World gone mad...

[Craig Naylor]

Yeah, $10 to have someone check an ID or tell me that my single item with less than 3 oz. of liquid has to be tossed because it's not in a plastic bag.

Personally I haven't found this to be that big of a deal in some 25ish round trips this year alone. Just to be a PITA (I have them in a plastic bag).... but I never pull it out of my carry on. In fifty some trips through security, they have called me on it twice. Both at airports where they have less than 5 flights a day.

TSA's quality control is pitiful! If this check is supposed to keep us "safe" I feel less so for having it. BUT!!! At Christmas last year, both of my daughters had to go to secondary pat down... and as Parents we were not allowed to step behind the (clear) screen with them. Whats with that! I guess the thought is forget the parents, check the kids or the elderly traveling with them.... "they hid it on them" (what ever "it" might be).

[Simon Lu]

We got this airline safety thing all wrong. We don't need all those guards or security check points. We just need to ask people do they know how to use a firearm. If they are trained to use firearm and feel like the would like to guard the plane they get an issue firearm for that flight. If any terriost ever want to take a plane they will have to deal with 50 armed passengers. Just have to make sure they are low velocity hollowpoints...

[David Avard]

Just have to make sure they are low velocity hollowpoints...

Then you just have to pat people down for bulletproof vests.

Or really heavy jackets (think Chinese-equipped North Koreans).

[Simon Lu]

Just have to make sure they are low velocity hollowpoints...

Then you just have to pat people down for bulletproof vests.

That's why I said "Trained firearm" so they can take head shots... Wait on second thought maybe we should ask if they know how to play Helo...

[David Avard]

That would only be useful if shooting via video-screen (the around the corner military rifle, for instance).

[Steve Ekstrand]

Quick double-tap to the mid-chest (harder to miss) and they aren't going to function well for a bit... Nuff time to survey, breath, raise the second hand and properly aim for the double tap to the forehead.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Yeah, $10 to have someone check an ID or tell me that my single item with less than 3 oz. of liquid has to be tossed because it's not in a plastic bag.

Personally I haven't found this to be that big of a deal in some 25ish round trips this year alone. Just to be a PITA (I have them in a plastic bag).... but I never pull it out of my carry on. In fifty some trips through security, they have called me on it twice. Both at airports where they have less than 5 flights a day.

TSA's quality control is pitiful! If this check is supposed to keep us "safe" I feel less so for having it. BUT!!! At Christmas last year, both of my daughters had to go to secondary pat down... and as Parents we were not allowed to step behind the (clear) screen with them. Whats with that! I guess the thought is forget the parents, check the kids or the elderly traveling with them.... "they hid it on them" (what ever "it" might be).

Yeah, it's not consistent. I've forgotten and nothing happened. Flew to Sacto with a big tube of toothpaste in my wet kit and nothing happened. On the return, they pulled my bag for inspection and found the toothpaste.

Your kids might terrorize you, but I doubt they looked threatening. I was in a line at John Wayne once and the most hyper 4-year-old this side of an Ekstrand wouldn't walk through the detector without his Dad, even with Mom on the other side. Dumbass TSA guy can't figure out that if he just has Dad pick the kid up and carry him through he can ask Dad to walk through by himself while Mom holds on to him. If he really thinks the kid might be wired, he could have Mom and Dad swap places. No, instead we wait several minutes while this idiotic charade goes on.

The laptop rule makes no sense. It has to be out of the bag, in its own tray. Meanwhile I can have my cell, iPod, digital camera, film camera [empty], all in my laptop bag.

[Jeff Shyu]

i think there's some sort of ethnic cleansing going on in my office right now. laid off 4 people around the office, and all 4 were filipino.

coincidentally, they didn't have any work, and one of them had an expired work visa.. but it's still kinda weird because we have an unusual amount of filipinos working in the office. odd to NOT hear Tagalog loudly (now they're whispering it).

[George Schilling]

Just in case you guys have forgotten, the logic at the time was that if these inspector were nationalized, they would do a much better job. I argued against it at the time and subsequent government secret passengers have found that the few airports that are once again using private firms for security have scored much better in these tests. It seems the greater pay and benefits of being a government employee led to poorer performance. And why not, it's next to impossible to fire them. Nothing like the threat of losing your job if you fail to perform to inspire good work habits.

As for my personal experience with TSA, I'd said it's been about 50/50. About half the time I have to give up my toothpaste.

[Simon Lu]

Actually this remind me of the experience arriving in LAX coming back from Taipei couple years back. I filled out the form wrong on the plane so I asked a lady at custom where can I get another form. If you ever walk thru the custom lines at LAX you'll know that it's just lines of kiosks like at grocery store. I must have walked 4 - 5 times in and out different kiosks before I found the form. Filled it out, and get back inline. I could of just walked out of the custom area they were never known. How's is that for securing our borders?

[Steve Ekstrand]

It seems the greater pay and benefits of being a government employee led to poorer performance. And why not, it's next to impossible to fire them. Nothing like the threat of losing your job if you fail to perform to inspire good work habits.

Interesting, sounds like the same argument against unions...

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Just have to make sure they are low velocity hollowpoints...

Glaser Safety Slugs. Aim for the gut. Expect a bloody mess and end of threat.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Just in case you guys have forgotten, the logic at the time was that if these inspector were nationalized, they would do a much better job. I argued against it at the time and subsequent government secret passengers have found that the few airports that are once again using private firms for security have scored much better in these tests. It seems the greater pay and benefits of being a government employee led to poorer performance. And why not, it's next to impossible to fire them. Nothing like the threat of losing your job if you fail to perform to inspire good work habits.

As for my personal experience with TSA, I'd said it's been about 50/50. About half the time I have to give up my toothpaste.

It's not like these people are highly paid, but even worse, the training is spotty.

As for surrendering one's toothpaste, at least it doesn't involve a cavity search!





THANK YOU! Stay for the 11 o'clock show and try the shrimp!

[Mari Clements]

Rick Brown wrote:So I'm thinkin' if I'm event Event Chair for the PSCC event in Feb (assuming we get it) of a different pricing strategy.........
Fees based on the value of your car.
Z06 - $50, BMW - $40, Civic - $10, Go Kart - $5.
Am I getting this redistribution of wealth thing right?

Jason Flores wrote:
YES YES YES We are IN!!! until you find out what Stephens and My day jobs are and then we will end up paying some of the BMW and the Z06 guys entries....

Rick Brown wrote:
Well, the alternative is I could ask for people to submit copies of their income tax return and base entry fees on that.

I'm thinking two things:
(a) There's the bright side of the BMW being totaled yesterday. Not only do we not pay $40 for the Bimmer, the Toyota will be making its last appearance on Sunday, so we'll all be in the $5 kart tier. (I was in a 5 car accident. The driver of the Camry never slowed down until making contact with my rear bumper. She went to the hospital, but will be fine, I hope and pray. The driver of the Suburban that the Bimmer hit drove away--no license? no insurance? drunk? something else? The driver of the Scion the Suburban hit spoke no English and apparently did not understand that the DMV issued her a permit, not a license. The driver of the Nissan Pathfinder the Scion hit was a college student on her way to tutor middle schoolers). Not a good day.

(b) Matthew's FAFSA should look pretty good, what with Eric's job situation and the drain on our savings the truck transmission and this incident will likely cause. Maybe Obama would like to redistribute some wealth to allow him to actually attend the best college he gets into.

[Craig Naylor]

OK, finally found a site with the LA measures.....

Passed Measure R and U????

What's with the people in LA County! In San Diego most School props take several revisions before they can pass. Can't recall any non school tax measures passing.

edit - (there was one year a tourist tax passed, but again it took years of revisions to get San Diegans to approve a tax on those visiting the city, for fear of slowing the tourist trade)

Apparently here in LA there isn't a tax that isn't loved. (I do recall Baca failed to pass his 1/2% sales tax a few years ago.... but not because they didn't get a majority, rather it didn't get the 2/3rds required.... but barley.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

OK, finally found a site with the LA measures.....

Passed Measure R and U????

What's with the people in LA County! In San Diego most School props take several revisions before they can pass. Can't recall any non school tax measures passing.

edit - (there was one year a tourist tax passed, but again it took years of revisions to get San Diegans to approve a tax on those visiting the city, for fear of slowing the tourist trade)

Apparently here in LA there isn't a tax that isn't loved. (I do recall Baca failed to pass his 1/2% sales tax a few years ago.... but not because they didn't get a majority, rather it didn't get the 2/3rds required.... but barley.

One of those is sales tax for transit.

[Craig Naylor]

One of those is sales tax for transit.

I read the ballot before voting. The point is?

[Bob Beamesderfer]

One of those is sales tax for transit.

I read the ballot before voting. The point is?

No idea. Don't live the county. Guess the votes are the usual LA thing where people vote for it hoping someone else takes public transit so their commute is better.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

I am totally blown away that 1A passed...bridge to nowhere.

2: Well, it just got harder to do business in CA, that's nothing new, I'm all right with the farmers having to re-tool.
There is a small(ish) commercial egg farm that I pass on a regular basis at lunch, they have been doing well since they opened in the early 90s, it'll be interesting to see how they fare now.

They are gone Seb. Its a unilateral measure. Eggs will simply be raised outside our borders and trucked in. Its a low margin business with plenty of competition. Its over for them.

Will egg prices rise? Probably not, according to the LAT - despite Tuesday's passage of Proposition 2, which requires farmers to improve the living facilities of their egg-laying hens. Why no impact? The measure doesn't take effect until 2015, and California imports a third of its eggs from out-of-state producers, which are not subject to the new regulations.

http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2008/11/t ... ea_100.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Steve Ekstrand]

Today California is proposing a 1.5 point increase in our sales tax.
LA county will go up another .5.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SALES TAX 10.5%

[Kurt Rahn]

That would blow!

[Jeff Shyu]

Today California is proposing a 1.5 point increase in our sales tax.
LA county will go up another .5.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SALES TAX 10.5%

i actually drive down to OC to buy some bigger ticket items (ie, best buy crap), to save a bit on tax. I just combine it into a trip to see friends.

10.5 would suck.

[Steve Ekstrand]

2008 was unusual spending, but it would have cost us an additional ~$3500.

[Marshall Grice]

2008 was unusual spending, but it would have cost us an additional ~$3500.

doing some quick math, a 2% increase in sales tax costing you 3500 dollars means you spent roughly 175,000 dollars this year?

[KJ Christopher]

2008 was unusual spending, but it would have cost us an additional ~$3500.

doing some quick math, a 2% increase in sales tax costing you 3500 dollars means you spent roughly 175,000 dollars this year?

trucks, trailers, cars, house remodels

he's an atm machine.

think of what it would be if they collected sales tax on his hookers-n-blow.