Embezzlers Who Couldn't Wait to Win the Lotto - Part 2

This post isn't about anything other than just your every day kind of people caught up in greed and schemes to get to their employer's money.  A continuation from my Part 1 post a few weeks ago, I post these stories because it seems visitors want to read about embezzlers.  This doesn't mean I'm siding with greedy corporations by any means, it's just that there seems to be a growing desperation of working people to get a piece of the American dream they otherwise couldn't obtain working for another.  

Washington State Man Sentenced For Embezzling $500K

Dale N. Frantz, 46, of Gig Harbor, Washington, was sentenced to five years and eleven months in prison for embezzling more than $500,000 from Auto Warehousing Co., where he had served as chief information officer. According to prosecutors, Frantz submitted fraudulent expense reimbursements and phony invoices for goods and services never delivered to the company. Franz also allegedly conspired with Michael A. Newman, the owner of Florida-based Asyncritus Technology, who submitted false invoices that were paid and where Frantz would take a cut of the proceeds. Frantz' embezzlement scheme spanned about 2 1/2 years from May 2007 to September 2009. He had plead guilty to one count of wire fraud last week. We note that Frantz reportedly was convicted in 1996 in Indiana for embezzlement.  Read story here

Model Train Manufacturer in Missouri Victim of $200K Embezzlement Scheme

Jessica Harris, 30, of High Ridge, Missouri, has been arrested and charged with embezzling more than $200,000 from model train manufacturer, Micro Engineering, Inc., where she had been employed as office manager. According to reports, Harris forged checks for her own benefit over a period of about 5 years. According to her LinkedIn page, Harris is also the owner and co-founder of a arts and crafts business called Cap-itudes! Harris was an 8 year employee of the company.  Read story here

New York Man Indicted Indicted On Charges He Embezzled $200K From VFW

Ralph R. VanAlstyne Sr., 62, of Gloversville, New York was indicted today on charges he embezzled a total of more than $200,000 from three veterans organizations: the American Legion Harold Wilmont Post 137, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Bernard W. Kierney Memorial Post #2077 and the Fulton County Disabled American Veterans Chapter 122, where he held fiduciary positions. The 14 count indictment includes six counts of third-degree grand larceny, one count of second-degree grand larceny, one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, three counts of first-degree falsifying business records and three counts of second-degree offering a false instrument for filing. According to prosecutors, VanAlstyne's scheme spanned nearly 4 years from January 2005 until December 2008. The scheme apparently involved the siphoning of funds from the organizations' revenues from gaming operations. Prosecutors alleged that VanAlstyne shifted funds between accounts in an effort to hide his thefts. Read story and see video here

Illinois Woman Charged In $1.2 Million Embezzlment Scheme

Tammy R. Weart, 52, of Des Plaines, Illinois, has been charged with embezzling some $1.2 million from Specialty Moving Systems where she had been employed as company controller. According to prosecutors, Weart made at least 96 unauthorized electronic funds transfers of monies from company accounts into her own accounts over a period of six years from November 3, 2003 through December 31, 2009. The total amount alleged to have been stolen by Weart is $1,169,632.16. Weart has been charged with theft, financial institution fraud and continuing a financial crimes enterprise. The embezzlement scheme was reportedly discovered by a co-worker who filled in for Weart when she was on a leave of absence.   Read story here

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty To Embezzling Nearly $700K

Curtis Philip Pietro, 50, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to charges he embezzled at least $691,323.97 from Glessner Alarm & Communications where he had been employed as vice president of finance. According to authorities, Pietro who had been employed by the company since 1986, wrote himself extra paychecks since 2006. Pietro is also alleged to have transferred company funds to his own American Express account since 2004. Pietro pleaded guilty to two counts of theft scheme of more than $500 and five counts each of forgery and uttering. Investigators believe the losses caused by Pietro could climb to as much as $800,000 or more.  Read story here


The really sad part is when many people become filthy rich they start believing everyone's out to get their money while being of lower status and criminal. The line between those who simply work for another as  opposed to those featured in this story is starting to blur.  Guilt by association?  "I'm very wealthy and successful and, because you don't have near the money I have, this makes you a criminal element."  It's class warfare at its worst.

So when every day people such as these begin to set a trend, it affects all of us. 

Source:  FraudTalk Blog

Notary Public Too Exhausted to Blog - Posts Cat Patty-cake Video

So what does one do when they're so overwhelmingly busy they have no time to do a typical blog article?  They post entertaining cat videos, that's what.  I was so busy yesterday I barely had time to breath and I'm off to a busy start again today. I believe it's all due to the last minute push prior to the New Year. I wish it was always this way.

 I hope visitors enjoy this video. It's really cute. I've put others below it I've marked favorites in the past as well.

Repeats from previous posts a few months ago:  

Husband Who Snooped Wife's Emails Charged Under Hacker Law

Some poor dude, Leon Walker, is having a tough time lately.  He's currently facing a trial, get this, for opening his wife's Gmail account to discover she was having an affair!  Not only did he learn his lady was cheating on him, he's going on trial for discovering she was:

"Walker was charged after opening the Gmail account of his wife, Clara, who was married twice previously. Walker found she was having an affair with her second husband, who had once been arrested for beating her in front of her young son from her first husband."  Source

Leon's wife Clara discovered her emails had been read so she went to the authorities.  The prosecutor saw an opportunity to file a case under the an anti-hacking law designed to protect trade secrets.  The defense attorney was dumbfounded:

"I've been a defense attorney for 34 years and I've never seen anything like this," Leon Weiss told the Detroit Free Press. "This is a hacking statute, the kind of statute they use if you try to break into a government system or private business for some nefarious purpose. It's to protect against identity fraud, to keep somebody from taking somebody's intellectual property or trade secrets."

The attorney ended the interview by asking  "Don't the prosecutors have more important things to do with their time?" The Oakland County prosecutor, Jessica Cooper, said Walker broke the law by hacking in to his former wife's account.

I can't help but laugh at this story.  My glass of wine doesn't help matters either.  Once in a great while the tables turn and men get in a pickle.  It doesn't happen very often but when it does, it's hilarious.

• American Charged With Hacking After Snooping His Wife's Emails - Guardian UK

New Evidence: Nanothermite In World Trade Center Towers On 9/11

Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth said they have newly analyzed evidence that the World Trade Center Towers were full of a nanothermite material.  Nanothermite is a military grade explosive.  This evidence, along with others the 9/11 commission ignored, including molten steel being found at the base of all three buildings, indicates the towers weren't simply brought down by the planes.  Molten steel couldn't occur under the temperatures caused by the planes. 

Real forensic evidence has come to light; other evidence was overlooked by the 9/11 Commission Report.

Jesse Ventura's 9/11 Conspiracy Program on TruTV About the 9/11 & Pentagon Presents A Good Cause for A New Investigation

There's real forensic evidence now that supports elements within the U.S. government were involved in demolishing the World Trade Center towers.  One of the planes that hit the towers was a windowless remote controlled drone.  As investigated by former Governor Jesse Ventura, there was also another drone that hit the Pentagon destroying the area of where records were kept of the trillions of dollars missing as was reported by Rumsefeld the previous day.

There's also evidence former Vice President Dick Cheney's definitely one of the guilty parties over 9/11.  According to former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Cheney ordered airforce planes to stand down on 9/11.  This is same Cheney who was recently bailed out $500,000,000 by Halliburton from Nigeria's case against him for serious crimes. (See Nigeria Drops Bribery Charges Against Cheney).  Of course, we the U.S. tax payers have contributed to Halliburton's money supply through government contracts automatically granted to it over the past few decades.

There are plenty of gullible brainwashed Americans who believe Cheney's a great American that he was out to protect them from terrorists.  These Americans will ultimately find a way to somehow spin and twist 9/11 into it being the best interests of the United States and world just as the criminal perpetrators do.

It's time to recognize one of the reasons all this evil has been allowed to occur is too many Americans support it by remaining ignorant, neutral or in denial.  It's really quite obvious to many those WTC buildings were demolished.  I've been shocked so many times in observing what politicians are allowed to get away with that I finally realized it's because many Americans hide behind their politicians who want it that way.

Christmas Shoplifting Husky Dog Travels 5 Miles for Rawhide Bone

A husky traveled 5 miles from his home to a local store to steal a raw hide bone caught on the store's security video camera!  

The following year the family returned with their dog to the scene of the crime for another holiday reenactment.  

I remember the days of Lassie Come Home when a dog traveled hundreds of miles to return to their owner who was forced to abandon her

Merriam-Webster named Austerity "Word of the Year" in 2010

During a government session, a citizen in Romania horrified onlookers in the chambers screaming out about austerity while leaping off a balcony.  The young man apparently thought jumping face first from a one floor balcony would be the end, but it wasn't.  Witnesses were all aghast and the government speaker was in tears.  Now the man will have to deal with disfiguration since he probably won't be able to afford the kind of medical care he needs to repair his face. 

Man throws himself from balcony in protest of Romanian austerity

For those unfamiliar with the term austerity as defined by Wikipedia:

In economics, austerity is a policy of deficit-cutting, lower spending, and a reduction in the amount of benefits and public services provided. Austerity policies are often used by governments to reduce their deficit spending while sometimes coupled with increases in taxes to pay back creditors to reduce debt. In 2010 Austerity was named as the word of the year by Merrian-Webster.

Here are some interesting comments on the video:

People are loosing it while the royals are having lavish weddings remember the school board shooting last week in USA the mans wife lost here job economic terrorism is more real than Islamic

 **

All those evils behind the scene should jump from at least 100th stories building balconies to kill themselves instantly. They enslave us, slaughter us, poison us, and are going to kill us all. They are the evils against humanity and should be in prison for their crimes. May God bless Us all and We as humanity, is on the winning side against these evils. Light will defeat darkness!! Peace and Love for all of you!!

**

This guy was at the end of his rope, like the guy in the States who started shooting at a council meeting. I mean, what the f**k are these people supposed to do when they get screwed by their government? I don't condone it, but I can see where they're coming from. Sad.

**
Politicians really are heartless assholes. Most of them just sat there like nothing happened. It's all about the cash in their pockets, they couldn't give a shit about people struggling to get by with the bad economy.

**
It's not just happening in Europe, its happening all over the world, these banks and multi government corporations are holding the people of the world to ransom, one day the people will stand up, when... i don't know, but i sure hope we aren't too late... soon enuf you wont be able to fart in public without getting a fine, and these criminals in the banking industry and our governments are getting away with far worse corruption and behind close door deals that we don't know about.

**
BEFORE JUMPING, THE MAN SCREAMED, QUOTE ''AMERICA, U KILLED OUR CHILDREN FUTURE'' !!!

As trends researcher Gerald Celente often says, "when people have nothing to lose, they lose it."  Sadly, we'll probably be seeing more of this kind of stuff in the future.  In this video Celente discusses austerity and coming revolution.

According to Web of Debt author Ellen Brown in a piece Austerity Fails in Euroland: Time for Some "Definict Easing", austerity has already proven to be a failure in addressing economic woes:

The Greek bailout was supposed to be an isolated case, a test of the European Union's (EU) ability to quarantine an infected member, preventing it from spreading "debt contagion."

 But that was before Ireland failed. Ireland was the poster child for how to conduct a successful austerity program. Unlike the Greeks, who were considered profligate spendthrifts, the Irish did everything their creditors asked. The people sacrificed to pay for the excesses of their banks, but still the effort failed. Ireland was the second domino to fall to an International Monetary Fund (IMF)/EU bailout. On December 17, Moody's Investors Service rewarded it for voting to accept the "rescue" package with a five-notch credit downgrade, from AA2 to BAA1, with warnings that further downgrades could follow.

Spain is rumored to be the next domino poised to fall. If it falls, it could bring down the EU.

Austerity Fails in Euroland: Time for Some "Deficit Easing" - Ellen Brown

You Can Kiss These Obsolete Things Goodbye

The other day I happened to spot the Yellow Pages delivery man across the street and let the landlady know he was about to dump a ton of obsolete books at the building's entrance once again.  The poor lady's 70 years old and it's hard for her to have to carry the heavy books to the garage where they eventually get thrown away anyway.  Last year I helped carry them for her but this time I did even better cutting the YP guy off at the pass.  

Why do these Yellow Pages get force delivered on people in buildings only to be thrown away you might wonder?  Because people's jobs depend on working for the Yellow Pages in spite of the fact very few people use the book as a resource any longer.  These people are obviously trying to maintain a dying industry.  Turns out there are many similar instances of industries hanging on a thread barely making it.  The reason these threatened industries still exist is many people's livelihoods and futures depend on them.  Regardless, eventually they will all be gone if they haven't disappeared already. 

According to a Staples Store retail clerk I spoke with, the most common questions the store gets is how to obtain replacement parks and supplies for technology that's over 10 years old.  The clerk says the old technology questions come repeatedly from "people of a certain generation".  Apparently some people have a tough time letting go of things.   (Photo: If a grizzly wants your bike, you can kiss it goodbye)

Here are a few once common things that are gone or quickly fading into oblivion as provided from the Huffington Post in an article You're Out : 20 Things That Became Obsolete this Decade

Let's take a look at some of the things and professions that have gradually been phased out over the past decade from 2000-2010. 

Kiss your Yellow Pages goodbye

There was a time when "let your fingers do the walking" meant opening a phone book -- not typing in a search query. Phone books, address books, and the Yellow Pages have been made obsolete, their information transferred from paper onto smartphones, and the web. - Huffington Post

Kiss your Travel Agent goodbye

The Internet's Expediia, etc.,  have pretty much taken over where travel agents left off.

Kiss Book Stores goodbye

All the bookstores are gradually being closed in San Francisco, including the used book stores.  People like me go in and read what's on the shelves but we don't buy.  After we glance over content, we buy on Amazon. Sad but true.

Kiss your VCR/VHS goodbye 

Gone for many long ago, let's face it, this was unattractive technology to begin with.  The VHS tapes took up a lot of space and attracted dust.

Kiss your Landline Phone goodbye

I use Magic Jack and my cell phone.  Why pay for a landline these days?  While many still rely on landlines--especially in areas where cellphone service is spotty--users are increasingly unplugging. As the AP explained, a recent survey found, "In a first for any age group, more than half of Americans age 25-29 live in households with cell phones but no traditional landline telephones." - Huffington Post

Kiss your Wristwatch goodbye 

I used to wear one every day, haven't been for the past two years. I used to love wearing watches too.  "While wristwatches are certainly still a style statement and/or status symbol for many, they've increasingly been replaced by cellphones, laptops, and other gadgets, which tell time and eliminate the need for an extra accessory. A survey by Beloit College of its class of 2014 found, 'Few incoming freshmen know how to write in cursive or have ever worn a wristwatch.'" - Huffington Post

Kiss Paper Maps goodbye

GPS and Internet map services are taking over the map industry for the most part.

Kiss Newspaper Classifieds goodbye 

Craigslist gets fast results and is  free

Kiss Encyclopedias goodbye 

They were stuffy old things.  Wikipedia anyone? 

Kiss CD's goodbye 

Digital music has rendered CD's nearly extinct.

Kiss Film Cameras and film processing goodbye 

Why would anyone still use film unless they're professional die hard photographers?

Kiss Handwritten letters goodbye

No one sends handwritten personal letters anymore, do they?  I don't even write cursive anymore I've been typing for so many years. Today the concept of letter writing even sounds a little strange.

There are many other industries that are quickly fading or metamorphosizing with new technology, including newspapers and magazines, that I'll do another future story on.  Things I'd love to add tot he list are attorneys but I have to do more research to determine if they're on their way out.

Future Goals:

• Kiss lawyers goodbye (no, kick their asses out the door!)
• Kiss judges goodbye (they can knock themselves out dealing with petty disputes their industry manufacuteres to bring in money for itself.  After they do, let's replace judges with robots!)
• Kiss politicians goodbye (let's put them in tar and feather museums of the future)
• Kiss the office cubicle goodbye (mobile work is the wave of the future)
• Kiss fax machines goodbye (they require a land line and we have PDF/emails now.

It's time to beam up now.

DNA Genetic Lab Results for $99!

Ever wanted to know the truth about your distant ancestry roots and thousands of years of migration, or the potential health weaknesses  you face due to your particular genetics?  Now you can! A company called www.23andMe.com is offering an introductory $99 spit kit to genotype your DNA along with a one year web account $5/mo special.  The $99 special lasts through December 25, 2010 at which time it will go back to $499.

The website offers valuable information regarding the results of your DNA test and will be updated on-line with new test information each month.  Results include filling in the missing gaps of your ancestral tree to discover its global origins and even tracking ancestral migration while providing your genetic health risks.  Did you know your disease risk is impacted by genetics?  Now you can step up check-ups in coordination with any factors provided in the DNA test results.  This could potentially be a life saving intervention.

Some inherited mutations greatly increase your likelihood of developing certain diseases later in life. For example, one rare mutation tested by 23andMe is associated with a nearly 60% lifetime risk of Parkinson's disease.

This is cutting edge DNA technology everyone should take advantage of as a golden opportunity to learn about themselves and genetic heritage. Think about it, we're the first humans able to access this information ever in the history of mankind!  Of course, there are more in-depth expensive tests but this one still provides plenty of information your average doctor doesn't provide.  Tests results take 6-8 weeks on average.

If you really think about it, this DNA spit kit makes a wonderful Christmas gift for someone too.

www.23andMe.com

The Precipice Of An Ice Age?

The turmoil spreading all over the world with the record breaking extreme ice cold temps has many wondering if we aren't headed towards an ice age.  So many terrifying stories of trapped people at airports, train terminals and even highways in Europe have many spectators spellbound and horrified.  Are these extreme winters here to stay?

Back in January of 2010, an article by David Rose, The Mini Ice Age Starts Here, seemed to really hit the nail on the head.  A subsequent big chill sent many global warmest advocates into a type of silent spiritual hibernation from their warmest mantra.  Who in their right mind could spew such warming propaganda in the face of reality? 

"The bitter winter afflicting much of the Northern Hemisphere is only the start of a global trend towards cooler weather that is likely to last for 20 or 30 years, say some of the world’s most eminent climate scientists."  - January, 2010

The prediction of an ice age even started way back in 1974.  Back then I was only 14 but I vaguely remember a Time Magazine cover story article Another Ice Age.  In the article Time unleashed a mountain of evidence to support what scientists, at the time, suspected was the onset of a coming ice age. Characterizing its evidence as "telltale signs everywhere", the article went back three decades to summarize statistics and events which pointed towards global cooling.

Following Time's lead, a year later Newsweek Magazine conducted its own investigation with an article  concluding that evidence supporting a coming ice age had begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists were "hard-pressed to keep up with it all."

Now back to the future.  (To my relief because I'd never want to be 14 again, ever!).  In an article posted on the Asian Tribune, The Onset of the New Ice Age, a London journalist writes:

"We are freezing in London and so are the rest of inhabitants all over the British Isles. The first wave of heavy snowfall hit London around midday on Friday, when the hourly weather forecast had indicated just a cloudy afternoon. So, it was a bolt from the blue, for most of the beleaguered residents.

In a matter of minutes, the pavements as well as all the major roads were covered by a thick blanket of snow, which in turn made the walking and driving pretty hazardous. All of a sudden, human activity got into a slower phase as if it was caught up in a peculiar space-time warp."

- Hemantha Abeywardena

It seems the illusion of global warming comes from the ice caps shifting from the north to the south poles.  The global warmest enthusiasts flashed around photos of the north pole ice caps melting while the south pole simply accumulated more ice.  Moreover, the planet Mars has polar ice caps very similar to the Earth's, and guess what?  According to NASA, the Mars ice caps have been melting too.  Turns out the global warmists had omitted relevant facts to create their illusion of warming in order to implement a worldwide carbon tax.  In other words, global warming is a scam designed to create a new tax structure to make people like Al Gore filthy rich who invested in the carbon tax infrastructure.

Try telling people freezing to death all over Europe we're in a global warming trend!  You really know you're dealing with insane people when they begin to spin the facts and say the extreme ice cold weather is due to the warming. Global warmists need to get real.

California Screamin and Mass Exodus

Many Californians are beginning to recognize the condition of their beloved state is in great decline, if not a death spiral.  Many thoughtful, well received articles are popping up everywhere like Missing the California of My Youth by Tim Daniel and Two Californias by Victor Davis Hanson with multitudes of thoughtful comments concurring the dire situation California faces.

As California moves towards what many view as an inevitable collapse, it may well become a death trap for multitudes of people.  Food, water and electricity may become scarce under any number of scenarios including a trigger of high priced and/or shortage gasoline.  Race riots may also break out. As a native Californian of 50 years, I'm preparing for a possible exodus to another state following the lead of some very wise people who read the signs a long time ago.

In his article Two Californias Victor Davis Hanson opens his article with a brutal assessment of a metaphoric schizophrenic state:

"The last three weeks I have traveled about, taking the pulse of the more forgotten areas of central California. I wanted to witness, even if superficially, what is happening to a state that has the highest sales and income taxes, the most lavish entitlements, the near-worst public schools (based on federal test scores), and the largest number of illegal aliens in the nation, along with an over regulated private sector, a stagnant and shrinking manufacturing base, and an elite environmental ethos that restricts commerce and productivity without curbing consumption." - Victor Davis Hanson, National Review

In a well written essay on Pajamas Media's site, Tim Daniel's Missing the California of My Youth sums it all up in one sentence:

"Atlas has shrugged and California has changed – government has ruined this place and I will never forget it." - Tim Daniel

Here are just a few stats to consider. (Please pardon the small font, there's a lot of info here)

The American Tort Reform Association ranks CA the second worst “judicial hellhole” – extremely anti-business.

http://tinyurl.com/CA-2nd-worst-judicial-hellhole    

America’s top 600 CEO’s rank California “the worst place in which to do business” for the fifth straight year (3/2010).  But here’s the interesting part – they think California is a great state to live (primarily for the great climate) – they just won’t bring their businesses here because of the oppressive tax and regulatory climate.

Consider this quote from the survey (a conclusion reflected in the rankings of the characteristics of the state):  “California has huge advantages with its size, quality of work force, particularly in high tech, as well as the quality of life and climate advantages of the state. However, it is an absolute regulatory and tax disaster.”         http://tinyurl.com/CEO-states-rank-2010

California has the 3^rd worst state income tax in the nation.  9.55% tax bracket starts at $46,349 for people filing as individuals.   10.55% tax starts at $1,000,000   http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/bp59_es.pdf

By far the highest state sales tax rate in the nation.  8.25%.  7% is next highest (does not include local sales taxes) http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/bp59.pdf  Table #15

California corporate income tax rate (8.84%) is the highest west of the Mississippi (our economic competitors) except for Alaska.      

http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/bp59.pdf   Table #8   -- we are 9^th highest nationwide.

California’s 2011 Business Tax Climate ranks 2^nd worst in the nation.      http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/26806.html

Fourth highest capital gains tax   9.55%    http://www.thereibrain.com/realestate-blog/capital-gains-tax-rates-state-by-state/109/

Highest gasoline tax (averaging 67.4 cents/gallon) in the nation, 4 cents above second place Hawaii (July, 2010).  http://www.api.org/statistics/fueltaxes/   (also highest diesel tax)

California is ranked 14^th highest in per capita property taxes (including commercial) – the only major tax where we are not in the worst ten states.  But CA property taxes per home were the 10^th highest in the nation in 2008.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/251.html   and   http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/1913.html

One of the highest state vehicle license car taxes. 1.15% per year on value of vehicle, up from 0.65% in 2008.

http://tinyurl.com/lrvmtd

California’s 2010 “Tax Freedom Day” (the day the average taxpayer stops working for government and starts working for themself) is the 7^th worst date in the nation – up from 28^th worst in 1994, but down from 4^th worst last year  CA “improved” only because of our state’s soaring unemployment rate – the new tax dodge!   http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/387.html 

In 2009, 24 states raised their taxes at least 1% to collect $28.6 billion.  California’s taxes went up about $11 billion – thus we were responsible for about 38.5% of all the state tax increases in the nation.    http://tinyurl.com/2009-CA-Tax-Increase-rank 

California tied for 2^nd highest state unemployment rate.  (November, 2010)   12.4%.  National unemployment rate 9.8%.  http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm

California needlessly licenses more occupations than any state – 177.  Second worst state is Connecticut at 155.  The average for the states is 92.http://cssrc.us/publications.aspx?id=7707 

For the 2007-08 school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District spent $29,780 per student.  The district also has the country’s second lowest graduation rate of 40.6%. http://www.calwatchdog.com/2010/08/20/lausd-spends-30k-per-student/

1 in 5 in Los Angeles County receiving public aid. 

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-welfare22-2009feb22,0,4377048.story

California has 12% of the nation’s population, but 36% of the country’s TANF (“Temporary” Assistance for Needy Families) welfare recipients – more than the next 7 states combined.  Unlike other states, this “temporary” assistance becomes much more permanent in CA.            

http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/afb/archives/034662.html

California prison guards highest paid in the nation.  http://www.caltax.org/caltaxletter/2008/101708_fraud1.htm 

California is the worst ranked state for tax administration – another anti-business factor. http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/2010/03/cal-rated-worst.html

California now has the lowest bond ratings of any state, edging out Louisiana.  http://tinyurl.com/CA-worst-bond-rating

California, a destitute state, still gives away college education at fire sale prices.  Our community college tuition is by far the lowest in the nation.  How low?  Nationwide, the average community college tuition is almost four times higher than California CC’s.  This ridiculously low tuition devalues education to students – resulting in a 30+% drop rate for class completion.  In addition, 2/3 of California CC students pay no tuition at all – filling out a simple unverified “hardship” form that exempts them from any tuition payment, or receiving grants and tax credits for their full tuition. http://tinyurl.com/ygqz9ls

On top of that, California offers thousands of absolutely free adult continuing education classes – a sop to the upper middle class.  In San Diego, over 1,000 classes for everything from baking pastries to ballroom dancing are offered totally at taxpayer expense.   http://www.sdce.edu

California residential electricity costs an average of 30.1% more than the national average (far higher in San Diego County).   For industrial use, CA electricity is 60.8% higher than the national average (June, 2010).

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html

I'd encourage interested parties to read the comment sections of the two referenced articles for genuine perspectives of native Californians who share their memories of the state's glory years.