The Trade off

San Francisco tries to save money by cutting down street cleaning services in some neighborhoods. In the Sunset, instead of street cleaning once a week, it is now once every 2 weeks. The City saved $1 million a year. But what the officials didn't factor in is the revenue they lost in Parking tickets. The loss is about $3.8 million a year! How ironic. Someone obviously haven't thought the plan thoroughly enough.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/22/BA8H177731.DTL

Happy Inauguration Day!

What a movational speech by the 44th President! My company had the swearing in and speech on TV in one of the conference room and I was able to watch it LIVE. A few of the people in the room cried, and I have to admit that I even teared a little bit!


My co-worker gave me this cupcake she made...perfect for the occasion! sorry the pic is a bit fuzzy but it's a chocolate cupcake with blue frosting and red, white, and blue star sprinkles! So cute and not to mention delicioussssss!!

Support Local Grocers

Recently, I noticed more and more peddlers standing on Sunset's street corners selling fruits, mostly flats of strawberries and bags of oranges. At first, I just viewed these individuals as hard-working folks who are just trying to earn a living. But after thinking about it some more, I don't think they should be allowed to stand on street corners to sell fruits at all. These are illegal street vendors. They do not have a permit to sell. They are here one day and not the next. How do we know where the fruits came from? Were they properly stored and refrigerated? Are they safe to eat? There is absolutely no responsibility and accountability if anything goes wrong.

Health-issue aside, have you thought about how these people impact our local grocery store owners, who took the LEGAL and RIGHTFUL way to do business? They obtained a permit, pay for rent, pay taxes, pay for the overhead costs, etc. These store owners are being squeezed out of business because someone decides that he can evade all laws and taxes and set up his own little shop on the street corner for free?? This is wrong.

Supply equals demand. Therefore, I ask you to please NOT patronize these illegal street vendors. Yes, you might save a dollar here and there, but the more you buy from them, the more they will show up. Soon enough, every street corner will be filled with someone standing there selling fruits at the expense of our local grocery stores!

Gun Control and the Right to Bear Arms

I am so angry to learn that the federal ban on semi-automatic weapons expired yesterday. I'm especially mad at lawmakers in Congress who didn't make it a priority or have the initative to renew the ban. Now it is legal in some states for people to buy weapons such as AK47's and UZI's. The legislation, drafted by Senator Dianne Feinstein in 1994, came about when a disgrunted man shot and killed people in a law office at 101 California. The tragedies of sniper attacks in the Washington DC in 2002 and the Columbine High School masscre in 1999 were also results of people using these assault weapons. Now, with the federal ban lifted, it's easier than ever to obtain the dangerous weapons.

The 2nd amendment of the Constitution states that people in this country has the "right to bear arms." This, I get. No doubt about it. I understand that people should have the right to possess a gun for self-defense and for gaming. However, why do these people need to have semi-automatic weapons that can fire hundreds of bullets in a few seconds? Weapons that can pierce through a policeman's bullet-proof vest? Weapons that can kill scores of people? There is absolutely no reason and need for that at all. Why should any sane individual need to have a weapon that can do so much damage? The advocates for the legalization of these weapons are the gun manufacturers who want more business. Worse is that we also have those lawmakers who care more about campaign contributions than the welfare of their constituents.

The Brady Campaign Organization is a strong supporter and leader in preventing gun violence. Their website contains a lot of useful information and it includes a "scorecard" of how the individual Representative voted in relation to gun control. I would urge everyone to check out the website to find how your rep voted, and that you let him/her know your thoughts on this very important subject.

Population Growth

Blogspot has been quiet recently. No one is really keeping a weblog anymore. Anyways, recently I heard from the news that the Sierra Club is now divided on the population growth issue. And here today, there is a news documentary on this very topic -- populaton growth and birth rate. In Japan, there is a major population decline. With its crowded streets and subways, you would never think that they didn't have enough people, but statistics show that there is only 1.3 children per woman. Most women want the independence so they delay child birth. The Japanese age pyramid is elderly-heavy. So, social security for the seniors are down the drain in Japan. The only way to remedy the decline of population growth is to take in immigrants. But of course the Japanese is against that idea as they want to keep their ethnicity pure. On the flipside, India's population growth is out of control. They have actually implemented a 2-children policy (as opposed to China's 1-child policy). With the policy in place, Indian families are also choosing male babies over females. There are many reports of female infanticides in India. India is estimated to be 35 million females-short. Men will have problems finding a bride. It is now illegal for the doctor to do ultrasounds to determine the sex of the fetus. Many interesting facts in this documentary. In the U.S., I think there is so much research and statistics gathered that the government will find a way to keep us in line with population growth. United States is actually the fastest growing modern country in the world. As in all educated countries, Americans are also delaying the child-bearing age and keeping families small. However, government policies have it so that there is enough immigrants to fill in the gap. Immigrants make the country more vibrant and diverse. But in all issues, there are always good and bad. Some will argue how immigrants can take away jobs, etc. Interesting topic -- I almost feel like this is a classic college term paper topic!