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EconProf
Participantctr70, the original poster of this thread says he leaned left most of his life, then steadily turned to the right politically.
Winston Churchill once said, paraphrasing, if one is young and not liberal, they have no heart. If one is older and not conservative, they have no head.ParticipantI’m keeping an open mind and looking forward to seeing this movie.
Anyone know where it is showing?ParticipantI’ve read elsewhere of how poorly served Mexican families are by their education system. Apparently an all-powerful and thoroughly corrupt teachers union runs everything. Parents are urged to “contribute” in order to get any effort from the teachers for their kid’s behalf. School uniforms are required, and can be too much for the really poor families. A birth certificate is also required in order to enroll, and that may be impossible for children of migrant workers.
On the other hand, teachers are genuinely underpaid, and, much like Mexican police, feel they are justified in asking for money on the side.ParticipantFlu, I believe CA now has a law requiring a pre-move-out inspection at least 2 weeks before vacancy. This gives tenant a chance to correct deficiencies on their own and possibly save a deduction from their deposit.
It is one of the few “pro-tenant” CA laws I believe make sense. It fosters communication between these two potentially waring parties and reminds tenants that they are liable for damages beyond “normal wear and tear”, and necessary cleaning as specified in the lease.
In this case landlord seems entitled to monetary damages totaling labor and materials for replacement carpet and pad, but only for the affected room(s), and only after depreciating for the age of the carpet.ParticipantThis will alienate about half the Piggs reading this, but I learned long ago to simply not rent to people with pets. Saves all sorts of problems even though it eliminates half your market and probably lowers your asking rent, and certainly your deposit.
Cat urine is worse than dog urine and the smell CANNOT be removed. A future tenant without pets and possessing a sensitive nose (IOW, the kind of tenant you want), will surely smell it and rightly complain, perhaps not upon initial showing but after moving in.
Don’t waste your time and money on carpet treatments that claim to eliminate pet urine smell. They don’t work. Furthermore, you can’t just replace the carpet–the pad must go too. And during the new installation when both are up, treat the affected area heavily with bleach and water, because the smell is in the wood and concrete too.ParticipantWe put in a whole house fan a few months ago and it is the smartest thing I ever did. The reason is physics: San Diego is blessed on most hot days with a late-afternoon/early evening offshore breeze. Yet your house heats up from radiant heat and by about 6:00 is actually warmer than the newly cool outside. Solution, open the windows and let that cooler air whoosh through your house and exit into the attic and then out of the attic through standard attic vents. Your house and attic will both be cooler.
This works on all but the hottest of San Diego days. We haven’t had the AC on all summer until a couple of days ago. If this is a normal summer then we expect to use AC only 10 – 15 days, and get by with the whole house fan the rest of the days.
The fan costs $200 – $300 and can be installed by a competent carpenter. Ours is acceptably quiet, but check the reviews first, as some are indeed noisy. A 24″ one is plenty adequate…perhaps the noisy ones cited above were the 30″ fans.ParticipantPension promises made by politicians in past years will continue to squeeze out needed government expenditures at all levels. This again shows the folly of having public sector unions at all. In the private sector a fair contest exists between unions and their workers bargaining against a management that seeks the best deal for the shareholders (and indirectly, the custormers who buy the output). In the public sector, management is replaced by politicians who are heavily dependent upon unions and can easily promise extravagent pay and benefits that must be paid by future, less-informed and less activist taxpayers.
August 10, 2012 at 10:54 AM in reply to: OT: California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program #750017ParticipantYet one more reason to leave California.
ParticipantGregor is a good economics site because his points are well-documented and he has a good track record of being more right than the average economic forecaster. In general, the more pessimistic reseachers clearly have had the best crystal ball in recent years.
However, he has often touted peak oil theories and runaway energy costs in his forecasts, which I believe overstate the case for high future energy prices. One thing he underestimates, along with countless other economists, is the favorable impact of fracking in our energy future. He is also a bit contradictory by saying the world economy will stay in a funk and yet energy demand will continue to push up energy prices. Recessions and depressions dampen demand and thus prices.ParticipantI fail to see where Romney did anything wrong.
He bought near the peak of the market (OK, his timing was certainly wrong), and then when his property value went down he went through the established process to lower his assessment to a more correct amount. It appears he did it more than once as the market kept falling.
Is that ethically wrong? Is that economically irrational? Of course not. If he had not corrected his assessment in line with a falling market, he would be stupid. I don’t want a stupid guy as president.ParticipantConsider the pros and cons of simple shower curtain instead:
$20 vs $700 to 1000 +
no cleaning after use (esp. since you want clear glass)
No mold growing around metal
Easier entry & exit
Larger feeling to bathroom
Seriously, anything that simplifies life and is vastly cheaper to boot, I’m for!ParticipantSales taxes exempt a lot of things, and ought to exempt used items. It is actually a form of double-taxation.
ParticipantIn the debate between buying new vs. used, the sales tax should be considered. What is the rationale for a sales tax to be levied on a used car purchase? None. The car has already paid a sales tax when sold new. In fairness, it should never be taxed again. A car that changes hands enough times in its life could theoretically pay more in sales tax to the state than its value when new. This undue revenue to the state is paid by the consumers, especially poorer consumers who tend to buy used.
The only way to beat it is to buy new and then keep the vehicle till its value is nil.ParticipantBirmingplumb: Is a licensed plumber required to clear a drain in Michigan? BG: What about San Diego. My comment will follow your answer(s).
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