Newt's a Bad, Bad Boy; So What?

He's certainly not pretty, but he
could change history - again.

In the age of spin, heralded by Bill Clinton and James Carville, Newt Gingrich defies the Mainstream Media.

James Carville - "Its the economy, Stupid!"

I am not thrilled with any of the candidates running for president. But at the South Carolina debate on Friday Newt shamed the moderator for asking "the Question." In fact, who really cares what he did with his ex-wife? Do we? Really?

President Bill Clinton

For me, its all about jobs. How do we get the economy rolling again? How do we overcome the uncertainty that has business clutching their balls and waiting for the next shoe to drop? And what about the people who have let go of all their help, cancelled their dental appointments, put off that elective surgery, switched to public schools and put off buying a new car or a fridge until things get better?

Its real. VERY real.
And Newt is real.

I don't like Newt very much. I think he is a despicable mess. But I admire his brevity of experience, the weight of his intelligence, his historical knowledge, his ability to pull himself out of obscurity and his tenacity for getting the impossible accomplished. Who would have thought, three months ago, that his campaign could have legs? It does, like a centipede.

President Barack Obama

Newt can win this thing and throw that scarecrow out of the WH. POTUS has about as much experience dealing with the raw real of Newt as he does holding down a job or paying an employee. Or balancing a budget, for that matter.

Explain how he is going to make a case for Keystone being rejected? How is he going to defend Solyndra? How are we going to look this country in the eye and re-elect that monster?

I couldn't care less about angry black women or Baine Capital. I want to be able to pay my bills without fear. I can't right now. And as far ahead as I can see there is no momentum for change in the work force, in business and in the economy.

The problem with Mitt is that he is just as far removed from the average guy as Obama. When Newt starts to bring up his record, instead of an appropriate and normal response on his face, the man SMIRKS! Its so  odd!

This is Romney's expression when Newt is taking
him down on health care! INNAPROPRIATE!

As for Newt, he acts like the rest of us. He has been that outcast, that misunderstood guy. He has imperfect written all over him. We already KNOW he is bad. He knows it, we know it, so who cares? We also know that he has a plan! A real plan, one that is based on decades of Washington experience, where he can say that the "single-payer" was wrong, "I made a mistake." I like that. He really has learned on the job, and these other guys - well, they're lightweight.

Can Obama debate Newt? He definitely needs his TelePrompTer.


Let's see what will happen in the upcoming primaries. It could be interesting.

UPDATE:
Newt is a horrible mess. His own ego squished him like a fly. Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield...

Taxing Medical Marijuana

Are we surprised that Los Angeles has the highest concentration of medical marijauna shops in the nation?

It hit me when I met a couple who had moved here from Sweden. Pot is cheaper here, and better, they said. They pulled out their cards. "We came on student visas," said one. Really?

Now, with Measure M in place, the City requires dispensaries to pay a 5% business tax on gross receipts. With that kind of income, what the hell are they thinking when they are talking about a ban on pot shops?

Unless someone can come up with another plan to rake in that kind of money, that would be plain stupid. Tax marijauna shops. Leave the rest of us alone.

Prohibitive taxing on items perceived to be "bad" or "luxury" items is a favorite of legislators. Look at the tax on cigarettes and gasoline. It works. We pay. Why not pot shops?

The LA Times reports that the official number of pot shops is at 372. They spoke with assistant district attorney Asha Greenberg, who believes the number to be closer to 500. There have been several vain attempts to pin down these dispensaries, but with such a popular product selling itself, its like trying to hold on to light.

LA Times map of dispensaries

At the end of 2009, the LA Weekly made an exhaustive count of the shops operating in Los Angeles. Their count was 545. The numbers wax and wane with public opinion and new regulations.

Even illegal pot shops have to pay these taxes. That sounds like a win-win for me! 

A Rebuttal to The Concept of FREE, by Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired
(James Duncan Davidson, Flickr)

Chris Anderson is the celebrated author of two books and the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. In his book, Free: the Future of a Radical Price, suggests a new paradigm for business: “FREE.” He believes that, in his terms,  "free" will always “win.” His vision is a world where all information is free.

While that is slightly thrilling ultimately, we all know, it is impossible. Money makes the world go 'round. Someone has to pay the bills, after all - and there are many ways that it can play out, conventional and otherwise.

Take for example the book, Free, which retails for $29.99. Content is only as free as it can be. We must also pay for the method of delivery, be it paper, electronic or DVD. 

In his paradigm, Anderson believes that “information wants to be free.” That adage especially applies to the world of journalism in the digital age, he says, and there are many examples that would seem to bear him out.

Truly the citizen journalist has made his debut and we all felt the impact. Anyone can blog or pontificate on any subject from any point of view. Sharp writers will understand the fundamentals of SEO. They may understand social media  and viral marketing. It may be possible that they are re-tweeted, shared on Facebook and found in StumbledUpon.

We don’t have to look for news. It assaults us – everywhere. It’s in buses and elevators, in our email and on our homepage. We will never go back to waiting for the evening news. That would be as archaic as waiting for the evening paper.

But there is an old adage that I rely on for reality checks – “You get what you pay for.” Another old saying rapidly follows: “There are no free lunches.”

Socialnomics, a film on the power of Social Media

#OWS - 1% Defined

UPDATE (4:15 pm, 11/17/11, PDT): On the 2-month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement, protesters in New York City staged an allegedly peaceful march. It continues throughout the day with police in riot gear assisting occupiers to move out of Zuccotti Park; 400 arrests were made. Similar activity in Occupied Areas across the country are resulting in arrests and police activity throughout the country.

OWS protestors get invited to leave, November 17, 2011

At home, in Los Angeles, 23 Occupiers were arrested following a march that blocked traffic. The first arrest was 82-year-old Bertha Jordan, a union member.

One participant tweeted the following (watch the Colbert Report below):

@FrancisHerreroFrancis Herrero

@Hope_ful1980 @OccupyLA - I think it would be funny if we all claim to be #OLA 's leader. Singular.

1% DEFINED

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) sharpens class rhetoric and solidifies the us-against-them argument in the image of the “99%.” Most of us understand intuitively who that 1% is – like when Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart described pornography: "I know it when I see it."

Nancy Pelosi has a chat with
Christiane Amanpour about OWS (ABC)

Their rhetoric is rich with philosophy and conclusions that are supported by mind-numbing nit picking. Somehow, using the art of sound byte, the occupiers have forced us to deny our own instincts about sanitation. People around the occupation politely avoid discussions that may appear politically incorrect. Yet, after two months with limited facilities and in close quarters there are reports of scabies and ringworm at various sites throughout the country. Good thing they are practicing nit picking!

But most of us agree that there is a huge discrepancy between the 1% and the rest of us. The deck is stacked and the house always wins. They own the cards, after all. The rest of us are out here hoping to make enough to pay for the trip. We get that. But what is not clear, especially in the wake of celebrity support of OWS – is the definition of who the 1% really is.

Strictly speaking, we can separate them by either their gross income or net worth.

Gross income, based on the figures available from the IRS in the latest year (2009), puts the top income earners at $343, 927 as among the top 1%, according to Kiplinger. The top 1% net worth is $9 million. 

Clearly, income is not the means testing. In fact, in a burst of hypocrisy, the movement has embraced its own "1%-ers" with complete abandon, suspending reality for the sake of a photo-op.

Georgia state Sen. Vincent Fort (D) at Occupy Atlanta,
proclaims,"This is the best day of my life!"(@mrwatkins)

Those income/worth figures would have to preclude the presence and support of politicians, actors and other glitterati supporting these events.

But noting the benign hypocrisy inherent in getting the public to focus on anything for more than a sound byte, it seems a lot of the 1%-ers aren’t 1%-ers anymore if they support the 99%.

Rather than a black-and-white definition, the only definition is liquid and capricious. As long as they can sleep in public spaces, have their yoga classes and meditation, set up their legal tables and libraries and have entertainment described as the General Assembly and attended by the erstwhile celebrity supporter, they don’t really seem to care about hypocrisy.

CEOs of large corporations have been targeted as the “1%.” Truth is that they make up only a fraction of the whole segment. Other 1%-ers include: union leaders, entertainment people, sports figures, CEOs of non-profits, politicians, special interest PACs, trust-funders and a few others.

The OWS movement has been thoroughly hijacked by everyone left of center who has ever had a bowel movement.  Whatever the original intention, they have suppressed any expression by malcontents from the OTHER side of center from ever happening in their sacred arenas.

OWS is a soapbox for every actor, union, Democratic politician or “progressive” special interest group on the planet.

Intuitively, anyone can understand Michael Moore ($50 million), Alec Baldwin ($65 million) and Susan Sarandon ($50 million). Could we find a better fit?

Alec Baldwin at Zuccotti Park (@firedogriver) Nov. 10, 2011

As the OWS are being swept out of public squares across the country, Democrats cry out in protest.  

It is difficult to gauge the net worth of any lawmaker because of their reporting rules. Some of the most supportive members are also among the wealthiest. Take for example Nancy Pelosi, whose worth is estimated to be between $58,436, 537 and $124,229,990. “I support the message to the Establishment,” she told ABC News, in typical ‘60’s lingo. She will return to California in her own jet, laughing all the way.

Who are the 1%? Whoever OWS says they are. It has nothing to do with facts. It’s a feeling. 

Tell me how you feel about it!

LA Budget Cuts Endanger Coral Trees and Residents in Brentwood

Coral trees on San Vicente median (Vicki Talbot)

LA City budget cuts for the famous coral trees on San Vicente Boulevard endanger their fragile health and can be very dangerous, says Brentwood Community Council president Nancy Freedman.

The trees are a Cultural Heritage Monument of the City of Los Angeles.  Joggers and pedestrians enjoy a grassy interlude in the busy urban landscape. But, without maintenance, their shallow root system cannot support the heavy, full green canopies. The trees have to be trimmed annually. And they are susceptible to overwatering, a condition that has toppled many trees in rainy years past.

"A limb could break on your head," said Freedman. "Last rain, everybody had their fingers crossed."

So local community members have mobilized a campaign to permanently take care of the precious trees.

Armed Robbery at a 7-11 in Brentwood?

The Brentwood 7-11 on Wilshire near Federal (Vicki Talbot)

Brentwood is a sleepy little LA burg that doesn't know from crime; just the occasional car thefts and small-time burglars looking for computers for drug money, a few white collar criminals and some neighborly feuds, divorces and custody battles. So the morning of October 6 was a wake up call.

What Happened?

First of all, yes, there is a 7-11 in Brentwood. Its located at 11656 Wilshire Boulevard, just west of Federal.

Thursday, October 6, at 5 a.m., two suspects entered the 7-11 store wearing hoodies, baseball caps, white plastic painter's suits and painter's masks. 

In the store's security video we see the first suspect enter the store. He runs up to the manager in the aisle, where he is training a new employee. The robber jabs the poor guy in the back of the neck with a handgun and forces him to the floor. Then he drags the guy across the floor to the cash registers and the safe, behind the counter. The suspect is in such a hurry that he doesn't see his friend enter the store. Like a scene out of the Keystone Cops, he bumps into him as the accomplice enters the aisle. They almost blew it right there.

The second guy grabs the employee, and forces him to the ground. "Stay on the ground," he yells. The employee lies still, face down on the floor, but the guy keeps yelling, "Stay on the f-ing ground." Then, he runs up to the counter and retrieves the firearm from the first guy and runs back down the aisle with the gun. That is simply ODD.

Mayor Villaraigosa, Councilman Rosendahl - Occupy LA Isn't Moving

Occupy LA was dealt a stunning blow one day after police action in Oakland left an Iraqi War veteran seriously injured. City Councilman, Bill Rosendahl and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave LA occupiers notice that, like a pushy relative, the group had worn out their welcome.

Meanwhile, 24-year old Scott Olsen suffered a fractured skull in a skirmish with police in Oakland, California, when demonstrators failed to leave the site where they were protesting. 

After 26 days of unrestrained and relatively peaceful occupation on the lawn at City Hall, Rosendahl told KABC TV, “It is time to move on. The trees are in the process of being impacted. The grass is being impacted. Other activities that we need to do on the lawns are being put on the back burner.

At Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s office, Communications Director Tony Arranago said, “We are working on a statement right now. Please check the councilman’s Twitter (@Bill_Rosendahl) and Facebook account.” Well, no more statements have been forthcoming, but Mayor Villaraigosa chimed in. “The protestors are welcome to stay, but they don’t have an open invitation to stay indefinitely,” said his spokesman, Peter Sanders.

OccupyLA protestors have vowed not to move in statements made at the open mike in their Wednesday evening General Assembly meeting. The group claims no leadership, so it’s hard to tell, but the unfiltered shares throughout the evening reflected a solid “hunker-down” attitude. Occupiers are gearing up for a fight that could get nasty on both sides.

The group did issue a statement on their “official” website in response to Villaraigosa’s remarks, saying this: “As for a time stamp on our departure, there is none.”

Some OLA supporters who are experts in different fields have been offering advice to the occupiers to help them avoid confrontations as in Oakland, Atlanta and New York. Live stream chatterers texted throughout the night, like this:

dave494: if we were to break camp every day,,then we would save the lawn, and it would push out the shiftless and lazy....

batsheva: we need a MOD in the morning.. freakazoids abound

ED335: Stand LA Stand LA stand LA

jk_la: i think it would be strategic to negotiate use of the vacant lot across the street

They also exchanged opinions about the tactics City Hall might use to move the occupations:

Republic1776: the city and LAPD want us to go down by ourselves. they dont want to have to evict us

Who are these guys, anyhow? 

Well, a New York Times/CBS poll finds that 43 percent of Americans agree with the Occupy Wall Street movement; there is too much money concentrated in the hands of too few people and they are dissatisfied with politicians and feel betrayed by government.

Charles, an OccupyLA protestor said, “You can’t understand what’s happening politically in our country unless you are aware that over the past 30 years the corporate elite, representing the top 20 percent of income earners in our country, have been able to cement their influence over our political process to such an extent that they have been able to capture virtually all of the increase in wealth that has occurred over that period of time. The attacks on public services and government in general, presently underway, must be viewed in this context.”

Negative Neal, a citizen journalist, tried to figure out who these guys really are. 

And to top off all the drama, there is an election coming up in Los Angeles. Villaraigosa is termed out, but Rosendahl? He’s up for re-election. The gauntlet is down:

@zumadoggZuma Dogg

BREAKING NEWS: L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl is will be forced to endure MOST UNCOMFORTABLE REELECTION CAMPAIGN IN POLITICAL HISTORY.

25 Oct via yoonoFavorite Retweet Reply