Appellant, Roy Pearson, who is an attorney, sued the Chungs, the owners of a dry cleaner called Custom Cleaners, alleging common law fraud and violations of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act ("CPPA"). His lawsuit was based upon signs that the Chungs displayed in their store stating "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service." At the conclusion of a bench trial, Judge Judith Bartnoff, in a well-reasoned opinion, found for the Chungs on all claims. Pearson argues that the trial court misapplied the law and erred in denying his motion for a jury trial.
#4
The bastard ought to be made to cough up something. He ruined them.
Sadly, the Chungs were forced to close Custom Cleaners in September 2007 due to the emotional toll and flagging revenues which resulted from Mr. PearsonÂ’s lawsuit. The Chungs now operate only one small pick-up dry cleaning store called Happy Cleaners located at 1119 7th Street, NW in Washington, DC.
Oh, perfect. Relic of the sixties employs incompetent relic of the sixties as defense attorney. Enjoy Danbury, Chuck...
Indicted City Councilor Chuck Turner is turning to lefty lightning rod and former Saddam Hussein lawyer Ramsey Clark to take up his defense against federal bribery charges. Oh-oh. Looks like the shoe thrower is outta luck.
Clark, a former U.S. Attorney General who also represented Serb war criminal Radovan Karadzic, will hold a press conference this afternoon in front of the JFK Federal Building where he'll call on U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan to drop his "politically motivated" case, according to a press release from SupportChuckTurner.com. I think Mike will take his chances against Chuck's crack defense team, seeing how he's got him on audio and video. He's also got state senator Diane Wilkerson as his ace in the hole, who will probably gladly sing to save her own useless ass.
A spokewoman for the U.S. Attorney declined comment. However, former City Councilor Michael McCormack questioned Turner's decision to attack the feds' motive for indicting him. "To accuse the U.S. Attorney of being the local office of the KKK as your defense isn't going to get you very far," McCormack said. Oh, Chuck's gotta whole deck of race cards...
Renowned Boston defense attorney Robert George called Turner's latest move a high-stakes gamble. "His (Clark's) appearance on behalf of any criminal defendant is a high-profile endorsement of a person's innocence," George said. "On the other hand, this was the defense attorney for people such as Saddam Hussein, which some people may take the wrong way." Plus...he's a suckass lawyer.
Turner sparked outrage four years ago when he held a press conference and unveiled graphic photos purportedly depicting U.S. soldiers raping Iraqi women. The photos were revealed to be Web porn, but not before the Boston Globe ran with the allegations. The funny thing is that he's accusing the Feds of using "doctored photos" of him pocketing money.
Clark, 80, who distinguished himself as a civil rights champion as U.S. Attorney General in the 1960s, won the 2008 United Nations Human Rights Prize. Must've missed that. Was there a parade?
He evolved, however, into a vocal detractor of the U.S. government. He helped found the radical International Action Center in New York and has called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush. Another one of his non accomplishments he can be proud of.
Reached by telephone at his New York City apartment, Clark refused to discuss his appearance today other than to say he became aware of Turner's case because he "follows civil rights." Does he follow the corrupt pols taking bribes news?
It's that connection that will resonate with the public, said media strategist Joyce Ferriabough. "When people think of Ramsey Clark, they think of a warrior for fairness, no matter who they are," Ferriabough said. She's a "media strategist"?
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
"When people think of Ramsey Clark, they think: Loser!
Has ol' Ramsey ever won a case? He's like that cat at the old folks home that shows up when someone is about to croak.
Let's be honest: we didn't vote for the Barack Obama his campaign advertised. We didn't vote for an African-American man, nor for a US senator from Illinois, nor for a father, a husband, an activist, or a young politician. We voted for the Barack Obama we fantasized -- the progressive miracle worker. We voted for Change.
Millions of us stood up and shouted, handed out fliers, talked to our neighbors, donated hard-earned money, and drove people to the polls for Change. We screamed, hugged, kissed, and cried when we learned Change had come to America. We knew Change wouldn't come overnight, that it would take time, but we were excited that we had elected a man who was open to Change, who said he wanted to consider real people's needs while in the Oval Office. We eagerly awaited the first hints of Change, as the president-elect's transition developed.
And now, we have reason to worry that Change is not coming to America after all. For nearly two years we were encouraged to "Be the Change you want to see in America." It is now obvious that we have a ways to go toward Being that Change. And so does President-elect Barack Obama. And that, above all else, needs to Change. It goes on (and on, and on, and on) from there, about FISA, and Robert Gates, and Hillary, and . . . well, you get the picture. he's changed, and that's not the change we gave our spare change for. h/t Mark Steyn, who quips:
Mr Inglis, meanwhile, has started a Take Back Barack blog. This would be the point in the chick flick in which the gal playing Meg Ryan's best friend says, "Girl, you never had him in the first place."
Posted by: Mike ||
12/18/2008 16:03 ||
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#1
I personally can't wait till Jan 21, 2009 because that's when palm trees will grow in Minnesota and the weather will turn a balmy 80 degrees -in January. They promised me. It was change I could believe in!
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/18/2008 16:50 Comments ||
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#2
Ha! The Phoenix. I suppose they gotta put something in there to fill up the space between the escort service and call girl ads.
#8
Actually, BHO is still about change, just not the change that was expected for some reason (or rather lack of it thereof). But hey, no one asked! So it is fair.
"I HOPE the you'd like the CHANGE that would remain from your paycheck after we tax a shite out of it!"
The Illinois State Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon denied an emergency request from the state's attorney general, Lisa Madigan, to consider removing besieged Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich from power.
Without issuing an opinion or other comment, the court also denied Ms. Madigan's motion for a temporary restraining order that would have immediately stripped Mr. Blagojevich of many of his powers, including the authority to appoint someone to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Mr. Blagojevich, a two-term Democrat, was arrested early last week on charges of conspiracy and soliciting bribes in a sprawling criminal case that involves, among other things, accusations that he conspired to sell the vacant Senate seat.
Ms. Madigan had no immediate comment.
No breakdown of how the seven justices had voted was given, and a spokesman for the Supreme Court, Joseph Tybor, said that they have no plans to speak about the matter beyond the issuance of their orders, which were filed Wednesday afternoon.
Ms. Madigan had argued in court papers filed last Friday that "the pervasive nature and severity" of a federal corruption case against Mr. Blagojevich had rendered him "incapable of legitimately exercising his ability as governor."
The decision came on the same day that Mr. Blagojevich's lawyer, Ed Genson, called on Ms. Madigan to recuse herself from any dealings with the governor's fate because of her own political ambitions. She has been mentioned as a possible candidate to fill Mr. Obama's Senate seat and has expressed interest in possibly running for governor in 2010.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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Nice try, Lisa, but you do need a stronger legal argument than "none of the other kids want to play with him anymore". But cheer up, maybe your dad can get Blago impeached.
The ABC7 I-Team has learned that an attorney who went undercover for the FBI in the late 1980's says he told federal authorities years ago about wrongdoing by Blagojevich. His name is Robert Cooley.
Cooley was a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago in the late 1980's who became one of the most potent witnesses against Chicago corruption, testifying for federal prosecutors in cases that resulted in dozens of convictions.
Cooley says that before Rod Blagojevich got into politics he was a bookmaker on the North Side who regularly paid the Chicago mob to operate. "When I was working with government wearing wire, I reported, I observed Rod, the present governor, who was running a gambling operation out in the western suburbs. He was paying street tax to the mob out there," said Robert Cooley, federal informant.
On a web-based interview show last week, Cooley said he reported to federal authorities nearly two decades ago that Rod Blagojevich had been operating an illegal sports gambling business.
Robert Cooley is a former Chicago police officer-turned mob lawyer-turned federal informant. During Operation Gambat in the late 1980's and early 1990's, Cooley's undercover work and testimony put away 24 crooked politicians, judges, lawyers and cops.
Several years ago, when Mr. Blagojevich was running for re-election, Cooley provided the same information to the ABC7 I-Team. Because Cooley did not want to be identified at the time and the governor denied it, ABC7 did not report the story.
On Tuesday, Cooley spoke on the record. He told ABC7 that Mr. Blagojevich regularly paid a so-called street tax to Robert "Bobby the Boxer" Abbinanti, a convicted outfit gambling collector. In the early 1980's, Abbinanti was working for convicted West Side mob boss Marco D'amico. Bookies pay street taxes to the crime syndicate in exchange for being allowed to operate such a racket. "I predicted five years ago when he ran the first time that he was a hands on person who would be selling every position in the state of Illinois and that it exactly what happened," said Cooley.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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A snitch? There goes your street cred...
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — who was cited in a criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich — has been an informant for at least a decade with the U.S. Attorney's office, and has informed on the embattled governor of Illinois, though not in the case currently under investigation, Jackson spokesman Kenneth Edmonds told CNN Tuesday.
In addition, two sources close to Jackson told CNN that, in 2002, Blagojevich — then running for governor of Illinois — solicited a $25,000 campaign donation from Jackson, which he did not get.
At the time, Jackson's wife, Sandi, was a candidate for the job of director of the state's Lottery Commission, a post she did not win, the sources said. After Blagojevich took office, in early 2003, he told Jackson something to the effect of, "You see what $25,000 would have done?" the sources said.
In 2006, Jackson reported the incident, which he believed to have been an attempt at a shakedown, the sources said. Yeah, after living with pops his whole life, I'll bet he knows a shakedown when he sees one...
The report, the sources said, came three three years later because Jackson's memory was jogged by another case — that of developer Tony Rezko, whose fraud and corruption trial included testimony about $25,000 donations to Blagojevich.
Jackson did not endorse Blagojevich in his initial campaign and tried to stay on the sidelines during the governor's re-election bid, one of the sources said.
Blagojevich's office did not return calls seeking comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
He's just stickin' it to the man. Nothing to see here, move along.
Caroline Kennedy finished her daylong upstate "listening tour" this afternoon eager to answer a few questions after a more than 30-minute session with Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown.
On the questions regarding her qualifications and why she wants to be New York's next junior U.S. senator, she cited growing up in a family devoted to public service and the difficult times facing the country.
"First of all I've spent a lifetime growing up around public policy issues and public service is something I'm proud of in the family tradition," she said. "It's something that I've always wanted to do. I'm doing it...for you peons.
"I've worked in New York City public schools, I've written books on the Constitution, I've raised my family and now it's time, I think, with the problems we have, for me to be able to step forward and do more," she said in the outer office of Brown's City Hall quarters.
She said her campaigning in the last year for President-elect Barack Obama provided her with insights into the needs of the nation and New York State.
"I've spent a lot of time in communities that are struggling with the same kinds of issues and obviously New York State is hit harder than most," she said. "I saw really the need for people who are strong advocates who have relationships in Washington and I would do everything I can."
And without prompting, the daughter of slain president John F. Kennedy said she realizes how blessed she is to have a recognizable name. "I know that I'm fortunate to be in a position where people know who I am and I want to put that to work," she said, explaining that she now feels her time has come to become a public official.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
See also FREEREPUBLIC > CAROLINE 2016!? POTUS Candidate = POTUS? Caroline Kennedy, that is!?
#5
Isn't there a horse somewhere that can be appointed to the Senate? (Technically, John Kerry does not count.)
Posted by: ed ||
12/18/2008 9:36 Comments ||
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explaining that she now feels her time has come to become a public official. receive her official coronation.
Fixed it for ya!
Never thought I would see the day, but I gotta give Hillary at least some credit. She at least went through an election. Sweet Caroline is too delicate, apparently.
#7
Not quite there yet:
Overspending - check
Hiereditary Gov Offices - check
Overburdoning taxes, complete amnesty citizenship to increase the tax base (with the side effect that people no longer had to work to be Roman and therefore the core culture was diluted)??
#8
I love the super rich when they claim to know our pains. They never were unemployed, they ask themselves how to pay for the basics, but they "understand" it. What a bunch of b--l s--t.
Posted by: lena ||
12/18/2008 15:13 Comments ||
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Re #4 You hit the nail on the head. From ahistorical perspective the political family dynasties are frightening. Additionally, politics are now for sale to the highest bidder...Illinois Governor is a piker compared to the Kennedys...
#10
I might be 50 yrs off, in any case the eventual sacking by the Ostrogoths (aka modern day libtards, muzzys and other assorted degenerates) is on the way unless there is a cultural or tax revolution. Firearms optional but not un-welcomed afaic.
#11
Pooh. Political dynasties are as much a tradition in this country as Party Machines in the cities. More, actually. Remember the two presidents Adam: John and John Quincy? The beloved Roosevelt cousins? The Taft family, who have contributed several Ohio governors and a president? Former Vice President Quayle who, as I recall, inherited his father's senate seat? How many Rockefellers went into politics? I'm sure many of you can recite example local to your area. Given enough time, though, a family's contribution general degenerates into their own version of Caroline Kennedy, after which it peters out. So dear Ms. Kennedy going after that senate seat is actually rather a good sign.
#12
IMHO - she's a twit who couldn't win the seat in an election and shouldn't be given it as a celebrity award. Drudge has a link to a story re: her voting habits. She couldn't be bothered, half the time
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/18/2008 20:46 Comments ||
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#13
Agree TW. don't for get the Harrisons, Wm H. and grandson Benjy. And the Udalls, Kennedys of the west.
Agree Frank. Mrs. Schlossberg is a twit. And who can pronounce the name sober?
#15
She'll be one of one hundred votes, Broadhead6, about as effective as Senator John F. Kerry of blessed memory. For that matter, how much effect had the former junior senator from Illinois do before he retired from the halls of Congress? Although I do admit that last will have more impact in the new position he plans to take in January...
In 2007, only 17 percent of eighth graders tested at or above grade level in reading in Chicago Public Schools -- the school system administered by Arne Duncan since 2001.
President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday tapped Duncan to become secretary of education in the upcoming administration.
Duncan, hailed by Obama as a reformer, said he would like to take the lessons he learned in Chicago with him when he moves to Washington. "I'm also eager to apply some of the lessons we have learned here in Chicago to help school districts all across our country," Duncan said after Obama formally named him to the job in Chicago.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report for 2007, Chicago public schools have consistently performed below the national average during Duncan's tenure.
The report measures students at the fourth and eighth grade levels in the subjects of reading, math, science, and writing, and ranks them at below basic, basic, proficient, or advanced levels.
Students in eighth grade are those most likely to have been in the Chicago system for a majority of Duncan's tenure. CNSNews.com used the scores for these students to best determine the results of Duncan's administration.
By 2007, only 17 percent of Chicago eighth graders were at or above grade level in reading. Thirteen percent scored at or above grade level in math. Twenty-three percent scored at or above grade level in writing.
By 2005, the only year Chicago participated in the NEAP assessment program, 16 percent of eighth grade students were at or above grade level in science.
Nationally, students did much better on average in reading, math, science, and writing.
In 2007, 29 percent of eighth grade students scored at or above grade-level in reading, 31 percent in math, and 31 percent in writing. In 2005, 27 percent of eighth grade students were at or above grade level in science.
Nationally, Chicago is the third largest school district with over 408,000 students. Its budget for 2007-2008 was $4.6 billion, according to information released by Chicago Public Schools. $862 million of that was supplied by the federal government.
Under Duncan, Chicago Public Schools spent $10,555 per pupil, with $9,488 going toward education-related expenses in 2007.
During Duncan's tenure, the Chicago district did not significantly increase its scores in reading, rising only one point on average from 2002 to 2007 -- from 249 of a possible 500 in 2002, to 250 in 2007. The national average in 2007 was 263. Seventy-five percent of Chicago students scored less than 273 on the reading assessment.
In math, Chicago Public Schools' average score increased from 254 in 2003 to 260 in 2007. The national average for 2007 was 280. Seventy-five percent of Chicago students scored below 283 in the math assessment.
In writing, the average score for students in Chicago Public Schools increased from 136 out of 300 in 2002 to 146 in 2007. The national average in 2007 was 154. Approximately 50 percent of Chicago students scored below 148 in the writing assessment.
In science, the Chicago Public Schools average score was 124 out of 300; the national average was 147. Three-quarters of Chicago students scored below 146 on the science assessment.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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CPS also has the shortest school day in Illinois and probably one of the shortest days in the nation. don't want to over stress those 'Educational Professionals'.
But the CPS drive-by pistol team will sweep the Olympics. The CPS cycle-by pistol team will be a close second!
Posted by: Titus Angererong1098 ||
12/18/2008 1:24 Comments ||
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17% of 8th Graders in Schools Overseen by Obama Education Secretary-Designee Can Read
#3
Under Duncan, Chicago Public Schools spent $10,555 per pupil
Therein lies the problem. Everyone knows money is the answer. Annual tuition (less books) for Sidwell Friends School where The Messiah's kiddies go is $ 29,442. The CPS obviously needs a BAILOUT!
#4
What the educational 'professionals' and their apologists don't want America to know is that one of the largest education programs is owned and operated successfully by the Department of Defense. They have for generations taken a lot of what the public school system literally passed on and instilled skills and abilities that the systems failed to. Wonder what the response would be if the Commandant of West Point or Annapolis or the Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command were appointed Secty of Education [rhetorical question]. Heh.
#5
And the DOD schools don't do to badly, either in teaching the dependents of active-duty personnel. A couple of years ago, the San Antonio Express news reported (with somewhat of an embarrassed face, I think) that the students of the Lackland AFB schools (said students were in a large part racial minorities, from not-terribly-high-on-the-family income scale, not very much the offspring of college graduates, had moved frequently, and were often from single-parent families) did only a fraction less well on standardized tests than the students from the neighborhood of Alamo Heights - which is very wealthy in a quiet way, with lavishly well-equipped schools - a large of the residents therein being being persons of pallor with college degrees.
The question of why the Lackland schools did so well by their students on a fraction of the budget with much the same results was not explored in any depth.
#6
Expectations and discipline Sgt Mom. Kid screwing up badly gets the attention of the parent's commanding officer. It focuses the mind.
Posted by: ed ||
12/18/2008 9:34 Comments ||
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I'd hate to see what his predecessor's stats were if this is an accomplishment.
But, to be fair, since CPS got all that Annenberg money, I am certain that the children's skills in community organizing and revisionist history are leading the nation into it's glorious future.
1. Chicago schools have four generations of gross mismanagement, at least, to overcome. For years, the Chicago Teachers' Union had the asinine policy of allowing senior teachers to bump other teachers out of their classroom at any time during the school year. Seniority, not skills or concern for children, is the only condition. I don't know how well Duncan has done against the Union, or if he's one of their allies. Details, anybody?
2. The Great Society and the Sexual Revolution produced families without fathers. The Great Society also, along with the Chicago Machine, created such hellholes as Cabrini Green and Robert Taylor housing projects. The Machine, in partnership with the Machine hacks in the school system, abandoned any schools in black neighborhoods. I've mentioned this before, but it's worth saying again: When my mom tried to teach in Chicago in the 1950s, in the school that served the newly built Cabrini Green, her school told her that they hadn't seen scissors and paste in the supply room for two years, but she could have all the construction paper she wanted. She had 50 first graders in a class. This was not common for Chicago Schools even during the Baby Boom. The school had not bought any new texts since the first black family moved in; the books were falling apart. So were the desks. The furniture and the building dated to 1876. After the Our Lady of Angels fire in 1961, the city rebuilt the school buildings, but didn't do anything about supplying them or staffing them properly.
3. The blockbusting real estate practices of the 1950s destroyed whole neighborhoods and took the schools with them. During the first Daley Regime, if a black family moved into a neighborhood, the city stopped picking up the garbage and the school suddenly lost a whole lot of resources. Then the blockbusters would call every white family in the neighborhood and say, "See how trashy everything is now that those N****s have moved in? Better sell your house now while you can still get a good price for it." Daley's real estate friends got rich on real estate sales, and as more black families moved in, the city stopped providing services. As for the housing projects, the Chicago Housing Authority was staffed entirely by Machine payrollers, who didn't lift a finger to make repairs. PAYROLLERS DON'T KNOW HOW TO WORK, AND DON'T GIVE A DAMN.
4. As with places such as Detroit, minorities elected to public office in Chicago tend to become political hacks at the same rate as white officials. "The Man" is now black in many areas of the cities.
SO: I want to know more about Arne Duncan. If 17% of the 8th graders can read at grade level now, what percentage of 8th graders could read at grade level before he came? Is this 17% rate more than, less than, or about the same as it was when Duncan took over?
Does the teachers union still have the transfers policy? What progress, if any, has Duncan made in getting the CTU to think of the students first?
What improvements has Duncan made, and have they been successful?
State lawmakers insisted Tuesday they could fairly investigate Gov. Rod Blagojevich following years of criticizing him as a terrible leader as they opened unprecedented impeachment proceedings against him.
In the first hints of the drubbing to come, Democratic and Republican committee members struggled to tamp down their revulsion over the national embarrassment created by Blagojevich's arrest a week ago on charges he sought to sell everything from favorable government decisions to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
"There are many in this committee and many in this committee room who have been critical of this governor on a number of issues, but this committee must do its deliberations without regard to politics, without regard to differences of public policy and even without regard to whether the governor is competent and whether he's done his job well," said Rep. Lou Lang (D- Skokie). "It must only be about whether the governor has violated his constitutional oath."
Blagojevich continued his weeklong silence, but his defense attorney planned to represent him Wednesday at the impeachment panel's first day of testimony. Brushing aside repeated calls for his resignation, the Democratic governor signed a bill into law and, according to an aide, was reviewing prison inmate petitions for clemency.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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There are some important developments happening in the ongoing recount between GOP incumbent Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota you should know about.
1) Members of the Minnesota State Canvassing Board met today to begin examining the challenged ballots submitted by the Coleman and Franken campaigns. The Coleman campaign submitted around 1,100 for review, the Franken campaign turned in about 780.
The board began reviewing the ballots, hours behind schedule, this afternoon. The board's work will not be completed until the 19th.
2) Tomorrow the Minnesota Supreme Court will hear complaints from the Coleman campaign that there is no consistent standard being used to judge the validity of rejected "fifth pile" absentee ballots. Officials at every counting place, of which there is 130, were making up their own criteria as went along.
The Coleman campaign would like to see the state law applied to what is legally considered a rejected absentee ballot after Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie abruptly expanded the definition to what these criterion could be.
3) Further confusing things is the fact some absentee ballots arrived damaged, as in physically crumpled. Then an election official was obligated, in accordance to law, tocreate a duplicate ballot, with "duplicate" clearly marked on it. In a number of precincts someone neglected to write "duplicate" and those ballots were counted with the original vote.
The Franken campaign does not want to sort these out and the Coleman campaign is asking the canvassing board to make this distinction. The campaigns are still debating how this should be handled.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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The fraud investigation of Wall Street money manager Bernard L. Madoff took unusual twists Wednesday as the U.S. attorney general removed himself and the Securities and Exchange Commission looked into the relationship between Madoff's niece and a former SEC attorney who reviewed Madoff's business.
The developments reflect growing criticism that Wall Street and regulators in Washington have grown too close. Madoff himself has boasted of his ties to the SEC.
The question of Madoff's connection to regulators goes to the heart of the investigation of the alleged $50 billion fraud, SEC Chairman Christopher Cox told reporters.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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New York's teetering economy will require a series of painful spending cuts to programs used by nearly all state residents and force more than $4 billion in higher taxes on everything from health insurance policies to the price of admission to the circus, Gov. David A. Paterson said Tuesday in proposing to close a $15.4 billion budget deficit.
Money to lure new jobs would be cut, as would efforts to protect the environment. Nearly 2,000 prison inmates would be released early to save money. State workers would be laid off, and those who aren't would see their salaries and benefits frozen and cut.
Any publicists being fired?
The state's debt would be driven to historic levels, and state university tuition would jump by 14 percent. Nearly $1.5 billion in annual property tax rebate checks would be scrubbed. Education and health care, the two biggest areas of the budget, would see $4.5 billion in cuts.
"We're going to have to take some extreme measures," Paterson told lawmakers of the challenge of closing the state's largest deficit ever.
The reaction was swift -- and negative.
Hospitals and nursing homes would close, health care officials say, and those that don't would cut back on patient care. As a result of Albany's decreasing school aid, schools would reduce classroom and after-school programs, and property taxes would rise, education officials warned.
Middle-class taxpayers would be hit hard, critics said, not just from the cuts, but from the stunning array of increases in taxes and fees.
New Yorkers would pay more for registering a car, catching a salmon or trout, going to the movies, getting a haircut, buying gasoline, drinking beer and buying nondiet soft drinks.
Republicans say the Democratic governor's tax and fee plan is actually $2 billion higher than being revealed. In all, there are 151 proposals that would create or increase taxes.
Beyond the cuts and tax increases, the proposed budget has a good share of what critics call gimmicks.
Paterson, for instance, is proposing to "sweep" $1.4 billion from off-budget accounts, such as from the New York Power Authority, into the general fund to balance the ledgers. Indeed, nearly 40 percent of the plan to reduce the deficit in what's left of this fiscal year would come from such transfers. A additional $1.1 billion in actions next year would come through nonrecurring moves, or "one-shots."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
2,000 prison inmates would be released early to save money.
These people are essentially disenfranchised political prisoners of former evil, rascist regimes. This will become a national trend or Administration program under Obama. Funds should be allocated to their transition to gummit employment pension and relief.
#2
When push comes to shove, Demos revert to their natural volition. Raise taxes. Create more taxes. Add fees in lieu of taxes. Add a crocodile tear extolling compassion, because no budget cuts may be considered. Oh, and Merry Christmas to All !
Democratic legislative leaders are planning to use a series of complex legal maneuvers to raise Californians' gas, sales and income taxes over the objection of Republican lawmakers, who have been able to block such proposals in the past.
New York Democrats are raising taxes, too. Seems like a trend ...
Under the Democrats' plan, sales taxes would increase by three-fourths of a cent. Gas taxes would go up by 13.5 cents per gallon. And a surcharge of 2.5% would be added to income taxes.
California budget crisis spurs freeze on funds for schools, roads
There would also be new taxes aimed at oil companies.
The proposal, described by Capitol insiders who were briefed on it, will be voted on in the Senate and Assembly tonight. It is part of an $18-billion package of fee and tax hikes and spending cuts intended to address a budget deficit that is projected to grow to nearly $42 billion through mid-2010.
The plan relies on loopholes in the law that allow legislators to increase levies with a simple majority vote - as opposed to the two-thirds vote typically required - under very narrow circumstances. Obtaining a two-thirds vote to pass tax increases would require some GOP lawmakers to break their no-tax pledges.
Democrats would justify implementing the taxes with a simple majority by calling some of the revenues "fees" that pay for particular programs. Such fees can be put into effect without GOP support. They are also planning to take money from existing fee accounts, use it to balance the budget and then replenish the accounts with higher fees.
Such proposals have been floated in past budget crises but never acted on out of concern that they would unravel in court. If the plan is approved, GOP lawmakers and anti-tax groups are expected to file legal challenges.
Anyone in Laficornia think to cut spending ...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/18/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
"Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree..."
...and watch as he pulls out from behind the tree in his car headed to someplace else where the government is better and the taxes are lower.
Cal has run off a tremendous amount of its productive citizenry. They're getting set to lose more of it. Maybe, though, they'll be the first state to tax itself into prosperity! Yes, that's it! Another first for the Golden State!
#3
Raising gas, sales and income taxes should be go over well.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
12/18/2008 13:51 Comments ||
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#4
I've lived here since 1975, and I'm done. We have taken paradise and completely ruined it. 30 years of wildfire growth fueled by illegal (and legal) immigration, no infrastructure investments, deferred maintenance on virtually everything, management by childish people who have never really had to face adversity or hard work, rampant socialist educational systems, greed, cronyism, and ignorance. The state faces this crisis because of the entitlement mentality of all the people who have come here for the sweet ride 25% of the population was born in another country, over 40% of the population doesn't speak English at home, 65% of L.A. radio stations are in a foreign language, over 25% of the prison population is illegal immigrant. We have the highest per capita spending of any state, the greatest debt, the lowest debt rating, miserable school performance and a gridlocked state political system. The state hasn't built a freeway in 20 years, not a Dam in 40, yet the population has more than doubled. We don't produce enough electricity to power the state in summer, are facing a serious drought due to water storage shortages, and disappearing agriculture, the state mainstay industry.
And the solutions offered by the clowns who govern us? To create the highest tax rates in the country, to sustain the BS programs we already have, with no fixes for anything beyond buying more votes to stay in power.
This isn't diversity, this is cultural and national suicide by sheer cluelessness and sloth.
You couldn't write a book with this suicidal a plot for a state or, by extension, a nation!
#5
dude 65% of LA radio stations are not in a foriegn language -- even including AM...where you getting your facts cause sure is not from listening to stations in Los Angeles
and according the us census (quick google search) 76% of the state reported causcausin (2006) -- now some of this is hispanic who consider themselves white and it is for the whole state...
but do agree with many of your points....just your facts are from chicken little.....
Posted by: Dna ||
12/18/2008 17:33 Comments ||
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CA's hispanic population exceeded the caucasian population this year.
Posted by: ed ||
12/18/2008 18:17 Comments ||
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#7
Dna
California is a majority minority state. Los Angeles County is approaching a majority Hispanic population. Currently there a less than 30% non-Hispanic whites in LA County and rapidly approaching 50% Hispanic and 13% Asian. If LA doesn't have 65% foreign language stations they should certainly consider it.
Be that as it may, the new majority minorities expect plenty of government goodies. Productive people and businesses will continue to be taxed and regulated out of the state until there is no one left to pay the bills.
But they can always get a bond measure passed to pay for Stem Cell research, Global Warming, and Bullet Trains.
One day soon the state will get a message from GolfBravo, AMF.
#10
I keep trying to tell Mrs. Uluque that we gotta move outta this state. Dna is at least very, very close to the truth if not spot on. You go up and down the radio dial in LA and try to find something worth listening to. Just try it.
But lately I find myself more in tune with the Hispanics than some of the looney, white liberals up in LA and the Bay Area. And the good old boys who are running San Diego are running it right into the ground. The Hispanics are a little more down to earth and if they replace us we will deserve it. I used to try to fight it but now I give up. There really isn't much left to save. Well, they don't call it LaLa land for nothin'.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/18/2008 19:54 Comments ||
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#11
NoMoreBS Dna is at least very, very close to the truth if not spot on.
Sorry. It was NoMoreBS who told it like it is. Told it better than I could have myself and I've certainly tried.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/18/2008 19:57 Comments ||
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#12
I voted with my feet after 25 years a couple of years ago. Shoveling snow's no fun, but it beats what's coming for the Kayleefornians.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/18/2008 20:17 Comments ||
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#14
18 stations- well less than a third of the stations in la....
Posted by: dna ||
12/18/2008 20:20 Comments ||
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#15
Atta boy Dna. Pick the nit and ignore the US Census data. Or crime data. Or illegal alien incarceration data. CA only admits it's over 10%. In Fed prison it's 17% and the LA Sheriff admitted it's 23%. That is, those the Sheriffs could positively identify were illegal.
Posted by: ed ||
12/18/2008 22:21 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The Illinois State Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon denied an emergency request from the state's attorney general, Lisa Madigan, to consider removing besieged Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich from power.
Democratic legislative leaders are planning to use a series of complex legal maneuvers to raise Californians' gas, sales and income taxes over the objection of Republican lawmakers, who have been able to block such proposals in the past.
