NC Media Watch

Some important California economic recovery links

Russ Steele

Below are some links that you should bookmark if you live in California. Visit these sites often to stay in touch with efforts by conservatives to revitalize California's sagging economy.

California Jobs Initiative:  http://www.suspendab32.org/index.htm

Join us in our fight to suspend AB 32.

We have filed our initiative with the Attorney General and need you to be a part of this effort to suspend the most draconian regulatory regime in our state's history.

Be a part of our historic effort to get the economy back on track by joining the e-team, following our efforts on Facebook and contributing financially.

When it's ready, the official petition to place the suspension of AB 32 on the 2010 ballot will be available for download right here on this website.

Sign up now so you can be the first on your block to have the simple one page petition that will free California from the AB 32 stranglehold the Sacramento political establishment has placed on our economy.

California Jobs First: http://arc.asm.ca.gov/CaJobs/

Californians can no longer afford to stand idly by as state government chases employers, jobs and workers away. Lawmakers need to first stop making economic problems worse, and then move quickly to get people back to work. Every action that California's state government takes in 2010 must put California Jobs First. Please view the resources on this website to see California's job problems, and take our survey to weigh in on potential solutions that will help to put California Jobs First, and get people back to work.

Who is Ray Bayar's and why does he want Limbaugh off KNCO?

Russ Steele

In a Letter to the Editor Ray Bayers, the President of the Clean Power Cooperative of Nevada County, is sponsoring an e-mail campaign requesting KNCO remove Rush Limbaugh from the morning schedule. 

I invite you to join me in a move to bring back a balanced perspective to local radio. Rush Limbaugh has become so shrill, hateful and almost maniacal in his rhetoric against the president that even the Republican Party is wishing he would go away.

KNCO can do better and Nevada County would benefit from a more open/even approach to national events coverage. In addition, we would all benefit from an increased focus on local events.

If you agree, please contact Bob Breck: [email protected] to request a host that presents a more balanced perspective.

So what do we know about Mr Bayers' who seems to have a disregard for Rush Limbaugh and his right to free speech. According to the Clean Power Cooperative's  web site:

He is interest in the environment and healthy living.

He enjoys volunteering for organizations that can make a positive difference.

He tutors for the Literacy Council and assists with trails programs for the Nevada County Land Trust.

He enjoys home projects, gardening, yoga and hiking and is a big fan of NPR

He is an Electrical Engineer with experience in the video industry.

If Ray Bayars is a big fan of NPR why is he listening to Rush Limbaugh?   If he is an electrical engineer he should be more than capable of finding the tuning knob on his radio, and failing that the off switch, or pull the battery out, or the plug from the wall. 

I do not listen to Rush that much, but if you are fan, I suggest sending an e-mail to Bob Beck at: [email protected] an request he keep Rush in the KNCO schedule.

What is the way out - Keynes or Hayek

Russ Steele

I am reading Hayek 's The Road to Serfdom and ran across this video while surfing the net. We need to understand the economics of our survival. I hope this helps understand the options -- Keynes or Hayek.   Enjoy!

H/T to Menzies House for the video link. More details on the video production here.

Surfaces Stations Project is reviewed at NY Times Dot Earth

Russ Steele

Andrew Revkin writing at NYT Dot Earth: On Weather Stations and Climate Trends discussed the critique of Anthony Watts Surface Station Project by the scientist at the National Climatic Data Center and  Revikin give Anthony room to respond. Stay Tuned this is going to be fun. 

As one of Antony's first volunteers I am very interested in how the professional scientist treat our research. Anthony is doing the analysis, the volunteers provided the necessary data by visiting 87% of the surface station and providing detailed photo evidence of there placement.  

Link to the full NYT story is here.

The picture is one of the stations Ellen and I Surveyed in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Can you spot the sensor buried in the trees behind the fire station.  Even the fire station crew did not know where the sensor was it was so well hidden. I found it by accident when climbing up the hill behind the fire station to see if it was on the station roof.

County Sales Tax Update for the 3rd Quarter - 2009

The County Sales Tax Update for the 3rd Quarter - 2009:

The allocation from the unincorporated area’s July through September sales tax was 19.6% less than the same quarter last year. Adjusted for reporting aberrations taxable sales for all of Nevada County, including it's cities decreased 19.7% over the comparable time period while the the Far North as a whole was down 15.4%

For comparison here is the County Sales Tax Update for the 2nd Quarter - 2009:

Actual sales activity was down 17.5% when reporting aberrations were factored out. Adjusted for aberrations, taxable sales for all of Nevada County, including it's cities, declined 23.4% over the comparable time period, while the Far North region as a whole was down 20.1%.

The chart shows how important the building and construction industry is to Nevada County. If we do not start building again, who will replace this sector. Mining, with the opening of the Idaho Maryland mine?

A slow recover is projected with "overall smaller sales tax declines in the next two quarters with the revenue flattening out out by the fiscal year 2010/2011. However, tight  credit, high unemployment, prices pressure and the end of the federal stimulus funding are expected to stall significant recovery until the year after." (2012)

State lawmakers are promoting Internet shopping

Russ Steele

One of the issues when going shopping is where to park. Shopper want to park close to the store so they do not have to carry purchases too far, especially in hot summer, or cold winter weather days. But, the California legislature wants to put a stop to free parking, as it encourages people to drive to the store.  The unintended consequences is more Internet shopping.

Story in LA Times:

State lawmakers take aim at free parking

There is too much of it, they say, and it encourages people to drive instead of taking the bus, walking or bicycling. A Senate proposal would prompt cities and businesses to reduce its availability.

State Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) wants cities to reduce the availability of free parking.

There is too much of it, the legislators say, and it encourages people to drive instead of taking the bus, walking or riding a bike. All that motoring is contributing to traffic jams and pollution, according to state Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), and on Thursday he won Senate approval of a proposal he hopes will prompt cities and businesses to reduce the availability of free parking.

"Free parking has significant social, economic and environmental costs," Lowenthal said. "It increases congestion and greenhouse gas emissions."

Yes, and limiting free parking encourages people to shop on the Internet. Why deal with the hassle  of trying to find a fee parking space, when you can just log on make your purchase and have it delivered to your door.   And, shopping on line reduces the amount of sales tax you have to pay, in some case reduces it to zero.  Some, on-line companies are offering free shipping, reducing the cost even more.

Can you imagine having to use our local bus systems to do your shopping, hauling your packages from the bus stop to your house.  

Climate Change is now a laugh line

Russ Steele

It cannot be true if one of the best political liars of our time cannot say it with a straight face.  When Obama declared there is "Overwhelming scientific evidence on Climate Change" it became a laugh line in his State of the Union Speech.  Even Biden and Pelosi could not stop smiling when he said it. See the video here:

Tea Party Update - 12% of California voters

Russ Steele

The Sac Bee has the latest Field Poll on the direction the County and California is going this morning.

Californians turn negative about direction the county is headed, no change in negative appraisal of the State's direction.

Details here.

This was the part I found interesting, my emphasis added:

The recent decline in voter assessments of the direction of the country is most evident among Democrats, liberals, younger and middle-age Californians and men. Each of these subgroups held a much more positive view about the direction of the country last October than they do now.

Also noteworthy is the fact that nearly all voters (95%) who currently identify “a lot” with the tea party movement believe the country is seriously off on the wrong track in the current survey. This subgroup, which represents 12% of all California voters, contrasts starkly with the views of all other voters who hold a slightly more positive than negative view of the country’s direction.

Is 12% enough to have a strong influence on the outcome of an election? It certainly will in close races. Go Tea Party Patriots!

What did I think about the Obama Speech, people keep asking?

Russ Steele

We did not watch the speech in real time.  I was looking around for an Internet redo to answer the questions, when I came across this analysis of the speech by the scholars at the CATO Institute.

What did you think about the Obama speech? Was it a lecture by a community organizer, or a President? Was Obama just doubling down on his leftist program, rather then pivoting toward the center?

Your thoughts?

I have a question - why truncate the chart? (update 01-28-10)

Russ Steele

The Washington Post has a story by Juliet Eilperine and David Fahrenthold  high lighting  a report from the National Wildlife Federation that harsh winters are a sign of disruptive climate change.

"This winter's extreme weather -- with heavy snowfall in some places and unusually low temperatures -- is in fact a sign of how climate change disrupts long-standing patterns, according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation."

Here is the graphic used to show the declining ice trend.

My thoughts on this graphic:

•  Note the decline starts with the PDO warm shift in 1977.

•  The graph stops at 2002, about the time that satellites started to see some global cooling, and we are several years into a cool PDO.

•  My question is why did the graph stop in 2002, when we have eight years of additional data?

•  The winters of 08/09 and 09/10 were quite sever in the Northern US.  If this ice cover data was added to the chart, would the supposed trend be real, or the result of cherry picking a period of time to demonstrate a trend which supports the National Wildlife Federation's political point of view?

Just wondering?