Inland Empire Progressive

06/27/11 The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released its revised estimates for federal government spending and revenues. The top graph represents what would happen if Congress followed the laws it already passed by allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire, the AMT to reset, and discontinue "doc fix" to Medicare. The chart shows that taxes will evenutally line up with Total Primary Spending and the deficit would be erased. The bottom graph outlines the alternative fiscal scenario in which the Bush Tax Cuts are extended, modifications to the AMT occur, and "doc fix" is not allow to reset payment to doctors. Federal government revenues would be about 18% GDP while spending would be at around 25% and rising. I know that the Bush Tax cuts cost 3 Trillion Dollars for those making under $250K and 4 Trillion with those above making $250K included. The AMT and "doc fix" are spending I am still researching costs estimates on and will repost wh...

I have decided to revise the blog once again by removing the Left Field Page and replacing it with a Water Page. Water is an important topic for California and especially here in the Inland Empire. Water drives future growth and whoever controls the water makes the rules!

Stuxnet: Anatomy of a Computer Virus from Patrick Clair on Vimeo .

Today, I came across some notes that I had written a while back about what it means to be a Progressive of Principle. Progressive Principles Equality Opportunity Race      Gender   Marriage Sacrifice Taxation Preservation Conservation Greater Good Religious Tolerance Public Service Volunteerism    

When I first encountered the Tea Party I thought they were a fundament threat to the Republic. I realize now that Progressive have some things in common with the Tea Party, but with one HUGE sticking point. That sticking point is the role of government in the 21st Century. These folks harken back to the past and a return to the fundamentals. That is fine with me however, Progressive interpret fundaments very differently than Tea Party folk. Progressives tend to think of the Constitution as a living document that reflects the values of current society. While some universal elements should be kept, there are other elements of the Constitution that seem out moded and reflective modern 21st Century society.

The Inland Empire has the infrastructure necessary to compete regionally with Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and San Diego counties. However, some of the elements in the infrastructure architecture are weak. Four elements make up the infrastructure necessary to sucessfully lay the foundation for a Clean Energy Business boom: Land - County and Federal land gives our county a strategic and competition advantage. We have wind, solar, and geothermal capabilities  at our fingertips. Labor - a major weakness for our county is the educated workforce that is necessary to understand, implement, and maintain the green techonolgy sector. Conservatives hold the majority of trustee and education posts so it is unlikely we will see any movement toward skilled green collar workforce anytime soon. Capital - Another weakness in kick starting the geen business boom is the death of both venture capital and angel investors willing to plant a flag in the Inland Empire. A huge f...

Say we do have a debt problem...how do we fix it? If we are serious about fixing the debt problem there would need to be a mix of spending cuts AND revenue increases. Currently we have 85% spending cuts with ONLY 15% tax increases. How is this negotiating! Make the mix 50/50...Hell, I would even accept 60/40! Republicans need more skin in this game!

I don't see why the Board Members of Omnitrans and SanBag do more to promote the transporation industry in our area? Most of the Members ride in cars because of the long commutes instead of the bus. This is not setting an example for our residents to follow. In addition, 40% of jobs are located outside of the county so the need for transportation is great. Finally, a well designed system can ensure we do not end up like traffic clogged L.A. Enjoy your commute, while it lasts!