I hate ebay and paypal. They I hate ebay and paypal. They are a scam and price gougers. Paypal will claim free payments when you sell something, but they are very sneaky in charging.
ebay has gone downhill. I now mostly use Craigslist and Amazon to buy my stuff.
ebay claims buyer protection but they do nothing.
I’ll be voting for Gavin Newsom.
If I could vote for Arnold again. I would. I like his tough stand with state workers, yet his socially progressive attitude.
jimmyle
October 19, 2009 @
6:42 PM
I also use Craigslist when I I also use Craigslist when I can just to avoid paying tax to the broken public pension system. Oscasionally ebay is good if you want to reach a wider audience.
briansd1
October 19, 2009 @
6:53 PM
jimmyle wrote:I also use [quote=jimmyle]I also use Craigslist when I can just to avoid paying tax to the broken public pension system. Oscasionally ebay is good if you want to reach a wider audience.[/quote]
I’m liberal but sometimes, I agree that we must starve the beast.
Amazon w/ no tax and free shipping is good also.
Check w/ your employer. Some employers have programs with online vendors that provide no tax and free ship.
desmond
October 20, 2009 @
7:05 AM
briansd1 wrote:I hate ebay [quote=briansd1]I hate ebay and paypal. They are a scam and price gougers. Paypal will claim free payments when you sell something, but they are very sneaky in charging.
ebay has gone downhill. I now mostly use Craigslist and Amazon to buy my stuff.
ebay claims buyer protection but they do nothing.
I’ll be voting for Gavin Newsom.
[/quote]
Is Craiglist the company the Gavin Newsom started?
Hobie
October 20, 2009 @
7:50 AM
Back to topic. Do you really Back to topic. Do you really think California is governable? With so many social programs and strong union ties I have my doubts.
Meg was indeed instrumental making Ebay the powerhouse it is today. I do agree things have slipped and she got out while she was on top. But she has a positive track record. Whether or not she can work with legislators is another story. But… given the field, she’s holds the most promise and gets my vote.
peterb
October 20, 2009 @
8:56 AM
We need a third and fourth We need a third and fourth party. Does anyone really think the two party system gives us choices anymore???
briansd1
October 20, 2009 @
9:07 AM
3rd and 4th party would be 3rd and 4th party would be interesting, but that will require European like governing coalitions. Those are problematic also.
I believe that a 2-party system keeps the country more united. You just have to choose the best of the two parties (or the lesser of two evils).
sd_matt
October 21, 2009 @
7:59 PM
peterb wrote:We need a third [quote=peterb]We need a third and fourth party. Does anyone really think the two party system gives us choices anymore???[/quote]
At the very least we should vote out 20% to 30% of the Dems and Reps out of Congress just go get their attention.
Supporting the lesser of two evils has hurt us when it comes to foreign policy and I don’t think it’s much better on the home front. It is just settling for less.
briansd1
October 20, 2009 @
9:14 AM
Somehow, I feel that Meg Somehow, I feel that Meg Whitman is just Mitt Romney’s choice.
She has no convictions of her own and she would well be a Democrat. Her positions are partisan simply to fit into the Republican base.
I agree that some of the unions in California need to be broken. That’s why I approve of Arnold tough love approach.
If Meg Whitman would drop her conservative social views, I could support her.
KSMountain
October 20, 2009 @
6:57 PM
Hobie wrote:Back to topic. [quote=Hobie]Back to topic. Do you really think California is governable? With so many social programs and strong union ties I have my doubts.
[/quote]
I just heard a radio ad where she promises to pay teachers based on performance. I’m not sure she’d be able to pull that off – my initial guess would be that she would not succeed in that endeavor.
Hobie
October 20, 2009 @
7:35 PM
I agree KS and its a huge I agree KS and its a huge problem. It’s the same sticking point for the voucher system, and for that matter, “No Child Left Behind”.
In theory it works, but in practice it is not workable. For example, a school that has a large population of non-english speaking kids will be dinged when compared to a high achieving school. Even if you tried a base line and a percentage increase, there is a demographic that culturally is not inspired toward higher education. Those teachers and admin are effectually punished for non-performance of the school so they gravitate to better schools. See how the circle is formed.
My thoughts are to incentivize the teachers to go the the low performing schools.
Me thinks that ol Meg has not stopped by our schools in a while and has a glass tower view that is not current.
But still, she is sharp and may have some innovative ideas. Look how Peter Uberoff was the first and only person to turn a profit on the Olympics. It can be done with the right person.
Wickedheart
October 20, 2009 @
7:46 PM
KSMountain wrote:
I just [quote=KSMountain]
I just heard a radio ad where she promises to pay teachers based on performance. I’m not sure she’d be able to pull that off – my initial guess would be that she would not succeed in that endeavor.[/quote]
Too bad her Ebay pay wasn’t based on her performance.
Wickedheart
October 20, 2009 @
7:41 PM
Hobie wrote:
Meg was indeed [quote=Hobie]
Meg was indeed instrumental making Ebay the powerhouse it is today. I do agree things have slipped and she got out while she was on top. [/quote]
Bawahahahaha You have got to be kidding. Meg Whitman ruined Ebay. Users hate it now, sellers hate it. Many of her business decisions have resulted in mindboggling losses for Ebay and pissed off the userbase. She lost hundreds of millions of dollars with Ebay China and hundreds of millions more Ebay Express. And let not forget she lost over a billion with Skype. Yeah, she’s a real winner.
Hobie
October 20, 2009 @
7:53 PM
Easy now Wicked. Not trying Easy now Wicked. Not trying to convince you to marry her! 😉
I’m not trying to sell anyone on Ebay as I’m with you is that is now full of duds.
Just saying given the field, she is, at this point, the better choice for a fresh outlook.
Wickedheart
October 20, 2009 @
8:17 PM
Hobie wrote:Easy now Wicked. [quote=Hobie]Easy now Wicked. Not trying to convince you to marry her! 😉
I’m not trying to sell anyone on Ebay as I’m with you is that is now full of duds.
Just saying given the field, she is, at this point, the better choice for a fresh outlook.[/quote]
Okay, I’ll calm down a little but Ebay really sucks now. On the bright side though, it does save me a lot of money.
PS Did you miss the part about her losing a whole buttload of money?
Coronita
April 23, 2010 @
4:29 PM
Wickedheart wrote:Hobie [quote=Wickedheart][quote=Hobie]Easy now Wicked. Not trying to convince you to marry her! 😉
I’m not trying to sell anyone on Ebay as I’m with you is that is now full of duds.
Just saying given the field, she is, at this point, the better choice for a fresh outlook.[/quote]
Okay, I’ll calm down a little but Ebay really sucks now. On the bright side though, it does save me a lot of money.
PS Did you miss the part about her losing a whole buttload of money?[/quote]
Actually, I think you got it wrong. Meg took ebay from a startup to it’s height. She got out about the right time. The next CEO was the one that started changing the core business.
air_ogi
April 23, 2010 @
10:36 PM
flu wrote:Actually, I think [quote=flu]Actually, I think you got it wrong. Meg took ebay from a startup to it’s height. She got out about the right time. The next CEO was the one that started changing the core business.[/quote]
She left ebay in November 2007. The new CEO is trying to unwind some deals that Whitman made, but the company is mostly the same. A lot of people use ebay, not many love it.
Whitman took ebay from 50 employees to 16000 employees. (what the heck do 16000 people at ebay do?) Ebay wasted a ton of money on big Sun servers and Oracle, and I am willing to bet that they have operating costs significantly higher than Amazon. I think Whitman has exactly the opposite experience that someone who wants to run California should have.
In comparison, craiglist has 30 employees and much much smaller operating expenses.
Coronita
April 23, 2010 @
11:10 PM
air_ogi wrote:flu [quote=air_ogi][quote=flu]Actually, I think you got it wrong. Meg took ebay from a startup to it’s height. She got out about the right time. The next CEO was the one that started changing the core business.[/quote]
She left ebay in November 2007. The new CEO is trying to unwind some deals that Whitman made, but the company is mostly the same. A lot of people use ebay, not many love it.
Whitman took ebay from 50 employees to 16000 employees. (what the heck do 16000 people at ebay do?) Ebay wasted a ton of money on big Sun servers and Oracle, and I am willing to bet that they have operating costs significantly higher than Amazon. I think Whitman has exactly the opposite experience that someone who wants to run California should have.
In comparison, craiglist has 30 employees and much much smaller operating expenses.[/quote]
Um, I think your glossing over the complexity here. There are a few things you should be aware of.
Running an auction house is considerably more expensive than running classifieds like craiglist.
While I’m sure there’s pork at a 16000 company, a bulk of the engineering is done to make auctions work and satisfy all legal requirements. I’m pretty sure ebay does need those server systems. How realtime does craigslist need, really? And while you might not like how ebay works, ebay is very diverse in what it sells.
Think about it. You basically have company that sells things from a few bucks to several hundreds and thousands of dollars. Name one other retail store that you can buy something as tiny as a battery for your camera and as large as sportscar in the same store. I guarantee you the complexity of handling that $10 transaction is completely different from handling that auto transaction.
I’m not surprised they need that many people, because the company is basically a conglomerate of different businesses.
Personally what I think hurt ebay eventually was
1) Raising the auction fees to sellers.
2) Mucking with the rating/feedback system
3) Diversifying into areas that they had no bearing, including skype.
Regardless, ebay pioneered a lot of what you see on every commerce site, particularly the buyer/seller feedback system.
NOTE: i don’t use ebay that much, because after they changed the fees/rating system, it just wasns’t what it use to be. Then again, I never use craigslist.
I think credit needs to be given when credit is due.
You want a fvcked up auction site, go to quibids.com. I’m surprised they haven’t been shutdown, because it just seems like it’s really a gambling website. However, I’ll have to admit, the person that thought it out definitely is shrewd.
Jim Jones
October 21, 2009 @
6:42 PM
I think the only real I think the only real solution in California is for the governor to take the same stand that Margret Thatcher did in the UK with the unions and special interest groups while the country was mired in a same economic situation which now faces California. Take a position to correct the problem, hold that position and ignore the screaming from the sidelines.
To fully understand how difficult it was for her and her government just google “Margret Thatcher and Arther Scargill”
briansd1
October 21, 2009 @
8:04 PM
Jim Jones wrote:I think the [quote=Jim Jones]I think the only real solution in California is for the governor to take the same stand that Margret Thatcher did in the UK with the unions and special interest groups while the country was mired in a same economic situation which now faces California. Take a position to correct the problem, hold that position and ignore the screaming from the sidelines.
To fully understand how difficult it was for her and her government just google “Margret Thatcher and Arther Scargill”[/quote]
As a liberal I completely agree. Arnold did a good job at ignoring the screams from state employees that he furloughed. That was first step.
briansd1
April 23, 2010 @
2:45 PM
Ok, now it looks like Meg Ok, now it looks like Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown.
Meg Whitman wouldn’t be all that bad, if she would stick to economics and support socially progressive issues.
I like that Whitman’s website has Espanol and Chinese, and nothing from Fox News. http://www.megwhitman.com/
I’ll likely end up voting for Jerry Brown because I wouldn’t want to give Whitman a platform to challenge Obama in 2012.
afx114
April 23, 2010 @
3:11 PM
I’m voting Steve Jobs. I’m voting Steve Jobs. iFornia!
Coronita
April 23, 2010 @
4:30 PM
Hobie wrote:Back to topic. [quote=Hobie]Back to topic. Do you really think California is governable? With so many social programs and strong union ties I have my doubts.
Meg was indeed instrumental making Ebay the powerhouse it is today. I do agree things have slipped and she got out while she was on top. But she has a positive track record. Whether or not she can work with legislators is another story. But… given the field, she’s holds the most promise and gets my vote.[/quote]
Me thinks the only way out is a bankruptcy.
Aecetia
April 23, 2010 @
4:42 PM
I do not know about paying I do not know about paying down the debt, but an endowment to a charity would have meant more to me than the magazine she mailed out recently. If I did not know better I would think Soros is bank rolling her.
Coronita
April 23, 2010 @
4:57 PM
Aecetia wrote:I do not know [quote=Aecetia]I do not know about paying down the debt, but an endowment to a charity would have meant more to me than the magazine she mailed out recently. If I did not know better I would think Soros is bank rolling her.[/quote]
Yeah, but you have to admit, both Meg and Carly (though I hate Carly) have some pretty creative ads…
Wow! What’s next pentagrams Wow! What’s next pentagrams and dancing Wiccans?
CDMA ENG
May 13, 2010 @
8:17 AM
Hot damn FLU!
Did you see the Hot damn FLU!
Did you see the shanks on that sheep a 0:43…
Enough to drive a man crazy!
😛
CE
briansd1
October 20, 2009 @
9:27 AM
desmond wrote:
Is Craiglist [quote=desmond]
Is Craiglist the company the Gavin Newsom started?[/quote]
Hardly.
Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco. And he’s not gay. Imagine that!
I like that he’s young and represents the new generation of openness. I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
He’s had a sex scandal of his own (affair with a married woman). But that’s no big deal in my opinion.
His ex-wife is a Fox News anchor.
waiting for bottom
October 20, 2009 @
8:15 PM
briansd1 wrote: I’m sick of [quote=briansd1] I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
[/quote]
You mean heroes who shed blood for our country and spent their entire lives serving us?
sd_matt
April 26, 2010 @
10:35 AM
waiting for bottom [quote=waiting for bottom][quote=briansd1] I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
[/quote]
You mean heroes who shed blood for our country and spent their entire lives serving us?[/quote]
McCain was warning us about our financial situation back to 2005. He’s a hero in more than one way.
On a related note Rush and Hannity do not like him. Funny thing ( sarcasm )….
briansd1
April 26, 2010 @
11:03 AM
I know some Navy pilots and I know some Navy pilots and they don’t think that McCain is a hero at all. He crashed 3 planes and was a drunk. Being captured by the Viet Congs was just plain bad luck. And McCain leveraged that to the hilt.
McCain grew into a good Senator. But that’s about it. He flipped on immigration and campaign finance reform to pander to the Republican base.
Without being the son of an Admiral and without marrying into a rich family, McCain would be below average, in my opinion. Same goes for Dubya.
CDMA ENG
May 13, 2010 @
8:30 AM
briansd1 wrote:I know some [quote=briansd1]I know some Navy pilots and they don’t think that McCain is a hero at all. He crashed 3 planes and was a drunk. Being captured by the Viet Congs was just plain bad luck. And McCain leveraged that to the hilt.
McCain grew into a good Senator. But that’s about it. He flipped on immigration and campaign finance reform to pander to the Republican base.
Without being the son of an Admiral and without marrying into a rich family, McCain would be below average, in my opinion. Same goes for Dubya.[/quote]
What does the above prove? Did you not read Tom Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff”? Hell they were all drunken rock stars. Cunnighanm was also considered sub-par but was our last Navy Ace and a total dick but ended up teaching Top Gun.
So what does any of this prove about the man based on hearsay? These men got were they were through thier actions in combat. Not cause they could pass a test.
The man still did more and gave more for this country than either of us combined and I hate to see ppl shit on that.
Find something else to take issue with in his record.
CE
briansd1
May 13, 2010 @
9:20 AM
CDMA ENG wrote: Did you not [quote=CDMA ENG] Did you not read Tom Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff”? Hell they were all drunken rock stars. Cunnighanm was also considered sub-par but was our last Navy Ace and a total dick but ended up teaching Top Gun.
So what does any of this prove about the man based on hearsay? These men got were they were through thier actions in combat. Not cause they could pass a test.
[/quote]
I don’t believe in the right stuff. That was fine in the good ol’ boys’ club. But not anymore. Back then all you needed was bullshit, brashness, swagger and fearlessness.
Now you need smarts.
My friend who is a pilot for a major airline tells me that those old captains, who are making the big bucks, only got to where they are because of their dads. They’ve been flying for the last 30 years but aviation has changed a lot.
It’s an industry dominated by tenure of 40 years ’til retirement, so the old folk don’t really have skills of the younger pilots.
Now, you need to actually understand the electronics and the engineering. Back then your dad put you in a airplane and you flew.
I’ve met Cunningham and I’m not surprised he ended up in the slammer. He’s nothing but a redneck who got a big head — too big for his brain to handle.
meadandale
May 13, 2010 @
9:39 AM
briansd1 wrote:
My friend who [quote=briansd1]
My friend who is a pilot for a major airline tells me that those old captains, who are making the big bucks, only got to where they are because of their dads. They’ve been flying for the last 30 years but aviation has changed a lot.[/quote]
I’ll take someone like Capt Sully over one of your friends any day of the week.
CDMA ENG
May 13, 2010 @
8:09 AM
waiting for bottom [quote=waiting for bottom][quote=briansd1] I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
[/quote]
You mean heroes who shed blood for our country and spent their entire lives serving us?[/quote]
Hear Hear…
I don’t think you know much about McCain. He spent most of his career pissing off his party for not voting party lines. He probably has one of the most bi-partisan voting records of anyone. DEMs included.
If you mentions some die hard righty maybe I could agree but McCain is what is right with american politics not wrong…
If more people voted they way he has then America would be a much better place…
So said the kid from Arizona.
CE
briansd1
May 13, 2010 @
8:55 AM
CDMA ENG wrote:
I don’t think [quote=CDMA ENG]
I don’t think you know much about McCain. He spent most of his career pissing off his party for not voting party lines. He probably has one of the most bi-partisan voting records of anyone. DEMs included.
If you mentions some die hard righty maybe I could agree but McCain is what is right with american politics not wrong…
CE[/quote]
I agree with you, Mc Cain was a great senator, until the started pandering to the extreme right to get the nomination, and to get reelected in AZ (we’ll see if he gets reelected).
McCain’s combat in Vietnam does not make him a hero in my book. He didn’t do anything heroic there. To me, Vietnam was happenstance that allowed McCain to redeem himself. Sure he survived capture but that’s more out of necessity than anything else.
There are dark sides to McCain. When he returned from Vietnam, we was a drunkard who walked out on his wife because she was ugly and poor. Then he married a rich pretty girl whose ambitious father got him to where he is. Not exactly traditional family values.
I believe in second chances; and, yes, McCain did redeem himself in the Senate.
But hero? No. I reserve the word hero for real heroes. Not everybody who served in the military deserves to be called a hero.
desmond
October 21, 2009 @
9:51 AM
briansd1 wrote:desmond [quote=briansd1][quote=desmond]
Is Craiglist the company the Gavin Newsom started?[/quote]
Hardly.
Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco. And he’s not gay. Imagine that!
I like that he’s young and represents the new generation of openness. I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
He’s had a sex scandal of his own (affair with a married woman). But that’s no big deal in my opinion.
His ex-wife is a Fox News anchor.[/quote]
What I meant by my comment is what has GN done other than politics?
briansd1
October 21, 2009 @
9:59 AM
Gavin Newsom started a Gavin Newsom started a winery.
briansd1 wrote:
He’s had a [quote=briansd1]
He’s had a sex scandal of his own (affair with a married woman). But that’s no big deal in my opinion. [/quote]
Not really *a* married woman, but the wife of his campaign manager. He is either unable or unwilling to control himself. Since he is capable of screwing his campaign manager (figuratively) and his wife (literally) it will be fun to watch him screwing the wider audience.
ybitz
April 23, 2010 @
3:53 PM
Meg Whitman broke the record Meg Whitman broke the record for money spent on a California Governor campaign.
Perhaps instead of mailing out fancy glossy flyers she should donate some of that money towards the California fiscal crisis.
Coronita
April 23, 2010 @
4:27 PM
ybitz wrote:Meg Whitman broke [quote=ybitz]Meg Whitman broke the record for money spent on a California Governor campaign.
Perhaps instead of mailing out fancy glossy flyers she should donate some of that money towards the California fiscal crisis.[/quote]
Why? It would have just been spent on pork. What? You think if someone actually donated that much to CA or the Fed, they would actually use that to pay down debt/deficit? Hell no. Our government would just find a way to spend 4 times of that donation. Remember, like many folks, every dollar they get unexpectedly, they end up spending $4.
no_such_reality
April 24, 2010 @
6:48 AM
Successful CEOs don’t make Successful CEOs don’t make good government employees.
What do successful CEOs do? Find things that need doing and then figure out the MAXIMUM they can charge for it. Look at high growth companies and CEOs that lead them and COSTS are low on the list of priorities. Efficient delivery is also low on the list if they can have a competitive advantage with product or patent.
If you want a CEO governor for California, it needs to be someone that competed and ran a tight ship without fat margins and no pricing power. Somebody that successfully ran grocery store chain possibly. It would be a microcosm of the State having had to deal with Unions, thin margins, diverse demands and the regulatory nightmares. Think of the people that successfully run a Stater Bros. Or maybe, somebody like Synder of In-n-Out. Same thing and finding a way to do without geting unionized. Chainsaw Al comes to mind, but I’m sure is track record is any better, but at least the focus is in the right place.
Meg is joke. Meg’s formula was simple, monopolize the distribution and payment chain and then jack up prices. Guess what. The government is already a monopoly…
Again, successful CEOs don’t come with the toolkit to deal with the problems facing California. They talk tough, but their success is built on one thing, increasing revenues. Oh and BTW, you’ve all already noticed the democrats carefully refer to ‘revenues’ when talking about taxes right?
svelte
April 24, 2010 @
7:03 AM
Considering the independent Considering the independent streak that runs through Piggs, I’m surprised you didn’t provide an option for 3rd party candidates.
Latest gallup of US adults:
28% say they are Republicans
32% say they are Democrats
39% say they are Independent
I thought I was in the minority, but apparently not!
briansd1
April 24, 2010 @
8:18 AM
svelte wrote:
Latest gallup [quote=svelte]
Latest gallup of US adults:
28% say they are Republicans
32% say they are Democrats
39% say they are Independent
I thought I was in the minority, but apparently not![/quote]
Independents who vote Republican might as well be Republicans. Same goes for Independents who vote Democratic.
svelte
April 24, 2010 @
11:13 AM
briansd1 wrote:svelte [quote=briansd1][quote=svelte]
Latest gallup of US adults:
28% say they are Republicans
32% say they are Democrats
39% say they are Independent
I thought I was in the minority, but apparently not![/quote]
Independents who vote Republican might as well be Republicans. Same goes for Independents who vote Democratic.[/quote]
If they vote 100% for said party, agreed. But I bet they don’t do that. I bet they cross party lines for the candidate of their choice…Schwarzenegger, Reagan, Obama etc.
Which is why they are so prized by the Dems and Reps..no guarantee as to which way they’ll vote.
As opposed to those who identify themselves as Republican or Democrat who probably rarely if ever cross party lines.
Aecetia
April 24, 2010 @
6:06 PM
I am glad to hear that Reagan I am glad to hear that Reagan is running again. Did someone dig him up and clone his DNA?
sd_matt
April 26, 2010 @
10:28 AM
If the thread topic is If the thread topic is implying that Meg can swing the pendulum back towards the middle then think again. I agree that CA is too far into the land of Atlas Shrugged. But weening all these puppies ( welfare voters ) is not gonna happen unless we elect a legislature that agrees with our supposed future conservative governor.
AK
April 26, 2010 @
10:29 AM
Do I have to wait for Do I have to wait for November, or can I just click “Buy It Now” instead?
j
April 27, 2010 @
5:48 AM
At least she should be able At least she should be able to finally fix the DMV database. The rest of California will be messed up until bankruptcy forces a change, because the legislature doesn’t want change.
briansd1
April 27, 2010 @
1:18 PM
j wrote:At least she should [quote=j]At least she should be able to finally fix the DMV database. [/quote]
What’s wrong with the DMV database? If people would just mail in their payments rather than waiting until the last minute, there wouldn’t be such long lines.
We could have transponders as proof of registration (rather that renewal stickers). But that would be very big brother.
gandalf
April 27, 2010 @
10:04 PM
Gen-X independent.
Arnold has Gen-X independent.
Arnold has been good.
Whitman is creepy.
briansd1
May 12, 2010 @
12:55 PM
I just sent in my ballot. I just sent in my ballot.
Wow. Poizner contributed $22 million to his own campaign. Whitman contributed $59 million.
briansd1 wrote:I just sent in [quote=briansd1]I just sent in my ballot.
Wow. Poizner contributed $22 million to his own campaign. Whitman contributed $59 million.[/quote]
What does that have anything to with how they’ll do as a governor?
October 19, 2009 @ 6:34 PM
I hate ebay and paypal. They
I hate ebay and paypal. They are a scam and price gougers. Paypal will claim free payments when you sell something, but they are very sneaky in charging.
ebay has gone downhill. I now mostly use Craigslist and Amazon to buy my stuff.
ebay claims buyer protection but they do nothing.
I’ll be voting for Gavin Newsom.
If I could vote for Arnold again. I would. I like his tough stand with state workers, yet his socially progressive attitude.
October 19, 2009 @ 6:42 PM
I also use Craigslist when I
I also use Craigslist when I can just to avoid paying tax to the broken public pension system. Oscasionally ebay is good if you want to reach a wider audience.
October 19, 2009 @ 6:53 PM
jimmyle wrote:I also use
[quote=jimmyle]I also use Craigslist when I can just to avoid paying tax to the broken public pension system. Oscasionally ebay is good if you want to reach a wider audience.[/quote]
I’m liberal but sometimes, I agree that we must starve the beast.
Amazon w/ no tax and free shipping is good also.
Check w/ your employer. Some employers have programs with online vendors that provide no tax and free ship.
October 20, 2009 @ 7:05 AM
briansd1 wrote:I hate ebay
[quote=briansd1]I hate ebay and paypal. They are a scam and price gougers. Paypal will claim free payments when you sell something, but they are very sneaky in charging.
ebay has gone downhill. I now mostly use Craigslist and Amazon to buy my stuff.
ebay claims buyer protection but they do nothing.
I’ll be voting for Gavin Newsom.
[/quote]
Is Craiglist the company the Gavin Newsom started?
October 20, 2009 @ 7:50 AM
Back to topic. Do you really
Back to topic. Do you really think California is governable? With so many social programs and strong union ties I have my doubts.
Meg was indeed instrumental making Ebay the powerhouse it is today. I do agree things have slipped and she got out while she was on top. But she has a positive track record. Whether or not she can work with legislators is another story. But… given the field, she’s holds the most promise and gets my vote.
October 20, 2009 @ 8:56 AM
We need a third and fourth
We need a third and fourth party. Does anyone really think the two party system gives us choices anymore???
October 20, 2009 @ 9:07 AM
3rd and 4th party would be
3rd and 4th party would be interesting, but that will require European like governing coalitions. Those are problematic also.
I believe that a 2-party system keeps the country more united. You just have to choose the best of the two parties (or the lesser of two evils).
October 21, 2009 @ 7:59 PM
peterb wrote:We need a third
[quote=peterb]We need a third and fourth party. Does anyone really think the two party system gives us choices anymore???[/quote]
At the very least we should vote out 20% to 30% of the Dems and Reps out of Congress just go get their attention.
Supporting the lesser of two evils has hurt us when it comes to foreign policy and I don’t think it’s much better on the home front. It is just settling for less.
October 20, 2009 @ 9:14 AM
Somehow, I feel that Meg
Somehow, I feel that Meg Whitman is just Mitt Romney’s choice.
She has no convictions of her own and she would well be a Democrat. Her positions are partisan simply to fit into the Republican base.
I agree that some of the unions in California need to be broken. That’s why I approve of Arnold tough love approach.
If Meg Whitman would drop her conservative social views, I could support her.
October 20, 2009 @ 6:57 PM
Hobie wrote:Back to topic.
[quote=Hobie]Back to topic. Do you really think California is governable? With so many social programs and strong union ties I have my doubts.
[/quote]
I just heard a radio ad where she promises to pay teachers based on performance. I’m not sure she’d be able to pull that off – my initial guess would be that she would not succeed in that endeavor.
October 20, 2009 @ 7:35 PM
I agree KS and its a huge
I agree KS and its a huge problem. It’s the same sticking point for the voucher system, and for that matter, “No Child Left Behind”.
In theory it works, but in practice it is not workable. For example, a school that has a large population of non-english speaking kids will be dinged when compared to a high achieving school. Even if you tried a base line and a percentage increase, there is a demographic that culturally is not inspired toward higher education. Those teachers and admin are effectually punished for non-performance of the school so they gravitate to better schools. See how the circle is formed.
My thoughts are to incentivize the teachers to go the the low performing schools.
Me thinks that ol Meg has not stopped by our schools in a while and has a glass tower view that is not current.
But still, she is sharp and may have some innovative ideas. Look how Peter Uberoff was the first and only person to turn a profit on the Olympics. It can be done with the right person.
October 20, 2009 @ 7:46 PM
KSMountain wrote:
I just
[quote=KSMountain]
I just heard a radio ad where she promises to pay teachers based on performance. I’m not sure she’d be able to pull that off – my initial guess would be that she would not succeed in that endeavor.[/quote]
Too bad her Ebay pay wasn’t based on her performance.
October 20, 2009 @ 7:41 PM
Hobie wrote:
Meg was indeed
[quote=Hobie]
Meg was indeed instrumental making Ebay the powerhouse it is today. I do agree things have slipped and she got out while she was on top. [/quote]
Bawahahahaha You have got to be kidding. Meg Whitman ruined Ebay. Users hate it now, sellers hate it. Many of her business decisions have resulted in mindboggling losses for Ebay and pissed off the userbase. She lost hundreds of millions of dollars with Ebay China and hundreds of millions more Ebay Express. And let not forget she lost over a billion with Skype. Yeah, she’s a real winner.
October 20, 2009 @ 7:53 PM
Easy now Wicked. Not trying
Easy now Wicked. Not trying to convince you to marry her! 😉
I’m not trying to sell anyone on Ebay as I’m with you is that is now full of duds.
Just saying given the field, she is, at this point, the better choice for a fresh outlook.
October 20, 2009 @ 8:17 PM
Hobie wrote:Easy now Wicked.
[quote=Hobie]Easy now Wicked. Not trying to convince you to marry her! 😉
I’m not trying to sell anyone on Ebay as I’m with you is that is now full of duds.
Just saying given the field, she is, at this point, the better choice for a fresh outlook.[/quote]
Okay, I’ll calm down a little but Ebay really sucks now. On the bright side though, it does save me a lot of money.
PS Did you miss the part about her losing a whole buttload of money?
April 23, 2010 @ 4:29 PM
Wickedheart wrote:Hobie
[quote=Wickedheart][quote=Hobie]Easy now Wicked. Not trying to convince you to marry her! 😉
I’m not trying to sell anyone on Ebay as I’m with you is that is now full of duds.
Just saying given the field, she is, at this point, the better choice for a fresh outlook.[/quote]
Okay, I’ll calm down a little but Ebay really sucks now. On the bright side though, it does save me a lot of money.
PS Did you miss the part about her losing a whole buttload of money?[/quote]
Actually, I think you got it wrong. Meg took ebay from a startup to it’s height. She got out about the right time. The next CEO was the one that started changing the core business.
April 23, 2010 @ 10:36 PM
flu wrote:Actually, I think
[quote=flu]Actually, I think you got it wrong. Meg took ebay from a startup to it’s height. She got out about the right time. The next CEO was the one that started changing the core business.[/quote]
She left ebay in November 2007. The new CEO is trying to unwind some deals that Whitman made, but the company is mostly the same. A lot of people use ebay, not many love it.
Whitman took ebay from 50 employees to 16000 employees. (what the heck do 16000 people at ebay do?) Ebay wasted a ton of money on big Sun servers and Oracle, and I am willing to bet that they have operating costs significantly higher than Amazon. I think Whitman has exactly the opposite experience that someone who wants to run California should have.
In comparison, craiglist has 30 employees and much much smaller operating expenses.
April 23, 2010 @ 11:10 PM
air_ogi wrote:flu
[quote=air_ogi][quote=flu]Actually, I think you got it wrong. Meg took ebay from a startup to it’s height. She got out about the right time. The next CEO was the one that started changing the core business.[/quote]
She left ebay in November 2007. The new CEO is trying to unwind some deals that Whitman made, but the company is mostly the same. A lot of people use ebay, not many love it.
Whitman took ebay from 50 employees to 16000 employees. (what the heck do 16000 people at ebay do?) Ebay wasted a ton of money on big Sun servers and Oracle, and I am willing to bet that they have operating costs significantly higher than Amazon. I think Whitman has exactly the opposite experience that someone who wants to run California should have.
In comparison, craiglist has 30 employees and much much smaller operating expenses.[/quote]
Um, I think your glossing over the complexity here. There are a few things you should be aware of.
Running an auction house is considerably more expensive than running classifieds like craiglist.
While I’m sure there’s pork at a 16000 company, a bulk of the engineering is done to make auctions work and satisfy all legal requirements. I’m pretty sure ebay does need those server systems. How realtime does craigslist need, really? And while you might not like how ebay works, ebay is very diverse in what it sells.
Think about it. You basically have company that sells things from a few bucks to several hundreds and thousands of dollars. Name one other retail store that you can buy something as tiny as a battery for your camera and as large as sportscar in the same store. I guarantee you the complexity of handling that $10 transaction is completely different from handling that auto transaction.
I’m not surprised they need that many people, because the company is basically a conglomerate of different businesses.
Personally what I think hurt ebay eventually was
1) Raising the auction fees to sellers.
2) Mucking with the rating/feedback system
3) Diversifying into areas that they had no bearing, including skype.
Regardless, ebay pioneered a lot of what you see on every commerce site, particularly the buyer/seller feedback system.
NOTE: i don’t use ebay that much, because after they changed the fees/rating system, it just wasns’t what it use to be. Then again, I never use craigslist.
I think credit needs to be given when credit is due.
You want a fvcked up auction site, go to quibids.com. I’m surprised they haven’t been shutdown, because it just seems like it’s really a gambling website. However, I’ll have to admit, the person that thought it out definitely is shrewd.
October 21, 2009 @ 6:42 PM
I think the only real
I think the only real solution in California is for the governor to take the same stand that Margret Thatcher did in the UK with the unions and special interest groups while the country was mired in a same economic situation which now faces California. Take a position to correct the problem, hold that position and ignore the screaming from the sidelines.
To fully understand how difficult it was for her and her government just google “Margret Thatcher and Arther Scargill”
October 21, 2009 @ 8:04 PM
Jim Jones wrote:I think the
[quote=Jim Jones]I think the only real solution in California is for the governor to take the same stand that Margret Thatcher did in the UK with the unions and special interest groups while the country was mired in a same economic situation which now faces California. Take a position to correct the problem, hold that position and ignore the screaming from the sidelines.
To fully understand how difficult it was for her and her government just google “Margret Thatcher and Arther Scargill”[/quote]
As a liberal I completely agree. Arnold did a good job at ignoring the screams from state employees that he furloughed. That was first step.
April 23, 2010 @ 2:45 PM
Ok, now it looks like Meg
Ok, now it looks like Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown.
Meg Whitman wouldn’t be all that bad, if she would stick to economics and support socially progressive issues.
I like that Whitman’s website has Espanol and Chinese, and nothing from Fox News.
http://www.megwhitman.com/
I’ll likely end up voting for Jerry Brown because I wouldn’t want to give Whitman a platform to challenge Obama in 2012.
April 23, 2010 @ 3:11 PM
I’m voting Steve Jobs.
I’m voting Steve Jobs. iFornia!
April 23, 2010 @ 4:30 PM
Hobie wrote:Back to topic.
[quote=Hobie]Back to topic. Do you really think California is governable? With so many social programs and strong union ties I have my doubts.
Meg was indeed instrumental making Ebay the powerhouse it is today. I do agree things have slipped and she got out while she was on top. But she has a positive track record. Whether or not she can work with legislators is another story. But… given the field, she’s holds the most promise and gets my vote.[/quote]
Me thinks the only way out is a bankruptcy.
April 23, 2010 @ 4:42 PM
I do not know about paying
I do not know about paying down the debt, but an endowment to a charity would have meant more to me than the magazine she mailed out recently. If I did not know better I would think Soros is bank rolling her.
April 23, 2010 @ 4:57 PM
Aecetia wrote:I do not know
[quote=Aecetia]I do not know about paying down the debt, but an endowment to a charity would have meant more to me than the magazine she mailed out recently. If I did not know better I would think Soros is bank rolling her.[/quote]
Yeah, but you have to admit, both Meg and Carly (though I hate Carly) have some pretty creative ads…
This I thought was hysterical..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRY7wBuCcBY&feature=related
April 23, 2010 @ 5:05 PM
Wow! What’s next pentagrams
Wow! What’s next pentagrams and dancing Wiccans?
May 13, 2010 @ 8:17 AM
Hot damn FLU!
Did you see the
Hot damn FLU!
Did you see the shanks on that sheep a 0:43…
Enough to drive a man crazy!
😛
CE
October 20, 2009 @ 9:27 AM
desmond wrote:
Is Craiglist
[quote=desmond]
Is Craiglist the company the Gavin Newsom started?[/quote]
Hardly.
Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco. And he’s not gay. Imagine that!
I like that he’s young and represents the new generation of openness. I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
He’s had a sex scandal of his own (affair with a married woman). But that’s no big deal in my opinion.
His ex-wife is a Fox News anchor.
October 20, 2009 @ 8:15 PM
briansd1 wrote: I’m sick of
[quote=briansd1] I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
[/quote]
You mean heroes who shed blood for our country and spent their entire lives serving us?
April 26, 2010 @ 10:35 AM
waiting for bottom
[quote=waiting for bottom][quote=briansd1] I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
[/quote]
You mean heroes who shed blood for our country and spent their entire lives serving us?[/quote]
McCain was warning us about our financial situation back to 2005. He’s a hero in more than one way.
On a related note Rush and Hannity do not like him. Funny thing ( sarcasm )….
April 26, 2010 @ 11:03 AM
I know some Navy pilots and
I know some Navy pilots and they don’t think that McCain is a hero at all. He crashed 3 planes and was a drunk. Being captured by the Viet Congs was just plain bad luck. And McCain leveraged that to the hilt.
McCain grew into a good Senator. But that’s about it. He flipped on immigration and campaign finance reform to pander to the Republican base.
Without being the son of an Admiral and without marrying into a rich family, McCain would be below average, in my opinion. Same goes for Dubya.
May 13, 2010 @ 8:30 AM
briansd1 wrote:I know some
[quote=briansd1]I know some Navy pilots and they don’t think that McCain is a hero at all. He crashed 3 planes and was a drunk. Being captured by the Viet Congs was just plain bad luck. And McCain leveraged that to the hilt.
McCain grew into a good Senator. But that’s about it. He flipped on immigration and campaign finance reform to pander to the Republican base.
Without being the son of an Admiral and without marrying into a rich family, McCain would be below average, in my opinion. Same goes for Dubya.[/quote]
What does the above prove? Did you not read Tom Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff”? Hell they were all drunken rock stars. Cunnighanm was also considered sub-par but was our last Navy Ace and a total dick but ended up teaching Top Gun.
So what does any of this prove about the man based on hearsay? These men got were they were through thier actions in combat. Not cause they could pass a test.
The man still did more and gave more for this country than either of us combined and I hate to see ppl shit on that.
Find something else to take issue with in his record.
CE
May 13, 2010 @ 9:20 AM
CDMA ENG wrote: Did you not
[quote=CDMA ENG] Did you not read Tom Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff”? Hell they were all drunken rock stars. Cunnighanm was also considered sub-par but was our last Navy Ace and a total dick but ended up teaching Top Gun.
So what does any of this prove about the man based on hearsay? These men got were they were through thier actions in combat. Not cause they could pass a test.
[/quote]
I don’t believe in the right stuff. That was fine in the good ol’ boys’ club. But not anymore. Back then all you needed was bullshit, brashness, swagger and fearlessness.
Now you need smarts.
My friend who is a pilot for a major airline tells me that those old captains, who are making the big bucks, only got to where they are because of their dads. They’ve been flying for the last 30 years but aviation has changed a lot.
It’s an industry dominated by tenure of 40 years ’til retirement, so the old folk don’t really have skills of the younger pilots.
Now, you need to actually understand the electronics and the engineering. Back then your dad put you in a airplane and you flew.
I’ve met Cunningham and I’m not surprised he ended up in the slammer. He’s nothing but a redneck who got a big head — too big for his brain to handle.
May 13, 2010 @ 9:39 AM
briansd1 wrote:
My friend who
[quote=briansd1]
My friend who is a pilot for a major airline tells me that those old captains, who are making the big bucks, only got to where they are because of their dads. They’ve been flying for the last 30 years but aviation has changed a lot.[/quote]
I’ll take someone like Capt Sully over one of your friends any day of the week.
May 13, 2010 @ 8:09 AM
waiting for bottom
[quote=waiting for bottom][quote=briansd1] I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
[/quote]
You mean heroes who shed blood for our country and spent their entire lives serving us?[/quote]
Hear Hear…
I don’t think you know much about McCain. He spent most of his career pissing off his party for not voting party lines. He probably has one of the most bi-partisan voting records of anyone. DEMs included.
If you mentions some die hard righty maybe I could agree but McCain is what is right with american politics not wrong…
If more people voted they way he has then America would be a much better place…
So said the kid from Arizona.
CE
May 13, 2010 @ 8:55 AM
CDMA ENG wrote:
I don’t think
[quote=CDMA ENG]
I don’t think you know much about McCain. He spent most of his career pissing off his party for not voting party lines. He probably has one of the most bi-partisan voting records of anyone. DEMs included.
If you mentions some die hard righty maybe I could agree but McCain is what is right with american politics not wrong…
CE[/quote]
I agree with you, Mc Cain was a great senator, until the started pandering to the extreme right to get the nomination, and to get reelected in AZ (we’ll see if he gets reelected).
McCain’s combat in Vietnam does not make him a hero in my book. He didn’t do anything heroic there. To me, Vietnam was happenstance that allowed McCain to redeem himself. Sure he survived capture but that’s more out of necessity than anything else.
There are dark sides to McCain. When he returned from Vietnam, we was a drunkard who walked out on his wife because she was ugly and poor. Then he married a rich pretty girl whose ambitious father got him to where he is. Not exactly traditional family values.
I believe in second chances; and, yes, McCain did redeem himself in the Senate.
But hero? No. I reserve the word hero for real heroes. Not everybody who served in the military deserves to be called a hero.
October 21, 2009 @ 9:51 AM
briansd1 wrote:desmond
[quote=briansd1][quote=desmond]
Is Craiglist the company the Gavin Newsom started?[/quote]
Hardly.
Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco. And he’s not gay. Imagine that!
I like that he’s young and represents the new generation of openness. I’m sick of the old men like McCain.
He’s had a sex scandal of his own (affair with a married woman). But that’s no big deal in my opinion.
His ex-wife is a Fox News anchor.[/quote]
What I meant by my comment is what has GN done other than politics?
October 21, 2009 @ 9:59 AM
Gavin Newsom started a
Gavin Newsom started a winery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlumpJack_Wine_Shop
April 23, 2010 @ 3:53 PM
briansd1 wrote:
He’s had a
[quote=briansd1]
He’s had a sex scandal of his own (affair with a married woman). But that’s no big deal in my opinion. [/quote]
Not really *a* married woman, but the wife of his campaign manager. He is either unable or unwilling to control himself. Since he is capable of screwing his campaign manager (figuratively) and his wife (literally) it will be fun to watch him screwing the wider audience.
April 23, 2010 @ 3:53 PM
Meg Whitman broke the record
Meg Whitman broke the record for money spent on a California Governor campaign.
Perhaps instead of mailing out fancy glossy flyers she should donate some of that money towards the California fiscal crisis.
April 23, 2010 @ 4:27 PM
ybitz wrote:Meg Whitman broke
[quote=ybitz]Meg Whitman broke the record for money spent on a California Governor campaign.
Perhaps instead of mailing out fancy glossy flyers she should donate some of that money towards the California fiscal crisis.[/quote]
Why? It would have just been spent on pork. What? You think if someone actually donated that much to CA or the Fed, they would actually use that to pay down debt/deficit? Hell no. Our government would just find a way to spend 4 times of that donation. Remember, like many folks, every dollar they get unexpectedly, they end up spending $4.
April 24, 2010 @ 6:48 AM
Successful CEOs don’t make
Successful CEOs don’t make good government employees.
What do successful CEOs do? Find things that need doing and then figure out the MAXIMUM they can charge for it. Look at high growth companies and CEOs that lead them and COSTS are low on the list of priorities. Efficient delivery is also low on the list if they can have a competitive advantage with product or patent.
If you want a CEO governor for California, it needs to be someone that competed and ran a tight ship without fat margins and no pricing power. Somebody that successfully ran grocery store chain possibly. It would be a microcosm of the State having had to deal with Unions, thin margins, diverse demands and the regulatory nightmares. Think of the people that successfully run a Stater Bros. Or maybe, somebody like Synder of In-n-Out. Same thing and finding a way to do without geting unionized. Chainsaw Al comes to mind, but I’m sure is track record is any better, but at least the focus is in the right place.
Meg is joke. Meg’s formula was simple, monopolize the distribution and payment chain and then jack up prices. Guess what. The government is already a monopoly…
Again, successful CEOs don’t come with the toolkit to deal with the problems facing California. They talk tough, but their success is built on one thing, increasing revenues. Oh and BTW, you’ve all already noticed the democrats carefully refer to ‘revenues’ when talking about taxes right?
April 24, 2010 @ 7:03 AM
Considering the independent
Considering the independent streak that runs through Piggs, I’m surprised you didn’t provide an option for 3rd party candidates.
Latest gallup of US adults:
28% say they are Republicans
32% say they are Democrats
39% say they are Independent
I thought I was in the minority, but apparently not!
April 24, 2010 @ 8:18 AM
svelte wrote:
Latest gallup
[quote=svelte]
Latest gallup of US adults:
28% say they are Republicans
32% say they are Democrats
39% say they are Independent
I thought I was in the minority, but apparently not![/quote]
Independents who vote Republican might as well be Republicans. Same goes for Independents who vote Democratic.
April 24, 2010 @ 11:13 AM
briansd1 wrote:svelte
[quote=briansd1][quote=svelte]
Latest gallup of US adults:
28% say they are Republicans
32% say they are Democrats
39% say they are Independent
I thought I was in the minority, but apparently not![/quote]
Independents who vote Republican might as well be Republicans. Same goes for Independents who vote Democratic.[/quote]
If they vote 100% for said party, agreed. But I bet they don’t do that. I bet they cross party lines for the candidate of their choice…Schwarzenegger, Reagan, Obama etc.
Which is why they are so prized by the Dems and Reps..no guarantee as to which way they’ll vote.
As opposed to those who identify themselves as Republican or Democrat who probably rarely if ever cross party lines.
April 24, 2010 @ 6:06 PM
I am glad to hear that Reagan
I am glad to hear that Reagan is running again. Did someone dig him up and clone his DNA?
April 26, 2010 @ 10:28 AM
If the thread topic is
If the thread topic is implying that Meg can swing the pendulum back towards the middle then think again. I agree that CA is too far into the land of Atlas Shrugged. But weening all these puppies ( welfare voters ) is not gonna happen unless we elect a legislature that agrees with our supposed future conservative governor.
April 26, 2010 @ 10:29 AM
Do I have to wait for
Do I have to wait for November, or can I just click “Buy It Now” instead?
April 27, 2010 @ 5:48 AM
At least she should be able
At least she should be able to finally fix the DMV database. The rest of California will be messed up until bankruptcy forces a change, because the legislature doesn’t want change.
April 27, 2010 @ 1:18 PM
j wrote:At least she should
[quote=j]At least she should be able to finally fix the DMV database. [/quote]
What’s wrong with the DMV database? If people would just mail in their payments rather than waiting until the last minute, there wouldn’t be such long lines.
We could have transponders as proof of registration (rather that renewal stickers). But that would be very big brother.
April 27, 2010 @ 10:04 PM
Gen-X independent.
Arnold has
Gen-X independent.
Arnold has been good.
Whitman is creepy.
May 12, 2010 @ 12:55 PM
I just sent in my ballot.
I just sent in my ballot.
Wow. Poizner contributed $22 million to his own campaign. Whitman contributed $59 million.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/05/poizner-throws-25-million-more-into-governors-race.html
May 12, 2010 @ 1:42 PM
briansd1 wrote:I just sent in
[quote=briansd1]I just sent in my ballot.
Wow. Poizner contributed $22 million to his own campaign. Whitman contributed $59 million.[/quote]
What does that have anything to with how they’ll do as a governor?