[ExI] taxifornia, the failed state

[spike]

> ...On Behalf Of Eugen Leitl
...
> Subject: Re: [ExI] Ants for spike! Dawkins and Wilson
> 
> On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 09:34:26PM -0800, spike wrote:
> 
> > ...Our gatherings have a 
> > definite extropian feel.  I will really miss that should I 
> move away 
> > from this area.
> 
> Where are you moving to, Spike?
...

I don't know, open to suggestion.  The heart of the Silicon Valley isn't the
place to retire unless one owns a cubic tonnnn of money.  Down here within
an easy half our drive from Intel, AMD, Yahoo, Google, eBay, a motley
collection of internet fly-by-nights, Stanford U, Palo Alto, etc, our
housing costs are absurd.  The state taxes are way high yet still grossly
insufficient to do all the ambitious plans Aahhnold and the voters want to
do, such as stem cell research(!), high speed rail projects and so forth.
Taxifornia faces inevitable bankruptcy; I see no way out.  Do you?  Anyone?*


Might go back into the 9 to 5 world for a while longer, depending on what
offers come my way.  There is an aerospace deep depression going on
currently, especially in the end of the biz where I have spent my career.

spike

*If you offer a suggestion, keep in mind that property taxes are capped at
1% of property purchase price plus 1% increase per year.  That restriction
is locked into the state constitution, which means it requires 2/3 vote to
overturn, which means it will never happen even if humanity faces immediate
and brutal extinction.  You have at your disposal: income tax increases (did
that one in February, state revenues went down), sales tax increases (did
that one too, state revenues went down as it chased major purchases to tax
free internet), and special assessment parcel taxes (flat fee per property,
allowed by the state constitution.)