I have no words

California arsonists

It's brush fire time in southern California, and the arsonists are busy. (1) (2)

Sometimes when I hear these types of stories I have cynical thoughts. Such as... I wonder who would benefit from these brush fires at a time when there are budget cuts in the pipeline?

Just sayin'.

Ted Kennedy receives million dollar bribe

Ted's rolling in the dough.

At a time when publishers are scrambling to keep customers willing to pay $26 for a hardcover book instead of $9.99 for an electronic version, the publisher of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s forthcoming memoir is going in the opposite direction - issuing a limited edition it plans to sell for $1,000 a copy.

Sounds like a Jim Wright book deal. K Street lobbyists will be fighting over the copies.

Honey, I blew up the office!

From the Financial Times,

Workers at a failed French car parts supplier are threatening to blow up their factory unless the company's two biggest clients - Renault and PSA Peugeot -Citroën - stump up extra compensation.

Employees of the engine parts maker New Fabris have rigged up gas canisters inside a factory workshop, which they say will be detonated on July 31 if the two carmakers fail to pay €30,000 (£26,000) to each of the 366 workers facing unemployment.

From AsiaOneNews,

The deadly violence in Xinjiang has refocused attention on a toy factory brawl in southern China last month that left two Uighurs dead, highlighting the tensions stoked by mass migration.

The clash between Han Chinese and Uighur workers on June 25 at the Xuri factory in the southern province of Guangdong left 118 injured, 14 of them seriously, state media reported.

From AFP,

Thousands of garment workers near the Bangladeshi capital on Monday stormed a factory and torched it in a third day of violent protests over pay cuts and outstanding salary payments.

About 20,000 workers, some armed with sticks and stones, were protesting on the streets of Ashulia, 30 kilometres (19 miles) outside Dhaka, when some set fire to a factory, assistant police commissioner Nur Ahmed told AFP.

Also from the Financial Times,

Senior Democrat senators said on Wednesday they would change a provision that imposes carbon taxes on imports following warnings that the clause in the House’s cap-and-trade bill could spark a global trade war.

The House’s bill contained tough provisions to impose carbon tariffs, aimed at protecting American companies’ competitiveness against imports from countries without equivalent carbon emission controls to those in the US.

The mad dash to export US manufacturing jobs has stepped up a notch. How long before we see violence at the remaining US factories?

True Stories

Yes, that's pretty much Texas. Hot, flat, building up fast. I still like the movie, even though David Byrne is a really bad actor.

Inflation

Milk is $2.00/gallon at HEB. This time last year it was nearing $4.00. Bread's a lot cheaper as well. I like Triscuits and go through a box a week. Last summer they were $2.00/box, then they went to $3.00. Now they're back at $2.00. Utility bills are noticeably lower, even with the current heat wave. You know what's happened to housing costs.

My medical insurance premiums continue to skyrocket and I don't want to think about college tuition for my kids. Those are the two remaining bubbles left to pop, and when they do it will be spectacular.

Boone craps out

T. Boone "$200 oil" Pickens gave up on his windfarm. He blames it on the credit market. I blame it on market forces. A collapse in energy prices will put the kibosh on schemes that demand taxpayers fund projects that should be paid for by the private sector.

An old video of mine:

What California government workers think of you taxpayers

Comments on the SacBee,

next_milenium

To all state employee haters:

Stop wasting time and go back to flipping burgers!

Class dismissed!

hamner75

State workers are the backbone of all Californians. No furloughs, no pay cuts, or layoffs. Give us all raises and we will all start putting are money back into the economy and everyone will be happy.

sealgaire

But, obviously you hate state workers, probably because you could not pass the entrance exam to get a job. Can I have a Big Mac, fries, and a medium coke please? Have a nice day.

THESILKY1

Do you know for a fact, what will happen if you lay-off 100,000 State employees?

Here is an answer to your statement. Half the businesses in the private sector will fold, and the other half that remain open, will not be open for long.

tejouzi

How is laying off thousands of state workers going to help the economy? You want to help the economy, TELL THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO STOPPPPPPP RIPPING OFF THE STATE!!!!! AND WASTING MY TAX DOLLARS BY CHARGING THE STATE TWICE AS MUCH FOR THE SAME SERVICE!!!!! Go take a math class

California budget growth over the past 10 years:

The current deficit is $24 billion, which works out to about $2600 per family of four. (Is my math right?) Don't know about you, but if I got an additional tax bill of $2600 each year on top of what is already being confiscated I think I'd consider hauling butt.

But maybe the public employee unions are right. Shut your mouths and pay up, burger-flippers.

(Thanks for the Instalanche, Glenn. And let me add that I find it interesting that so many California public employees denigrate fast food workers. I don't know why. Flipping burgers is honest work, it's tough work, and it's something (raises hand) that many of us have had to do at one point in our lives in order to pay the bills.)

Goodbye, Alamo Village

This sucks, but I can't say that it's unexpected. Alamo Village has closed.

I drove past the signs on US 90 for years, and this past March I finally visited the place. Even during a beautiful spring break Saturday there very few visitors, and I knew the place would be closing soon.

The Shahan family made a good effort, but Alamo Village is way too remote and let's face it, westerns aren't exactly popular nowadays.

More at the Chron.

Ronulan sues the TSA

I hope he wins.

A lawsuit filed Thursday against the Transportation Security Administration alleges a Ron Paul supporter was unreasonably detained at the St. Louis airport because he was carrying about $4,700 in cash...

Bierfeldt said he refused to answer when a TSA official asked what was in the box. Another TSA official arrived, and Bierfeldt was taken into a separate room where he used an iPhone in his jacket pocket to record the officials' questioning.

An audio clip provided by the ACLU includes repeated questions from a TSA official about why Bierfeldt was carrying so much money, and his repeated refusal to answer. On one occasion, the questioner swears and asks, "Is there any reason you're not answering questions?"

Bierfeldt answers, "Am I legally required to answer the question?"

The recording is here.