Comments on: Rob Reiner: Fiscal Magician

By: Fred

Fred — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 21:03:06 +0000

When you are spending other peoples money it’s really amazing how many really wonderful ideas you can come up with. Take stem cell research. If it’s really the doorway to all sorts of wonderful advances in medicine, why does the state or Federal government have to contribute anything? Why not expect the drug companies to shoulder 100% of the risk in return for keeping 100 % of the profit?

By: Dennis

Dennis — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 21:00:45 +0000

It seems to me it’s not hard to see that a lot of people are leaving California for a variety of reasons. This was the state of Ronald Reagan, and it wasn’t long ago that pundits were talking about Republicans having a lock on the electoral college because they had California sewn up. But some time in the early 1990s, that all changed. Did all those Republicans change their stripes, or did a lot of them move out to the Rocky Mountain states and other places deemed more tax friendly? It seems to me the latter is more likely.

By: dmac

dmac — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:43:03 +0000

I seem to recall more than a few half – joking proposals to separate California into two states – north and south. People who live in the northern half don’t seem too fond of the southern sections (and vice versa): maybe it’s an idea whose time has come – could shake up the status quo.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:53:47 +0000

Well, the problem there is my location – there is no ski area even remotely close to Austin…I turned down a job offer in Salt Lake City a few years back, but I considered it – just for the skiing…

By: too many steves

too many steves — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:47:20 +0000

Do yourself a favor: purchase a season pass. Most areas offer a weekends only, no holidays pass that is fairly reasonable. Once you’ve paid that money your ability to dream up reasons not to go this Saturday quickly dissipates.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:39:03 +0000

I didn’t get a ski trip in this year…too bad for me…

By: too many steves

too many steves — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:37:31 +0000

I was skiing all day Saturday AND loving it! The whole “shoveling snow is really bad” thing is way overdone. Many of my friends have snowblowers and love telling macho stories about how much snow was moved, how many times, etc. Me? I clear my driveway by writing a check to a guy who plows it out for me while I sit by the fire reading a good book. Now that’s livin! And the income tax rate here is “only” 5%.

Btw, I’ve done the math: the comparison of cost between having the driveway plowed and buying a snowblower to do it yourself is a wash over 3 years (or more). In fact, having it plowed is cheaper over the long haul – without even accounting for your personal time. Then again, if you like doing the snowblowing thing then I guess that adds value, right?

By: peter

peter — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:14:24 +0000

Well, maybe, but when I drive to work every morning and see the Bay in front of me — I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

(Playing golf last Saturday, when people elsewhere in the country were shovelling out their driveways, isn’t too bad either…)

By: too many steves

too many steves — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 13:50:52 +0000

Some fail to accept the fact that “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”. California is a nice place, but it ain’t 11% income tax nice. The company I work for is headquartered in the Bay Area. Many of our senior executives live elsewhere and have refused to relocate. No surprise there – higher housing costs, higher tax rates, higher overall cost of living, and quality of life not so much better than many other places.