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January 24, 2011· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

January 24, 2011 – Daily Brief

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

  • Confusion, delay on library tax: At Tuesday’s Council meeting, staff will recommend the Council delay considering a special library tax to fund the City’s library system until May to give staff more time to research alternatives and see how things shake out in Sacramento. AGENDA
  • Meanwhile, the County isn’t so certain that the existing library tax -approved by Santa Clarita voters in 1997- can’t be applied to the City of Santa Clarita’s library. County and state officials say the city’s in uncharted waters. Maybe something can be worked out SIGNAL
  • The local Tea Party, having sniffed that there are taxes in the air, will show up and protest at tomorrow’s Council Meeting over the library tax, according to an email blast sent to supporters.
  • The 20-something woman who ran a red light, collided with a truck and slammed into a family during last year’s 4th of July fireworks show may face charges after all, according to Jonathan Randles at The Signal. Matilda Garnica, 43, mother of three, lost her life in the collision. The article is mostly about how delayed some of our criminal prosecutions are SIGNAL
  • Now that’s progress: Gun laws were more strict and restrictive in the Old West than they are today in America. The shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone Arizona occurred after a judge fined pistol-packing cowboys for wearing their guns in town. LA TIMES
  • Will McKeon and other GOP Hawks defy the Tea Party, which, for the most part, backs cuts in defense? NPR takes a look
  • Assemblyman Smyth is proposing a bill that would not allow Cities to hold back-to-back committee meetings. The law is in reaction to the City of Bell, which paid Council members $100,000+ to be members of commitees that rarely met LATIMES
  • Some members of the City’s public library advisory committee are grumbling about the disorganized process and procedures, but LSSI staff say the library advisory committee is running as expected at this point SIGNAL
  • Signal interviews Ken Pulskamp on how the City remains in the black while so many other communities and even states teeter on bankruptcy. A few softballs in there but overall worth the read SIGNAL
  • Home schooling parents seek charter school imprimatur from Sulphur Springs District SIGNAL
  • Santa Clarita Century ride set for April 2. Ride lengths are six miles, 25, 58, and 105 miles. Proceeds benefit Child and Family Center KHTS
  • A Santa Clarita developer has written a popular app for the iPad that’s become a top seller and was mentioned by Apple recently as its app of the week. “Strange Rain” is a little too bizarre to describe but you can read what you want into the fact that the app is about rain and the developer lives in bone-dry SCV CNN
  • Letter writer says  Laurene Weste committed “treason” by writing her “seditious” pro-immigration reform letter. Seriously? Being in favor of immigration reform is treasonous and seditious? SIGNAL
  • Bossert complains about TSA security after trip to Central America, says even “third world” countries do security in a more rational way than the USA WRB

Comments (108)

  1. MikeJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:53 am
    Good to see Randles give the library tax issue the close examination it warranted. Sure makes up for towing the city’s line last time.
  2. Library Card Carrying BookreaderJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:51 pm
    Maybe even a closer and longer examination is warranted. In this, “City”, it seems that “library” and “confusion” is synonymous. (Maybe all three…?) Maybe a little more research by the ad hoc “library” committee (comprised solely of Laurie Ender and Marsha Mclean) on the meaning of “library” should have been their first step in becoming “experts” on libraries. Such an effort could have included, as it did in 1999, an independent study of the library services currently provided by the County, and the costs and sources of revenues for those costs. Such a study could ask the question, “Would it be a good idea for the City to withdraw from the County Library System, and if so, should the City run the City’s new libraries itself, or hire a private contractor to do so?” Those questions were asked in 1999…. The answer was “No.” to all three questions. Simple enough. So what changed? 1) It was found that apparently, according to some methods of accounting, during two recent years some local residents paid more taxes for some library services than they received back in services. This was the exception and not the historical rule. In the past, this area received more benefits than it paid for—that is something that is usually considered a good trade, and that it might reoccur in the future—an important positive possibility. 2) The new Newhall Library plans were changed and the contribution that the City wanted from the County increased (Or so the County claimed). That is, —the City and County were not getting along in their discussions regarding who was going to pay how much for something. Not a new occurrence or a new argument, but this time the “library” was the central theme. 3) The ad hoc “library” committee, rich in its expertise on libraries, thought the solution might be (since “cracks were forming” in the County library system according to McLean) to withdraw from the County system, and have the City run it themselves or hire a contractor to do so. 4) The idea was “agendized” on July 13 by Laurie Ender, by asking City Staff to come back with the possibility of assuming control of the libraries in an upcoming public hearing on the matter. Few, if any, realized that after the City Council’s “summer hiatus” that on August 24, this meant that a resolution would be passed to withdraw from the County Library System. No hints were given that during the intervening few weeks, a Request for Proposal would be sent out a bidder chosen, LSSI— (the only respondent and apparently the only company remotely qualified to respond.) The “process” did not necessarily proceed in the above order, and with little public exposure, little is still known on, whom the real “experts” were, and who drive the process. The most remarkable thing about this resolution was the speed at which it was completed. More remarkable will be the number of people in the City who will be surprised that on July 1, 2011 their libraries are “under new management”.
  3. Coastal SageJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:57 pm
    For those who are interested, Jeff at scvtalk.com, the Signal’s editorial staff, and the SCOPE leaders have full copies of all of the Board of Supervisors documents relating to the ballot measure which created the County of Los Angeles existing library special tax. L.A. County put the measure on the ballot in settlement of litigation with Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who criticized the County’s collection of the old library tax after Proposition 62 was passed as an embellishment on Proposition 13. If there is confusion on the Santa Clarita City Attorney’s part, about what the ballot measure approved by the County voters means, it would be because he wasn’t willing to read plain English. The ballot measure put on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors says the library special tax money is to fund the County library system, and than when a city withdraws from that library system the tax money is no longer collected for that city. Any attempt to “read into” that ballot measure any right of any city to collect the County special library tax for itself, with or without the help of the L.A. County Tax Collector, is pure silliness.
  4. Berta González-HarperJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:45 am
    @J you have my personal email address, can you please forward those documents. I would like to review them. Thanks. On a different topic, what do you think of the proposal to form a partnership between the City, Lewis, and Shapell and buy the former Whittaker-Bermite site?
  5. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:20 am
    “Strange Rain” in action VIMEO
  6. Phil EllisJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:15 am
    And he wants $1.99 for that!!!
  7. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:16 am
    … there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of takers !
  8. MikeJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:17 am
    Maybe it turns “OK” shrooms into AMAZING shrooms. It’s a value add.
  9. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:18 am
    Sort of a “ drinking out of cups ” for the masses ? Yeah right! No way! Get real!
  10. Lori RivasJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:35 am
    If you received the paper edition of The Signal on Saturday, two of my kids were in the dino dig photos above the fold of the library article. I spent an hour digging out that site, and burying the bones, and was feeling a little creaky over the weekend. There are still 2-3 “bones” left uncovered, if your kids want to dig at Valencia Glen park.
  11. john adamsJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:45 am
    What happened to the anti-war movement?
  12. hermanJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:24 am
    It was more of an “anti-Bush” movement. Apparently war is fine if you like the president.
  13. NateJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:57 am
    That is just ignorant. What good is an anti-war movement if the damage is done? Besides you can’t call them wars because that would make it unconstitutional and completely messed up to our troops who don’t get the war time benefits. “You Break it, you own it” ~ Colin Powell
  14. john adamsJanuary 24, 2011 at 12:33 pm
    I hear what you are saying Nate but you tube is full of videos of anti-war protests from 2003-08. Then this sudden fall off of protests? Sure there are a couple here and there but for the most part they have disappeared? I can’t figure out why that happened?
  15. MikeJanuary 24, 2011 at 2:28 pm
    John, I think if you look closer, you’ll see that they fell off considerably by 2008. The era of war protesting was really 2003-2007, which is easily explained without nefarious suggestions.
  16. john adamsJanuary 25, 2011 at 7:49 am
    Mike I have looked closer and it seems to me you are way off on this one. Why not just admit that your side lacks consistency on most issues. Where are the code pink protests? Dailykos daily BS anti war story? Close your eyes and imagine John McCain winning 2 years ago… Tell me you don’t see the protests happening. PLEASE! LOL Just like most issues with the left. They have 3 positions and use all 3 when needed.
  17. MikeJanuary 25, 2011 at 8:33 am
    You looked closer where? I guarantee you’re wrong. Incidence of Code Pink outbursts means nothing. I understand that you were probably listening to a radio program where the host filled up 7 minutes of hot air on the subject and you couldn’t wait to pick a new fight on SCVtalk. Please phone in to your favorite host and tell him or her that he or she was mistaken.
  18. John AdamsJanuary 25, 2011 at 8:55 am
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_19,_2008_anti-war_protest
  19. MikeJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:40 am
    BINGO. Just one major protest listed for all of 2008: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_the_Iraq_War By the numbers: 2002: 3 2003: 18 2004: 6 2005: 6 2006: 8 2007: 9 2008: 1 2009: 2 2010: 1
  20. John AdamsJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:43 am
    Funny how they consider 1 day with protests in multiple cities just one protest? Should it not be 7?
  21. hermanJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:00 pm
    “That is just ignorant. What good is an anti-war movement if the damage is done?” Talk about ignorant. The damage is far from “done”, the damage continues to be made, every day, and will continue to be made until the war is over. That’s what anti-war movements are supposed to be about; ending war so the damage stops. In the case of the latest war and it’s opponents actually ending the war was secondary to trashing Bush, youtube postings notwithstanding.
  22. Your Web GuruJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:42 pm
    I hear there is life (and news) outside of Youtube. However I have yet to find any Youtube videos on the subject!
  23. NateJanuary 25, 2011 at 1:44 am
    People think putting a bumper sticker on their car will magically change the world. Look you can’t destroy a government, create chaos and just walk away. At this point our country owes these people a lot. Take that hippy BS put it in your bong and light up. Things aren’t as simple as you want to make them. Americans are out of sight and out of mind with these “wars”. We don’t see the damage, We don’t see the turmoil, We don’t see the coffins, we just turn a blind eye and order another crappy latte.
  24. Bill ReynoldsJanuary 25, 2011 at 7:47 am
    Where is Code Pink when liberals need them?
  25. NateJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:26 am
    Those chicks need to get laid.
  26. John AdamsJanuary 25, 2011 at 3:00 pm
    LOL Nate! you should have added “By Males”
  27. NateJanuary 26, 2011 at 12:42 pm
    Well JA I am socially liberal… So I don’t care how these broads get balled.
  28. Timothy Myers SRJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:51 am
    Question: If victim of 4th of July car accident was a mother of three from the Summit, would we still be waiting eight months later for a final decision on charges? By the way, the City’s liability for the death and injury would be mitigated greatly if an “intervening criminal act” could be shown.
  29. ThomasJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:25 am
    Yes, to answer your question. Here comes the race card!!!!
  30. CCJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:33 am
    Must be Monday….oh wait, Tim uses that card everyday.
  31. cashJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:12 am
    The Summit is a low rent area! What would you like to do Timmy, put the girl away for life? The city and the victim have blame here as well. Sad situation.
  32. Timothy Myers SRJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:22 am
    Simple question. Obvious answer, unless one’s head is up their bum!
  33. ThomasJanuary 24, 2011 at 1:07 pm
    Tim, if you were the driver what would you want done to yourself?
  34. Timothy Myers SRJanuary 24, 2011 at 1:24 pm
    That isn’t the most idiotic question I have heard, but it has to be in the top 5.
  35. ThomasJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:32 pm
    Why can’t you answer it? It’s because you wouldn’t want charges filed against yourself. It is easy to talk about others, but when it comes to you, it is difficult. If it were me, then hell no, I wouldn’t want any charges filed against me. Just answer it Tim. BTW, what are the other top 5?
  36. cashJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:48 pm
    Frankly, only a dummy would sit on the curb in an intersection with their children. There is plenty of blame to go around, the blunt of which is not deserved by the young woman. The city screwed up by believing it OK and safe to hold a fireworks show in the heart of the city. Small town leadership mentality in a big city.
  37. Lori RivasJanuary 25, 2011 at 12:44 am
    Cash, Matilde was a kind woman, and a loving mother. Yes, I knew her. Please do not mar her memory by mocking her victimhood. Every time any one of us gets behind the wheel of a car, we assume the very huge responsibility of driving safely, and obeying traffic rules, to help ensure the safety of other drivers and pedestrians. While the driver in this instance most certainly has my sympathies, she most assuredly bears the over-whelming responsibility of this tragic accident. She ran a red light. There is no mitigating that act.
  38. Berta González-HarperJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:39 am
    @Lori Rivas I agree with you. I also believe the young woman who ran the red light is solely responsible. The other car would not have been in a position to hit her had she not run the red, sending her into the crowd and killing Matilde. A tragedy for all involved.
  39. JaneJanuary 26, 2011 at 3:30 pm
    How do you figure the victim is at fault?
  40. NateJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:59 am
    You know there is no case right?
  41. ThomasJanuary 24, 2011 at 1:06 pm
    Just my opinion, but I bet there will never be any charges filed in this case, felony at least. I have forgotten the case already, but the girl did not flee the scene and as to the speed she was doing and to if it was unsafe is based on opinion. What may seem fast to one person at the time might be considered slow to another. This is what the District Attorney would have to prove to a jury. I don’t think the girl is denying she ran the red light. I don’t think she is denying hitting or killing anyone. This case basically boils down to whether her speed was unsafe or not. The Sheriff’s detective can get all the video he wants from people. It will not prove whether the speed was safe or not.
  42. SFC PerezJanuary 24, 2011 at 3:19 pm
    As was proven in the OJ case, if you cant prosecute someone in a criminal court hem them up in a civil case.
  43. NateJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:49 pm
    I need to know about 1 and done.
  44. NateJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:55 pm
    Go Pack Go
  45. SFC PerezJanuary 25, 2011 at 7:30 am
    You are confusing my emotional support of my team and what my original prediction was during pre-season, which was the Fudge Pack to the SB lol. I HATE being right At least I still have basketball for a few more months, GO BULLS!
  46. NateJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:30 am
    You said one and done a couple weeks ago… I don’t care that you agreed with all “experts”. Enjoy that NFC North title…
  47. SFC PerezJanuary 25, 2011 at 1:44 pm
    And if you look at the next comment I made I stated that I picked your “guys” to go to the SB. Just be lucky our QB is a quitter! lol But in all seriousness, congrats. You guys earned it.
  48. NateJanuary 25, 2011 at 5:36 pm
    Hahaha he is a quiter, but if my memory serves me Jay Quitler hadn’t score any points in 2 quarters. It wasn’t until you made the switch you improved.
  49. I Still Hate The Packers AKA Mr PerezJanuary 25, 2011 at 8:06 pm
    Cutler has a strong arm but mentally he lets a lack of production affect his performance. He also doesnt realize that he needs to be a leader and actually act as a coach on the field. Hanie did impress me but I think I scared some of my neighbors with my response to Collins coming into the game lolol
  50. NateJanuary 26, 2011 at 12:48 pm
    I think Bears would be wise to cut their losses with Quitler and give Hanie the start plus draft a QB number one. I would say trade for Flynn but… I doubt green bay would give him up to anyone within the division. I was happy about Collins. Was sad to see the switch.
  51. Mr PerezJanuary 26, 2011 at 10:25 pm
    Oh I bet you were happy with Collins in there lol! We are stuck with Cutler for a while longer, or at least until his contract is done. I dont think he quit physically that day but he doesnt have what it takes to be that coach on the field thats needed at QB position. And you guys can just trade Flynn to the Jets and we can pick him up that way aka Viqueen Fashion hahaha. Yall ready to forgive Favre yet?
  52. NateJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:54 pm
    Detectives are good at blow wind up reporters skirts. They want to say nothing while never closing the door. This was unfortunate and tragic but this young girl is only guilty of being human.
  53. Whiskey Tango FoxtrotJanuary 24, 2011 at 3:00 pm
    Good Lord.
  54. ThomasJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:33 pm
    Yes
  55. Whiskey Tango FoxtrotJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:12 pm
    Death, Taxes & Senior pulling the race card.
  56. Alan FerdmanJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:22 am
    For those of you who were unable to make last Wednesday’s Canyon Country Advisory Committee meeting, Councilmember Laurie Ender’s Library presentation including Questions and Answers are now available on YouTube using the following links. Part 1 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAi_IylmuHg Part 2 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyIvJfI9-E Part 3 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUKg6baPUUo
  57. Lori RivasJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:47 am
    Parts 2 and 3 are reversed on the labeling above. Thanks for sharing the links. I caught only the last 15 minutes of Ender’s presentation.
  58. Lori RivasJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:08 am
    Part 3, at about 3:30, am I understanding correctly that the City did not, and has not yet, audited the current County library services, and the collection that is housed in our 3 branches? That the City has not yet looked at which services are used and/or needed? Isn’t this something that should have been done before deciding to leave COLA? How can one make an accurate budget without knowing these facts?
  59. Library Card Carrying BookreaderJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:34 pm
    No they did not, and probably as of yet have not. Those are good questions for anyone using common sense. Stop using common sense if you want to understand how the City did this… And the Vice President of LSSI should have been able to answer at the last CPLAC how many books were brought into the SCV each year from COLA, so his company could have written an informed response to the RFP. But the contract covers such problems. If more services are needed than expected then LSSI can ask for more money. That is in the contract.
  60. Joe GrandeJanuary 24, 2011 at 12:27 pm
    Continuing to fight, even when you obviously lost, is a characteristic I admire in a leader. But I could never vote for someone who continues to fight after an obvious win.
  61. navigatorJanuary 24, 2011 at 1:52 pm
    Just as I expected.
  62. Cheryl PhillipsJanuary 24, 2011 at 1:56 pm
    Thank you so much for posting these videos of the CCAC meeting with Laurie Ender. I had another meeting in Calabasas that same night and was unable to attend. Councilmember Ender continues to equate what should be in a library collection with what circulates in a library on a daily basis. All one has to do is walk through the Valencia library to see kids sitting on the floor engaged in reading only to put a book back on the shelf and pull out another to read. None of these books were checked out and would not show up in the circulation stats – does that mean they shouldn’t be in our library? If circulation is your only criteria for filling a library with books then we will have a book store, not a library. A few months ago I heard Peggy Noonan at the Distinguished Speaker Series in Pasadena. She spoke of visiting her library in 1963 as a 13 year-old to read books in the poetry section. She came across a poem titled, “High Flight,” a sonnet written by John Gillespie Magee, a pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the World War II. She fell in love with this poem and memorized it, all while just browsing through the poetry section of her library. 23 years later as Ronald Reagan’s speechwriter, Peggy Noonan pulled from that memorized poem to write the President’s historic speech on January 28, 1986, delivered to the nation on the Challenger disaster. …….We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and *”slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.” President Ronald Reagan *from “More Poems from the Forces” published in 1943. A library must be a repository of knowledge and information for all, not just a summation of it’s circulation data and requests for the latest “hot topic” novels.
  63. hermanJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:22 am
    “Gun laws were more strict and restrictive in the Old West than they are today in America” B.S.
  64. cashJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:24 am
    Seems Bob Kellar was right to vote no on the library takeover. His statement that the council did not have all the facts necessary to make an informed decision proving to be a fact. The girls seem to have voted yes based on emotion, and Ferry, well he is just Ferry teaming up with Ender. There are much bigger issues coming for our mighty council to consider. They are about to earn their stipend.
  65. cashJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:30 am
    Tell us about the grants the city has received. We formed an interdepartmental team of employees that aggressively pursued federal and state resources. The city has secured $36.5 million in grants since January of 2009. Of that, $17 million is ARRA funding. (Editor’s Note: ARRA stands for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It was stimulus money that was meant to create new jobs, spur economic activity and invest in long-term growth.) Right Ken! Without state and federal help all would not be so rosy! Please remind the mayor of this fact so she will stop bashing state.
  66. gregJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:13 am
    From the budget I read on the City’s site, the grants are for capital improvements and not operating expenses. If the City didnt receive the grants, then they would delay the construction of them. It wouldnt impact the City’s bottom line (general fund). Of course the grants help speed up construction.
  67. cashJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:42 pm
    The point is that the city and its council are not telling the truth. Capital improvements are the things most residents see making them feel all is good, when it is not.
  68. PetzJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:10 pm
    Obama and the Dems robbed the bank, Ken Pulskamp and the council members drove the get away car.
  69. Your Web GuruJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:43 pm
    I beg to differ, young Petz. The bankers robbed their own bank, and left the feds to pick up the tab.
  70. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:48 pm
    By “feds” you certainly mean “taxpayers.” And by “their own bank” you surely mean “our money” (as in, the dough from the discount window).
  71. Your Web GuruJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:48 pm
    Feds $$=Taxpayer money…Yes. Their own bank=Bad investments into bundled risky loans that leveraged a falsely inflated real estate market perpetuated by…investing in more bundled risky loans. “Dougn from the discount window” sums it up nicely!
  72. Alan FerdmanJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:52 am
    While the LA Times put it’s own slant on history, Tombstone is a great place to stop and spend a few days. Last year, Steve and I packed our Harleys, did an Arizona loop and visited Tombstone. Starting by going south to San Diego, we took Hwy 8 across Arizona to Tucson then turned south to Tombstone. What we found was a quiet little town stuck somewhere between the Wild West and today. There is a Trolley and “Good Enough” mine tour along with walking tours of the Bird Cage Saloon, Boot Hill, the old County Courthouse and much more. You will even learn that originally it was the “Gunfight on Freemont Street” and if you listen carefully you might even find out how the town got it’s name. Leaving Tombstone we backtracked to Tucson and headed up the center of the state on Hwy 60. What a beautiful ride. The Arizona dessert is much greener than California. But then it was back to reality when we ended in Bullhead and headed home on the 40.
  73. PetzJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:40 pm
    As a Tea Party member in good standing, Petz agrees with Dr Howard Smith of Harvard University that life most likely does not exist in the universe, except for planet Earth and Petz calls for an end to all efforts to establish that it does. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8276756/Alien-life-deemed-impossible-by-analysis-of-500-planets.html
  74. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:43 pm
    I’ll give you my SETI@Home when you take it from my cold, dead hands!
  75. PetzJanuary 24, 2011 at 5:49 pm
    There is a much better way to use your computer. SETI is an attack on GOD. Look how this esteemed scientist is dumped on by the liberals. Even Steven Hawking (Great mind, big lib) says it is foolish to establish contact with aliens.
  76. ScottEJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:58 pm
    Even Smith seems to admit the possibility of ETs at the end of the article retreating to his feeling that, even if there were, we are unlikely to be able to make contact due to great distances. Lest we not forget, the physicists have not gone home and given up on a unifying “theory of everything” or ToE. As one of the unsolved problems of physics, some of us (cc:ND?) hold out hope that communications over vastly great distances could make contact beyond Smith’s “bubble” possible. As for the question of “should we” … much more interesting IMO.
  77. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:05 pm
    On this issue, I subscribe to the school of Frank Drake. And as a church-going, God-fearing sort, I try to stay away from putting limits on God’s various activities in the universe. Plus… as we know from the Bible, God can change His mind! Who knows… maybe He’s getting bored with us Earth-tethered homosapiens?!
  78. ScottEJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:49 pm
    Nice. Hey Nd, ever been mountain bike riding?
  79. IHeartSCVJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:21 pm
    The Pope said ETs could be out there, and I consider him pretty religious. And ND, I hadn’t heard of this SETI@home business and now that I have, I think it should be target #1 for reducing America’s excess energy consumption.
  80. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:42 pm
    Haha! In truth, it’s been many years since I ran SETI@home. But I bet the Holy See has it installed!
  81. Your Web GuruJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:03 pm
    I’ll see your pre-Galileo assessment that the Earth is the center of the universe, and raise you one Kepler scientist assessment that the galaxy is rich in “earth-like planets:” http://news.discovery.com/space/kepler-scientist-galaxy-is-rich-in-earth-like-planets.html
  82. NateJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:07 pm
    Did Jesus tell you that?
  83. CCJanuary 25, 2011 at 8:23 am
    Thank god I’m an atheist.
  84. NateJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:33 am
    Agnostic myself.
  85. Coastal SageJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:00 pm
    While trying to pack to go away on vacation, I’ve been distracted by a lot of calls from friends who are concerned about an item on the City Council’s agenda for Tuesday night, 1/24/11. See: http://apps.santa-clarita.com/agendas/CouncilItemPrint.aspx?ID=5411 . Essentially, the City has the option to purchase the defaulted first mortgage on the Whittaker Bermite property for approximately $13 Million, and foreclose upon it to obtain ownership of the 996+/- acre property. The current owner of that mortgage, a subsidiary of Steadfast Insurance, has already obtained a bankruptcy court approved stipulation from the current property owners, Santa Clarita, LLC and Bermite Recovery, LLC that despite their Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the first mortgage lender has the right to foreclose on the property after the end of December 2010 without interference partby the property owner. Under tomorrow night’s agenda item, the city staff proposes that they negotiate a partnership with Shapell Industries and Lewis Operating Corporation to co-develop the Whittaker Bermite property. Most Santa Claritans involved in the real estate business are familiar with Shapell Industries, the developer of land and homes at the city’s northern boundary and in Porter Ranch. Far fewer Santa Claritans have heard of Lewis Operating Corporation. Lewis Operating Corporation is, by its own resume, an apartment developer involved in a few industrial/commercial projects, but no publicized experience in developing land which was formerly a toxic site (“Brownfields”). See: http://www.lewisop.com/Executives/tabid/65/Default.aspx and http://www.lewisapartments.com/aboutus.aspx According to KB Homes’ press releases, Lewis Operating Corporation is a subsidiary of the Lewis Group of Companies. KB Homes (NYSE: KBH) purchased the Lewis Group of Companies in 1998 for approximately $440 Million. The sellers were the Lewis family of Upland, California. See: http://www.kbhome.com/PressArticle~id~209.aspx After that purchase, KB Homes operated the Lewis Group of Companies as a separate company, which sold residential lots to KB’s homebuilding operations: http://investor.kbhome.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=476328 At the time of KB Homes’ purchase of the Lewis Group and its subsidiaries, one of the Lewis brothers indicated to the building trade press that his family would be developing property independently as well as developing property in conjunction with KB Homes owned Lewis Group. As a result, one practical question is “Who will the city’s partner be, the Lewis family or a KB Homes owned subsidiary?” The second practical question is “What are the specific deal terms of the partnership the City staff is proposing to form with Lewis Operating Corporation and Shapell Industries?” The third practical comment and question is “Show us Lewis’ and Shapell’s money. Is it a limited amount of capital investment in two single purpose, non-recourse subsidiaries set up only to be partners with the City, or will the full credit of Shapell Industries and KB Homes be part of the deal?” The fourth practical question is “Will the City staff negotiate and sign this partnership deal, or will it come back to the City Council for its approval of the final partnership agreement including its deal terms?”
  86. PetzJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:41 pm
    The question is whether government should subsidize the search for alien life , which is really what Exo planet research is about. Petz says you can cut this from the budget and Gore his ox so to speak Why the viriol at the scientist?. What are the Dems willing to cut, other than defense?
  87. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:46 pm
    Do we need a defense budget 6x that of China? One that’s larger in constant dollars than at any point since WWII? A budget larger than all other defense budgets in the world combined? Let’s start with the gorilla in the room. Then we can look at entitlements and follow suit with the Brits – scale them according to need.
  88. IHeartSCVJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:55 pm
    Plus the cost of defense is going to go down now that China can build stealth aircraft–we can just buy our planes from them cheap like so many Chinese-made plastic novelties and circuit boards.
  89. NickelDimeJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:59 pm
    And we’re still trying to get it together with the JSF! I’m with McCain (circa 2007) on this! Way too much waste at the Pentagon!
  90. Gang FangJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:58 pm
    Wow. Alien life is now a partisan attack alley too?
  91. IHeartSCVJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:23 pm
    Not if said alien life enters legally with its papers in order.
  92. Gang FangJanuary 25, 2011 at 8:05 am
    As long as said alien doesn’t have brown skin, eh?
  93. AlpinerJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:02 pm
    Stir the pot Petz, stir the pot….LOL
  94. BrianJanuary 25, 2011 at 12:58 am
    Once again we see the desire for a Theocracy. We cannot govern based on some middle eastern religious beliefs from well over 2000 years ago. This is not progress.
  95. Your Web GuruJanuary 25, 2011 at 9:44 am
    While the Holy Bible contains wonderful stories and personal accounts that enlighten humanity to a higher purpose, its frequent use as a science book astounds me.
  96. PetzJanuary 25, 2011 at 10:31 am
    This Tea Party Patriot is very disappointed that Howard “Buck” McKeon has not joined the Tea Party caucus in the House. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_Caucus#Members Who wants to bet that the words In God We Trust , prominently inscribed in the House chamber do not appear during the telecast of the speech tonight?
  97. PetzJanuary 25, 2011 at 10:34 am
    In God We Trust, our national motto, is inscribed in letters of gold behind the Speaker’s rostrum in the House Chamber. in America.
  98. NateJanuary 26, 2011 at 4:13 pm
    E Pluribus Unum forever!!! The real american motto established by the founding fathers. Fact! Where is the tea party!
  99. NickelDimeJanuary 25, 2011 at 10:38 am
    Face it, Petz – it’s defense spending that’s holding him back. The rent is too damn high!
  100. MikeJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:09 am
    Tea Party is running out of juice. POTUS approval is on the upstroke. Buck won’t saddle up on a losing horse. Obama has often been compared to Ali in Ali vs. Foreman. It’s a pattern we see time and again. The Tea Party is more like Peter McNeely. All talk.
  101. hermanJanuary 25, 2011 at 7:58 pm
    “POTUS approval is on the upstroke.” And we all know that momentum like that can’t be stopped.
  102. NateJanuary 26, 2011 at 4:16 pm
    Republican hypocrisy will sure become more and more evident and give Obama the juice to kick any GOP candidate.
  103. hermanJanuary 26, 2011 at 5:09 pm
    Careful with those blinders, they seem to be cutting off the blood to your brain.
  104. JeffJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:32 am
    Who will the Tea Party Patriots listen to tonight, Paul Ryan or Michele Bachmann?
  105. PetzJanuary 25, 2011 at 12:46 pm
    Petz will listen to Ryan and watch Bachman.
  106. PetzJanuary 25, 2011 at 7:19 pm
    As Obama exited the House chamber, you could clearly see In God We Trust over the American flag.
  107. PetzJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:21 am
    El Rushbo has stated clearly from the golden EIB microphone that Obama/Dems and the Republicans have a common enemy-The Tea Partiers ! If you aren’t with us……than you are against us.
  108. JeffJanuary 25, 2011 at 1:00 pm
    I’m a liberal and I’m not your enemy. “He ain’t heavy…he’s my brother”

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