California — the state that has legislated pretty much everything through ballot initiatives — may well have three marijuana legalization initiatives on the 2010 ballot. California’s medical marijuana business culture is interesting. I was unaware that,as the article reports, there are “hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries across the state” as a result of the 1996 [...]
Posts Tagged ‘California’
Splendor (And Questions) In The Grass
Posted in America, tagged America, California, Legalized Marijuana on October 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Not-So-Golden (II)
Posted in America, Politics, tagged budgets, California, Politics on August 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It’s actually kind of sad when a Californian writes that Californians need to get over themselves.
Higher Revenue
Posted in Politics, The Economy, tagged Budget Deficit, budgets, California, Gambling, Legalized Marijuana, Ohio on July 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The California Board of Equalization, which is charged with administrative authority over the State’s taxes, estimated that a legislative proposal to legalize the growth, sale, and consumption of marijuana as a means of bridging California’s budget gap would raise nearly $1.4 billion per year. Such a sum would not, of course, cover the entire California [...]
Not San Frantic
Posted in Politics, The Economy, Travel, tagged budgets, California, economy, ferry building, IOUs, San Francisco, sea lions at pier 39 on July 8, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I just got back to Columbus from a work trip to San Francisco. I like San Francisco very much. The summer weather is great, cool and crisp. It is a lovely city, filled with picturesque vistas, and it has some fantastic restaurants. One afternoon we had the opportunity to stroll along the Embarcardero, from the [...]
CalifornIOU
Posted in Politics, The Economy, tagged California, economy on July 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
California’s inability to work out its budget mess apparently will lead the State to issue IOUs because it does not have the money to pay its bills. That fact in and of itself is a sad state of affairs, but what is really amazing is that one of the creditors that may receive IOUs is [...]
Recession, By The Numbers
Posted in Politics, The Economy, tagged California, economy, Politics, recession on June 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
We’ve been noting the rise in unemployment rates as the recession has dragged on. This article also addresses the increase in welfare rolls as unemployment benefits expire, including a sharp jump in the number of food stamp recipients. The article includes a well-done interactive graph that allows state-by-state comparison of unemployment rates over the course [...]
Not So Golden (Cont.)
Posted in The Economy, Uncategorized, tagged Budget Deficit, California, economy on June 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s another article on the troubles in California, in this case on the unemployment rate increasing to the highest level since records started being kept in 1976. And, just in time for Father’s Day, the article includes another slant on the current recession that I had not seen before — men are losing their jobs [...]
California, Dreaming
Posted in Politics, The Economy, tagged budgets, California, economy, taxes on June 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Legislative activity in California is hot and heavy as the state tries to close what is now a $24 billion budget gap. This story reports on some of the choices that have been presented and are being debated. Should the gap be closed purely with spending reductions, or should fees and additional taxes be imposed [...]
All Options On The Table?
Posted in Politics, The Economy, tagged budgets, California, economy on June 4, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I’ve probably bored everyone with my prior posts on California and its political/financial problems, but I find those problems, and the ways in which people are reacting to them, to be fascinating. I also agree with this article that the problems are just an indicator of the challenges that other governmental entities — local, state, [...]
More On The Golden State
Posted in Politics, tagged Budget Deficit, California, Politics on June 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve posted before on California’s terrible financial problems, and here’s an interesting article on the reaction to those problems. The article states what seems to be to be a fair proposition: if governmental entities want to raise taxes, they should be able to articulate why and how those increased taxes will result in better services. [...]
State of Bankruptcy
Posted in Politics, tagged bankruptcy, Budget Deficit, California on May 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s an interesting editorial on the possibility that California might go into bankruptcy in an attempt to get its fiscal house in order — an option that some other governmental entities have exercised. It is sad state of affairs when elected leaders bring governmental bodies to this point, but the bankruptcy laws are there for [...]
Not So Golden
Posted in Politics, The Economy, tagged Budget Deficit, budgets, California, Politics on May 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Not too long ago I was watching TV and saw an ad with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver sitting at some sun-dappled outdoor cafe, urging viewers to come to California because it was better there. That ad now seems like a kind of cruel joke. With the defeat of a number of ballot initiatives yesterday, [...]
Trouble In Sin City
Posted in The Economy, tagged Arizona, California, economy, Florida, foreclosures, Las Vegas, Nevada on May 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
According to this article, more than two-thirds of the homeowners in the Las Vegas metropolitan area owe more on their mortgages than the houses are worth. That statistic is hard to believe, and tells you as much about the quality and credit analysis of the bankers in Las Vegas as it does about the homeowners. [...]
