Rants and Raves

18 Comments

  1. Why are Swanson TV dinner instructions so inconsistent? On some of them they want you to leave the plastic over the mashed potatoes. On others they instruct you to take it off the mashed potatoes but leave it on over the green beans and poke holes over the entree.
    FYI, I’ve done some controlled experiments and have concluded that it doesn’t make any difference. Leave it on. Take it off. Poke holes. It doesn’t matter. They’re always delicious.

  2. While Measure B appears to be losing by a razor thin margin, this is really a HUGE loss for the anti-BART folks.

    When you take into account that 15 to 20 percent of the electorate is going to vote against any tax measure, that means the actual no on BART campaign pulled 1 in 5 voters. Ouch.

    Lets get the construction to Milpitas going. Today!

    And maybe the No on BART folks can start looking at the $450 million Caltrain electrification project that results in a 5 percent rider increase.

  3. If you’re in a space ship traveling at the speed of light, what happens if you turn on the head lights?

    (And why is the media keeping this from us?)

  4. I’m hearing that the failure of B would mean building BART to stop at Berryessa. This would be a much worse fate than the passing of the measure. Who would stop in Berryessa and where would people there go? The only reason to be in that neighborhood, if you’re an outsider, is the flea market that is being booted to make way for the BART station. Please don’t build this train to nowhere.

  5. FYI:
    The Nov. 18th, evening Council Meeting will be on the issue of the San Jose PD and the high numbers of Latino drunk in public arrests in downtown, so if you want to write the Mayor and Council with your perception of the situation, now would be a good time to do so. I hope you either attend or tune into the meeting so when Raj writes about it on SJI, you’ll have first hand knowledge of what happened for yourself. I think it would make for a very interesting conversation.

  6. Dear John Galt – nice post and it answers a burning question that has plagued sjInside since its very beginnings. You’re right, John, it doesn’t make any difference,always delicious- Thanks!!  TMcE

  7. Kathleen # 5 and others:  I suppose it would not be PC to contend that the high number of Latino drunk in public arrests in DT SJ just might stem from the fact that there are a high number of drunk Latinos in DT SJ.

    The police monitors could have a case if they could also prove that drunk whites, blacks, Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders ( and why do we capitalize Asians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders, but not whites & blacks?)are being passed over by la policia just to concentrate on arresting drunk Latinos.  Oh, and are there no drunk Latinas in DT SJ?

  8. #7- JMO,
    The Mercury News, the Latino community and their leaders, would have us believe that ONLY Latinos are being arrested for public drunkenness, and that no one else is. The fact that arrests in DT SJ just might stem from the fact that there are a high number of drunk Latinos in DT SJ, the fact that these club owners are selling booze to already drunken patrons, and the fact that most of these trouble makers are coming into DT from other cities is something that seems to be of no importance to these special interest groups.

    There is one aspect of this whole situation that deeply concerns me, and that is what affect this political pressure on the Police will do to our Peace Officers. I can guarantee you that we will lose good Officers to cities that don’t require Officers to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to “Latinos behaving badly,” and that we are sending a message to our Police Department that we don’t have the nuts to back them up, when they are out there defending our lives and our property. We are basically telling them that we don’t value their hard work, training, or experience enough to catch their backs.

    Instead of blaming the Police for all this, we should require these Latino leaders to start handling their own communities by making them train these drunken, brawl loving idiots to behave like human beings when they are stopped by the Police, and require them to get some help for their drinking problem. I’d also require them to give us credible documentation on just how many of these arrests are happening to Latino people coming from outside of San Jose because the facts show us that is exactly what is going on.

  9. If VTA has to pay BART for an extension in Santa Clara county, why not instead build BART to the County line and extend light rail to connect. VTA no longer has to pay an operating fee to BART. Then upgrade the various light rail branches that radiate south and west so that you have effective service on the existing lines to East San Jose, downtown, Campbell, south SJ and Mountain View. Also upgrade tracks from Oakland to San Jose and run more Capitol trains. Problem solved.

  10. I’m pissed because I just read an article that the Democrats want to take our 401k and IRA accounts away from us to pay for Social Security benefits.

  11. I’m not particularly invested in the Proposition 8 battle, but I do think the political activity surrounding it warrants an investigation of the tax exempt status (US Code Title 26 501.c.3) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS).

    There has been a website set up to support requests for such an investigation.

    http://lds501c3.wordpress.com/

  12. It would be nice to know how much the proposed HSR system will actually cost. I’ve heard estimates of the mid-$40 billions but I expect the inevitable cost overruns to jack up that figure after construction begins. Then it’s back to the votors for more money because “we can’t stop now.” HSR will become a bottomless money pit while the state continues to go broke.

  13. 12: I would love that plan. Being a follower of these kinds of developments, I’ve pondered how such a route could make an easier extension from the Bay to Sacramento, as it would require only 1 water-crossing instead of 2 from S.F. Bridges take up a big chunk of the overall funding.

    The only problem is that HSR solves no commuter routes, what with higher cost and fewer stops. If we double up like with Caltrain on the peninsula, then that would be perfect. Caltrain East has long been the alternative proposition, but now maybe it can piggyback with our state-approved project and really take flight.

  14. B seems to be failing, but 1A passed. 

    We should build High Speed Rail to Fremont and Oakland.  Use the 2000 Measure A money to provide local matching funds to attract HSR bond money. 

    That way, San Jose would have high speed tracks up both sides of the bay.  30 mintues to SF, and 30 minutes to Oakland.

    It makes a ton more sense than a BART connection that only links up with light rail.

  15. #14-

    Half the reason to build HSR to Oakland is so that commuter trains can share the track.  You’d be insane to spend that much money on HSR and not use the track for commuter trains, too.

  16. 16: The same tracks would not be used, merely the same right-of-way. You couldn’t be running frequent commuter stops in the way of high-speed trains.

  17. #10,
    I just read that the Democrats are all secret Al Qaeda agents who love to “pal around” with terrorists (LOL).  Please don’t believe everything you read over at conservative blogs/websites.

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