East Bay Conservative

For a conservative, I do some fairly left-leaning things from time to time. Mass transit is a particular interest of mine, and so I was pretty excited a year and a half ago when I applied for a TransLink card.

The card is supposed to be a universal fare-card for all the Bay Area’s transit agencies. When I got it, the promise was that I’d be able to use it on Bart and Muni in “a couple of months.” As with all things governmental, the truth has been far, far worse.

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My favorite Oakland conman is a gentleman who plies his trade in the afternoons by the West Oakland Bart station.

Nattily dressed in a suit and loafers, he approaches commuters as they hurry to their cars. To those who will listen, he weaves a tale of woe, ending with an explanation as to why he needs a few dollars to get his car back home from work.

I miss this man, and not only because of our most recent encounter which ended with a knowing grin and the words, “Wait a minute! I’ve done you before, haven’t I?”

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I’ve been meaning to post this video on the site for those of you who haven’t seen it. The folks over at HousingPanic.com and HousingDoom.com post it frequently.

For those of us thorougly enjoying watching the housing bubble implode, this video is a real hoot.

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Why is there such a strong correlation between living in a liberal city and being a con-man?

I mean, sure, I perpetrate minor cons from time to time – driving a little too fast on the freeway or calling in sick to stay home and watch television – but there’s no overarching objective to it all.

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Let me warn readers in advance — this post promises to be pretty dry. But I read a commentary piece in the Berkeley Daily Planet today that I felt I had to spend some time refuting.

I’m not sure who selects these pieces, but I want to renew my call that this paper seek some kind of balance. These pieces make all sorts of unrebutted assertions — many of which range from the nonfactual to the downright uneducated.

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I had a good laugh this weekend as I relaxed at House of Curries in Elmwood and read the latest “UnderCurrents” column in the Berkely Daily Planet. Apparently author Allen-Taylor can’t figure out why people don’t find Mayor Oswald Bates‘ actions on policing to be sufficient.

I’ll explain this conundrum in a minute, but first I’d like to challenge the Daily Planet to include some semblance of balance in its coverage. And, I’d like to formally offer my services as a columnist to balance out Mr. Allen-Taylor. I do live in the area, and I’m willing, ready and able to write if the Daily Planet is interested. I even have journalism experience!

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Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums appears intent on digging the hole he’s standing in as deep as possible.

Today, this man claimed that the recent rash of restaurant-takeover robberies should be blamed on people desperate due to economic circumstances, not on the real culprit: anti-social men with no sense of normal human decency (sound familiar?).
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Readers have come to expect me to poke fun at Oakland’s city government, but even I base my commentary on the assumption that they are at least trying to do what’s best for those who elected them.

Now I’m starting to question that very basic assumption.
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Ok, I admit it. My “crystal ball” consists of an old Coke can wrapped in a piece of paper that says “taxes will rise.”

I agree with V Smoothe that this summer has been a pretty bleak time for Oakland, but I’m going to go ahead and address our taxation future.

I do this as a public service to help my readers discern their financial future, even as Oakland resolutely refuses to plan rationally for its own.
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I was disappointed, though not terribly surprised, to read today that the governor has proposed raising sales taxes by a penny to deal with the state’s budget deficit. He’s characterized the increase as temporary, but anyone who has paid any attention to politics in the past couple decades knows that’s a complete joke.
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