Sunday, September 24, 2006

Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act

Proposition 1C is the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006
Proposition 46 was the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2002

Proposition 1C is a $2.85 Billion Bond Measure.
Proposition 46 was a $2.1 Billion Bond Measure.

Proposition 1C includes a $345 Million Multifamily Housing Program.
Proposition 46 included a $1037.8 Million Multifamily Housing Program.

Proposition 1C includes a $195 Million Supportive Housing Program.
Poroposition 46 included a $190 Million Supportive Housing Program.

Proposition 1C includes a $135 Million Farmworker Housing Grant Program.
Proposition 46 included a $135 Million Farmworker Housing Grant Program.

Proposition 1C includes $300 Million for the Calhome Program.
Proposition 46 included $108 Million for the Calhome Program.

Proposition 1C includes $200 Million for the Downpayment Assistance Program.
Proposition 46 included $112 Million for the Downpayment Assistance Program.

Proposition 1C includes $100 Million for the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund.

Proposition 1C includes $50 Million for the Emergency Housing Assistance Program.
Proposition 46 included $186 Million for the Emergency Housing Assistance Program.

Proposition 1C includes 1350 Million for infrastructure grants.

Proposition 1C is on the November ballot. Proposition 46 was approved by California voters in 2002.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

RUSSIAN ROULETTE ANYONE??

Where oh where has my ACCESS bus gone!


Sometimes it is better to just state the facts, so here we go!

I scheduled 5 trips on the Orange County Transit Authority (ACCESS) service this week.

Trip 1

I requested they get me to the Tustin Senior Center before 12:30 pm. I was scheduled to be picked up between 11:43am and 12:13pm. The bus arrived at 1158 picked me up and arrived at my destination at 12:12pm. Just as advertised!!

Trip 2

I requested that ACCESS pick me up at the Senior Center after 4:00pm. I was scheduled to be picked up between 4:15 and 4:45pm. Then at 4:40 I called to check on the status of the ride. After spending 27 minutes on hold, Ragina asked me to call back in 20 minutes if they still hadn’t shown up. Let’s see, if I just spent 27 minutes on hold, sit around another 20 minutes then call back for another 27 minute hold. We just stalled another hour! So I called my wife and she graciously changed her plans and came to my aid. As she was pulling into the Center my bus showed up. The time was 5:15pm. Oh, they’ve got a new automated service, you can check the status of your ride without speaking to an operator! I tried it and got nowhere! YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PIN before it is useable. So how do you get this PIN? I’ve found no direction or instructions to get one!!

Trip 3

I requested an arrival at the destination before 9:30am. I was scheduled to be picked up between 8:36 and 9:06am. At 8:57am two ACCESS busses showed up for the trip (I guess they were trying to make up for the previous day)! I arrived at my destination at 9:10am. So I guess this was a satisfactory trip, of course someone could have used the services of the second bus.

Trip 4

I requested arrival at the destination before 9:30am (I had a 10:30 appointment), The pickup was scheduled to occur between 9:09am and 9:39am. At 9:30 I called ride check and got Ragina again. She advised me that the driver had an ETA of 9:59am. At 10:00 my wife left her office to come deliver me to my doctor’s appointment. I arrived there at 10:25.

Trip 5

I requested to depart the doctors office after 12:00pm. The trip was scheduled for 12:15 to 12:45. I was picked up at 12:38 and arrived at my destination at 12:58. Another successful trip!

All in all, OCTA ACCESS failed to meet its Service Level Commitments 40% of the time! Ok, I’m being too negative. My years of service management taught me to always make a positive statement so… OCTA met its Service Level Commitments 60% of the time. FYI I recall being hauled on the carpet if my department’s success at fulfilling service level commitments fell below 90%! Private Sector vs Public Sector productivity standards!!

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Free Lunch?

As I was setting in the lobby of the Saint Joseph’s Pavilion, I couldn’t help but notice the parade of caterers coming into the facility just in time for the lunch hour! I also became aware of the fact that these caterers were arranged by drug companies and were serving lunch to the doctors and their staffs. Now why would they do that?

Monday, September 04, 2006

THE RENEWED MEASURE M

The Renewed Measure M is a 30-year $11.8 billion dollar TAX! IT PROMISES….


Project A: Improvements to I-5, the Santa Ana Freeway, between SR-55 and the ”Orange Crush’
$470 Million

Project B:Improvements to I-5, the Santa Ana Freeway, between SR-55 and SR-133 $300.2 Million

Project C: Improvements to I-5, the San Diego Freeway, between the El Toro interchange and SR-73
$627 Million

Project D: Update and improve key I-5, San Diego Freeway interchanges
$258 Million

Project E: SR-22, Garden Grove Freeway interchange improvements
$122 Million

Project F: Add new lanes to SR-55, the Costa Mesa freeway, between SR-22 and the San Diego freeway I-405
$366 Million

Project G: Add north bound lane on SR-57, Orange freeway between SR-22 and Lambert Road in Brea
$258.7 Million

Project H: SR-91 improvements between I-5, the Santa Ana freeway and SR-57, Orange freeway
$140 Million

Project I: SR-91 improvements between SR-57, Orange freeway, and SR-55, the Costa Mesa freeway
$416 Million

Project J: SR-91 Improvements between SR-55 and the Orange/Riverside county line
$925 Million

Project K: Improvements to I-405, the San Diego freeway, between Los Alamitos and SR-55
$500 Million

Project L: I-405 improvements between SR-55 and I-5
$319.7 Million

Project M: I-605 access improvements
$20 Million

Project N: Freeway service patrol
$150 Million

Project O:Regional capacity plan, unmapped improvements
$1132.8 Million

Project P: Regional Traffic Signal Syncronization
$453.1 Million

Project Q: Local fair share program, revenue to cities for local improvements
$2039.1 Million

Project R: High frequency Metrolink service
$1014.1 Million

Project S: Transit extensions to Metrolink
$1000 Million

Project T: Convert Metrolink stations to Regional Gateways that connect Orange County with High-speed Rail Systems
$226 Million

Project U: Expand mobility choices for Seniors and persons with disabilities
$339.8 Million

Project V: Community based transit/circulators
$226.5 Million

Project W: Safe transit stops
$25 Million

Project X: Environmental clean-up
$237.2 Million

Sunday, September 03, 2006

I'M TRYING, AT LEAST I KNOW I WAS HEARD

IN AN EMAIL SENT TO THE PRESIDENT ON MONDAY, AUGUST 28 2006 I WROTE:

MR PRESIDENT, YOUR ADMINISTRATION IS SENDING MIXED MESSAGES; IT'S BEING HYPOCRITICAL AND IT'S MAKING PURELY POLITICAL (REGARDLESS OF THE ETHICS) DECISIONS! And I'm a conservative Republican, imagine my disdane if I were a liberal Democrat.A short time ago you (George Walker Bush) vetoed the Stem Cell Initiative! Ok, I disagree with your decision but your concern for the dignity of life does merit consideration.Now you have voiced your support for your nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration and his decision to approve over-the-counter sales of the morning after, Plan B, birth control pill.Excuse the hell out of me, but didn't you just validate an embryo that has never graced a woman's reproductive system and then supported termination of an embryo that is present in a woman's reproductive system seeking to implant itself in the womb? What's wrong with this logic? MR PRESIDENT, you say you are a compassionate conservative, I don't think so! You're just another politician.Oh yeah, I've got a dog in this hunt! You vetoed hope for millions (myself included)!

Frank Austin


ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2006 I RECIEVED THE FOLLOWING LETTER:



THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

August 25, 2006

Mr. Frank Austin
!123^ Lane
!!!!!, 12345-6941

Dear Mr. Austin:

Thank you for writing to President Bush about the complex issue of human embryonic stem cell research. We appreciate hearing your views.

In making a decision on the use of Federal funds for human embryonic stem cell research, the President consulted with scientists, scholars, bioethicists, religious leaders, doctors, researchers, members of the Congress and the Cabinet, and the American people. He spent a great deal of time studying and reflecting on this issue. The result is a balanced policy shaped by deeply held beliefs regarding both the sanctity of human life and the potential of science and medicine to help humanity.

The President's policy has allowed important research to go forward without using taxpayer funds to encourage the further deliberate destruction of human embryos. There is no ban on human embryonic stem cell research, and the policy places no limits on the research itself. In fact, this Administration became the first to make Federal funds available for this research -- yet only on stem cell lines derived from embryos that had already been destroyed. The-Administration has also expanded funding for research of human non-embryonic stem cells, which can be drawn with no harm to the donor. This research has already led to treatments for thousands of patients and continues to show great promise. As the President has said, our challenge is to harness the power of science to ease human suffering without sanctioning the practices that violate the dignity of human life. President Bush believes that America's scientists have the ingenuity and skill to meet this challenge.

Enclosed is a fact sheet concerning stem cell research and the President's position. Thank you again for writing. President Bush sends his best wishes.
Sincerely,

Darren K. Hipp
Special Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Correspondence

Enclosure

FACT SHEET: STEM CELL RESEARCH

"Like all Americans, I believe our Nation must vigorously pursue the tremendous possibility that science offers to cure disease and improve the lives of millions .... Yet we must also remember that embryonic stem cells come from human embryos that are destroyed for their cells. Each of these human embryos is a unique human life with inherent dignity and matchless value. "
-- President George W. Bush, July 19, 2006
The President's Policy
"In 2001, I spoke to the American people and set forth a new policy on stem cell research that struck a balance between the needs of science and the demands of conscience. "

President Bush's policy aims to support stem cell research without creating an incentive for further destruction of human embryos.

  • When President Bush took office, there was no Federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. Under the policy announced by the President 5 years ago, this Administration has become the first to make Federal funds available for this type of research. The funding provided is for research on human embryonic stem cell lines that were created before the policy was enacted, where the life-and-death decision had already been made.
  • The policy places no limits on the research itself, and there is no ban on human embryonic stem cell research. The only limits in the policy are restrictions on using taxpayer funds to encourage the further deliberate destruction of human embryos. Only research that uses Federal taxpayer dollars is affected by this policy.
  • On July 19,2006, President Bush signed the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act of2006 to prohibit the trafficking of human fetuses that are created with the sole intent of aborting them to harvest their parts.
  • Additionally, the President vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of2005. This bill attempted to overturn the President's balanced policy by compelling American taxpayers to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos in the hope of finding medical benefits for others.

Ethical Principle
"As science brings us ever closer to unlocking the secrets of human biology, it also offers temptations to manipulate human life and violate human dignity. Our conscience and history as a Nation demand that we resist this temptation. "


The President remains committed to exploring fully the promise and potential of biomedical research while respecting the moral boundaries that must guide such research.
  • The balance the President struck is a sound one: the Federal Government will provide funding for stem cell research as long as Federal funds do not encourage the further destruction ofliving human embryos.
  • This policy lets the government go as far as is ethically permissible in advancing research without crossing a crucial moral line. As the President has said, crossing the line would needlessly encourage a conflict between science and ethics that can only do damage to both, and to our Nation as a whole.

Exploring the Promise of Stem Cell Research
"America pursues medical advances in the name of life, and we will achieve the great breakthroughs we all seek with reverence for the gift of life. "

The Bush Administration was the first to provide Federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research and has strongly supported research using stem cells that can be drawn from children, adults, and the blood in umbilical cords with no harm to the donor. These stem cells have shown therapeutic promise and are already being used in medical treatments.

  • The Bush Administration has provided more than $90 million since 2001 for human embryonic stem cell research pursued within clear moral bounds. As of July 2006, more than 700 shipments of eligible stem cell lines have been sent to researchers who requested the lines for use in scientific research, and thousands more are available upon request.
  • An estimated $200 million in fiscal year 2006 will be provided for the following types of human non-embryonic stem cell research: adult, umbilical cord blood, placental, and bone marrow. This research has led to treatment for thousands of patients and continues to show great promise.
  • The President has established new National Institutes of Health (NIH) stem cell centers of excellence to promote research on stem cells, as well as a National Stem Cell Bank that will reduce costs for researchers using approved lines. The Federal Government is also developing a network of cord blood stem cell banks to help physicians find matches for their patients and to help researchers explore the uses of cord blood stem cells in regenerative medicine .
  • The President has directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director ofthe NIH to use all the tools at their disposal to aid the search for stem cell techniques that advance promising medical science in an ethical and morally responsible way.

Unprecedented Support for Medical Research
"In this new era, our challenge is to harness the power of science to ease human suffering without sanctioning the practices that violate the dignity of human life ... .I believe America's scientists have the ingenuity and skill to meet this challenge."

The NIH is giving unprecedented support to the effort to find cures and treatments for disease by supporting the full range of scientific opportunities. For example, funding for research into the following diseases has been dramatically increased:

  • Alzheimer's Disease -- $525 million in fiscal year 2001 to $652 million estimated for
    fiscal year 2006
  • Cancer -- $4.38 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $5.6 billion estimated for fiscal year 2006
  • Diabetes -- $688 million in fiscal year 2001 to more than $1 billion estimated for fiscal year 2006.
  • Parkinson's Disease -- $175 million in fiscal year 2001 to $223 million estimated for fiscal year 2006
  • Spinal cord injury -- $71 million in fiscal year 2001 to $88 million estimated for fiscal year 2006

Friday, September 01, 2006

LIFE vs DEATH or STEM CELLS vs HEART TRANSPLANTS

So that small cluster of cells that have no defined form are human life. OK, if life begins at conception is it safe to say that life ends when all cell activity ceases? When the cells stop reproducing! Its the same standard isn't it?

Does life end when the heart stops beating? Does it begin when the heart starts beating? Does it begin and end when a person starts and stops breathing? Does it begin and end when the cells stop reproducing? If life starts at conception isn't it safe to say that it doesn't end until all the cells die!

What about a transplanted heart, who's heart is it? Twenty years after the transplant is the DNA in the cells of that heart the donor's or the recipient's?

Just wondering!