[quote=AN]I never understand the logic of water shortage either. People who think so should just look at their water bill vs their gas bill. We can easily solve our water “problem” buy building 100 desalination plants like the one in Carlsbad. Couple that with toilet to tap and rain water run off and you’ll have our water “problem” solved. I would totally pay 2-5x more than I’m paying today for water. We can also build a water pipeline from Alaska to CA and that would help solve our water “problem” as well.[/quote]
a water pipeline from alaska to california makes as much logical (cost/benefit) sense as trump’s rhetoric to build a big beautiful wall…
[quote=TRUMP]
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
if diminished precipitation trends continue, the water shortfall will become very apparent (not just to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley), so desperate times might nudge the idea of a water pipeline to gain wide spread public support in urban areas, at which point pretty sure there would be a vocal group of taxpayers that would want to buy the concrete and steel from the lowest cost producer
but even before a project enters the design stage, we first need to consider all the EIRs (Environmental Impact Reports), for a route that crosses an internation border and two other states before delivering much needed water to CA
NEXT we would then need to also take into account the all on going energy requirements to pump the water because its a known fact that “nearly a fifth of all the power generated in California — as well as huge quantities of natural gas and diesel fuel consumed in the state — goes into water-related uses”
so from these aspects alone, I’d say its a NO GO to even start the multi-year EIR process for a water pipeline
BUT lets say, to hell w/ the EIRs lets just pull out the wallet and pay for the water pipeline and be done with it!
little problem, which is the wallet is empty except for maxed out credit cards AND there is basically NO MONEY saved up in the bank!!
get another credit card then charge it you say (which is the business as usual approach), uhhhhhhhh problem there is CREDIT (i.e. who has it to give and is credit worthy themselves)
Looking at the real world, as it stands this state is on the hook to the federal government for various items like…
[quote=www.sacbee.com]
California still owes feds $8 billion for unemployment insurance
California borrowed $10 billion from the federal government to shore up its recession-battered Unemployment Insurance Fund. Even though the state’s economy is now booming, it still owes the feds about $8 billion.
California is paying interest on the loan, an estimated $174.5 million this year, according to a new report from the state Employment Development Department, and the balance is shrinking only because in lieu of direct payments, the Department of Labor has raised taxes on employers.
no problem since this forum is based in SD city/county why not build more desalination plants (for locals use ONLY) like the one in Carlsbad
for the population of SD city/county a conservative estimate would require 15 to 20 times the existing capacity (of Carlsbad) to meet the local demand (along with some head room for future growth) and given the one billion dollar cost (of the brand new Carlsbad setup), that would mean we would need around 20+ billion in today’s dollars
any ideas how a BIG TICKET ITEM like desalination plants, gets paid for?? when idiots (in charge) can’t even grasp middle school math which is the key to understanding the existing mis-managed pension problem, AND is a reported order of magnitude less in cost
[quote=phaster]
now back to the serious topic at hand since this is an economics message board where it clearly states at the bottom of the page… In God we trust. Everyone Else Bring Data!
BUT before looking at data, it might be useful to recall lessons taught in middle school, specifically the topic about “compound interest” and basic money management skills (which is key to surviving/thriving day to day in the modern day world)
if you have a mortgage, then perhaps you might have heard that you can pay off a loan much faster, by “annually” making an extra — 13th — mortgage payment,… what an extra mortgage payment does is directly reduces the principal balance on the loan by the amount of the payment (and the observed effect is exponentially decreasing the payback period)
NOW lets (re)examine ACTUAL “historic” published documents/text (i.e. Data!)
City pensioners get ’13th check’ bonus
More than $6.1 million has been distributed to retired San Diego city employees in the form of a “13th check” — beyond their usual 12 monthly payments — making this year’s holiday bonus the largest such payout in the history of the three-decade-old practice.
But it’s become a source of conflict as the city’s pension system faces a $2 billion shortfall in promised payments, which remains a taxpayer burden and has led to budget crises in the past at City Hall.
Though SDCERS investments were earning well above the 8 percent rate of return estimated by the system actuaries, under normal conditions investments surpluses are required to make up for below-average returns in other years to achieve the average rate of return. Therefore, unless the actuaries’ estimates are grossly incorrect, in the long run true “surplus earnings” are impossible. The use of surplus earnings for the purposes other than maintaining the pension system, such as to expand existing benefits should be viewed as a loan from the system THAT WILL REQUIRE REPAYMENT IN THE FUTURE.
The concept of surplus earnings is easily misunderstood, so sometimes these earnings are used inappropriately.
page 286
Handbook of Frauds, Scams, and Swindles: Failures of Ethics in Leadership edited by Serge Matulich, David M. Currie
anyone able to grasp the power/implications of “compound interest” then reading the published reports should be very disturbed at the mis-management/incompetence/corruption since the PRIMARY CAUSE as to why the “magnitude” of the SD public pension “unfunded” problem exists is due to a simple math concept that was suppose to be learned in middle school…
as-reported for the past three decades the “surplus earnings” (aka 13th payment) was diverted to Gubment-Pensioner(s) every holiday season INSTEAD OF being used for the original goal of trying to make sure the long term average return of the portfolio was achieved(about about 8% as per actuaries’ design-estimates)
if anyone is able to think critically about “compound interest” then they will see that making an annual extra mortgage payment and making an extra payment to Gubment-Pensioner(s) every holiday are two side of the same coin; one side allows a mortgage debt to be paid “down” much sooner, the other side makes the debt to pile “up” exponentially over decades!
(bearishgurl) since you have taken the blue pill – its apparent you believe whatever you want to believe!
for all other(s) who dared take the red pill, the BOTTOM LINE seems to be as long as the “surplus earnings” (aka 13th payment) is siphoned off every holiday season for Gubment-Pensioner(s) INSTEAD OF being used to maintain the pension system designed target return rate, the SD pension system as currently structured/operated AND using nothing more than “honest” common sense and middle school math tells us, that the un-funded DEBT issue will basically ALWAYS grow!
so is it realistic to believe politicians/lawyers have the brains to understand let alone fix the water infrastructure that needs to be built to address the various issues related to the on going drought, given these same self-absorbed corrupt idiots cannot even solve much smaller financial operations and mis-management practice issues???
[quote=www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com] State Auditor blasts Bar Association
State Auditor Elaine Howle has more than a few bones to pick with the State Bar of California’s financial operations and management practices.
In a scathing report, Ms. Howle says the State Bar’s financial reports have contained errors and lacked transparency, limiting the ability of stakeholders to fully understand its financial operations and the Legislature’s ability to set appropriate State Bar fees.
just sayin’ short term thinking along with business as usual politics has created a “delusional idiocracy” system, dominated by simple minded affirmations or political slogans like “make america great again” which cannot explain how to solve problems that are based on a complex and corrupt reality…
bottom line… is it no wonder by not understanding the big picture problem (i.e. economic/scientific data) and doing the same things over and over again and expecting issues to get better, that what is actually happening is more akin to jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire!
