What's Next for California?

[DerbyRunner]

Good to see that the California Government is passing laws to help people deal with the forest fires. Shame that they use all the funding to prevent forest fires on social issues.

Police and Fire Departments are commonly used as tools to get bond measures passed. The pitch is something like: "pass this $xx million bond measure and help your fire fighters get the equipment they need," or something similar.

Of course, there is no language requiring the money to be spent that way. So when the bond passes, off the money goes, in another directions. Police and Fire agencies in some part of the country have had to sue to get their names taken off ballot measures. And in some cases they won.

 

[fried1765]

Y'alls gonna get me into my insurance rant again, ain't ya? SS is insurance. They're betting you don't live long enough to collect it.

I think I've fooled 'em.
Been collecting SS for almost 17 years.

 

[DerbyRunner]

As I pointed out above; why shouldn't somebody who is forced to pay into the SS program all of their life not collect from it when they get older?

The answer is: you are too rich and wealthy to deserve to collect. That is called "means testing." It has been kicked around for years as part of Social Security reform, and I believe it will become law at some point. Regardless of contributing into the system for decades, you will be deemed ineligible to collect.

 

[Jstpssng]

The answer is: you are too rich and wealthy to deserve to collect. That is called "means testing." It has been kicked around for years as part of Social Security reform, and I believe it will become law at some point. Regardless of contributing into the system for decades, you will be deemed ineligible to collect.

So why not just call it what it would be; a tax, and put it into the General Fund. Or call it a penalty for working too hard. How else would you justify taking 15% of somebody’s income every year, then disqualifying him from collecting because he planned ahead? SS isn’t even part of my retirement strategy, although I will be eligible starting in two years and do plan to collect.

 

[oosik]

It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that CA is the guinea pig state for the liberal agenda. "Lets try it first in CA".

I just bought a couple jugs of windshield washer fluid. Who would have guessed that under Prop 65 - they will cause cancer in CA.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Speaking of motorcycle helmets; they can be life savers provided there is actually a brain there to protect. Of course, their protection can only go so far...

 

[k0ua]

Speaking of motorcycle helmets; they can be life savers provided there is actually a brain there to protect. Of course, their protection can only go so far...

You nailed that one.

 

[Diggin It]

I just bought a couple jugs of windshield washer fluid. Who would have guessed that under Prop 65 - they will cause cancer in CA.

I'm all in favor of banning those labels (and CARB) anywhere outside of CA. Tired of seeing them on websites too.

 

[drssg]

Speaking of motorcycle helmets; they can be life savers provided there is actually a brain there to protect. Of course, their protection can only go so far...

I suspect the commentator himself is a rather aggressive rider by my standards. He offered the “safety” advice that lane splitting should be done at speeds no more than 25 mph faster than the other traffic. Even if it’s legal in some areas, I think lane splitting is just asking for trouble.

For some of the cases he thought were the driver’s fault, he might have been correct in the sense of who would get sited, but I felt that most of them could have been avoided by the motorcyclist using more defensive driving and less speed.

I have been riding since the 80s and haven’t had an accident yet. Some of that is just dumb luck, but it sure helps to stay alert.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I suspect the commentator himself is a rather aggressive rider by my standards. He offered the “safety” advice that lane splitting should be done at speeds no more than 25 mph faster than the other traffic. Even if it’s legal in some areas, I think lane splitting is just asking for trouble.

For some of the cases he thought were the driver’s fault, he might have been correct in the sense of who would get sited, but I felt that most of them could have been avoided by the motorcyclist using more defensive driving and less speed.

I have been riding since the 80s and haven’t had an accident yet. Some of that is just dumb luck, but it sure helps to stay alert.

I have a car club acquaintance who is a retired orthopedic surgeon...and he rides a Harley. I asked him one day how he could in good conscience ride a motorcycle as much as he does. He admitted that "they have woken me up in the middle of the night many times to come and put some cyclist back together, but I love to ride my Harley and I am very careful". 'Nuff said.

 

[Jim Nelson]

The answer is: you are too rich and wealthy to deserve to collect. That is called "means testing." It has been kicked around for years as part of Social Security reform, and I believe it will become law at some point. Regardless of contributing into the system for decades, you will be deemed ineligible to collect.

I retired at 58 yrs. old due to health problems, when I turned 62 I applied for S.S.,expecting to receive a reduced amount. To my complete surprise they insisted that I change my application to disabled, which required a physical by a doctor of their choice. The doc. not only pronounced me disabled but made it retroactive to the date my problem started. This resulted in a $20,000+ check for "back pay".

They are no different than any other govt. agency, they can't give it away fast enough. This all happened while my wife was still working making 6 figures. I tried to argue that I didn't need that extra money but they wouldn't hear it.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I retired at 58 yrs. old due to health problems, when I turned 62 I applied for S.S.,expecting to receive a reduced amount. To my complete surprise they insisted that I change my application to disabled, which required a physical by a doctor of their choice. The doc. not only pronounced me disabled but made it retroactive to the date my problem started. This resulted in a $20,000+ check for "back pay".

They are no different than any other govt. agency, they can't give it away fast enough. This all happened while my wife was still working making 6 figures. I tried to argue that I didn't need that extra money but they wouldn't hear it.

What type of health problems, if you dont mind sharing. I am currently on disability..

 

[oosik]

I've ridden one type of motorcycle or other for over fifty years. Now it's a BMW R1200GSA. The one ABSOLUTE TRUTH - if I go down at 70mph - it's going to hurt just the same - my fault or somebody else's.

 

[om21braz]

I've ridden one type of motorcycle or other for over fifty years. Now it's a BMW R1200GSA. The one ABSOLUTE TRUTH - if I go down at 70mph - it's going to hurt just the same - my fault or somebody else's.

If I ever got the itch again - the GSA would be near the top of the list.

 

[Alan W.]

So why not just call it what it would be; a tax, and put it into the General Fund. Or call it a penalty for working too hard. How else would you justify taking 15% of somebody’s income every year, then disqualifying him from collecting because he planned ahead? SS isn’t even part of my retirement strategy, although I will be eligible starting in two years and do plan to collect.

Social Security is a tax and nothing more. There is no right to what you have paid in. Only what congress decides to let you have.
This was settled by the Supreme Court in 1960 in the case of Flemming V. Nestor.
The Social Security Administration even touts this on their website.
Sorta like rubbing your nose in it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I hear, soon a straight man can be charged with discrimination if he won't date a trans gender. I wish I was kidding!

 

[ericm979]

what's with garage door openers? I have an opener that seems to be failing so I was looking at current prices and options. I found that openers without battery backup can no longer be sold in California. Did someone make a deal with battery manufacturers? Our snow and ice looks more like a bargain all the time.

A number of people died in some of the recent fires because they could not get their garage doors open to drive away. They were old or infirm enough that they couldn't manually open the door but they could have driven to safety. This law is an answer to that. I don't particularly like it but I understand where it's coming from. When it's my wife's turn to store her car in the garage I'll probably get a battery backup opener if I can't tune the door so she can open it manually. BTW one of the most deadly forest fires in US history that killed thousands burned Michigan, so don't think you're totally safe there.

 

[Fuddy1952]

This gets me (Ca.,SS, etc).
I'm retired, but willing to bet everyone here like me started working as a kid (newspaper route). Continued working my way through college, paying taxes, SS, etc.
My wife did also, and our SS check is pitiful.
Now...we have good friends in Ca., buddy grew up here, moved there 20 yrs ago, married nice lady born in China moved here as a child. (I'm getting to the good part)!
She brings her Mom over from China about 10 yrs ago. Now her Mom never worked one day in America. Not one day. Mom doesn't speak English. Mom lives with them a while, then my buddy goes through paperwork and gets her an apartment.
Now! It's a beach front nice apartment. Mom gets SSI, health care, utilities, SS (an income buddy says)...free. That's correct, FREE! In fact, Mom has such a surplus of money she takes them all on a world cruise!
Think about us poor American sobs working here for, what, 50-60 years. We have paid, how much? in sales, income, property, real estate taxes...paid into social security. Where is our free stuff?!?!?

 

[Fuddy1952]

I hear, soon a straight man can be charged with discrimination if he won't date a trans gender. I wish I was kidding!

What! Please say it's a joke.

 

[Alan W.]

I hear, soon a straight man can be charged with discrimination if he won't date a trans gender. I wish I was kidding!

So ifn I go up to a 21 year old lady and ask her out Ill have grounds for age discrimination when she tells me no way in heck old man.