Somewhere around the year 2000 thousands of serious Beanie Baby collectors came to the realization that they had invested in a commodity that consisted of no more than 20 cents worth of cloth and plastic beads. Many were stunned when the collector’s market plummeted because they had anticipated that their investments of $25 $50 or […]
The city of Los Angeles has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar. The city’s hands are experienced at this maneuver but they don’t usually get caught. In this case the California Court of Appeal has ruled that the city broke the law by imposing a tax increase on cell phone use that […]
It is no secret that finding new ways to evade the expressed will of the people who by passing Propositions 13 and 218 overwhelmingly stated their conviction that they should have the final say on their own taxation is a cottage industry for lawyers toiling on behalf of cities counties and special districts. However these […]
Last week’s prison deal brought cheers and plaudits from virtually all political corners in California. The Legislature threatened by a federal court takeover of the state’s prison system averted the crisis — it is hoped — by enacting a comprehensive bill to deal with prison overcrowding and other corrections issues. Governor Schwarzenegger hailed the agreement […]
Within the last week the stock market has reached an all-time high. But wasn’t it just weeks ago that the market suffered a one-day decline of over 400 points the worst since the 9/11 attack? The higher stock values have memory-challenged market watchers making happy talk crediting low inflation and interest rates for a healthy […]
Several news reports over the last week had me thinking of the 1973 Charlton Heston movie Soylent Green an "Al-Gorean" view of the earth’s future as a dying planet no longer able to provide enough food to sustain the human population. At one point during the film the mayor of New York treats his children […]
While watching my first televised baseball game of the year the camera panned the crowd and then zeroed in on two youngsters wildly waving concession stand foam fingers to express their conviction that the home team is "number one." Of course I knew their beliefs to be mistaken no matter how well intentioned because I […]
It is a poorly held secret that sitting legislators hate term limits more than anyone else. Once elected these politicians feel a strong sense of entitlement to keep their seats in office. Sure they will always couch their expressions in terms of "letting the voters decide" about whether they should be permitted to stay in […]
Mortgage lenders and others in the home finance community woke up to a jolt this month when reports indicated that borrowers were having trouble making payments on loans leading to an increase in foreclosures. That news plus some concerns with Asian markets and subprime lenders led the broader stock market to fall. These economic hiccups […]
If you arrived at your office shop or business and found the locks had been changed several thoughts would pass through your mind. If you were an employee you would wonder if this were a not-so-subtle message from your boss that your services were no longer needed. If it was your own business you would […]
