As Jason said, it’s certainly been a hectic week for the Golden Gate lads. My condolences to, you, Jason, on the loss of your grandfather. Man, I can relate. Over the past couple of years I’ve had my own experiences with family members dying (both parents, both grandmothers and an uncle since 2000), and whenever I hear of a friend going through this, my heart immediately goes out…
Jason, as I’ve told you in person, my thoughts are with you and your family, my man.
As for me, this week has been largely about a big home remodeling project (not swinging a hammer myself, basically working on the business and design ends of things) combined with running my small business — which is always challenge-filled. The truth is, I just haven’t quite got the “blogging groove” going yet, but it IS getting there.
And this week saw one piece of REAL good news: Baseball is BACK! This week saw the start of the 2005 baseball season, and the beginning of another quest by our hometown heroes, the San Francisco Giants.
“In the beginning, there was no baseball. But ever since, there have
been few beginnings as good as the start of a new baseball season.
It is the most splendid time in sport.”
— BJ Phillips.
And wouldn’t you know it? Chris Daly, a first-line “hysterical screedmonger” among the San Francisco Supervisors threw a temper tantrum in reaction to the fact that the Giants sought — and got — a reduction in their huge City property tax bill. Chris Daly seems to think that taxes should only ever go one way — up, and he’s never met a tax he didn’t like.
This is Daly’s world — where businesses exist only to pay taxes and businesses should always be required to pay the maximum tax politicians can come up with. Daly whines that ” In the end [a]free-market ideology leads to decimation of any business tax base, as almost any business could argue the economic benefit they create. ”
Yes, Chris — they COULD (and do) make that argument. And you know what, they are CORRECT. Businesses DO create economic benefits — it’s the only thing that DOES provide “economic benefits.” And maybe, if you and your fellow Supervisors didn’t tax and regulate them to death, they’d provide even MORE benefits, and we’d all benefit all the more.
Daly tries to scare San Franciscans by suggesting we won’t have parks or rec centers if we scale back even a little on business taxes. C’mon Chris — the City has a five BILLION dollar budget – that’s $6,500 for every man woman and child that lives in our fair City. Don’t you think there’s a little bit of waste and mis-management in there someplace? Don’t you think it’s a better idea to maximize what we’re doing with the money we DO have, rather than kill or stifle the engine of “economic benefit” — private business?
Wow, FIVE BILLION — that’s LOT of parks and rec centers.
Play ball!
April 7th, 2005 | Misc., Satire and Humor