults who procure alcohol for kids. Both the Ammiano bill and Oaksterdam initiative allow legislative leeway in determining what these penalties should be. “These things are negotiable,” Ammiano said. “My druthers are that we do look at sentencing and determinate sentencing. There are obviously areas we can negotiate on.” Then there’s the question of where people could buy it. Most models point to a highly-regulated distribution system, perhaps akin to the state-run liquor stores in Washington State. There could also be major local differences. There’s already been a decade of testing on what this might look like, in the form of the medical marijuana dispensaries that have been operating since California voters passed Proposition 215 by a wide margin in 1996. Some areas, particularly Los Angeles, have reported significant problems, with a large number of dispensaries operating. The more likely model might be West Hollywood, which operates a small number of heavily-regulated but thriving operations. “What it’s going to look like in the future will entirely depend on the locals,” said Dale Clare, executive chancellor of Oaksterdam. Clare also said that they’re set to pass half a million signatures on their initiative by next week. Oaksterdam founder Richard Lee has been quoted saying they will be able to marshal $20 million in donations to the initiative once it lands on next year’s ballot—a figure likely to be countered by millions from group’s opposing the measure. Clare also points to an April Field Poll that found that 56 percent of voters would approve a legalization measure. This conflicts with a Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research poll earlier this month that found likely voters opposed such a measure, 52 percent to 38 percent. But the trend lines are clearly headed towards legalization. A February article on the popular political blog FiveThirtyEight.com said that support for marijuana legalization nationwide had passed the 40 percent threshold. Given greater support among younger voters and greatest opposition from older ones, “legalization would achieve 60 percent support at some point in 2022 or 2023,” according to author Nate Silver. “If it goes to the ballot and fails, we’re that much closer for 2012,” Clare said. “This is an education campaign.”
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Best Place to Raise Your Kids: CaliforniaArcadia
Nearest city: Los Angeles |
CAL AND BOB Wednesday 18 Nov. 2009
Redding council approves tougher medical marijuana regulations
By Scott Mobley
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
For the second time in a month, the Redding City Council on Tuesday narrowly approved sweeping regulations designed to winnow out profit-driven marijuana dealers from legitimate medicinal cannabis collectives.
The council voted 3-2 to impose the regulations, which would go into effect by Jan. 1 and give the Redding Police Department the power to regulate collectives, including inspecting their records for compliance with state medical marijuana laws.
The council voted after hearing from 19 speakers on both sides of the issue - medical marijuana patients and advocates along with business people and educators alarmed at the spread of cannabis collectives in town. Redding hosts an estimated 30 clubs.
Mayor Rick Bosetti, who was absent when the council first considered the regulations last month, cast the tie-breaking vote Tuesday evening.
"I want to eliminate the abuse," Bosetti said. "I am not against the people who need it (medical marijuana), and with the ordinance we have, there will be ample opportunity for people who need it to get it."
Councilwoman Missy McArthur, who originally supported the ordinance, switched her vote and remained opposed Tuesday.
"I do believe we do need an ordinance," McArthur said. "But all of this is in flux and in question. To act now seems in haste."
McArthur said she worries about threats of lawsuits over violation of patient privacy laws. She also worries that the thinly stretched Police Department will have to devote too much time and energy to enforcing the new ordinance.
"We need cops on the beat looking for rapists and murderers," McArthur said.
Council members Dick Dickerson and Mary Stegall voted for the ordinance, saying it's not perfect but more than adequate.
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(link to oft referenced "Claremont" court case).
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
For the second time in a month, the Redding City Council on Tuesday narrowly approved sweeping regulations designed to winnow out profit-driven marijuana dealers from legitimate medicinal cannabis collectives.
The council voted 3-2 to impose the regulations, which would go into effect by Jan. 1 and give the Redding Police Department the power to regulate collectives, including inspecting their records for compliance with state medical marijuana laws.
The council voted after hearing from 19 speakers on both sides of the issue - medical marijuana patients and advocates along with business people and educators alarmed at the spread of cannabis collectives in town. Redding hosts an estimated 30 clubs.
Mayor Rick Bosetti, who was absent when the council first considered the regulations last month, cast the tie-breaking vote Tuesday evening.
"I want to eliminate the abuse," Bosetti said. "I am not against the people who need it (medical marijuana), and with the ordinance we have, there will be ample opportunity for people who need it to get it."
Councilwoman Missy McArthur, who originally supported the ordinance, switched her vote and remained opposed Tuesday.
"I do believe we do need an ordinance," McArthur said. "But all of this is in flux and in question. To act now seems in haste."
McArthur said she worries about threats of lawsuits over violation of patient privacy laws. She also worries that the thinly stretched Police Department will have to devote too much time and energy to enforcing the new ordinance.
"We need cops on the beat looking for rapists and murderers," McArthur said.
Council members Dick Dickerson and Mary Stegall voted for the ordinance, saying it's not perfect but more than adequate.
D.A. will prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries -- even if L.A. does not ban sales
November 17, 2009 | 12:00 pm
Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said today he will prosecute dispensaries that sell medical marijuana even if the Los Angeles City Council adopts an ordinance that does not ban such sales.
On Monday, two council committees rejected the city attorney’s advice and changed a provision in the proposed ordinance, allowing cash transactions as long as they complied with state law.
“Undermining those laws via their ordinance powers is counterproductive, and, quite frankly, we’re ignoring them. They are absolutely so irrelevant it’s not funny,” Cooley said.
Cooley said state law and state court decisions have made it clear that collectives cannot sell marijuana at dispensaries.
He reiterated his view that most, if not all, dispensaries in the county were in violation of the law. “We don’t know of one that’s not engaging in just over-the-counter sales,” he said.
The district attorney said his office was already prosecuting some dispensaries, and he promised to step up efforts next month. Cooley said he decided to weigh in today because he was irritated that the council had ignored the advice of the city attorney, Carmen Trutanich.
“What the City Council is doing is beyond meaningless and irrelevant,” he said.
The district attorney’s view could complicate the City Council’s deliberations. The council is scheduled to consider the ordinance Wednesday, more than four years after it first began to study the issue of dispensaries.
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Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said today he will prosecute dispensaries that sell medical marijuana even if the Los Angeles City Council adopts an ordinance that does not ban such sales.
On Monday, two council committees rejected the city attorney’s advice and changed a provision in the proposed ordinance, allowing cash transactions as long as they complied with state law.
“Undermining those laws via their ordinance powers is counterproductive, and, quite frankly, we’re ignoring them. They are absolutely so irrelevant it’s not funny,” Cooley said.
Cooley said state law and state court decisions have made it clear that collectives cannot sell marijuana at dispensaries.
He reiterated his view that most, if not all, dispensaries in the county were in violation of the law. “We don’t know of one that’s not engaging in just over-the-counter sales,” he said.
The district attorney said his office was already prosecuting some dispensaries, and he promised to step up efforts next month. Cooley said he decided to weigh in today because he was irritated that the council had ignored the advice of the city attorney, Carmen Trutanich.
“What the City Council is doing is beyond meaningless and irrelevant,” he said.
The district attorney’s view could complicate the City Council’s deliberations. The council is scheduled to consider the ordinance Wednesday, more than four years after it first began to study the issue of dispensaries.
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Shasta County trio arrested in beating, sodomy case
By Jim Schultz
Originally published 04:23 p.m., November 17, 2009
Updated 04:23 p.m., November 17, 2009
Three Shasta County residents, including a husband and wife, have pleaded not guilty to a series of criminal charges in connection with the alleged Oct. 15 beating and sexual assault of man they believed owed them money for drugs.
“The whole thing was not human,” a witness to the alleged beating told investigators in a 17-page report. “Not normal. It was like mad dogs.”
Jerry Wayne Gentry, 52, his wife, Kathryn June Gentry, 38, and Jesse Alyn Bacon, 31, are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 8.
The three were arrested on Nov. 10 after search and arrest warrants were served at a property known as “The Ranch” off Highway 273 between Redding and Anderson. That search also resulted in the discovery of two handguns that were reported stolen, ammunition and drug lab-related materials.
Jerry Gentry and Bacon are both charged with attempted murder, assault, sodomy, false imprisonment and other crimes, according to electronic Shasta County Superior Court records.
Gentry remains in Shasta County jail in lieu of $1.15 million bail, while Bacon’s bail was set at $1 million.
Kathryn Gentry, who apparently did not participate in the attack, is charged with, among other crimes, false imprisonment, assault, battery and possession of a controlled substance, electronic records show. Her bail was set at $152,500.
According to an investigative report, the alleged assault lasted approximately four hours with the victim, who was not named but was said to be in his 20s, bound and gagged.
He told investigators that he was repeatedly hit, threatened and cut with a knife and that his wife was also threatened with harm, the report said.
“Their intent was to kill me,” he told investigators, according to the report.
A witness to the alleged beating and assault told investigators that Gentry told the man that he was “going to cut him open, watch him bleed and then ‘Superglue’ him back together,” the report said.
According to the report, the alleged victim told investigators that Gentry believed that he owed him $300 for drugs.
But, he claimed, “someone else got methamphetamine fronted to them from Jerry Gentry and they used his name to get it,” the Report said.
The alleged victim said that he eventually was freed after Gentry upped his debt to $600 and the man promised Gentry to return with nine marijuana plants for collateral, the report said.
But he never did return to the property and eventually sought medical treatment at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, the report said.
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| Top 10 Obesity | Bottom 10 Obesity |
| 1Connecticut | 41Georgia |
| 2Rhode Island | 41South Carolina |
| 3Massachusetts | 43Missouri |
| 4Florida | 44South Dakota |
| 5Wyoming | 45Ohio |
| 6Colorado | 46Kentucky |
| 7Indiana | 47Mississippi |
| 8Vermont | 48Oklahoma |
| 9Nevada | 49Tennessee |
| 10Idaho | 50Alabama |
| 2009 STATE RANKINGS |
| 1Vermont |
| 2Utah |
| 3Massachusetts |
| 4Hawaii |
| 5New Hampshire |
| 6Minnesota |
| 7Connecticut |
| 8Colorado |
| 9Maine |
| 10Rhode Island |
| 11Washington |
| 12Wisconsin |
| 13Oregon |
| 14Idaho |
| 15Iowa |
| 16Nebraska |
| 17North Dakota |
| 18New Jersey |
| 19Wyoming |
| 20South Dakota |
| 21Maryland |
| 22Virginia |
| 23California |
Matthew Elliott: 'Counter-productive intrusion'
Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents.
New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on properties where children are thought to be at “greatest risk of unintentional injury”.
Council staff will then be tasked with overseeing the installation of safety devices in homes, including smoke alarms, stair gates, hot water temperature restrictors, oven guards and window and door locks.
The draft guidance by a committee at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been criticised as intrusive and further evidence of the “creeping nanny state”.
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Matthew Elliott: 'Counter-productive intrusion'
Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents.
New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on properties where children are thought to be at “greatest risk of unintentional injury”.
Council staff will then be tasked with overseeing the installation of safety devices in homes, including smoke alarms, stair gates, hot water temperature restrictors, oven guards and window and door locks.
The draft guidance by a committee at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been criticised as intrusive and further evidence of the “creeping nanny state”.
###
Matthew Elliott: 'Counter-productive intrusion'
Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents.
New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on properties where children are thought to be at “greatest risk of unintentional injury”.
Council staff will then be tasked with overseeing the installation of safety devices in homes, including smoke alarms, stair gates, hot water temperature restrictors, oven guards and window and door locks.
The draft guidance by a committee at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been criticised as intrusive and further evidence of the “creeping nanny state”.
###
LA supervisors adopt sweeping health measures, back off soda ban
Posted: 11/17/2009 07:09:39 PM PST
County leaders enacted sweeping new measures designed to curb obesity and smoking Tuesday, but stopped short of a controversial ban on soda at all county venues.In hopes of qualifying for $40 million in federal stimulus money, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to embark on several health-promoting measures, such as a media marketing campaign, expansion of bike paths, promotion of breast-feeding and strengthening anti-smoking incentives for county employees.
But county leaders, at the request of South Bay Supervisor Don Knabe, voted 3-2 in favor of stripping the measure of a ban on soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks at facilities such as the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
"We're singling out these beverages as if they were the only cause of obesity," said Knabe, chairman of the board. "I think we all wish it was that simplistic. We should be working to educate the public, not demonizing any one particular area."
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents South Los Angeles, disagreed, saying tough measures are needed to reduce the region's "unacceptable rates of obesity and preventable disease."
"We need to be as proactive as possible," said Ridley-Thomas, who along with Supervisor Mike Antonovich favored the original motion. "What we have advanced here is a motion that will put us in a leadership position across the country."
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DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
Written by Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association November 18, 2009 When the word "Paris" is associated with taxpayer outrage, it is usually due to junketing politicians jetting off to the France at public expense. But it was similarly sounding Perris, California, a Riverside County community of 50,000, which became the center of taxpayer outrage last week when voters rejected an illegal property tax. City officials in Perris, whose nickname is "the skydiving capital of America," forgot their parachutes when they jumped at a chance to wring an additional $2 million from property owners through a per-parcel tax that they claimed could be passed with a simple majority, contrary to the strict provisions of Proposition 13, which mandate a two-thirds vote. Whether they were conniving, or just plain clueless, city council members' failure to do an equipment check brought harm to their constituents, regardless of the outcome of the vote. Had the measure passed, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association legal team would have swung into action and addressed multiple violations of law. First, the city was attempting to impose a majority vote parcel tax which is unconstitutional both under the uniformity of tax provision of the California Constitution (Article XIII, Section 1) and Proposition 218 (Article XIII D, Section 3). Second, there was a companion advisory measure to get around the two-thirds vote requirement for special taxes. Third, the city abused the emergency exception for general taxes under Prop. 218 in not complying with the election consolidation requirement. Fourth, the city actually named the tax (including on the ballot label) a public safety tax -- a special tax requiring a two-thirds vote -- even though it was proposed as an unrestricted majority vote general tax. ### |
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From Kim Minugh Sacramento Bee
A man suspected of killing three men during a violent spree in Berkeley earlier this year - and featured on "America's Most Wanted" TV show earlier this month - was arrested today in Natomas, according to authorities.
With the help of Sacramento Police Department officers and K9s, U.S. marshals took Rafael J. Campbell,25, into custody at an apartment complex on Natomas Central Drive, according to officials from both agencies.
It's unclear why Campbell was in the Sacramento area, said Lenny Boyer, acting U.S. marshal for easternCalifornia.
Berkeley police have been searching for Campbell since May, when he and three other suspects allegedly took three lives in a matter of minutes, according to the America's Most Wanted Web site. Boyer confirmed the details of the show's Web site.
The violence began when Campbell and another suspect allegedly fatally shot 25-year-old CJ Davis inBerkeley. The two suspects fled in a car with two other unidentified suspects, and, after leading officers on a seven-minute pursuit, crashed into a motorist and a pedestrian, according to the show's Web site. Killed in the collisions were 26-year-old Todd Perea and 41-year-old Floyd Ross.
Campbell and the other three suspects are members of the "N.S.O." - or North Side Oakland - gang and apparently killed Davis, the first victim, while trying to retaliate against a member of Davis' family, investigators said.
Campbell is wanted on three counts of murder, investigators said.Obama says he met with half brother while in China
BEIJING – President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he met briefly with a half brother who lives inChina and who recently wrote a semi-autobiographical novel about the abusive Kenyan father they share.
Obama, who spent three days in China during his first official tour of Asia, acknowledged the meeting in an interview with CNN. He offered no details. An aide said later that the meeting took place Monday night after Obama arrived in Beijing, the Chinese capital.
The White House had declined to say whether the president and Mark Ndesandjo would meet. And no White House official mentioned the visit until Obama did when asked about it.
"I don't know him well. I met him for the first time a couple of years ago," Obama told CNN. "He stopped by with his wife for about five minutes during the trip."
Describing the meeting as "overwhelming" and "intense," Ndesandjo told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that he had long anticipated the chance to welcome his famous brother to China.
"I think he came directly off the plane, changed some clothes and then came down and saw us," Ndesandjo told AP Television News on Wednesday. "And he just gave me a big hug. And it was so intense. I'm still over the moon on it. I am over the moon. And my wife. She is his biggest fan and I think she is still recovering."
In the CNN interview, Obama said he hadn't read his brother's book, "Nairobi to Shenzhen," in which Ndesandjo says Barack Obama Sr. beat him and his mother. The president also wrote about his father, who had abandoned him as a child, in his best-selling memoir, "Dreams from My Father."
"It's no secret that my father was a troubled person," Obama said. "Anybody who has read my first book, 'Dreams from My Father,' knows that, you know, he had an alcoholism problem, that he didn't treat his families very well. Obviously it's a sad part of my history and my background but it's not something I spend a lot of time brooding over."
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[ NEWS & NUGGETS ]
Birthdays: Linda Evans is 67; Delroy Lindo is 57; Kevin Nealon is 56;
Owen Wilson is 41
According to a new study the healthiest U.S. state is Vermont. The un-
healthiest, for the ninth consecutive year, is Mississippi.
Sarah Palin begins her book-signing tour today (Wednesday) in Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
Researchers have found that smokers spend about one hour a day puffing
on cigarettes. Thursday is the Great American Smokeout.
A French hotel is offering guests the chance to live like a hamster
for a day. Its "Hamster Villa" room runs $150 a night and features
hamster food, a giant wheel and a bed made of hay stacks.
People magazine will name its Sexiest Man Alive 2009 today
(Wednesday).
[ NEWS ATTACK! ]
A new study shows that uninsured patients in the hospital suffering
from traumatic injury are twice as likely to die as insured patients
suffering from the same injury. [The difference lies in their
treatment -- the standardized life support machine versus the manually-
operated one.]
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