*****12/10/2013: Another quick update. Just got word from our Health Insurance Broker that since continuing our 2013 policy was not an option (killed by ObamaCare, according to Blue Shield of Calif.), the premium for the next closest thing available will cost nearly double our current rate, plus another $500 increase in our 4-figure deductible. As much as I hate to put the information out there publicly (because its nobodies business but ours), I will do it because the Obama administration claims folks like us don't exist (i.e., small group plans getting cancelled due to ObamaCare).
Here we go: we currently have Blue Shield's 2013 "PPO 1500" plan (named assumedly because it has a $1,500 per person deductible), which costs us $954 per month, which we consider a ton of money - basically, a good size mortgage payment in most parts of the country (but not California). The replacement plan for 2014 from Blue Shield will cost us approximately $1,780 per month with a $2,000 per person deductible - a good size mortgage even in California. This sucks!
Note that even at this late date, we are still awaiting other possible options from our Health Insurance Broker at Morris & Garritano, as there may be other options available. Stay tuned.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
SLO: Homelessness Issues
Homeless Shelter Overflow
Seeking Overnight Volunteers - No Experience Necessary: My friend John Cook (805) 440-5622 jl_cook@charter.net manages the homeless shelter overflow for the month of December every year at the Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church. He is seeking volunteers to help for the month of December. Please contact him if you can help. I will be doing 2 overnight shifts. When you volunteer, it gives a homeless family a safe warm place to sleep for the night, just like you get every night. Please help. No excuses. Call John now. Thank-you.
SAN LUIS OBISPO: City of SLO Spends $270,000 Fighting the Homeless (Jan. 2013): The local Tribune Newspaper report that the City of SLO ordered by Judge to pay attorneys fees in homeless case. The article describes how Superior Court Judge Crandall awarded approx. $134,000 in attorneys fees ($300 per hour) to attorneys Stewart Jenkins and Saro Rizzo for acting in the public interest, resulting in 99 criminal citations (sleeping in their vehicle) being dismissed, and re-shaping the formulation of various anti-homeless laws.
I just have to believe that the $270,000.00 spent by the city of SLO on this issue could have been better spent on dealing with the homeless problem, and associated problems. Its not a pretty issue or fun to deal with, but it is not going away, either.
Those who call these 2 lawyers greedy are being unfair; they did legal work, and the law (as interpreted by the Judge) said they were entitled to payment for their time. If you wanted to make that kind of money, you could have gone to law school, dental school, medical school, etc. or founded a profitable business. Hopefully, Jenkins and Rizzo donate some of their fees to homeless causes, but make no mistake, they earned it; they were at great risk of not making a penny for their work on behalf of the homeless population.
The Tribune put out another good article on January 12, 2013 entitled Homeless Situation in SLO Called a Crisis.
Tim's Summary of Homeless Issues: As stated before, homeless is a complex issue. Jobs are hard to find in California, with a stubborn 10% unemployment rate. Each homeless person has a different story to tell. Some are willing to work but cannot find work. Others are just not hirable due to personality quirks or their own homelessness or lack of recent employment. Others cannot find work due to mental or physical disability. Many cannot navigate the complex requirements of seeking government benefits. Many have no family or friends to turn to, or the other people in their sphere of influence are also just barely scraping by.
What is the solution? I do not know - that's what makes it such a difficult problem. I believe that there will always be homelessness, but that the local law enforcement and citizens should combat ancillary crime associated with that homelessness, such as burglary, theft, rape, assault, panhandling, litter, etc. SLO should not be an attractant to the homeless outside our area, but we should try to assist local homeless with ties to our community.
As I have said many times before, I believe that in our affluent society, we should be able to shelter and feed everyone, regardless of circumstance. Not luxury accommodations. Not gourmet food. But a roof that doesn't leak, a warm safe bed, and 2,000 calories a day of affordable, healthy food.
New Proposed CAPSLO Facility:I have come out against the proposed new homeless shelter facility with 200 beds that costs tens of millions of dollars. Take a look at the architectural plans for this behemoth. It looks more like a modern art museum than a facility for getting people back on their feet. Below is one of the images of the facility, and you might see why something a little bit more functional and affordable should be pursued:
SAN LUIS OBISPO: City of SLO Spends $270,000 Fighting the Homeless (Jan. 2013): The local Tribune Newspaper report that the City of SLO ordered by Judge to pay attorneys fees in homeless case. The article describes how Superior Court Judge Crandall awarded approx. $134,000 in attorneys fees ($300 per hour) to attorneys Stewart Jenkins and Saro Rizzo for acting in the public interest, resulting in 99 criminal citations (sleeping in their vehicle) being dismissed, and re-shaping the formulation of various anti-homeless laws.
I just have to believe that the $270,000.00 spent by the city of SLO on this issue could have been better spent on dealing with the homeless problem, and associated problems. Its not a pretty issue or fun to deal with, but it is not going away, either.
Those who call these 2 lawyers greedy are being unfair; they did legal work, and the law (as interpreted by the Judge) said they were entitled to payment for their time. If you wanted to make that kind of money, you could have gone to law school, dental school, medical school, etc. or founded a profitable business. Hopefully, Jenkins and Rizzo donate some of their fees to homeless causes, but make no mistake, they earned it; they were at great risk of not making a penny for their work on behalf of the homeless population.
The Tribune put out another good article on January 12, 2013 entitled Homeless Situation in SLO Called a Crisis.
Tim's Summary of Homeless Issues: As stated before, homeless is a complex issue. Jobs are hard to find in California, with a stubborn 10% unemployment rate. Each homeless person has a different story to tell. Some are willing to work but cannot find work. Others are just not hirable due to personality quirks or their own homelessness or lack of recent employment. Others cannot find work due to mental or physical disability. Many cannot navigate the complex requirements of seeking government benefits. Many have no family or friends to turn to, or the other people in their sphere of influence are also just barely scraping by.
What is the solution? I do not know - that's what makes it such a difficult problem. I believe that there will always be homelessness, but that the local law enforcement and citizens should combat ancillary crime associated with that homelessness, such as burglary, theft, rape, assault, panhandling, litter, etc. SLO should not be an attractant to the homeless outside our area, but we should try to assist local homeless with ties to our community.
As I have said many times before, I believe that in our affluent society, we should be able to shelter and feed everyone, regardless of circumstance. Not luxury accommodations. Not gourmet food. But a roof that doesn't leak, a warm safe bed, and 2,000 calories a day of affordable, healthy food.
New Proposed CAPSLO Facility:I have come out against the proposed new homeless shelter facility with 200 beds that costs tens of millions of dollars. Take a look at the architectural plans for this behemoth. It looks more like a modern art museum than a facility for getting people back on their feet. Below is one of the images of the facility, and you might see why something a little bit more functional and affordable should be pursued:
Tim's Homeless Guidelines: I have a few recommendations regarding homelessness:
- Do NOT give any money panhandlers on the street; instead, go through organizations like CAPSLO or the Food Bank or your local religious organization for donation of cash and goods.
- Talk to the homeless when you have a few minutes and you have no reason to fear for your safety (safe looking transients, safe location with other people around). It helps draw them in as participants in the community instead of pariahs.
- Personally, I will always buy a homeless person a cheap meal at McDonalds or the like - its inexpensive, you find out if they really are hungry or not (my experience: its about 50/50 whether they accept or not), and you don't feed their bad habits (smoking, alcohol, drugs, etc.)
- Volunteer through CAPSLO and their various programs (Prado Day Center, Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter, Home Shelter Overflow, Food Bank, etc.).
My previous blog posts regarding the local Homeless Population:
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
WORLD: 2013 Centennials We are Celebrating!
The Gettysberg Address by Abraham Lincoln
150 Years Ago Today - Nov. 19, 1863
[Okay, its a Centennial and a half!]. Considered one of the greatest speechs of all time. There were 5 separate copies of the speech written in Lincoln's own hand. Each differ somewhat and you can read and see the 5 different copies here.
Above: one of the original copies of the Gettysberg Address in Lincoln's own handwriting. This is the "Hay" copy and is considered to be the 2nd draft of the Address, so it differs somewhat from the final version.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
HALLOWEEN 2013: Final Damage Report!
*****October 31, 2013 Last Halloween Update! We came down to El Segundo for Rick and Brian's annual Haunted House with the theme "All Clowns, All the Time". We were joined by our friends Dan and Paula, Nancy, and Barni, as well as our son Andrew. Rick, Brian and crew once again did a great job on the House, and I believe we pulled in about a 1,000 people going through. Some photos to commemorate the night. Hope you can join us next year and have some fun! Click on photos below to enlarge.
Above: Cast of Actors that provided the scares inside the Clown House. Note that Sue would appear to be out of costume, because she was a chair (yes, a chair!).
Above: Brian, Rick, Laura in amazing costumes!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
NATION: Red Tape for Private Businesses Only...
...Because Those Regs are Too Burdensome for Government!
Introduction: Our employment law firm represents businesses, and not plaintiff's or government entities. Over the years, we have observed that our government at all levels passes laws that do NOT apply to them, but ONLY to private employers. Their reasoning? The regulations are too burdensome for them! Shocking? Hardly.
Note that I am NOT making the case that these regulations are good or bad. That will vary from case to case. However, I believe that in most cases, the onerous regulations are bad. After all, if they were good, wouldn't the government adopt the regs for themselves? I am simply pointing out the disparity under which public and private entities operate.
I will compile some examples to try and convince that this inequity exists. Read on, taxpayers...
*****Example (October 2013) Do NOT Pay Congress During ANY Shutdown: Congress (the House and the Senate) should NOT get paid during any government shutdown. Furthermore, they should NOT get backpay once the federal government is back in operation. I think this may end government shutdowns?
*****Example (October 2013) Congress Should Complete Their Own Tax Returns: Congress Should Complete Their Own Tax Returns: Make them go into a room (with food, drinks, and bathrooms) and not let them come out until they have completed their own IRS Federal and State Tax Returns. Let them only get help from online IRS websites and IRS help lines (no special lines for Congress). Tax returns have gotten so complicated, due to the new and confusing tax laws that get enacted every year. If Congress had to do their own, I believe that we'd find tax simplification legislation gets passed quickly. Instead, each year it gets more complicated, and the people have to suffer, through our hopelessly complicated tax code.
*****Example (August 2013) Congress's ObamaCare Exemption: First, the White House ignored ObamaCare by suspending the employer mandate for a full year, delaying the employer mandate from going into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. Instead, the mandate kicks in on Jan. 1, 2015. How can they take the concrete "effective dates" and change them? They just do, because they just can.
Now we have Congress's ObamaCare Exemption. The Affordable Care Act requires Members of Congress and their staffs to participate in the health insurance exchanges. The reason? to gain firsthand experience with what they have imposed on their constituents. All good so far.
This amendment requiring Congress to participate in ObamaCare was passed in 2009 and the Finance Committee unanimously passed this rule. The chairman of the committee was pleased that Congress had so much confidence in ObamaCare that they are going to participate in it themselves! Still good so far.
Then they found out what they signed up for: A health insurance program for the unwashed masses (that's us, folks). Horrified that they were actually going to have to wallow around in the dirt with rest of us, they realized that this situation could not stand. A fix was needed to elevate themselves above the lowly taxpayer. Thus, another (illegal?) exception to ObamaCare was carved out, this time for themselves and their staffs.
The bottom line: Congress and their staffs will receive (illegal?) extra payments from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) that will run between $5,000 and $10,000 per person or family. Will we get these same perks? Not in your wildest dreams! Its good to be the King! Read more here. FactCheck.org seems to say otherwise, but the claim here is that Congress will receive extra payments from FEHBP to compensate for additional costs associated with being enrolled in ObamaCare - something that FactCheck.org does not address. This may have to play out a little longer for us to find out what is really going on - if we ever do. Read what FactCheck.org says on this subject here. Look for an update here once we find out more. Stay tuned.
The problem is that public pensions lack the basic safety nets that private sector benefits "enjoy". Pensions granted by private employers are insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. and regulated by federal law. Note that employers pay an insurance premium for this coverage - it is NOT free. Public pensions, on the other hand, are not entangled by such burdensome pension regulation.
You can read more about this in an article from July 19, 2013 in the Wall Street Journal. Good luck, Detroit!
Introduction: Our employment law firm represents businesses, and not plaintiff's or government entities. Over the years, we have observed that our government at all levels passes laws that do NOT apply to them, but ONLY to private employers. Their reasoning? The regulations are too burdensome for them! Shocking? Hardly.
Note that I am NOT making the case that these regulations are good or bad. That will vary from case to case. However, I believe that in most cases, the onerous regulations are bad. After all, if they were good, wouldn't the government adopt the regs for themselves? I am simply pointing out the disparity under which public and private entities operate.
I will compile some examples to try and convince that this inequity exists. Read on, taxpayers...
*****Example (October 2013) Do NOT Pay Congress During ANY Shutdown: Congress (the House and the Senate) should NOT get paid during any government shutdown. Furthermore, they should NOT get backpay once the federal government is back in operation. I think this may end government shutdowns?
*****Example (October 2013) Congress Should Complete Their Own Tax Returns: Congress Should Complete Their Own Tax Returns: Make them go into a room (with food, drinks, and bathrooms) and not let them come out until they have completed their own IRS Federal and State Tax Returns. Let them only get help from online IRS websites and IRS help lines (no special lines for Congress). Tax returns have gotten so complicated, due to the new and confusing tax laws that get enacted every year. If Congress had to do their own, I believe that we'd find tax simplification legislation gets passed quickly. Instead, each year it gets more complicated, and the people have to suffer, through our hopelessly complicated tax code.
*****Example (August 2013) Congress's ObamaCare Exemption: First, the White House ignored ObamaCare by suspending the employer mandate for a full year, delaying the employer mandate from going into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. Instead, the mandate kicks in on Jan. 1, 2015. How can they take the concrete "effective dates" and change them? They just do, because they just can.
Now we have Congress's ObamaCare Exemption. The Affordable Care Act requires Members of Congress and their staffs to participate in the health insurance exchanges. The reason? to gain firsthand experience with what they have imposed on their constituents. All good so far.
This amendment requiring Congress to participate in ObamaCare was passed in 2009 and the Finance Committee unanimously passed this rule. The chairman of the committee was pleased that Congress had so much confidence in ObamaCare that they are going to participate in it themselves! Still good so far.
Then they found out what they signed up for: A health insurance program for the unwashed masses (that's us, folks). Horrified that they were actually going to have to wallow around in the dirt with rest of us, they realized that this situation could not stand. A fix was needed to elevate themselves above the lowly taxpayer. Thus, another (illegal?) exception to ObamaCare was carved out, this time for themselves and their staffs.
The bottom line: Congress and their staffs will receive (illegal?) extra payments from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) that will run between $5,000 and $10,000 per person or family. Will we get these same perks? Not in your wildest dreams! Its good to be the King! Read more here. FactCheck.org seems to say otherwise, but the claim here is that Congress will receive extra payments from FEHBP to compensate for additional costs associated with being enrolled in ObamaCare - something that FactCheck.org does not address. This may have to play out a little longer for us to find out what is really going on - if we ever do. Read what FactCheck.org says on this subject here. Look for an update here once we find out more. Stay tuned.
*****Example (July 2013) Detroit Bankruptcy Pensions: The city of Detroit is going through a bankruptcy situation, due primarily to generous pension benefits awarded to city workers in the 1980's. Much of this generosity was tied to overly optimistic forecasts regarding investment gains for pension funds. The city can no longer afford to fund their pension system.
The problem is that public pensions lack the basic safety nets that private sector benefits "enjoy". Pensions granted by private employers are insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. and regulated by federal law. Note that employers pay an insurance premium for this coverage - it is NOT free. Public pensions, on the other hand, are not entangled by such burdensome pension regulation.
You can read more about this in an article from July 19, 2013 in the Wall Street Journal. Good luck, Detroit!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
PERSONAL: Tim's Investment Page
DISCLAIMER:
If you use any advice from this page,
then you get whatever you deserve!
No sage advice here - just some interesting investment notes. Hey kids, get yourself an education in investing - it'll pay off for a lifetime. In the meantime, boring pages like this one deserve a beautiful photo like this one (2 kayakers at Morro Bay at Sunset, taken 10/6/2013 at the Harbor Festival in Morro Bay):
I'll start with a financial saying stolen from the "From the Mind of WAAG" page (yes, some things do overlap):
Others-13: You make your best investments (buys) when people are overwhelmingly fearful. (Another version of this is"Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful". Here's an article on the subject: Buffett's Crisis-Lending Haul Reaches $10 Billion. This statement is commonly and frequently attributed to Warren Buffet, the "Oracle of Omaha", considered to be the best investor of our times. Its another version of "buy low, sell high". When others are fearful, that is when you make the best deals, if you have the guts to do so. During the market crash of 2007-2008, we had cash to invest, but were fearful and did not, finding security in our cash - while all of our investments except Gold (GLD) were tanking. If we had followed the Oracle's sage advice, we'd be in a better financial place today. Alas, we felt that being able to sleep at night was a better option at the time).
I've just started with these, but as I recall my lifelong financial wisdom, those things will show up here.
REVERSION TO THE MEAN (10/8/2013): The best way to predict market bubbles. Its the financial version of "whatever goes up, must come down". It means that over time, things that have become overvalued will eventually revert back to their traditional value. Commonly used in stocks in reference to market P/E's, or Price to Earnings ratio for a given stock, or in the case of the stocket market, the market-cap weighted P/E.
TIPS (10/8/2013): Inflation protected bonds, issued by our very own US government. Never invested in TIPS and glad that I didn't. I like to keep things simply, and was never fully comfortable with what they would do for me in the event of inflation, and more importantly, what they would do for me if there was no inflation. Well, between 1/1/2013 and 9/30/2013, TIPS returned negative 6.3%. Warren Buffet always said that you should never invest in something you don't understand, and I'm glad that I didn't! Inflation is nowhere in sight.
BOB BRINKER'S MARKET TIMER (10/8/2013): I have been a subscriber for more than 15 years, and appreciate his measured advice on investing.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
PERSONAL: The waterman has fallen, the wave continues on (Part III)
Good luck to all the Scuba Divers out there this opening week trying to grab some early season bugs. Stay safe! (don't do anything too stupid! :-)
Dive N' Surf (Redondo Beach, California) held their 37th Annual Lobster Mobster Contest on September 27th, 2013 between Midnight and 9am. I was not a participant this year, as I was out lobster diving in the Northern Channel Islands. However, I still want to share the art for the official Lobster Mobster T-shirt, as it is kind of a final memorial to Bill and Bob Meistrell, founders of Dive N' Surf in 1953 and Body Glove in 1965. The art for the T-shirt was derived from this early photo of Bob and Bill's lobster catch:
Dive N' Surf (Redondo Beach, California) held their 37th Annual Lobster Mobster Contest on September 27th, 2013 between Midnight and 9am. I was not a participant this year, as I was out lobster diving in the Northern Channel Islands. However, I still want to share the art for the official Lobster Mobster T-shirt, as it is kind of a final memorial to Bill and Bob Meistrell, founders of Dive N' Surf in 1953 and Body Glove in 1965. The art for the T-shirt was derived from this early photo of Bob and Bill's lobster catch:
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