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SanDiego.Advisor.com is your guide to sunny San Diego and Southern California lifestyle.

Richard Rider Rant
Internet Library Computers? Better to Contract It Out.
By Richard Rider

One of the modern day rationales for bigger, more expensive public libraries is free Internet computers. Supposedly vast numbers of San Diegans lack Internet access. Maybe that was true 10 years ago – but not today. It’s sad to see library lovers flailing around for such silly reasons to justify not only maintaining but expanding public libraries.

Today, computers are a cheap commodity. A netbook computer can be purchased new for under $300. Fully functioning used desktop systems on CraigsList can go for under $100 -- about the price of one expensive video game for a PlayStation III.

Richard Rider Rant
California Has Highest Gas Taxes in the Nation
The state again leads by example
By Richard Rider, San Diego Tax Fighters chairman

We're number one! Yup, California has the highest total taxes on gas of any of the 50 states. As of January 2008, we wealthy West Coast folks pay 63.9 cents of federal and state taxes a gallon, vs. the national average of about 47.0 cents.

Actually, total California state taxes are even worse than it first appears. All gasoline has a federal 18.4 cents a gallon tax. Hence the rest is all state tax. Thus California state tax is 45.5 cents a gallon vs. the average state tax of 28.6 cents. That means that California gas taxes are an outrageous 59% higher than the average of all states.

Richard Rider Rant
Richard Rider Rant: Fires, Home Prices

Six Items – Five on San Diego fires, last one on home prices.

HawkTrek
Advisor's Experience in San Diego Firestorm 2007
We made it through, no thanks to politicians.
By John L. Hawkins

Boomer Advisor is published by Advisor Media at our office in San Diego. For several days we lived the nightmare known as Firestorm 2007, later called the Witch Creek Fire (though it was actually several fires in different places). Our office wasn't threatened, unlike the Cedar Fire of 2003, which burned to just a block from us. None of our San Diego-area staff was harmed and their homes all survived.

But it was a scary situation. Wild fires raged in various areas of the county, and they stopped more by luck -- a change in winds -- than by anything people could do.

Anatomy of a Disaster under the IRC
This link is to an article I wrote that might be very useful for victims of the wildfires. I wrote the article after the Cedar wildfires in October 2003. Your readers might have to register on SSRN...

Richard Rider Rant
Richard Rider Rant
What you should know now.
By Richard Rider, San Diego Tax Fighters chairman

This time:
1. Win a Nobel Peace Prize. Al Gore did it – you can too!
2. Bring Back Gray Davis! He Would Be Better than Arnold.
3. Media bias? Yes, But Perhaps Even Worse Is Reporter Laziness.
4. I Mean It! Gray Davis WAS a Better Governor than Arnold. Just Ask Gun Owners.
5. Further Proof Arnold Is a Terrible Governor. He Lied About Supporting Open Government.
6. The Hidden Cost of Depreciation in Public Works.
7. Trolleys FAR More Crime Ridden than Buses.
8. Portland, the Smart Growth Model for Central Planners, Gets Thoroughly Debunked.

Hollywood.Advisor.com
Hollywood comes to my town... again.
A movie production crew takes over my street.
By John L. Hawkins

Ahh, the glamor of Hollywood, the excitement of film-making... Unless the movie crew has filled up your street and you just want to get home! It happened in my neighborhood (again). Here's a report.

San Diego might not be known as a hotbed of film production, but one day the one block street leading to my house once again filled with movie-making trucks, equipment, people and even actors who aren't people.

Richard Rider Rant
Richard Rider Rant: Government Craziness

Public vs. private salaries, California business climate, Republican Party straw poll, make a will, fire fighter jobs, beach booze ban, Second Amendment, Omaha Mall shooting

My husband and I saw you on
My husband and I saw you on KUSI Sunday morning news and found your thoughts on San Diego's economy to be very informative. Please add us to your e-mail. Thank you

Security.Advisor.com
Beware of Scams Following Disasters
Don't let crooks take advantage of you.

When disaster strikes, crooks crawl out of their holes to "help". You can count on it happening, so you need to be on guard to protect yourself.

For instance, when San Diego was hit by a huge fire, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis warned residents about scams and price gouging. "Unfortunately, some individuals use this time of crisis to take advantage of others," said Dumanis. "We want people to know the consumer rights and legal protections that are in place as they begin to rebuild their lives."

Damage Assesment Capabilities
As an alternative to both the insurers damage assesment and that of an expensive public adjuster you can hire a certified appraiser who will provide an unbiased damage assesment that you can...

Health.Advisor.com
Coping with the Stress of Big Fires and Major Disasters
Tips for dealing with the immediate shock and facing the challenges.
By José A. Álvarez, San Diego Health and Human Services Agency

The October 2007 fires affected people for months to come, and will live in our memories for years. For those who lost homes in the fires, their lives will never be the same.

Richard Rider Rant
Richard Rider Rant

1. Al Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize (gag!).
2. San Diego Union-Tribune Screws Up Latest Mike Aguirre Expose. Big Time.
3. U-T Misses REAL Scandal on Political Contributions.
4. Update on San Diego Area Housing Price Drops.
5. U-T Now Wants to End the Drug War?
6. Rider's Thoughts on Drug Legalization.
7. Rider TV Comments on SD City Water Main Breaks.
8. Unemployment Training (The Ideology of Non-Work Learned in Urban Schools).
9. Using Google to Watch for Superheroes (or Whatever).
10. Ethanol Production Draining Midwest Water Supply.

Does personal drug use harm others?
I fully believe in the Libertarian movement. Libertarian's are the closest to Tom Paine's system of government that our country was originally founded upon. However, I need to debate answer 6.18 "...
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Pointless sayings are usually from pointless people.