As I was watching the All-Star game, I was struck once again by the difference in quality. For once, it wasn't the position players; the NL put a really good set of hitters on the field, and the defense was great (one error notwithstanding). No, it was the pitching, and in particular, the real relievers the AL had. Pabelbon-Nathan-Rivera is just not fair. Oh, and King Felix was the guy before them. Wow. Very impressive.
The National League is starting to catch up, but there are still way too many franchises clinging to slim mediocre wild card dreams. With the Dodgers coming into their own, maybe the rest of the league will be forced to grow up and build real teams with real farm systems, like the front-runners in the AL.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Proposition 13 caused the global economic crisis
OK, so before you dismiss this out of hand, hear me out.
Proposition 13 did a few things:
1. Immediately lowered property tax revenue by forcing valuations of property to 1% of cash value in 1978.
2. Establish that valuations of property could on increase by 2% per year unless there is an ownership change.
3. Any statewide or local tax measures have to have a 2/3 majority (since amended by another prop; education funds only require a 55% majority now).
I am not going to talk about the horrible consequences to education and local services due to this law. That is for another day. I am going to talk to the implications to the California housing market.
After 1978, there were strong incentives not to sell houses, as the property taxes were fairly frozen while the land values were shooting up. Local governments used eminent domain to shut down poor neighborhoods and turn them into big box retailers, or shopping malls, or whatever, which they could use to boost their tax revenue.
What this meant is that there was scarcity created in the housing inventory, which meant that prices went up. In addition, sprawl hit the urban areas, and the population spread out. At the same time, California had several rounds of economic boomtimes, with a huge influx of new population.
This population could not afford the houses. So, they started using creative loans to get into the housing market, or to upgrade their existing houses as they had families. This was actually a cycle, as the economy kept booming, and the real estate prices kept going up and up, traditional loans were impossible, and creative loans were the rule of the day.
These mortgages were precisely the ones that are the heart of the financial crisis.
I don't have exact stats, but I seem to remember a quote that 60-75% of the toxic mortgages were in California. And the environment that these mortgages were allowed to be created in was directly created by Proposition 13.
I am so glad to be in Texas now.
Proposition 13 did a few things:
1. Immediately lowered property tax revenue by forcing valuations of property to 1% of cash value in 1978.
2. Establish that valuations of property could on increase by 2% per year unless there is an ownership change.
3. Any statewide or local tax measures have to have a 2/3 majority (since amended by another prop; education funds only require a 55% majority now).
I am not going to talk about the horrible consequences to education and local services due to this law. That is for another day. I am going to talk to the implications to the California housing market.
After 1978, there were strong incentives not to sell houses, as the property taxes were fairly frozen while the land values were shooting up. Local governments used eminent domain to shut down poor neighborhoods and turn them into big box retailers, or shopping malls, or whatever, which they could use to boost their tax revenue.
What this meant is that there was scarcity created in the housing inventory, which meant that prices went up. In addition, sprawl hit the urban areas, and the population spread out. At the same time, California had several rounds of economic boomtimes, with a huge influx of new population.
This population could not afford the houses. So, they started using creative loans to get into the housing market, or to upgrade their existing houses as they had families. This was actually a cycle, as the economy kept booming, and the real estate prices kept going up and up, traditional loans were impossible, and creative loans were the rule of the day.
These mortgages were precisely the ones that are the heart of the financial crisis.
I don't have exact stats, but I seem to remember a quote that 60-75% of the toxic mortgages were in California. And the environment that these mortgages were allowed to be created in was directly created by Proposition 13.
I am so glad to be in Texas now.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Giving up on iPod FM transmitters
I have a 2005 Corvette with the DVD Nav system. It has a CD player, and an AM/FM/XM Radio. I have been trying for years to use my iPod with it.
I am giving up. The FM antenna in the car is pretty bad anyway; I get static on very good stations that our other cars pick up fine. In both the Bay Area, and the Austin area, I can't find a station that sounds like anything at all.
Since there are no jacks or docking cables, I am out of luck. I could have used the cassette player if I had bought a 2004! That's what I do with one of our other cars, and my parents' cars as well.
I am not going to go pay somebody hundreds of dollars to install a jack, although I have seen instructions how to on the net.
So I give up. I did something else.
I took a bunch of CDs out to the car. Boy, they sound great! And I forgot how much fun listening to complete albums can be. Changing them is a bit of a pain, though. I can also burn them, and supposedly this unit can read mp3 CDs. So this is good enough, especially supplemented with radio and satellite.
Next car, though, I want real iPod integration.
I am giving up. The FM antenna in the car is pretty bad anyway; I get static on very good stations that our other cars pick up fine. In both the Bay Area, and the Austin area, I can't find a station that sounds like anything at all.
Since there are no jacks or docking cables, I am out of luck. I could have used the cassette player if I had bought a 2004! That's what I do with one of our other cars, and my parents' cars as well.
I am not going to go pay somebody hundreds of dollars to install a jack, although I have seen instructions how to on the net.
So I give up. I did something else.
I took a bunch of CDs out to the car. Boy, they sound great! And I forgot how much fun listening to complete albums can be. Changing them is a bit of a pain, though. I can also burn them, and supposedly this unit can read mp3 CDs. So this is good enough, especially supplemented with radio and satellite.
Next car, though, I want real iPod integration.
More info from flyclear.com
Received this today in email:
A couple of thoughts.
First of all, I do trust Lockheed-Martin and the TSA to do a decent job shutting down servers, securing data and wiping hard drives. Bruce Schneier in his blog (http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/06/clear_shuts_dow.html) talks about this and legal precedent about companies promising not to sell data and then selling it anyway when bankrupt. However, with the TSA involved, perhaps the parent company will uphold their word on this.
I would still like congressional or some sort of federal action to make sure, but I don't think it is likely to happen. What a mess.
I guess I just need to get to SFO earlier, particularly when flying United.
Clear Member Update
Dear Sydney Polk,
In response to questions raised by our members, Clear would like to offer the following information:
Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available.
At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear ceased operations. Clear's parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc., was unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations. Verified Identity Pass regrets that Clear will not be able to continue operations.
How is Clear securing personal information?
Clear stands by our commitment to protect our customer's personally identifiable information - including fingerprints, iris images, photos, names, addresses, credit card numbers and other personal information provided to us - and to keep the privacy promises that we have made. Information is secured in accordance with the Transportation Security Administration's Security, Privacy and Compliance Standards.
How is Clear securing any information at the airports?
Each hard disk at the airport, including the enrollment and verification kiosks, has now been wiped clean of all data and software. The triple wipe process we used automatically and completely overwrites the contents of the entire disk, including the operating system, the data and the file structure. This process also prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.
How is Clear securing any information in central databases and corporate systems?
Lockheed Martin is the lead systems integrator for Clear, and is currently working with Verified Identity Pass, Inc. to ensure an orderly shutdown as the program closes. As Verified Identity Pass, Inc. and the Transportation Security Administration work through this process, Lockheed Martin remains committed to protecting the privacy of individuals' personal information provided for the Clear Registered Traveler program. Lockheed's work will also remain consistent with the Transportation Security Administration's federal requirements and the enhanced security and privacy requirements of Verified Identity Pass, Inc.
The computers that Verified Identity Pass, Inc. assigned to its former corporate employees are being wiped using the same process described for computers at the airports.
Will personally identifiable information be sold?
The personally identifiable information that customers provided to Clear may not be used for any purpose other than a Registered Traveler program operated by a Transportation Security Administration authorized service provider. Any new service provider would need to maintain personally identifiable information in accordance with the Transportation Security Administration's privacy and security requirements for Registered Traveler programs. If the information is not used for a Registered Traveler program, it will be deleted.
How will members be notified when information is deleted?
Clear intends to notify members in a final email message when the information is deleted.
Who is monitoring this process?
Clear is communicating with TSA, airport and airline sponsors, and subcontractors, to ensure that the security of the information and systems is maintained throughout the closure process. Clear thanks these partners for their continuing cooperation and diligence.
How can I contact Clear?
Please visit our website, www.flyclear.com, for the latest updates. Clear's call center and customer support email service are no longer available.
Will I receive a refund for membership in Clear?
At the present time, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. cannot issue refunds due to the company's financial condition.
Has Verified Identity Pass, Inc. filed for bankruptcy?
At the present time, Verified Identity Pass has not commenced any proceedings under the United States Bankruptcy Code.
Clear Customer Service
Clear, 600 Third Avenue 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016
www.flyclear.com
<**40101A46868734**>
A couple of thoughts.
First of all, I do trust Lockheed-Martin and the TSA to do a decent job shutting down servers, securing data and wiping hard drives. Bruce Schneier in his blog (http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/06/clear_shuts_dow.html) talks about this and legal precedent about companies promising not to sell data and then selling it anyway when bankrupt. However, with the TSA involved, perhaps the parent company will uphold their word on this.
I would still like congressional or some sort of federal action to make sure, but I don't think it is likely to happen. What a mess.
I guess I just need to get to SFO earlier, particularly when flying United.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
flyclear.com and privacy
I sent out various forms of this letter to various elected officials today.
Dear,
I am writing because I am worried about an issue which just unfolded in the last 24 hours. I have a membership with flyclear.com. They are a business which was based on collecting a lot of private data, prescreening it with the TSA, and then offering the customer the ability to bypass most of the security lines at airports.
Last night, they ceased operations.
I am gravely concerned about my personal data that they have, which includes my social security number, fingerprints, and images of my eyes. I think that it is highly appropriate for the Department of Homeland Security or some other government entity to seize that data until a satisfactory resolution as to what to do with it is reached. There is grave danger of this data being sold commercially, or being stolen and sold to other governments or to terrorists.
This business already had one security breach in August of 2008; I am not convinced that in their efforts to appease their creditors that they won't do something stupid.
Thank you for your attention,
Sydney Polk
Dear
I am writing because I am worried about an issue which just unfolded in the last 24 hours. I have a membership with flyclear.com. They are a business which was based on collecting a lot of private data, prescreening it with the TSA, and then offering the customer the ability to bypass most of the security lines at airports.
Last night, they ceased operations.
I am gravely concerned about my personal data that they have, which includes my social security number, fingerprints, and images of my eyes. I think that it is highly appropriate for the Department of Homeland Security or some other government entity to seize that data until a satisfactory resolution as to what to do with it is reached. There is grave danger of this data being sold commercially, or being stolen and sold to other governments or to terrorists.
This business already had one security breach in August of 2008; I am not convinced that in their efforts to appease their creditors that they won't do something stupid.
Thank you for your attention,
Sydney Polk
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