• Pinboard Links,  The Morning Flap

    The Morning Flap: October 1, 2012

    Obama and Romney campaigningThese are my links for September 27th through October 1st:

    • Battleground Poll: Race still tight – James Hohmann – POLITICO.com– The presidential race is tight enough nationally that a strong performance in Wednesday’s debate by Mitt Romney could put him in the lead.A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll of likely voters shows President Barack Obama ahead 49 percent to 47 percent, a point closer than a week ago and still within the margin of error.Romney now leads by 4 points among independents, up slightly from a week ago. The Republican must overperform with that group to make up for the near monolithic support of African-Americans for Obama, as well as the huge Democratic advantage among Latinos and women.
      The head-to-head numbers mostly held steady through the past two weeks.

      “The basic underpinnings of this race are just not changing, and that’s what’s going to keep this a very close race,” said Republican pollster Ed Goeas of the Tarrance Group, who helped conduct the bipartisan poll.
      A solid 46 percent say they will vote to reelect Obama and 42 percent say firmly they’ll vote to replace him. Just 9 percent say they’ll consider someone else.
      “We’ve never had a debate where the electorate was this polarized,” said Celinda Lake, the Democratic pollster who helped conduct the poll. “There’s a real question about how many voters are left to move in the debate.”
      Obama’s overall job approval stands at 49 percent, with an identical number of respondents disapproving. The president’s personal favorability slipped to 50 percent, with 47 percent viewing him unfavorably.

    • California Prison reforms’ results mixed after year– One year after Gov. Jerry Brown’s prison realignment program took effect, there is one thing everyone can agree on: California has a smaller prison population.But there is a broad difference of opinion about whether the plan, which handed California’s 58 counties responsibility for the incarceration and oversight of thousands of criminals, has made communities safer or reduced the number of criminals who re-offend, and there is no statewide data on those outcomes.California implemented realignment on Oct. 1, 2011, largely to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court order demanding that the state reduce the population of inmates in its overcrowded prisons. Today, the state has about 133,000 prison inmates, 27,000 fewer than it did a year ago.

      “It’s on schedule, and it’s in practice in all 58 counties, which are quite diverse,” Brown said in a phone interview last week. “I think all in all, we made a solid transition, and thank God for the fact we had the realignment plan – or we would have been forced by judges to let felons out of prison or to build new cells, which we can ill afford.”

    • Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses affair in interview– Arnold Schwarzenegger said he realized he was the father of his housekeeper’s child when the boy reached age 7 or 8 and the resemblance became apparent.Although he never discussed the matter with the boy’s mother, who kept the child’s paternity secret while continuing to work in the home of Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, he began secretly sending the woman extra money to help care for his son.Those details, revealed during an interview with CBS News’ Lesley Stahl on “60 Minutes” on Sunday, were the former governor’s first public comments on the affair that grabbed headlines and destroyed his marriage last year. They came a day before the release of Schwarzenegger’s new memoir, which is expected to delve into details of his relationship with Mildred Baena and their son, Joseph.
    • Obama Leads on Expectations – But the Race Itself Stays Close– Registered voters by 2-1 think Barack Obama will win the upcoming presidential debates and go on to prevail in the November election. But expectations aside, the race remains close, with strengths and vulnerabilities for both candidates in the campaign ahead.After a challenging period for Romney, registered voters by 63-31 percent expect Obama to win re-election, his widest advantage in expectations in ABC News/Washington Post polls to date. A year ago, in sharp contrast, Americans by an 18-point margin thought he’d lose.Potential voters by a similar 56-29 percent also expect Obama to win the debates beginning Wednesday night in Denver – a result that ratchets up the pressure on the president to perform, leaving Romney, whatever his difficulties, greater opportunity to exceed expectations.

      The contest between them, regardless, is far closer than those prognostications would suggest. Registered voters in this survey, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, divide by 49-44 percent between Obama and Romney, with the race a virtual tie, 49-47 percent, among those most likely to vote.

    • Georgia College student faces deportation to England on 21st birthday, leaving family behind– Lauren Bell calls America home.She’s lived a decade in Georgia, yet hasn’t picked up a Southern drawl. But the British accent she brought over as an 11-year-old is gone — except for when she drops the occasional foreign-sounding word on friends.Bell, a junior at Georgia College & State University, and her family came from Great Britain in 2003 when her father accepted a job in Sparta. They settled in the quiet antebellum town of Madison, bought a house and started paying taxes.

      Now, Bell faces deportation in January, when she turns 21 and will no longer be considered a dependent. She has a few relatives overseas, but her parents and younger sister, 17-year-old Emily, are here.

      The family applied for a green card, which grants permanent residence, for Lauren in 2004, but her father says immigration officials rejected it in its final stages. Apparently they did not care for the wording in his employer’s original “help wanted” ad

    • California allows driver’s licenses for young undocumented immigrants– oung undocumented immigrants will be able to receive California driver’s licenses under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Sunday.As many as 350,000 undocumented immigrants in California may be eligible for the Obama administration program, which waives the threat of deportation for two years for those who have no criminal record.According to The Times’ Patrick McGreevy:

      Young people would qualify if they are accepted by a federal program giving work permits to those who came to this country before they were 16 and are now 30 or younger.

      Brown spokesman Gil Duran said that by issuing the driver’s licenses, the state will merely be adhering to the new federal rules imposed by the White House.

    • Obama 49% vs. Romney 47% in tight race nationally as first debate looms– On the eve of their first presidential debate, President Obama leads or is at parity with Mitt Romney on virtually every major issue and attribute in what remains a competitive general election, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.The new survey also highlights an emerging dynamic: the disparity between the state of the race nationally and in battleground states, where campaigning and advertising by the two candidates have been most intense and where the election will be decided.
    • Ross Perot: No 2012 endorsement – warns of fiscal calamity– Ross Perot, the billionaire who shook up the 1992 presidential campaign, has largely remained silent since his emergence on the nation’s political stage nearly two decades ago and as he emerges from the shadows (in part to drum up interest in his forthcoming autobiography) he’s remaining silent about one more thing: The current top candidates running for office.Pressed by USA Today’s Richard Wolf to endorse a candidate, Perot declined, despite the fact that “members of his family have donated almost exclusively to Republicans in recent years.”
    • Poll: Obama 49 vs. Romney 47 Race Remains Tight, But Debates Loom Large– President Obama remains in a virtual tie with Mitt Romney in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released early Monday, but the incumbent has ticked up on many measures, including earning his highest approval rating for handling the economy in more than two years.Wednesday’s debate, however, provides opportunities and potential pitfalls for both candidates, the poll shows, with voters saying by a nearly 2-to-1 margin that Obama will win the series of three debates.Obama leads Romney among likely voters, 49 percent to 47 percent, the poll shows. Two percent prefer neither candidate, and just 1 percent are undecided. The result is virtually unchanged from the previous ABC News/Washington Post poll, conducted immediately after the two party conventions, which showed Obama leading, 49 percent to 48 percent.
    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-10-01 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-10-01 #tcot
    • Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-30 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-30
    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-30 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-30 #tcot
    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-29 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-29 #tcot
    • Gregory Flap @ Ronnie’s Diner – foursquare – 8 miles done in Venice even with Carmaggedon. Now, some food and off to San Diego. (@ Ronnie’s Diner)
    • Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-29 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-29
    • Biden promotes free colonoscopies to seniors in Florida | WashingtonExaminer.com – Biden promotes free colonoscopies to seniors in Florida | #tcot
    • Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Kaleida Health Agrees to $1.6 Million Settlement in Fraudulent Dental Medicaid Claims – Kaleida Health Agrees to $1.6 Million Settlement in Fraudulent Dental Medicaid Claims
    • Biden promotes free colonoscopies to seniors in Florida | WashingtonExaminer.com – Biden promotes free colonoscopies to seniors in Florida | #tcot
    • Biden promotes free colonoscopies to seniors in Florida | WashingtonExaminer.com – Hey Joe! I don’t want a “FREE” colonoscopy, thank you. I will pay for my own. #tcot
    • Schwarzenegger calls affair with housekeeper ‘stupidest thing I’ve done’ – latimes.com – Stupid on steroids —> RT @LATPoliticsCA: Schwarzenegger calls affair with housekeeper ‘stupidest thing I’ve done’
    • Memo to Mitt Romney: Go Large or Go Home – Flap’s Blog – Memo to Mitt Romney: Go Large or Go Home #tcot
    • Charles Krauthammer: Go large, Mitt– In mid-September 2008, Lehman Brothers collapsed and the bottom fell out of the financial system. Barack Obama handled it coolly. John McCain did not. Obama won the presidency. (Given the country’s condition, he would have won anyway. But this sealed it.)Four years later, mid-September 2012, the U.S. mission in Benghazi went up in flames, as did Obama’s entire Middle East policy of apology and accommodation. Obama once again played it cool, effectively ignoring the attack and the region-wide American humiliation. “Bumps in the road,” he said. Nodding tamely were the mainstream media, who would have rained a week of vitriol on Mitt Romney had he so casually dismissed the murder of a U.S. ambassador, the raising of the black Salafist flag over four U.S. embassies and the epidemic of virulent anti-American demonstrations from Tunisia to Sri Lanka (!) to Indonesia.
    • Day By Day September 28, 2012 – Defaults are on DeLeft – Flap’s Blog – Day By Day September 28, 2012 – Defaults are on DeLeft #tcot
    • USC – LA Times Poll: California Proposition 30 Not Winning Hearts – USC – LA Times Poll: California Proposition 30 Not Winning Hearts and Minds
    • California: AFSCME Hits Dan Lungren, Chamber Slams Ami Bera | At the Races – RT @rollcall: California: AFSCME Hits Lungren, Chamber Slams Bera: via @KyleTrygstad #CA7 #tcot
    • Florida: New Allen West Ad Blasts Patrick Murphy for Arrest | At the Races – Brutal is too kind RT @HotlineReid Wow, that Allen West ad is just brutal. Mug shot and all — #tcot
    • California business leakage is a bummer – Katy Grimes: The word ‘leakage’ is the new politically correct term used by legislators, the Governor, bureaucrats and the California Air Resources Board to describe what happens when California businesses leave the state because of tax increases and stupendous regulations… as if any of them know what it means for a business to make the difficult decision to close a location, terminate hundreds of employees, and move a business.
    • Romney Needs a Game Changer – Sarah Palin to replace Mitt in debates? RT @politicalwire Romney needs a game changer, soon… #tcot
    • Quote of the Day – RT @politicalwire McCaskill on Akin: “I mean, this is somebody who kind of makes Michele Bachmann look like a hippie.”
    • Kansas State’s Obamacare vision, dental mandate in flux – Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger says pediatric dental and vision care coverage may be most affected by Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision not to adopt her agency’s recommendations for state health care exchange standards. The coverage standards, or benchmarks, for the exchanges are part of the federal health care reform law spearheaded by President Barack Obama and commonly called “Obamacare.” As expected, Brownback declined to sign off on Praeger’s recommendations this week, saying he won’t move to implement the federal law that has been the subject of withering criticism from him and other conservatives. “The people of Kansas have spoken clearly on this issue in two elections,” Sherriene Jones-Sontag, Brownback’s spokeswoman, said this week. “They know the Affordable Care Act would mean higher costs and fewer jobs. As the governor has said, his administration will not make any decisions regarding the implementation of Obamacare until after the November elections.”
    • USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll: Support for Governor’s Tax Initiative Continues to Erode > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences – 54 percent of #CAvoters support Prop. 30 in latest USC Dornsife/LA Times Poll:
    • Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-28 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-28
    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-28 – Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-09-28 #tcot
    • What About California’s Business Climate? – Flap’s California Blog – What About California’s Business Climate?
    • Vote Obama and Get Your Free Phone – Flap’s Blog – Vote Obama and Get Your Free Phone #tcot
    • California Proposition 37 Up in Polls, But… – Flap’s Blog – California Proposition 37 Up in Polls, But… #tcot
    • Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Virigina Dentist Tran Vu Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Insurance Fraud – Virigina Dentist Tran Vu Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Insurance Fraud
    • Atwater, Calif. rushing for budget fixes to avoid bankruptcy
      | Reuters
      – Another California City = Atwater facing the possibility of bankruptcy #tcot #catcot
    • CA-26: Tony Strickland and Julia Brownley to Debate Next Tuesday – CA-26: Tony Strickland and Julia Brownley to Debate Next Tuesday #tcot
    • Is There Any Doubt that Hillary Clinton Will Run for President? – Is There Any Doubt that Hillary Clinton Will Run for President? #tcot
    • Obama ducks meeting with ‘Bibi’; Clinton to meet with Israel’s Netanyahu – Washington Times – Obama ducks meeting with ‘Bibi’; Clinton to meet with Israel’s Netanyahu #tcot
    • Obama ducks meeting with ‘Bibi’; Clinton to meet with Israel’s Netanyahu– The State Department confirmed late Wednesday that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will meet in New York on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he delivers a speech to the U.N. General Assembly likely to focus heavily on the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.The meeting, which arrives amid heightened concern in Washington about the possibility that Israel is preparing a pre-emptive military strike against Iran, rounds out a week in which Mrs. Clinton has taken the lead for the Obama administration in connecting face to face with Middle Eastern leaders after the widespread anti-U.S. demonstrations that swept the region.While past U.S. presidential election years have seen incumbents from both sides of the isle avoid the hectic schedule — and sensitive politics — associated with such high-level U.N. meetings, Mr. Obama has faced harsh criticism for opting to personally avoid them this week.

      In his place, Mrs. Clinton has met with, among others, Presidents Mohammed Morsi of Egypt, Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan and Mohamed Magariaf of Libya — three nations in which the anti-U.S. demonstrations tied to the recent YouTube clip denigrating Islam’s Prophet Mohammad were the most fierce this month.

      While Mr. Obama gave a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Republican critics and several media outlets have pounced on Mr. Obama’s decision to avoid the face-to-face meetings with other leaders since then.

    • Untitled (http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/world/africa/clinton-cites-clear-link-between-al-qaeda-and-attack-in-libya.html&OQ=_rQ3D1&OP=cfea520aQ2FPrTQ2BPx-Q2BP222P9Q2BejPQ2ArSvQ20rrQ2BQ24PQ24IQ60Q24PIQ2FPQ24Q23P2rQ20jQ2 – Clinton Suggests Qaeda Link in Libya Attack #tcot
    • Day By Day September 27, 2012 – Playing Halo – Flap’s Blog – Day By Day September 27, 2012 – Playing Halo #tcot
    • Clinton Suggests Qaeda Link in Libya Attack – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday suggested there was a link between the Qaeda franchise in North Africa and the attack at the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the American ambassador and three others. She was the highest-ranking Obama administration official to publicly make the connection, and her comments intensified what is becoming a fiercely partisan fight over whether the attack could have been prevented.
    • US ECONOMY GREW 1.3 PERCENT IN SECOND QUARTER– The U.S. economy grew at an even more sluggish pace in the April-June quarter than previously believed as farm production in the Midwest was reduced by a severe drought.The overall economy grew at an annual rate of 1.3 percent in the spring, down from its previous estimate of 1.7 percent growth, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The big revision reflected that the government slashed its estimate of crop production by $12 billion.About half of the downward revision to growth came from the decline in farm inventories. But other areas were weaker as well including slower consumer spending and less growth in exports.
    • US economy grew 1.3 percent in second quarter – Yahoo! News – RT @StewSays: AP: The US economy grew at an even more sluggish pace in the April-June quarter than previously believed
    • Obama: Industrial Age Solutions to Information Age Challenges– Obama’s policies, from Obamacare to high-speed rail, treat people as identical cogs in a very large machine, part of a mindless mass that would not be able to get along without government guidance.In the information age, these industrial age policies have prevented the vibrant economic growth which gives young people the opportunity to find work and community service that maximizes their own special talents and interests — to shape their own world and choose their own future.
  • Pinboard Links

    The Afternoon Flap: August 10, 2012

    These are my links for August 3rd through August 10th:

  • Pinboard Links,  The Morning Flap

    The Morning Flap: August 3, 2012

    These are my links for The Morning Flap – August 2nd through August 3rd:

    • July jobs report: America’s labor market depression continues– Only in a world of lowered, New Normal expectations was the July jobs report anything less than another disaster for U.S. workers. Nonfarm payrolls rose 163,000 last month as the unemployment rate rose to 8.3%. In addition, employment for May and June was revised by 6,000 jobs.– Not only is the 8.3% unemployment rate way above the 5.6% unemployment rate that Team Obama predicted for July 2012 if Congress passed the $800 billion stimulus plan. It’s way above the 6.0% unemployment rate they predicted if no stimulus was passed.– Job growth, as measured by nonfarm payrolls, has average about 75,000 jobs a month during the Obama recovery for a total of 2.7 million jobs. Context: During the first three years of the Reagan Recovery, job growth averaged 273,000 a month for a total of 9.8 million. If you adjust for the larger U.S. population today, the Reagan Recovery averaged 360,000 jobs a month for a three-year total of 13 million jobs.– This continues to be the longest stretch of 8% or higher unemployment since the Great Depression, 42 straight months.– If the labor force participation rate was the same as when Obama took office in January 2009, the unemployment rate would be 11.0%.

      – Even if you take into account that the LFP should be declining as America ages, the unemployment rate would be 10.6%.

      – If labor force participation rate hadn’t declined since just last month, unemployment rate would have risen to 8.4%.

      – The broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes “all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons,” ticked up to 15.0%.

      – Two years ago, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner wrote his now-infamous “Welcome to the Recovery” op-ed for the New York Times. During those two years, the economy has added an average of just 137,000 jobs a month.

      – Not only is the 8.3% unemployment rate way above the 5.6% unemployment rate that Team Obama predicted for July 2012 if Congress passed the $800 billion stimulus plan. It’s way above the 6.0% unemployment rate they predicted if no stimulus was passed.

    • 195,000 Fewer Americans Had Jobs in July; 150,000 Dropped Out of Labor Force– There were 195,000 fewer people employed in the United States in July than in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as the national unemployment rate ticked up from 8.2 percent to 8.3 percent.Meanwhile, 150,000 people simply dropped out of the labor force during the month and did not seek to find a job.In June, according to BLS, there had been 142,415,000 people employed in the United States. In July, that dropped to 142,220,000–a decline of 195,000.Similarly, in June, there were 155,163,000 people in the civilian labor force in the United States. To be counted in the civilian labor force, person must be 16 years old or older, not be in the military, prison or a mental institution, and either have a job or have actively looked for a job in the past four weeks.In July, the number of people in the civilian labor force was 155,013,000–a decline of 150,000 from June.
    • Economy Creates 163,000 New Jobs but Rate Rises to 8.3%– The U.S. economy followed up a weak second quarter by creating more jobs than expected with 163,000 new positions added in July, but the unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent.Markets reacted positively to the announcement, with the stock market surging at the open and safe-haven bond prices plunging. Economists had been expecting 100,000 new jobs.As the country struggles to gain growth traction, the unemployment rate held above 8 percent for the 41st consecutive month, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”I’d call this a soft 163,” said Steve Blitz, chief economist at investment research firm ITG in New York. “If you want to take from this the notion that the economy is not heading to a recession or something more ominous, that’s fine. But if you want to take from this the idea that the economy is about to accelerate, I think that would be a big mistake.”
    • CA Gov. Brown Allegedly Took $3 Million from 9/11 Fund– As California teeters near default in many areas, news is breaking that Gov. Jerry Brown may have taken up to $3 million from a fund created “in honor of the victims of the 2001 terror attacks” to make up for shortfalls.The fund, which was raised by the sale of specialized plates within the state, totals approximately $250 million, and the AP reports that both Brown and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger each allegedly dipped into the monies in an effort to make ends meet.
    • GAO: Tax cheats get millions in Medicaid money– One in every 20 health providers getting taxpayer money from Medicaid is delinquent on their federal taxes, and in some cases the tax cheats are years behind in paying the IRS, according to a new audit by Congress’s investigators.The Government Accountability Office looked at about 7,000 providers in three large states who Medicaid reimbursed more than $6 billion in 2009 and found that they had nearly $800 million in unpaid federal taxes.In two cases, the health companies — which range from dentists and doctors to private ambulances and medical supply companies — had been under criminal investigation, including for medical billing fraud.“It is outrageous that heath care providers who cheat on their taxes are getting paid with taxpayer dollars through the Medicaid program,” said Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate’s investigative subcommittee.He called for the government to prohibit companies with unpaid taxes from Medicaid money.
    • Tax Scam: IRS Pays Out Billions in Fraudulent Refunds– The IRS is paying out billions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds to identity thieves; a problem that the tax service’s inspector general told CNBC is a “growing problem” involving numbers that are increasing “exponentially.”In a new report to be issued Thursday, the inspector general for the IRS says that tax thieves are stealing the identities of taxpayers and then filing bogus returns on their behalf and collecting fraudulent refunds as a result.The inspector general estimates that the IRS could issue as much as $21 billion in fraudulent tax refunds over the next five years.
    • Pelosi, Dems push Homeland Security for clarity on LGBT deportations– Scores of House Democrats called on the Obama administration this week to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples when considering deportations.Behind Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the lawmakers want the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to state explicitly that LGBT “family ties” will be deemed “a positive factor” discouraging deportation as DHS agents gauge whether to pursue cases.
    • Defense Lawyers Say Prop 37 Will Bring Bumper Crop of Litigation– With recent polling suggesting Californians want labels on genetically modified food, defense attorneys warn that an upcoming ballot initiative could generate a bumper crop of litigation.Proposition 37, also known as the Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, would require labels on edibles containing ingredients whose DNA was tweaked to increase yield, to fight off disease or for any other reason. If voters approve the initiative in November, California would become the first state in the nation to employ such a far-reaching consumer alert system.Proponents say their measure has a simple rationale: Californians should know what’s in the food they buy and eat. But legal critics say compliance would be a far more complex task. And they point to an enforcement provision authorizing private consumer lawsuits, something defense lawyers compare less than flatteringly to Prop 65, the 1986 law that requires businesses to warn consumers about chemicals they use.”When I used to go and talk about Prop 65 when it was on the ballot, I would say the biggest beneficiaries would be lawyers. I think that goes double for Prop 37,” said Michele Corash, a environmental defense partner with Morrison & Foerster.James Wheaton, the Oakland attorney who helped draft Prop 37, said such claims amount to scare tactics.
    • Majority of Californians say they know nothing about emissions cap-and-trade program– California’s landmark global-warming bill was a white-hot topic in the 2010 governor’s race and remains former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature environmental achievement.But as the state prepares to unroll the law’s cap-and-trade program in November with the first state auctions of emissions permits, a new poll finds that 57 percent of Californians say they have never heard anything about the program.The statewide poll by the Public Policy Institute of California further found that 30 percent of respondents said they had heard “a little,” while just 12 percent said they had heard “a lot.”
    • Police Chief’s $204,000 Pension Shows How Cities Crashed– Stockton, California, Police Chief Tom Morris was supposed to bring stability to law enforcement when he was appointed to the job four years ago.He lasted eight months and left the now-bankrupt city at age 52 with an annual pension that pays more than $204,000 — the third of four chiefs who stayed in the position for less than three years and retired with an average of 92 percent of their final salaries.Stockton, which filed for bankruptcy protection on June 28, is among California cities from the Mexican border to the San Francisco Bay confronting rising pension costs as they contend with growing unemployment and declining property- and sales-tax revenue. The pensions are the consequence of decisions made when stock markets were soaring, technology money flooded the state, and retirement funds were running surpluses.“We didn’t have very many people looking out for the taxpayers when these deals were negotiated,” San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, 63, said in a telephone interview. San Jose, the state’s third-largest city, approved a ballot measure in June to contain annual retirement costs that soared to $245 million from $73 million in the past decade.
  • Pinboard Links,  The Morning Flap

    The Morning Flap: May 7, 2012

    These are my links for May 4th through May 7th:

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for July 11th on 15:20

    These are my links for July 11th from 15:20 to 18:51:

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 19th on 09:44

    These are my links for April 19th from 09:44 to 09:54:

    • Rob Stutzman is in final push to delay NBA’a Sacramento Kings’ move – Sacramento political consultant Rob Stutzman is on the verge of tossing a wrench into Joe and Gavin Maloof's efforts to move the Sacramento Kings to Anaheim.

      By early this week, Stutzman expects to have collected roughly 11,000 signatures needed to challenge by referendum Anaheim City Council's $75 million deal to upgrade that arena where the Kings would play, and help the Maloofs with the cost of relocating.

      "What we're doing is very real and matters legally," Stutzman said, adding that he can gather the requisite number of signatures with "one arm tied behind my back."

      He does, however, need a little more money. But assuming he gets it–and there are some wealthy people who have an interest in his success–the referendum would place the Anaheim financing deal on hold until the next election, likely in June 2012, long after the next basketball season is over.

      Stutzman's effort comes as lobbyist Darius Anderson and billionaire Ron Burkle press to try to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

      ======

      With the Clippers and Lakers in LA, I really don't see that much of a market in Orange County anyway.

      But, if the Sacramento Kings owners want to move the team and they are foiled then suppose they can sell.

    • California State leadership PACs loading up – California lawmakers are preparing to bankroll their congressional colleagues, some more aggressively than others.
      In new campaign filings, a special leadership committee established by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, surpasses most of its congressional competitors in amount of money stockpiled.
      Nunes can use the $120,000 he's saved to help his colleagues, and himself. But though he stands out, he's not alone. From conservatives like Nunes and Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, to liberals like Lois Capps, D-San Luis Obispo, incumbents are forming leadership fundraising committees in record numbers.
      "It's something that as part of the team you're expected to do," Nunes said. "It's a way for me to help my colleagues, and possibly my future colleagues."
      More than 400 leadership political action committees are currently registered with the Federal Election Commission. They enable lawmakers to collect contributions in chunks of up to $5,000 each, and then distribute the money to colleagues. They also enable contributors to effectively increase the amount they give to politicians.

      =====

      Read it all.

      With redistricting California Reps. had better stock up and stock up fast since some of their CD's will be competitive.

    • Arnold Schwarzenegger defends Nuñez sentence reduction, slams Whitman | – Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger justified his eleventh-hour sentence reduction for the son of a fellow Sacramento politician, saying “of course you help a friend” and that he felt good about the decision.

      Schwarzenegger came under heavy fire for the move, which took place hours before he left office in January. In May, former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez’s son Esteban accepted a plea deal in the death of Luis Santos, a 22-year-old college student. Schwarzenegger decided to reduce the sentence from 16 years to seven years, which infuriated prosecutors as well as the victim's family, which was not notified beforehand.

      “I understand people’s disappointments. I understand the parents’ anger. I would probably feel the same way,” Schwarzenegger told Newsweek in an article published Sunday. “My office definitely made a mistake in not notifying the parents beforehand … and I’m ultimately responsible.

      “I feel good about the decision …. I happen to know the kid really well. I don’t apologize about it,” said Schwarzenegger, who noted in his commutation order that Esteban Nuñez, 21, did not deliver the fatal wound that led to Santos’ death. “There’s criticism out there. I think it’s just because of our working relationship and all that. It maybe was kind of saying, ‘That’s why he did it.’ Well, hello! I mean, of course you help a friend.”

      ======

      Arnold was the worst California Governor EVER.

      Help a friend?

      What an idiot……

      Next time I see him riding his bicycle in Santa Monica I think I will shout out to him on what a despicable moron he is.

      And, yeah….no more movie tickets with him starring.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 30th on 18:06

    These are my links for March 30th from 18:06 to 18:20:

    • Budget Negotiators Reach Tentative Deal To Avert Government Shutdown – Sources tell me that  budget negotiators on Capitol Hill have tentatively agreed on a deal that would involve at least $33 billion in spending cuts from this year’s budget.  That’s $23 billion dollars more than Democrats have previously agreed to in short-term continuing resolutions, and $28 billion less than Republicans previously passed in the House.

      Members of the House Appropriations Committee will begin discussing how to hit that number with their Senate counterparts as soon as tonight, and Vice President Biden is heading to Capitol Hill for a 6pm meeting with the Senate Democratic leadership.

      The deal could still fall apart over the composition of the cuts, or policy “riders” previously passed by the House. These include issues like de-funding Planned Parenthood and President Obama’s health care legislation.  It’s also not clear that this compromise will fly with rank-and-file House Republicans, which means that the $33 billion goal could still climb by a few billion.  But this is most significant progress since the beginning of negotiations.

      Update: Kevin Smith, a spokesman for the Speaker of the House, tells me "“There is no agreement on a number for the spending cuts. Nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to.”

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      OK for this year but only with a balance budget amendment.

    • Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as ‘The Governator’ – He’s been a famous body builder. He’s been a killer cyborg from the future. He’s been Governor of California. And now, in this week’s exclusive cover scoop, Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals his plans for the next phase of his extraordinary career: He’s going be a cartoon superhero, known as The Governator. “When I ran for governor back in 2003 and I started hearing people talking about ‘the Governator,’ I thought the word was so cool,” Schwarzenegger, 63, tells EW in his first press interview since leaving office last January. (Watch an EW-exclusive video of Schwarzenegger talking about the project.) “The word Governator combined two worlds: the world of politics and the movie world. And [this cartoon] brings everything together. It combines the governor, the Terminator, the bodybuilding world, the True Lies…” 
      The animated TV show and comic book, being co-developed by no less a superhero authority than Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee (pictured, right), won’t be out until next year,…

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      Hope the cartoon ends up better than his Governorship which was horrible.

    • Barack Obama authorizes secret help for Libya rebels – President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

      Obama signed the order, known as a presidential "finding", within the last two or three weeks, according to government sources familiar with the matter.

      Such findings are a principal form of presidential directive used to authorize secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency. This is a necessary legal step before such action can take place but does not mean that it will.

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      Read it all.

    • Barack Obama’s jaw-dropping hypocrisy on energy – McConnell gave a speech on the Senate floor this morning that including these zingers:

      Over the past two years, the administration has undertaken what can only be described as a war on American energy. It’s cancelled dozens of drilling leases. It’s declared a moratorium on drilling off the Gulf Coast. It’s increased permit fees. It has prolonged public comment periods. In short, it’s done just about everything it can to keep our own energy sector from growing. As a result, thousands of U.S. workers have lost their jobs, as companies have been forced to look elsewhere for a better business climate.

      Consider this: just three of the areas we could tap in Alaska are thought to hold enough oil to replace our crude imports from the Persian Gulf for nearly 65 years. So the problem isn’t that we need to look elsewhere for our energy. The problem is that Democrats don’t want us to use the energy we have. It’s enough to make you wonder whether anybody in the White House has driven by a gas station lately.

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      Well, at least he made a speech on energy – finally.

      The Democrats will do nothing to end American dependence on foreign oil by domestic exploration and drilling.