California Crisis

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Friday July 02, 2010 · 2:46 PM PDT

2010/07/02 · 14:46

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Re: California

Dear President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama:

Good evening, I’m sure you get hundreds of these per day, pleas to intervene via policy and politically to mitigate horrible situations. Especially from those who live on the gulf. I grew up in that region myself and feel terribly for those who live there still.

Now I live in Sacramento and work as a state employee – general counsel to an agency within California state government. I just learned that Governor Schwarzenegger and his staff decided to order pay cut to the minimum wage for all California state employees. Which, because of the FLSA, means no payment whatsoever to attorneys.

kimobrother

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Thursday July 09, 2009 · 6:13 PM PDT

2009/07/09 · 18:13

Because I did well in law school, I landed a job at a big downtown law firm where I worked during my first 18 months as an attorney. The salary was great but corporate law wasn't a good fit. Having previously served as a Capitol Fellow I decided to return to public service. I was hired by a large State Department in April 2008 and am currently employed there as in-house counsel. I took a 40% pay cut to move from private practice to government service but thought the trade-off was worth it if only to be able to see my growing family once in awhile. If only I had known I'd be asked forgo another 20%.

I like my job, enjoy having a high level of responsibility, relish having my own clients, and feel as if I contribute to the greater good by helping my clients to comply with and enforce the laws protecting public health and safety. My co-workers in the office are all dedicated professionals and to a person defy the stereotypical notion of a "state worker."

kimobrother

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Friday December 19, 2008 · 9:46 AM PST

2008/12/19 · 09:46

I got home yesterday and a message on my VM told me it's my Republican State Senator. Dave Cox. And he's calling in response to my email challenging him to do the responsible thing and pass a budget with a mix of taxes and cuts over the Republican "hard line in the sand" of no new taxes plus a hard spending cap. WTF?

kimobrother

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Thursday September 25, 2008 · 6:21 AM PDT

2008/09/25 · 06:21

Although Bush may have sounded "presidential" to low-information voters, his "explanations" didn't convince me one bit, they were not sound logically.

Points A and B didn't lead to Point C. Fannie and Freddie already own about 750 Billion in U.S. Mortgage debt - about 3/4 of the outstanding total. Why not have the two companies buy up the remaining 400 Billion in debt and become the de facto loan servicer of all U.S. mortgages - put a moratorium on foreclosures and re-structure all the loans into fixed rate loans based on existing home prices? This would immediately prop up the housing market from the bottom up.

kimobrother

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Wednesday August 27, 2008 · 4:52 PM PDT

2008/08/27 · 16:52

I’ve never in my life experienced a physical reaction after reading something on a computer screen. Sure, there have been diaries here or articles that have brought the proverbial tears to my eyes but never had I actually felt chills run through my body. It was a rush, like William Gibson’s "freight train running up my spine" after the protagonist in Neuromancer pushed on an adhesive patch of amphetamine.

Of course in that world, the street "held the axe." For a long time people all over this country, in our inner cities and our impoverished rural towns have been waiting for that axe to fall. I hope they feel, as I do, that the axe has been stayed. For more, follow me after the jump.

kimobrother

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Friday August 08, 2008 · 11:39 AM PDT

2008/08/08 · 11:39

I wrote an earlier diary on this subject and with the release of McCain's new ad:

"It should be known that in 2008 the world shall be blessed. They will call him The One" flash across the screen. The Antichrist of the Left Behind books is a charismatic young political leader named Nicolae Carpathia who founds the One World religion (slogan: "We Are God") and promises to heal the world after a time of deep division. One of several Obama clips in the ad features the Senator saying, "A nation healed, a world repaired. We are the ones that we've been waiting for."

the narrative has now gained traction in the GOP's campaign. It would be worrying should McCain actually succeed in convincing the right-wing conservative christians that Obama is indeed the anti-christ. As Time Magazine points out today McCain is consciously using the language of the right-wing including references to the o'so frightening "Left Behind" trash novels.

kimobrother

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Wednesday July 23, 2008 · 12:05 PM PDT

2008/07/23 · 12:05

As Irrationalbutsane notes in his or her diary today, some in the MSM have adopted a new narrative that seems, at first blush, counter to the smears we on the left have come to expect. Upon closer inspection, however, these are just smears dressed up but not terribly well hidden as snark and hate. At least three columnists, including Maureen Dowd an erstwhile liberal, have embraced the narrative that Obama is both prophet, king, savior, and god. Some putrid examples after the jump...

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California Crisis

One California State Worker's Rant on Girlie-Governor

Callback from a CA State Senator and a Call to Action

BushCo and Financial Market "Fixes"

asdf: A Historico - Personal Perspective on the Nomination

McCain's Frothy Appeal to Right-Wing Christians

Transforming Obama to Prophet and King