The Wine Commonsewer™

After Five Days of Drenching Rain, Fire Danger is WTF?

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

 

After January rains equal to 75% of our annual average rainfall in the last five days TWC wonders how high the fire danger actually is. 

At some point, the people this warning is directed at will respond to it as people did to the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

As Ever,

TWC

California's Ban on Soft Drinks in School

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Jake starts high school in about six months and he's been talking about it off and on recently. This morning on the way to school.....

The Boy: They have vending machines at Centennial High School

TWC: I thought it was illegal to sell sodas in California schools.

The Boy: They sell Gatorade, Monster drinks, Diet Coke, Ice Tea......

TWC: Well that crap isn't any better for you than soda.

The Boy: But they aren't illegal. 

Right. Not sure that Schwarzzengroper actually won this battle.

As Always,

TWC

John Belushi Exhumed! Will Stand Trial In New York

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

 

Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be brought to trial in a civilian federal courthouse in New York, blocks from site of the devastating 2001 terror attacks. Prosecutors expect to seek the death penalty.

Whole thing here.

As Ever,

TWC

Wilson Elementary Is A Smoke Free School

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

TWC was always pleased to see the large signs posted every twenty feet all around the perimeter fencing (below the coils of razor wire) at the kid's school:

Wilson Elementary School Is A Tobacco Free School

One day TWC called the principal and told her how happy he was that she wasn't allowing the House Blond and her brother to light up after lunch.

As Ever,

TWC

City of the Angels Not Bound By Ruling (Only Taxpayers Are)

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

This kind of stuff may seem especially egregious to you, Gentle Reader, but it is really just the Soup de Jour for most government bureaucracies.

Everything was fine until the city started running out of money in 2007. Suddenly, the city announced that it was going to ignore its own ruling and reclassify us in the higher tax category. Even more incredible is the fact that the new classification was to be imposed retroactively to 2004 with interest and penalties. No explanation was given for the new classification, or for the city's decision to ignore its 1994 ruling.

Their official position is that the city is not bound by past rulings -- only taxpayers are. (emphasis TWC's) This is why we have been forced to file a lawsuit. We will let the courts decide whether it is legal for adverse rulings to apply only to taxpayers and not to the city.

And when LA wins, they lose, because Creator's Syndicate will leave town, taking their jobs, revenue, and tax base with them.

Money quote.....

As long as City Hall operates like a banana republic, why is anyone surprised that jobs have left the city in droves and Los Angeles is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy?

Whole thing here at WSJ.com

As Ever,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Steven D

30 Days Late Means An 82% Penalty

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

My mother-in-law is among the working poor and as a consequence she couldn't quite manage the smog fee and the registration fee for the ten year old car we gave her.

Registration due by April 2, 2009:  $  88.00
Registration due now:                   $161.00

The penalty is $73.00.

There's an incentive to get your car legal.

Meanwhile the folks who gave us that law are chauffeured around Sacramento in SUV's and Lincolns. No problem paying the registration renewal because there isn't one.

Welcome to California.

As Ever,

TWC

The Eco-Friendly Franchise Tax Board

Gentle Readers,

Californicate is so desperate for cash that the state is relentlessly hammering on dead horses with dead trees.

We have not received your entity's Form 199.....You must take one of the following actions within thirty days.....If you do not respond to this notice.....

It's actually pretty annoying that the state drones are wasting paper, postage, and man hours to demand three years of Exempt Organization Annual Information Returns* from organizations that were dissolved years to decades ago.

The state knows that the dunned organizations have been dissolved because that information is readily available from the Secretary of State. But looking it up would require effort. The state also knows that because of the relative small size of these organizations, that even if the organization still exists it isn't likely to have a filing requirement.

But it might, and that would mean penalties and interest. Consequently, blizzards of useless paperwork emanate from Sacramento only to end up in my fax machine, followed closely by tense voices at the other end of my telephone. You see, ordinary Californians get a bit of a wrench in the gut any time they see the return address on an envelope from the Franchise Tax Board.

As Ever,

TWC

*An Exempt Organization is the entity that is set up to handle your 401(k) or other retirement program. Generally, there must be more than $30,000.00 in earnings  (dividends, cap gains, interest) per year in order to trigger a filing requirement. The rule is in place so that the guy with the 1400 square foot machine shop  and a two person retirement plan doesn't have to deal with the annual paperwork burden that is required of larger companies with scores of employees.

Mrs TWC's Email From the President of the United States of America

From: President Barack Obama [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 5:33 PM
To: Lisa Snell
Subject: A big first step-- thank you

Lisa --

Today, I signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law.

This is a historic step -- the first of many as we work together to climb out of this crisis -- and I want to thank you for your resolve and your support.

You organized thousands of house meetings. You shared your ideas and personal stories. And you informed your friends and neighbors about the need for immediate action. You continue to be a powerful voice for change throughout the country.

The recovery plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs, provide tax cuts for working and middle-class families, and invest in health care and clean energy.

It's a bold plan to address a huge problem, and it will require my vigilance and yours to make sure it's done right.

I've assigned a team of managers to oversee the implementation of the recovery act. We are committed to making sure no dollar is wasted. But accountability begins with you.

That's why my administration has created Recovery.gov, a new website where citizens can track every dollar spent and every job created. We'll invite you and your neighbors to weigh in with comments and questions.

Our progress will also be measured by the tens of thousands of personal stories submitted by people who are struggling to make ends meet. If you haven't already, you can read stories from families all across the country:

http://my.barackobama.com/yourstories

Your stories are the heart of this recovery plan, and that's what I'll focus on every day as President.

With your continued support, we'll emerge a stronger and more prosperous nation.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

UPDATE & DISCLAIMER: I've already received many emails questioning  the meaning of this posted email. I should have clarified it but assumed it would be understood.

Mrs TWC received this email unsolicited. My assumption is that she is on the email list because she works in public policy and that the President is peddling influence. Mrs TWC did not vote for the president and did not participate in the promotion of the president's misguided policy of throwing another trillion dollars at a problem that was largely created by government policy.

TWC didn't get an email.

All The Leaves Are Brown, But The Sky Ain't Gray

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Harford Springs was once a working cattle ranch. Now it's a county wilderness park. Several hundred acres of land, as it was, open to hikers and horses. No OHV's, thank God for small favors. Took the kids for a three hour hike a couple of weeks ago on a chilly Sunday morning. Took a nap Sunday afternoon.

The county doesn't care for it like they should and seriously bungled by paving a road through the most beautiful part of it, violating the terms of the gift. Now the trust is threatening to revoke the deed, a condition of which was, no roads. Duh.

The solution? Force a developer with no connection to the road or the park to move the road as a condition of granting a permit to develop the plateau  where the orange trees used to grow. Of course, that's a moot point in today's market. After seven years of running the permit process gauntlet, the market has turned and there'll not be any development. I guess they call that slow growth.

The lesson here is don't give stuff to the government.  The Nature Conservancy woulda been a better bet.  

More pictures here.

Bonus.

As Ever,

TWC

Should The US Shut Down The Money Hole?

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

With the economy sliding deeper into a recession, panelists discuss whether it's time to stop throwing our money into a massive pit out in the desert.

Can't see the news clip? Look here.

As Ever,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Chris C