Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Money and Business

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

The Pacific Trade Center Building in San Pedro, California, is no more. After removing all the glass and asbestos from the abandoned building, a demolition company based in El Monte, California, imploded the old hulk. Nicknamed “The Logicon Building” for a previous tenant – Logicon is now part of Northrop Grumman Information Systems and is currently located in the larger of the two buildings seen at the left in the inset. The old building is the smaller one to the right and is shown as it looked when abandoned for more than a decade before being stripped of the dangerous materials for the implosion.

The building site will be redeveloped into high rise condominiums and new shops and businesses.

For those of us with latent destructive tendencies, this video is somewhat satisfying to watch. And we’re not alone – listen to the cheers as the structure tumbles into a heap.

07 Aug 2006 by California Money and Business

The Greenbat Epidemic

Out there in neverland, there exists a special breed of moonbat — these are people who never look at actual science, but blindly believe the (as Al Gore calls it) “over-represented” mantra of environmental doom and global warming — let’s call them Greenbats.

As reported today, Democrats, suffering from a dearth of any actual problem-solving ideas, take on nonsensical Greenbat “designer issues” that solve no known problems, and severely handicap businesses and taxpayers in California.

California Politics – Some legislators thinking green – sacbee.com

Democrats pushing bills, opposed by business, on water and air quality.

Maybe it’s the summer heat, or maybe it’s Al Gore‘s documentary.

Whatever the cause, California environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers have embarked on an ambitious campaign to catapult the state ahead of the nation on a number of green initiatives.

From greenhouse-gas caps to alternative energy, they say it’s time to make significant changes after watching a number of clean water and air quality bills vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in recent years. They say the looming election should also help motivate politicians to think green.

“There’s no question the leadership California can provide on this issue on the sustainability of our planet,” Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles, recently testified before an environmental committee. “The world really is watching today what we do in California.”

Despite plenty of science to the contrary, environmentalists (Greenbats) and Democrats looking for more tax dollars drum up these zany clichés to further strangle California Businesses.

Maybe Democrats and Greenbats alike should read an excerpt from the World Climate Report, a blog that actually does the research leading to conclusions such as:

“Supreme Court Warms Up To Climate Change”.

[. . . ]

Folks on my side of the issue, know that there’s not a suite of regulations and/or technology that can significantly alter the course of the earth’s temperature evolution for the life of anyone on this court, or, for that matter, for any of the next several appointees. By then, society will likely be producing or using energy in ways that are so different than today that this huge catfight will look like what it really is – a silly diversion, compared to some real-world problems, like nutsos with nuclear weapons, or people flying airplanes into skyscrapers for the love of a bevy of non-experienced women.

[. . .]

Read the entire World Climate Report article “Supreme Court Warms Up To Climate Change”.

03 Jul 2006 by Greenbats Money and Business Whacko Politics

Taxifornia

Meathead, and other California Democrats, think that it’s OK to levy additional taxes on hard-working-but-financially-viable Californians. This table gives insight into why raising taxes is a bad idea. In the US Census table below, notice that while California has the largest tax base in the country (and nearly twice that of second-place New York), the tax-per-individual Californian is only in ninth place. It should be obvious that not all 37 million Californians pay the amount shown; the higher-income folks carry a disproportionately large burden, while many in the state (and ALL illegal immigrants) pay no income tax at all. Those of us who earn decent wages suffer the highest tax burden in America.

I am sick-to-death of the freaking “Robin Hood” mentality of stealing wealth from those who earn it and giving it to those who don’t.

11 Apr 2006 by California Money and Business Whacko Politics

The President Looks Back at 2005

The President discussed events of 2005 in his weekly radio address this morning:

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. 2005 has been a year of strong progress toward a freer, more peaceful world and a more prosperous America. This year we watched the Iraqi people defy the terrorists and suicide bombers and hold three successful elections, voting to choose the only constitutional, democratic government in the Arab world. We also saw the people of Afghanistan elect a democratic parliament in a nation that only a few years ago was ruled by the Taliban.

President Bush reviewed progress in the War on Terror, homeland security, the economy, and recovery from a year of natural disasters. He concluded with the following:

In 2005, America grew in prosperity, advanced the cause of freedom and peace, and enhanced our security. Our duties continue in the new year, and I’m confident that our nation will meet the challenges that lie ahead.

Thank you for listening, and happy New Year.

Read the entire transcript of the President’s Radio Address.

31 Dec 2005 by International Islamic Terrorism Money and Business

Cardiac Christmas

Damsel told me on the chatroom a while ago that Christmas season is a prime time for cardiac arrest. I understood that very well when I stopped at the ATM next door during my lunchtime walk; the damn thing ate my bank card! And I have some Christmas shopping to do!

We're sorry; your card has been retained.
Please contact your financial institution

Now what? I called my credit union, and after wading through several layers of pushbutton menus, I was in touch with the all-important “your call is important to us” message, this time interlaced with credit union ads, which was marginally less irritating than the starved-bandwidth elevator music one usually gets.

Finally, I was in touch with an actual person who advised me that there was a network glitch, and the card was retained as invalid; she could order me a new card which would be “rushed” to me within five business days. “That’s no good,” I said, “I have no cash and shopping season is upon me!” “Well,” was the reply, “You can go to the institution that retained the card and ask them to return it to you; sometimes they will return them if you have proper ID.”

To make a long rant shorter, I went back next door to the customer service representative who cheerfully returned the card to me after checking my driver’s license. Now, why wouldn’t the ATM just regurgitate the card and advise me to check with my bank? I can see why some people become technophobes.

05 Dec 2005 by Curmudgeon Rants Money and Business

Bad Wal-Mart? A Liberal Myth

Y’know, Wal-Mart is under attack from the left because of their politics; but unions and the liberal media attack Wal-Mart in the context of being bad for poor and working class Americans. Senator Edward M. Kennedy and other politicians from the Senate all the way down to municipalities attack Wal-Mart on completely unfounded charges:

From a South Bay Daily Breeze editorial:

As the world’s largest retailer and America’s largest private employer, Wal-Mart inevitably will be the target of criticism. Given the company’s disdain for unions, it’s no wonder unions loathe it so. But what doesn’t make sense is how the unions’ assertion that Wal-Mart is the enemy of poor people has become close to conventional wisdom among Democrats and many journalists. The case for this claim is flimsy.

This is made plain by a new study, “Wal-Mart: A Progressive Success Story,” by New York University professor Jason Furman.

Furman shows that Wal-Mart’s prices for consumer goods are almost uniformly the cheapest around. Not only that, in areas with Wal-Marts, other retailers also lower their prices.

Read the complete editorial Wal-Mart hardly enemy of poor.

As it is, Wal-Mart offers opportunities for motivated individuals and lower prices to the consumer – something that unions, democrats and many journalists hate.

Now, if Sam Walton, or one of his clan, had drowned a woman while being stupid, reckless and negligent, then perhaps Wal-Mart should be criticized for their policies and business practices today.

02 Dec 2005 by Money and Business Whacko Politics

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