Comments by ljp93105
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3 of 4 people thought this was a good comment.
Posted on September 3 at 2:39 p.m.
I thought I was early when I arrived at 5:30, only to find that my daughter and I were shut out. Why did they choose the smaller parish hall rather than the main church hall?
At my church, when a meeting attracts more attendees that the chosen meeting space, we move to a larger space when one is available. I can only assume that it was a conscious decision not to move the meeting from the parish hall to the main church sanctuary which would have had at least twice the seating capacity. Was Lois' staff afraid of the crowd?
Personally, I am hoping for reform to pass and take effect soon. My first choice would be a single-payer system like the one that our state legislature has twice passed here in California, only to have it vetoed by the Governator.
Posted on May 15 at 6:59 a.m.
My vision for how to make Santa Barbara more livable a generation down the road (so my daughter might actually be able to live here) is quite different from our leaders':
1) We need to allow enough density along the "main street" corridor that one can live without a car. 3- and 4-story mixed use apartment/shops/offices in a 4-to-6 block wide central strip. Yes this might mean losing some views from State Street.
2) Address housing costs by increasing supply so the market can bring the price down. I would prefer to see this increased supply in the form of 2-bedroom apartments owned by public housing corporations, so that the "development profit" is captured by the community rather than given to [rivate developers.
These two elements are mutually supportive.
On City Council Squeezes Affordable Housing from Smaller Projects
Posted on November 16 at 7:55 a.m.
In the helicopter video shown on KEYT on Thursday night and Friday morning, there seemed to be many instances of houses burning brightly amid untouched vegetation. This used to be a common pattern related to wood-shake roofing. It seemed amazing that so many older houses still had a wood roof.
Maybe the mystery of "some burned, others survived" is correlated with roofing materials and general brush control.
Posted on July 17 at 8:08 a.m.
A year ago, both houses of the California legislature passed a law instituting a single-payer health care system in California. It was vetoed by the governator just before the election. This plan has received unbelievably little attention in the press.
For much more information, see http://www.onecarenow.org/
As for the efficiency of large systems: Medicare and VA are two very efficient health care delivery systems, with mostly satisfied clients. Doctors and hospitals do not like Medicare because it pays only 60% of the bill, forcing the providers to overcharge their other clients to cover the rest. Obviously, this is only possible because it is a small part of the overall system; a universal single-payer system would have to pay the full cost of services, and those doctors who have studied the California draft are satisfied with it.
The California system will be paid for by a payroll tax similar to the Medicare tax, with contributions split between the employer and the employee.
I hope to see a full analysis of this plan, which will be re-introduced in the CA assembly this session, in the Independent in the very near future.
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Posted on November 16 at 6:16 a.m.
Arrgghh .... I wish I had heard of this LAST week, BEFORE it aired on KCET, instead of the day AFTER the last broadcast.
On Two Centuries of Chumash