Dear California State Legislature

[Fred]

Dear Legislature:

I realize you have overspent horribly over the years and are now paying the price for that. I'll keep a lookout for things you could do to reduce your spending. I discovered one yesterday. My new desk chair had a tag that aid it complied with the regulations of the California Home Furnishings Agency. I would bet you could get by just fine without that agency. Other states do. I would have provided this advice through your web site but you don't enable communication on the site so I'm posting it here in the hopes that someone will find it.

If I discover anything else, I'll post it here. If I were a California resident, I could probably find thousands of them but it's harder for people in other states to know the details of what is going on there.

[kcma]

i'm surrounded by them. drowning in them actually...

[Octaveman]

Gun laws are a sore spot with me.

[Fred]

i'm surrounded by them. drowning in them actually...

And if only the politicians could see them!

[Fred]

Gun laws are a sore spot with me.

I don't think you've seen anything yet, Bob. I'm so convinced the liberals intend to destroy gun ownership during the next year or two that I've already sold off about 80% of my collection. I think that, when it happens, they will confiscate all the guns. That's what they did in Australia, as an example. Don't forget, the purpose of the second amendment was help citizens defend themselves against a government gone out of control. Luckily that's never happened. But we are as close to it as I have ever seen in my lifetime.

[lovecooking]

Dear Legislature:

I realize you have overspent horribly over the years and are now paying the price for that. I'll keep a lookout for things you could do to reduce your spending. I discovered one yesterday. My new desk chair had a tag that aid it complied with the regulations of the California Home Furnishings Agency. I would bet you could get by just fine without that agency. Other states do. I would have provided this advice through your web site but you don't enable communication on the site so I'm posting it here in the hopes that someone will find it.

If I discover anything else, I'll post it here. If I were a California resident, I could probably find thousands of them but it's harder for people in other states to know the details of what is going on there.vhy dunt joo yust direct it to de govenatah (http://gov.ca.gov/interact#contact)himself

If you've sold off your gun supply, no doubt my husband is the one buying them. He says, it's to keep us safe when this country goes in the direction it is headed and he thinks that is soon. Meanwhile I feel like I'm living in a gun safe.

[kcma]

well, i grew up where no one is allowed to have guns except military and police... and i think having one carries maximum sentence of capital punishment :p

[Fred]

The founders of our country were actually very wise in the way they designed the constitution. Most of us believe the freedoms guaranteed by the constitution are what has made this the wealthiest country on the planet. They had just finished dealing with tyranny and went overboard in the area of freedoms. A very good thing.

Lovescooking, I did really well with the sales effort. I sold my guns at a good profit. They are selling like mad right now. I only kept a pair of target shotguns, a couple of pistols, one revolver and a couple of rifles - well maybe three. The rest are gone. The liberal element is going like crazy trying to get everything they want quickly while Obama's approval ratings are high. I'm not sure gun confiscation is very high on the list but I know it's on the list.

Frankly, what they are doing to our country is scary. If they don't slow down they could foment a revolution.

[Fred]

well, i grew up where no one is allowed to have guns except military and police... and i think having one carries maximum sentence of capital punishment :p

I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who said if the people fear the government, that is tyranny. If the government fears the people, that is liberty. Our constitution was designed around that belief. Unfortunately, the government is trying to change that balance in its favor. I've never seen a governmental power grab like we are seeing now in my life. Scares the heck out of me. I guess that's tyranny.

[kcma]

hehe, i think liberty vs tyranny is less important than whoever has power to make changes do so based on smart, wise, fair judgements.

i'll take a smart, wise, fair tyrant over liberty of the people where corruption, and idiotic choices are made.

and likewise, i'd take the collective wisdom of the ppl over a bad tyranny.

i guess i'm completely indifferent on the system of the government as long as good choices are made. and i don't trust the people any more than i trust the 1 autocrat.

china has 6 thousands of years of government by emperors. and there were good emporers and bad emporers. just like there are good democracy and bad democracy :)

[Fred]

Believe me, This country didn't get to where it is through autocracy. Yes there have been good and bad tyrants. And there have been good and bad democratic leaders. But the countries with democratic governments have outperformed those with autocratic governments consistently throughout history. The people trump the leaders. Sorry, that's the way it is. I too was raised in an autocratic country. I have nothing good to say about that form of government.

What the current leader is doing here is really bad for the future. Scary bad. But we will survive it and turn it around sometime in the future. We don't have to live with the current leader forever. Our country is stronger than its leaders.

[Fred]

vhy dunt joo yust direct it to de govenatah (http://gov.ca.gov/interact#contact)himself

If you've sold off your gun supply, no doubt my husband is the one buying them. He says, it's to keep us safe when this country goes in the direction it is headed and he thinks that is soon. Meanwhile I feel like I'm living in a gun safe.


Dear Governor,

I'm not a Californian but since I'm being harrased by your state I feel not only justified but compelled to write.

Your revenue department is trolling the internet for business addresses in other states and asking them to collect taxes for your state. The letters are actually threatening. Sorry, I'm not going to collect sales tax for your state or any state other than my own. I'm not going to comply with your threatening letters either. It is a disreputable thing your are doing.

I'll give you one small piece of advice. I have no idea what is going in your state. I do know that it is infected with the worst, money spending legislature in the U.S. and that they have overdone the spending to a monstrous degree. Obviously you have a need to do some serious cuts in spending. Yesterday I received a desk chair that had a tag on it telling me that it complied with the regulations of the California Home Furnishing Agency or something like that. There's a perfect and easy cut for you. All the other states get along fine without such an agency. I think yours can also.

Stop harrassing me and I'll stop emailing.
Best of luck.


Here's a copy for you. Thanks for the link.

[FryBoy]

In case you're interested in what the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation actually does, here's their website:

http://www.bhfti.ca.gov/about/about_bhfti.shtml

[Fred]

Thanks for posting but I'm not interested. It needs to go away for the sake of Californians. I imagine a whole bunch of other bureaus, agencies and departments need to go away. Sorry if it seems like I'm picking on California but they started it by harrassing me. They should contain themselves to harrassing Californians. My state had a balance budget last year. It is required by the constitution in our state. If we hicks from the midwest can do it, certainly the 10th largest economy in the world can figure it out. I really need to cool down. I'm really upset by this nonsense.

[FryBoy]

I assume Indiana charges sales tax, which is what got your knickers in a knot in the first place, and I'm willing to bet that Indiana expects California-based companies to collect and remit such taxes on sales to persons within your state. If not, then it's unique among the states that do charge sales tax (and only a handful don't).

But your basic premise seems to be that many governmental agencies are a waste of money. Getting rid of them may be a good idea, but before we start cutting the ostensible fat, I think we need to look at exactly why the agency exists and what it does. Having listened to hours and hours of testimony following the adoption of Proposition 13, I can assure you that every little thing government does has a constituency of citizens who think the sky will fall if that agency is eliminated or even reduced. It's not as simple as saying the market will take care of everything.

Freedom isn't free; it requires constant vigilance against those would abuse it. That's one of the primary purposes of government in a democratic republic such as ours.

[Fred]

Obviously, you don't understand how sales tax is collected. Merchants collect sales tax for products delivered in their own state. They do not collect sales taxes for products delivered in other states nor do they collect taxes for other states. This is true across the U.S. Everywhere. No state expects merchants in another state to collect taxes for them. They can't. Their laws don't apply to people and companies in other states. If I had a location in California or employees in California then the laws would apply to my company. I do not. California has no business trolling the internet for business addresses and harassing out of state businesses. Imagine if Indiana passed a law requiring Californians to pay income tax to Indiana. You would be outraged. You would wonder where the idiots in Indiana got off harassing Californians. I feel exactly the same way.

I don't have a problem with a state having whichever agencies or departments they think they need as long as they can afford it California, however, has more departments than it can afford and is in a financial crisis. It needs to get rid of some them regardless of the constituency that wants it or voted for it. IT CAN'T AFFORD IT. I recommended this one only because 49 other states get by without such a bureau and logic tells me it would be a good place to start cutting. Because they can't afford it they are harassing out of state businesses to collect taxes for them. They have no jurisdiction over out of state businesses. I hope that's clear enough for you.

If you want to help your state, start by voting out the members of the state legislature and voting in some people with a small clue about fiscal responsibility. That way they might leave the rest of us alone. I don't hate California. I just want the California government to leave me alone and deal with their own state.

[lovecooking]

well, i grew up where no one is allowed to have guns except military and police... and i think having one carries maximum sentence of capital punishment :p

who said anything about 'one'? < I wish;)

[FryBoy]

I do fully understand how sales taxes are collected, Fred, and you're correct. However, almost every state in the union believes that it's entitled to taxes on sales to persons in that state, regardless of the location of the merchant. Indeed, the law in every state that I'm aware of actually requires the buyer to remit the taxes on items they purchase from out-of-state merchants (called a "use tax" in California and many other states). God knows no one actually complies, of course, but the states are making noises about going after big buyers, such as companies that order all their supplies from Amazon.

More important for all of us who buy on the web and for e-merchants such as you, the 50 states are continuing to urge congress to pass a law that would force buyers to pay the tax and stores like yours to remit it. It's entirely feasible with computers doing the math, but probably DOA politically for the foreseeable future. I think it will happen, however, when more and more states are unable to pay for basic services and more and more commerce is conducted on the web.

As far as California goes, we're in deep shit. But the problem is more than just over spending; it's the result of a totally dysfunctional legislature. That in turn is clearly the result of the exact thing you're advocating -- term limits, and the vote-the-bastards-out mentality -- which has given us an actor for a governor and a bunch of inexperienced ideologues for a legislature. It's been exasperated by rampant gerrymandering, which has created a huge number of virtually uncontested "safe" seats on both sides of the aisle. Assemblymen and senators from those districts tend to be extremists who are unwilling to compromise, morons who would rather see the state go into bankruptcy than raise taxes or cut programs. The whole system is screwed. We need to redraw the districts to make them competitive so that reasonable individuals get elected; we need to get rid of term limits so that we have experienced legislators who understand the myriad of problems faced by the state and the legislative process; we need to cut programs; and we need to raise taxes.

The alternative will rise up next Tuesday when the six asinine ballot propositions put forth by the governor and legislature as a band-aid on the crisis all go down to defeat. Dozens if not hundreds of cities will be forced into bankruptcy; schools will be reduced to 4 days per week or have 45 kids per class; cops and firefighters will be laid off; and 50,000 low level prisoners will be released.

Is there fat in the budget? Probably some, but not much, not after 35 years of Prop 13. The little bureau you've cited accounts for less than 100th of one percent of the budget. It's not frivolous -- it does things like assure that the huge number of furniture manufacturers in this state aren't using carcinogenic fire retardant on kids beds, and that the insulation you buy for your house actually lives up to its stated rating. Sure, it should be cut before we cut cops, firefighters, teachers, public works, animal regulation, building and safety, prisons, and the myriad of other core services, but there just aren't enough of those marginal functions left to make any reasonable dent in the problem. Bringing in more amateurs to run the show will only make matters worse.

[Fred]

I understand all those things. I believe the Federal government needs to cut spending by 70%. California probably needs to cut theirs in half. Government is spiraling out of control. We need a lot less of it. I hope the measures you speak of are defeated. It would be a shame to let that legislature get away with it. They need to feel some pain. We're all feeling it.

As to sales taxes, the solution is simple. The states need to do away with it and tax something within the state instead of trying to apply their laws to people that aren't under their jurisdiction. I have no idea why they are so wedded to sales tax.

[kcma]

well, i want alot of knives and stones, and other toys. and i dont have the money, so i dont buy them. some ppl dont seem to understand that concept :p

as for 45 kids per class. i grew up in taiwan, and it's the same thing in Japan. there are 50-60 kids in every class. but they all behave and learn, and every kid can do algebra in 3rd grade. big class size alone isn't the reason kids aren't performing well. lack of parental participation, discpline, and a method of teaching to adapt is the reason. we can easily have 50 kids in every class, and everyone graduates school with good solid foundation if the teachers know how to teach that class, kids are taught to care for education, and parents participate.

[Fred]

Some people get to spend other people's money.

I agree completely with you about education. What is lacking in our country's educational system are two things - discipline and accountability. Until we have those two things we will never have a first class public education system.