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Moss Gropen
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Tam Hoang
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Dryw Keltz
Eva Knott
Thomas Larson
Ken Leighton
Matthew Lickona
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Bill Manson
Scott Marks
Bob McPhail
Walter Mencken
Joseph O'Brien
Sheila Pell
Ian Pike
Matt Potter
H.G. Reza
Dave Rice
Elizabeth Salaam
Jay Allen Sanford
Julie Stalmer
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Matthew Suárez
Amanda Tascher
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shizzyfinn
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I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Rickeysays, if you're right, then the policymakers would be even more negligent than they are now. BTW, "freebies" is a blatant misrepresentation of what these benefits are. We're not talking about free tickets to Padres games here. We're talking about small, survival-enabling amounts of food, medical care, and money that people on hard times are entitled to by law.
— January 8, 2010 9 a.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Lenny, would you be willing to pay more in auto registration fees if it would make DMV waiting time shorter? Freedom from DMV lines isn't free. Lisa Pederson, you're letting the County Board of Supervisors off too easy. Last year, it came out that San Diego is the worst big city in the nation when it comes to the percentage of eligible people who actually receive food stamps. A responsible Board would be shamed by that fact and would be bending over backwards to fix it. If "The only real involvement the board has is on the number of employees hired to handle all the cases" then the Board should be doing its damnedest to boost the number of employees. Cuddlefish, it's unclear what set off your mean-spirited reply to Gh1234's legitimate comment. I'm with you on a lot of your comments; for example, your healthy skepticism regarding Obama. But I can't figure you out here. Speaking of President Obama, can anyone help me figure out why he and the other Dems in charge in DC haven't directed some stimulus funds to staffing the public assistance agencies that are so swamped with clients these days? What better way to put people on hard times to work than helping other people on hard times?
— January 7, 2010 9:56 p.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Great article, indeed. Gives all of us a first hand look at the shoddiness of the social safety nets here in San Diego. There but for the grace of God go all of us. Ghd1234 is right, though. The author's negativity is misplaced, and the name-calling makes her seem less a good person in bad circumstances and more a spoiled brat. I wish the author would better recognize that the employees of the agencies like HHSA tend to be overworked, underpaid, and forced by lack of funding to deliver bad news to desperate people all day. It's unfortunate that the author wasn't treated with the utmost respect at each stop on her way, but if her husband can see her sense of entitlement, I'm not surprised that agency employees can, too - nor that they recoil from it.
— January 7, 2010 9:54 p.m.
Are You Ready For Some Football Debates?
I went to Dodger stadium last year for a Saturday night game, late in the season. The Dodgers were still fighting for first place, yet Manny Ramirez took the night off. I guess he was tired or something. That was pretty wack. Still, if the game were football and the Dodgers had clinched, I would of understood. Better safe than sorry. Just ask Wes Welker.
— January 7, 2010 8 p.m.
Regarding Michael Oher
I'd wager that was the first response to the little fella who made the insightful comment about the emperor's new clothes.
— January 7, 2010 7:49 p.m.
Little Things
Great piece, refried. Keep on fighting the good fight. I recently came across a great article from 1977 featuring Kurt Vonnegut called The Art of Fiction No. 64. A choice excerpt: interviewer How common is storytelling talent? Vonnegut In a creative writing class of twenty people anywhere in this country, six students will be startlingly talented. Two of those might actually publish something by and by. interviewer What distinguishes those two from the rest? Vonnegut They will have something other than literature itself on their minds. They will probably be hustlers, too. I mean that they won't want to wait passively for somebody to discover them. They will insist on being read.
— January 7, 2010 1:38 p.m.
San Diego, like U.S., sees 2 percent growth
One more factor contributing to shadow inventory: People are slowly realizing that it's not a sin to walk away from an underwater mortgage (the bank would walk away in a heartbeat if it was in an underwater homeowner's position). For instance, there's a new article from Roger Lowenstein in NY Times Magazine on the topic. It's title? "Walk away from your mortgage!" As the stigma surrounding walking away fades, more people will do it - even people who could find a way to make the payments. That'll mean even more homes for sale. There are something like 15 million underwater mortgages nationwide, with a disproportionate amount in formerly frothy markets like ours.
— January 7, 2010 12:24 p.m.
That PB-Like Demographic
I'd wager this type of thing is going on in all cities with surpluses of condominiums.
— January 7, 2010 7:36 a.m.
Are You Ready For Some Football Debates?
There's no big content difference in moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl, other than players from the two Super Bowl teams won't be in it. The real change is that viewership will shoot through the roof, as the Pro Bowl is much more exciting with the Super Bowl yet to come. Any of the Colts critics have updated views, given last weekend's season-ending injury suffered by Wes Welker in a game the Pats did not need to win to make the playoffs? I don't buy that fans are somehow getting ripped when teams with nothing to gain rest their stars. You can still cheer for second-stringers, can't you? Padres fans do that all season long.
— January 6, 2010 8:44 p.m.
In Sum
Josh, you are A Serious Music Buff! Nice catches. I must say, though, that I got 1967 from Roger Ebert's review. Thinking back on the movie, I'm not sure that it ever clearly identified what year it was set in. Thinking back on the movie also brings a smile to my face. The exchanges with the Korean student and his father, for instance. "Accept mystery." Priceless.
— January 6, 2010 7:34 p.m.
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Unforgettable
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This Week’s
Reader
This Week’s
Reader
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Rickeysays, if you're right, then the policymakers would be even more negligent than they are now. BTW, "freebies" is a blatant misrepresentation of what these benefits are. We're not talking about free tickets to Padres games here. We're talking about small, survival-enabling amounts of food, medical care, and money that people on hard times are entitled to by law.— January 8, 2010 9 a.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Lenny, would you be willing to pay more in auto registration fees if it would make DMV waiting time shorter? Freedom from DMV lines isn't free. Lisa Pederson, you're letting the County Board of Supervisors off too easy. Last year, it came out that San Diego is the worst big city in the nation when it comes to the percentage of eligible people who actually receive food stamps. A responsible Board would be shamed by that fact and would be bending over backwards to fix it. If "The only real involvement the board has is on the number of employees hired to handle all the cases" then the Board should be doing its damnedest to boost the number of employees. Cuddlefish, it's unclear what set off your mean-spirited reply to Gh1234's legitimate comment. I'm with you on a lot of your comments; for example, your healthy skepticism regarding Obama. But I can't figure you out here. Speaking of President Obama, can anyone help me figure out why he and the other Dems in charge in DC haven't directed some stimulus funds to staffing the public assistance agencies that are so swamped with clients these days? What better way to put people on hard times to work than helping other people on hard times?— January 7, 2010 9:56 p.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Great article, indeed. Gives all of us a first hand look at the shoddiness of the social safety nets here in San Diego. There but for the grace of God go all of us. Ghd1234 is right, though. The author's negativity is misplaced, and the name-calling makes her seem less a good person in bad circumstances and more a spoiled brat. I wish the author would better recognize that the employees of the agencies like HHSA tend to be overworked, underpaid, and forced by lack of funding to deliver bad news to desperate people all day. It's unfortunate that the author wasn't treated with the utmost respect at each stop on her way, but if her husband can see her sense of entitlement, I'm not surprised that agency employees can, too - nor that they recoil from it.— January 7, 2010 9:54 p.m.
Are You Ready For Some Football Debates?
I went to Dodger stadium last year for a Saturday night game, late in the season. The Dodgers were still fighting for first place, yet Manny Ramirez took the night off. I guess he was tired or something. That was pretty wack. Still, if the game were football and the Dodgers had clinched, I would of understood. Better safe than sorry. Just ask Wes Welker.— January 7, 2010 8 p.m.
Regarding Michael Oher
I'd wager that was the first response to the little fella who made the insightful comment about the emperor's new clothes.— January 7, 2010 7:49 p.m.
Little Things
Great piece, refried. Keep on fighting the good fight. I recently came across a great article from 1977 featuring Kurt Vonnegut called The Art of Fiction No. 64. A choice excerpt: interviewer How common is storytelling talent? Vonnegut In a creative writing class of twenty people anywhere in this country, six students will be startlingly talented. Two of those might actually publish something by and by. interviewer What distinguishes those two from the rest? Vonnegut They will have something other than literature itself on their minds. They will probably be hustlers, too. I mean that they won't want to wait passively for somebody to discover them. They will insist on being read.— January 7, 2010 1:38 p.m.
San Diego, like U.S., sees 2 percent growth
One more factor contributing to shadow inventory: People are slowly realizing that it's not a sin to walk away from an underwater mortgage (the bank would walk away in a heartbeat if it was in an underwater homeowner's position). For instance, there's a new article from Roger Lowenstein in NY Times Magazine on the topic. It's title? "Walk away from your mortgage!" As the stigma surrounding walking away fades, more people will do it - even people who could find a way to make the payments. That'll mean even more homes for sale. There are something like 15 million underwater mortgages nationwide, with a disproportionate amount in formerly frothy markets like ours.— January 7, 2010 12:24 p.m.
That PB-Like Demographic
I'd wager this type of thing is going on in all cities with surpluses of condominiums.— January 7, 2010 7:36 a.m.
Are You Ready For Some Football Debates?
There's no big content difference in moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl, other than players from the two Super Bowl teams won't be in it. The real change is that viewership will shoot through the roof, as the Pro Bowl is much more exciting with the Super Bowl yet to come. Any of the Colts critics have updated views, given last weekend's season-ending injury suffered by Wes Welker in a game the Pats did not need to win to make the playoffs? I don't buy that fans are somehow getting ripped when teams with nothing to gain rest their stars. You can still cheer for second-stringers, can't you? Padres fans do that all season long.— January 6, 2010 8:44 p.m.
In Sum
Josh, you are A Serious Music Buff! Nice catches. I must say, though, that I got 1967 from Roger Ebert's review. Thinking back on the movie, I'm not sure that it ever clearly identified what year it was set in. Thinking back on the movie also brings a smile to my face. The exchanges with the Korean student and his father, for instance. "Accept mystery." Priceless.— January 6, 2010 7:34 p.m.