by Owen | 1453, 1 Jan 1818 | Culture, Politics | 1 Comment
Before sunrise on New Year’s Day, cashiers welcomed the first legal sales of recreational marijuana in California, launching a new industry expected to bring in billions of dollars while accepting new regulations and taxes.
I admit that this is not my area of expertise, but this seems like an expensive high.
They spent $45.37 on the three joints, weed named after Jack Herer, their friend and now decreased advocate for legalized marijuana.
by Owen | 1006, 25 Jun 1717 | Foreign Affairs | 5 Comments
Even California can’t make the math work.
Speaker Anthony Rendon called the bill “woefully incomplete.”
“Even senators who voted for SB 562 noted there are potentially fatal flaws in the bill,” the Los Angeles-area Democrat said in a statement.
The bill, which has passed the Senate, lays out a plan for a government-run health system in California, but it doesn’t include a way to pay for it. Rendon said the bill also doesn’t adequately address delivery of care and cost.
The bill has an estimated price tag of $400 billion per year. Paying for it would require new taxes and cooperation from President Donald Trump’s administration to redirect existing federal money.
It would guarantee health care for all California residents and eliminate out-of-pocket costs for consumers, like copays and deductibles.
[…]
Rendon suggested the Senate draft a new version of the bill that addresses how to finance the plan and more clearly details how it would work. He also suggested the plan could be taken to voters in the form of a ballot measure. In the meantime, he said he would not advance the bill through the Assembly committee process.
by Owen | 0654, 27 Apr 1717 | Politics | 2 Comments
I absolutely oppose socialized health care, but agree that states – not the federal government – have the power to do it.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers pushed forward Wednesday with a proposal that would substantially remake the health care system of the nation’s most populous state by replacing insurance companies with government-funded health care for everyone.
The idea known as single-payer health care has long been popular on the left and is getting a new look in California as President Donald Trump looks to replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law.
The proposal, promoted by the state’s powerful nursing union and two Democratic senators, is a longshot. But supporters hope the time is right to persuade lawmakers in California, where Democrats like to push the boundaries of liberal public policy and are eager to stand up to the Republican president.
“It is time to say once and for all that health care is a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it,” said Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, who wrote the bill along with Democratic Sen. Toni Atkins of San Diego.
If this passes, that should mean that the federal government can cancel all Medicaid, Medicare, and other health-related programs for Californians, thus reducing the federal tax burden.
by Owen | 0946, 30 Dec 1616 | Culture, Law | 4 Comments
I heard Jay Weber mention this on his show and I thought there had to be some mistake. Nope. Here’s the bill:
Existing law makes it a crime to solicit or engage in any act of prostitution. Existing law makes it a crime to loiter in any public place with the intent to commit prostitution.This bill would make the above provisions inapplicable to a child under 18 years of age who is alleged to have engaged in conduct that would, if committed by an adult, violate the above provisions. The bill would authorize the minor to be taken into temporary custody under limited circumstances.
