SAVING SAN FRANCISCO

From Greece to Vallejo, California, countries and cities have been fighting to stay solvent.   San Francisco could soon be facing its demise if pension reform is not addressed.  Public Defender, Jeff Adachi, in a bold move, has decided to take on the powerful unions in an effort to save San Francisco from fiscal disaster by spearheading pension reform. 

At a recent gathering at the home of a concerned citizen, I learned more about SF Smart Reform (which will appear as Proposition B on your ballot in November) and was surprised, in fact shocked, by the numbers supporting the need for pension reform.

Government workers have historically received generous pensions because they made lower salaries than their private sector peers.  Not anymore!  At a $93,000 average per year salary, City employees earn over double that of private sector employees who average only $46,000.  An April article on SFGate.com stated: “More than 1 in 3 of San Francisco’s nearly 27,000 City workers earned $100,000 or more last year – a number that has been growing steadily for the past decade.”  

Take a look at The San Francisco Employee Retirement System (SFERS) vs. private sector retirement plans:  Private employees fund their retirement accounts (generally 401(k) or IRAs) and when they retire they get back what they put into these accounts plus (or minus) any monies made (or lost) via investments.  While 401(k) and IRAs are generally conservatively invested, they are not guaranteed.  Public pensions on the other hand are guaranteed, if they lose value the taxpayers have to ante-up the difference.

San Francisco’s pension and health-care costs rose from $175 million just five years ago to $525 million this year; it is expected that within two years the city will be paying $675 million.  This is simply NOT sustainable—even with a healthy economy.  Mayor Gavin Newsom has said that he has already addressed pension reform.  For specifics go to this site: http://www.baycitizen.org/budget-crisis/story/newsom-already-reforming-pensions-my-way/.  An advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger who is intimate with the numbers assured me that Mayor Newsom’s efforts at pension reform were akin to “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.”  Very few politicians are willing to tackle pension reform in a meaningful way, and for good reason:  unions are huge contributors to their campaigns.  Make no mistake:  PENSIONS WILL HAVE TO BE REFORMED BY THE VOTERS.  Politicians will continue to ask taxpayers to pay more taxes and fees rather than take on the unions.

Union leaders will frame this debate as David vs. Goliath—and they are right—but what they won’t tell you is that they are Goliath.  They bused protesters, replete with band, to the meeting that I attended.  They WILL turn out to vote.  They want you to believe that this proposition takes their pensions and health-care away.  It doesn’t.

What Prop B will do as quoted from the Yes on B website:

Require all city employees, including elected officials, to contribute 9-10% of their salaries toward their own retirement pensions and pay $96 per year for their own health care, far less than most workers in the private sector pay.

Save taxpayers over $120 million a year, money that can be redirected to schools, fire protection, street repair, children and senior services.

Prop B does not cut health care costs or pension benefits for any city employee or their dependents; it just requires city employees to contribute towards these costs.

Almost half of  City employees pay nothing toward their pensions and some of these workers can retire at 55 with 90% of their salary for life.  Mr. Adachi told me that those in the private sector would have to put away 65% of their income to match City employees’ pension values.   

I’ll leave you with this startling number: 1 in 5 taxpayer dollars goes toward City employee pensions and health-care benefits—that’s 20% of taxpayer dollars going to support less than 4% of the city’s population. (This number is expected to jump to one third of every dollar within five years!)  This means potholes aren’t being fixed, summer schools get canceled, and our parks are being neglected.  We are supporting overly generous pensions to City employees at the expense of our present, and to the detriment of our future.  PLEASE VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION B.

For more information follow this link: http://www.voteforpropb.com/COST_OF_HEALTH_CARE.pdf

ARIZONA'S IMMIGRATION LAW--CHANGE WE WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE IN

The histrionics over Arizona's immigration law have reached peak levels as the law (albeit with its teeth removed by a federal judge)  goes into effect today.  The extremes are evidenced from the pictures above. 

Unfortunately, the law hasn't generated a legitimate debate about immigration as much as it has led to both a backlash against Arizona (cities, sports teams, and corporations have boycotted the state) and irresponsible political maneuvering by politicians--on the left and the right--in an attempt to get re-elected.   

Contrary to the cries of "Gestapo tactics," the law states:  "for any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency...where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person..." This is not randomly stopping people and asking them for their "papers."  This isn't taking your kids out for an ice cream only to get arrested or deported as the president irresponsibly suggested. Authorities must have legitimate reasons for stopping people. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton's ruling yesterday bars police from demanding immigration documents.  It also blocks the enforcement of penalties for not carrying immigration documents and the punishment for illegals who seek work.  Even before it was eviscerated, Arizona's sb1070 was in-line with federal law. In fact, Title 8, Section 1304 of the federal law states that illegal immigrants 18 and over must carry their certificate of alien registration at all times.

The federal government (both current and past administrations) has been derelict in its duty with regard to immigration reform. President Reagan granted amnesty to a couple million illegal immigrants with a promise to secure our borders.  The borders were not secured and now we have over 11 million illegal aliens in this country--the gift of amnesty served as a magnet and border states like Arizona are suffering the heaviest consequences.

Phoenix is second in the world, only behind Mexico City, for kidnappings.  However, Arizona is not only having to deal with crime.  The state has approximately 500,000 illegal immigrants, putting a big burden on the schools, hospitals, and prisons that are servicing these people, without the benefit of collecting taxes from them.  Our federal government has ignored Arizona's plight while the Mexican government seems to think it's the least Arizona can do. 

Mexican President, Felipe Calderon condemned Arizona's illegal immigration law as discriminatory and threatened that Mexican-American relations will suffer because of it.  Illegal Mexican immigrants send billions of dollars back to Mexico every year boosting Mexico's economy -- a possible explanation as to why Mr. Calderon has been so vociferous against Arizona's law.   In an interview in Sunday's New York Times' magazine, former Mexican President Vicente Fox  responded to the immigration law, saying, "xenophobes have taken over."  When asked if he thought the United States was causing Mexico's crime wave he retorted: "Absolutely, yes." Deborah Soloman's pandering interview did not ask Mr. Fox about the double standard of Mexico's harsh immigration laws, if he thought drug use in Mexico contributed to the turf wars of the cartels, or his opinion as to why so many Mexicans risk their lives to come to America.  Note to Messrs. Fox and Calderon:  Thank you for your opinions, but your attempts to usurp America's laws with your threats and finger-pointing have been seen for what they are -- self-serving and a failure to create jobs at home.

Immigration is vital to the success of America.  Whether it be a farm worker or a PhD graduating from an American university, we welcome people from all nations that come here legally and live honorably.  We cannot take everyone who wants to come to America, nor is it our responsibility to do so.  Washington needs to secure our borders and implement a valid worker visitation program.  If you are here and want to stay here permanently you should have to go home and then follow the "rules" to get back to America legally.

American laws make for a civilized and therefore "livable" country -- our government has every right, indeed a responsibility to its citizens to enforce our laws.  By not enforcing federal laws, the government abdicates its power to the states.  Arizona's governor has promised to appeal the restrictions to sb1070.  I don't expect the 9th Court of Appeals to side with Arizona but the Supreme Court probably will. Hopefully, this will force the federal government's hand and it will do its job.

FRIDAY FROTH...

RN74, a Michael Mina restaurant in San Francisco, completely wowed me and "the blondes" on a recent, and regular old Wednesday evening.  Dressed in our Sex and the City finest, we made the trip to hip South of Market for an evening of what was to be delicious food, great wine, and impeccable service, all served up in an atmosphere that transported us to a place way more glamorous than our everyday lives.  The picture above, taken from the restaurant's website, doesn't do it justice--the people and the decor give the restaurant an energy that moves you to another place.  In the bar you could fancy yourself at Gare Du Nord in Paris waiting to board a train to Burgundy for the weekend--the "departure" boards along the wall list the names of wines instead of destinations.  Once seated you can imagine yourself on the Orient Express, having a great meal on your way to St. Petersburg.  One of the "blondes" mentioned that the lighting was perfect, beautiful in reality and effect.  According to another blonde (her second trip) the people are a mix of all ages with the commonality of cool, sophisticated chic.  The champagne (a sparkling wine from Burgundy) was even a beautiful color--rose' with a hint of gold--perfect for blondes and non-blondes alike.

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Brad Pitt shaved--finally!  His graying, scruffy goatee (that he was inclined to wear in a ponytail) is now a normal, hip, trimmed goatee.  Maybe he heard that my sixteen year-old daughter said that he looked like "an old Chinese man."  What is it with very attractive people defacing themselves?  If it's an attempt to become invisible then I have big news:  time will take care of that problem for you, and it will happen sooner than you think!

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I tried to watch the USA vs. England World Cup soccer match but those incessant vuvuzela horns put me right to sleep.  I woke up, watched the 30-second highlight reel, and knew everything about the game that I needed to know.  Horns that create a beehive sounding white noise should not be legal at games where a high score is 3 to 2.  World Cup soccer has just passed golf for the "best sport to sleep to" award.

On the other hand, if you even blink during a basketball game you miss something--especially if it's the Lakers vs the Celtics.  In game seven Kobe had a hard time making his shots, but even the best players' shooting can go "cold."  To his credit (and one of the reasons he'll go down as one of the game's best) he took up his own slack by hitting boards--getting 15 rebounds, and by not losing his temper or his focus.  Tiger Woods should take some "Kobe lessons" for life on, and off the court/course.

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A couple of summers ago mid-way on a flight from Boston to San Diego I finished the book I was reading.  I must have looked panicked to be book-less because the nice woman sitting next to me quickly offered me a book that she had finished.  Water for Elephants, thoroughly researched by author Sara Gruen, takes place amid a traveling circus in the 1930's.  Spending over three hundred pages and three hours with circus people would not normally be my idea of a good time.  I started reading and found out that Jacob Jankowski, the protagonist felt the same way.  After a series of tragedies Jacob drops out of Cornell Law School just short of graduation, suffers a breakdown, jumps on a train that he soon finds out is a circus train.  Like me, Jacob had nowhere else to go so he makes the best of things by putting his veterinarian skills to use, falling in love (with a woman and an elephant) and finding out that humans can be more wild and dangerous than animals.  In the end, we both enjoyed our adventure.



                                      

FRIDAY FROTH...

POLITICAL ROUND-UP…Tuesday was a big day for mid-term politics so I though I would make a few observations.  

Three of the most interesting races featured women:

Meg Whitman won, some would say, bought, her primary.  Frankly, it’s her money and if that’s how she wants to spend it, fine by me.  Her campaign was probably the biggest boost to California’s economy the past six months!  And, given the choice of a candidate spending his or her own money or special interests' money, I will choose self-financing any day.

Carly Fiorina won her primary and then made the mistake of making a quip into a hot mike (unbeknown to Carly) about Barbara Boxer’s hair.  This is bad on so many levels.  The main rule broken here:  If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.  Second:  On a day when we want to revel in how well women performed in the political arena, you had to go and make us look catty instead of relevant.  Find another hot mike and apologize publicly to Ms. Boxer and then pick up the phone and do it privately.

The media seem to think that Arkansas senator Blanche Lincoln came close to losing to a union-backed opponent in her primary because she voted against “card-check” and because she spoke out against a public option for health-care.  I’m from Arkansas, so I made a few phone calls.  Contrary to what the media is reporting, the consensus is that people were angry with Ms. Lincoln for voting for health-care (never mind the public option), and that they wanted a “left-wing” guy to win the primary so the conservative republican could win big in the general election.  

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Speaking of girls…

Have you seen Sex and the City 2?  Yes, it got horrible reviews but it was playing at one of my favorite theaters ( they serve fresh, hot caramel corn), so what's a girl to do--stay home?  The girls looked great!  Samantha (Kim Cattrell) is the oldest but has aged the best--it must be all of the, uh, "fun" she has.  SATC2 has no more, or less of a plot than most "guy" movies.  Instead of over-the-top car chase scenes, SATC2 has over-the-top clothes, and instead of the requisite pole dance scene, SATC2 has a pool full of rugby players in speedos--what's not to like?!?

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And more girls…

I was at lunch recently with two girlfriends who were dressed in two of my favorite color combinations.  One had on pale blue, beige, and white; the other beige and white--both looked fabulous.  Beige is the "it" color for summer.  I especially like it on shoes, they tend to disappear, making your legs look forever long!

         

TOO BIG TO FAIL?

Nancy Pelosi is a Superwoman.  As Speaker of the House, the formidable Ms. Pelosi wielded her power to get a much-debated national health-care bill; under her watch financial reform passed both houses and now awaits a final vote; and, given the catastrophic Gulf oil spill, an energy reform bill is likely in the next few months. 

Is there no end to what this woman can do?  There just may be – his name is John Dennis. 

The health-care bill has been so unpopular nationally that it’s exploded the ranks of the anti-big government Tea Party, and has gotten a republican elected to the senate in the very “blue” state of Massachusetts.  In San Francisco’s best neighborhoods there are rumblings of fear and anger over financial reform from those in the banking/finance industries who feel they are already over-regulated and are being scapegoated.  In the less tony neighborhoods, people worry that energy reform could mean higher home energy bills in an already tough economic climate.  And, the anti-war people are not happy that Ms. Pelosi voted to continue funding the war in Afghanistan--a war she opposed under George Bush.  As Ms. Pelosi continues to check items off her “to do” list, approval ratings for Congress continue to plummet.

Mr. Obama and Ms. Pelosi have brought big government back—big time. It’s growing at an alarming rate and voters have voiced their disapproval by booting incumbents from Utah to Pennsylvania.  California’s Eighth Congressional District, however, is very liberal and has had quite a love affair with Ms. Pelosi—is it possible that she too is vulnerable?

I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss some key issues with John Dennis, the man that will most likely face Ms. Pelosi in November and I’m happy to report that he is completely sane.  Mr. Dennis was well informed, articulate, and exhibited no sign of the grandiose rhetoric that one might expect from a novice politician with the temerity to challenge a popular grand dame. 

Mr. Dennis’ small government and free market libertarian leanings are antithetical to Ms. Pelosi’s big government, liberal policies. 

On health-care, Mr. Dennis feels the current bill should be scraped, saying:  “it’s a mess,” and indicating that allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines would be a good place to start the fix.  He likes the idea of health savings accounts and believes out-of-pocket medical expenses, as well as premiums paid by individuals, should be tax deductible.  In a bold move he says he is for ending tobacco and corn subsidies.  He jokingly pointed out that his stance on corn subsidies precluded him from ever running for president.  When you consider that smoking and obesity are responsible for well over fifty percent of health-care cost, it’s amazing to think that the government would encourage these problems with subsidies.

Breaking with traditional republicans, Mr. Dennis is for ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He was however, very adamant that a “strong national defense” is essential.  His website states:  “I do not believe that our troops should be forced to be policemen of the world.  Our troops, first and foremost, should protect Americans where they live—in America.”  (With Al-Qaeda in over sixty countries and with more and more attempted attacks taking place within our borders, maybe America is exactly where our troops should be.)  When I asked Mr. Dennis if he was an isolationist, he countered that he was a non-interventionist.  Isolationist implied economic isolation and he is all for trade.

On the hot topic of illegal immigration, Mr. Dennis is for securing the borders but would like to see America get back to the “guest worker” program that benefited our country for years.  He feels strongly that any path to citizenship should start outside our borders.  Being from humble beginnings, and a product of the world of tough public housing, Mr. Dennis seems truly sympathetic to people who are willing to work hard to make a better life for themselves.  He told me that he started working when he was seven, shining shoes, and that if he got elected, this same spirit would help him stick to his principles--finding another job doesn't faze him, so pandering to special interest to get re-elected is not part of his plan.   

Mr. Dennis denounces torture and warrantless wiretaps which should please San Francisco voters.  He puts his faith in the Constitution and free markets and not in big government--ideals that could attract campaign contributions from disgruntled Americans coast to coast.  He avoided taking a swing at Mr. Obama on his handling of the Gulf oil spill proving he is no ordinary republican.  Deficits are soaring and the most liberal of San Francisco democrats are starting to get worried.   If Ms. Pelosi is vincible, John Dennis may very well be her kryptonite.   

For more information on Mr. Dennis, visit his website at:  www.johndennis2010.com

FRIDAY FROTH...

A good friend (and fellow Southerner) with a knack for picking books that you are sure to be seeing on all the best beaches, recently recommended Kathryn Stockett's fiction debut, The Help.  The "help" in the title refers to the household variety, and, because this book is set in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi, the help is black.  My friend promised me that this book was not a white bashing, southerners-still-want-slavery book, and that in fact, it takes a fair and honest view of blacks and whites and their relationship during the time it was set--and it does, for the most part.  One of Ms. Stockett's main characters is a woman that is hell-bent on making sure that all of her Jr. League friends have separate bathrooms in their homes for their "colored" help.  The problem for me with this book is that this character is more "mean girl" than she is racist.  She treats her mother as badly as she does her black maid, and she browbeats her white friends into submission.   The Jr. League girlfriends go along with varying degrees of malice toward their help to keep in good standing with Miss High-and-Mighty League President.  I might have enjoyed this book more if memories of my daughter's Jr. High school run-ins with mean girls wasn't so freshly splattered across my mind.  Mean girls are still aplenty in our society but thankfully we've made some inroads on racism.  If I had ever suggested that our "help" use a separate bathroom the "help" would have spanked my bottom, but not half as hard as my daddy would have when he found out.  Pick up The Help-- while it's neither profound nor poetic, it is a quick and entertaining read for the beach or poolside.

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Robin Hood could have been a great movie.  Its star, Russell Crowe, and its director, Ridley Scott, have made beautiful music before:  Gladiator was an award-winning work of art.  But alas, Robin Hood could not keep me from constantly moving my legs around--the more my mind is engaged, the less my long legs move around looking for a comfortable place to rest and vise versa.  You would not have wanted to sit in front of me during Robin Hood!  It's not that the movie was bad -- it was an okay to good film; however, I expected better from the talent involved in its production.  Surprisingly, Scott's new movie has caught some criticism because it's a prequel to the story that we are familiar with.  This current version of the story shows the events in Robin Hood's life that eventually led him to his mission of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor--I liked seeing the forces that motivated the man.  The essence of Scott's Robin Hood is that the former king has spent the nation into poverty with foreign wars, and the new king wants to tax everyone into poverty to restock the coffers -- sound familiar?  Robin Hood knows that taking from the rich and giving to the government, um, I mean king, never works -- a concept that clearly makes me very uncomfortable as well.  Now that I think about it, maybe my flailing legs were more of a reaction to the idea of wealth redistribution than boredom.

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My fall fashion prediction is that over-the-knee boots will be a must-have come September.  This ever-so-sexy footwear is showing up more than traditional boots.  There are lots of styles to choose from so don't be afraid that you can't make tall boots work for you--you can, just keep everything else simple.  Above:  Manolo Blahnik's lattice-top boots would look great with a grey wool sheath and pearls or black tights and a slim tunic.  Ralph Lauren's flat brown boots would make a great statement with jeans and a t-shirt or cords and a sweater.  Come on...don't be shy!

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They've arrived!  College students are home for the summer and they are tired and hungry.  If you have the male variety then you're exhausted from shopping and cooking (and let's face it, you're still cleaning up after him) to keep the poor baby from starving.  If you have the female variety your clothes and shoes are disappearing, or either dirty when you want to wear them.  With either variety your car and credit card are being requested daily and cash evaporates from your wallet.  They like to go out when you are going to bed and go to bed when you are getting up.  Hang in there.  September will be here before you know it and someday they will have their own teenagers returning from college for the summer and you can laugh out loud with delight when they complain about them.

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And now for a non-frothy item (because there are some plain-old black coffee drinkers out there):

What do you think about Joe Sestak being offered a job by the White House to not run against Arlen Spector?  It's all very fishy isn't it?  You can bet the administration's delay in talking to the press was so they could all get their stories straight.  While what went down may be illegal, it's probably nothing that hasn't been done by both parties many times before, but the bottom line is that people are tired of this type of shenanigans in government and Mr. Obama said that he was going to change things--he hasn't.

FRIDAY FROTH...

As the end of the school year approaches we can expect our kids to come to us with ideas for graduation/end-of-the-year trips.  If they suggest Mexico you should think long and hard before saying yes.  Its warring drug cartels have made Mexico a very dangerous place--I'm sure you've read about the murders, kidnappings, and innocent people being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  What you may not know is that Mexico now has one of the world's most liberal laws for drug users.  Roughly speaking, legally you can have four marijuana cigarettes, four lines of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams of methamphetamine, or 0.015 milligrams of LSD.  Maybe you are confident that your child won't be tempted by the legality of drugs while they are in Mexico--I'm sure they won't--but what about all of the other people that your child will be partying with in the clubs or on the beach?  Scary!

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Some of my favorite books are fiction with a strong historical component.  I've just finished The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.  Mr. Ebershoff entertains as well as illuminates in his intertwined stories of polygamy.  In one story, Ann Eliza Young, 19th wife of Brigham Young, tells of life growing up in a polygamist world and her eventual apostasy from the Mormon Church.  This is not a love story.  Ann Eliza was at times in awe of Brigham as a leader, but most of her time as his wife was titular. The modern-day story,within-the-story, also involves polygamy, as well as being a murder mystery, and has its own apostasy--not regarding polygamy but gays, and the Mormon Church's rigid stance that has caused them to leave the church, if not the religion.  I like books with interesting finales and this author has a unique and clever way of integrating the two stories at the end.

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The recent gubernatorial debate between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner offered little in the way of new information.  However, it did confirm that negativity is alive and well in politics.  Mr. Poizner came out slinging and Ms. Whitman found herself on the defensive, but she managed to throw a few feeble punches of her own regarding Mr. Poizner's flip-flopping on issues. Pundits quipped that Meg might not be tough enough to govern.  Tough may not be what we need.  Arnold is tough, yet he has had a hard time making an impact.  We need someone who can make Californians understand that we are in deep trouble and that it is not going to be pretty or fun getting out of this mess.  We need someone to instill pride and a sense of duty in Californians--not a sense of entitlement.  We need a leader.  Right now we have a state that is covered in a security blanket that has become threadbare by pensions, labor unions, and illegal immigration.  Our politically correct, freewheeling attitudes have taken us down the road to ruin.  The "right" candidate for California would be running ads of Greece's current nightmare with a voiceover saying, "California will be the next Greek tragedy unless we all pull together for the greater good."  Too many politicians cater to special interest instead of dedicating themselves to making tough choices.  They make promises to get themselves elected or reelected: solving problems is a distant second on their agendas.  I'm not optimistic--feta-stuffed grape leaf anyone?

PS--If you think Greece is not our problem think again.  The trillion-dollar bailout will be partially funded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the largest contributor to the IMF is yes, you guessed it, America.  This  means Mr. and Ms. American taxpayer will not only be paying for health-care and other social services for Americans, but also Greeks.

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It was just me and my sometimes snuggly, always feisty, 16 year-old daughter on Saturday night so we went to the Jennifer Lopez movie, The Back-up Plan.  Ms. Lopez is not a great actress but she looked fabulous strutting around (pregnant, no less) in her five-inched Christian Louboutins.  And to be fair, her co-star, Alex O'Loughlin looked great too.  Mr. O'Laughlin doesn't need $1000 shoes because he has million-dollar abs that he flaunts while driving a tractor shirtless.  The movie opens with Ms. Lopez being artificially inseminated because she desperately wants to have a baby but has not met anyone who can fill the bill as father.  She leaves the doctor's office and meets the man of her dreams before you can say baby-daddy.  This is not a great movie--it's predictable, silly, overly sentimental and at times, gross.  However, if your daughter is in a snuggly mood it's a perfectly fine way to spend an evening.

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It would not have been hard to miss the news that there was major flooding in Tennessee earlier this month.  Even if you heard there was a flood, chances are you are not aware of how catastrophic it was.  The flood has gotten short shrift by the news media and the White House.  With few complaints about being over-shadowed by terrorist attempts in Times Square and an oil rig horror in the Gulf, the good people of Tennessee have pulled together to take care of themselves.
Check out this video:  YouTube - Nashville Tennessee Flood 2010