Tag: marty richman

Note: If you are not in the mood for the “How did we get here?” portion of this subject, go directly to my 10-point recommended budget/economic outline below this column.

As the fight over the mandatory insurance – actually the tax provisions – of the healthcare act prepares to move to the Supreme Court, the Congressional Budget Office released a new estimate of the act’s costs and coverage. The forecast is that the legislation will cost a lot more or a lot less and will cover either, two million, three million, or four million fewer people all depending on your political persuasion. It’s all about the future and in this case, more than most, the future is just a guess.

June’s election will have ballot measures for future changes to the structure of Hollister’s City Council to reduce the number of districts and add an at-large mayor elected by the entire city. I support these proposals and the related measure giving the mayoral position a four-year term. If they are approved, the city will eventually consolidate its five districts into four, each represented by a council member. Those members plus the new position of at-large mayor will constitute the five-member city council.

I had to choose between meetings last Tuesday night; San Benito County was meeting about its $5.3 million budget deficit while Hollister was meeting about its $3.5 million shortfall. I didn’t check to see if California was tackling its $9.2 billion deficiency or the federal government its $1.3 trillion problem. I’ll leave the state and federal issues for another time just to note that those are only the deficits they are willing to acknowledge publicly.

Candice Hooper continues to turn in a rock-solid job performance as San Benito County district attorney as she has since her election in June 2006 when it was reported that her predecessor, in a classic example of sour grapes, immediately dumped his entire criminal caseload on her following his failed reelection bid. D.A. is a job where the best performers often get the least credit because the public approaches the justice system on an emotional basis while a good D.A. has to approach it on both a legal and practical basis.

Bill Mifsud: “At first I had no idea what the commercial was about. It was dark and gloomy. After hearing political people talking about it and seeing it again I do feel it was a pitch in support of President Obama, subliminal as it seems.”

The most frequently asked question I get about government is this – if we’re so broke that we can’t afford essential services, why are so few people concerned about the money we waste due to bad decisions or excess spending? I always give the same answer - it’s the brother-in-law effect. I’m going to explain the brother-in-law effect, then you can retain this column and the next time we err and no one cares, just take it out and read it.

The recent decade has seen a tsunami of growth of U.S. nonprofit organizations many of them sheltering enormous revenue and assets under the tax-free umbrella. Some are also directly or indirectly in competition with private enterprise, which has to shoulder more of the remaining tax burden on an unlevel playing field. Additionally, nonprofits have increasing political influence because of their wealth.

Marty Richman: “Yes. Compliance with written authorizations for deductions should be closely monitored and subject to strict privacy protections; your political preferences are your business.”

This week the Hollister Free Lance Around the Water Cooler panel answered the question – in response to GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich saying if elected, he wants to establish a permanent, colonized moon base – of whether the U.S. pursue efforts to colonize the moon.