Pauly v. Spitzer: An Epic David and Goliath Battle for the Sinking Orange County Titanic.

We often say that we view the world as we are, not as it is.  Take for example, Thomas DelBeccaro’s piece 10 Reasons Obama will Lose this Fall published today in Breitbart.com.  While his reasons are compelling, there are three reasons why Mr. Obama has a good shot at a second term: 1)The Mostly Radical Left & Hyphenated Media  (MRLH) and 2) Its target market and 3) Class warfare

Now, effective politicians, regardless of ideology use rhetorical devices to persuade and or manipulate the electorate.  Take for instance the President’s insistence on the Buffet Rule, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, other than to have the MRLH media amplify the message.  As Shakespeare might say, “fo shizzle my nizzle, it’s the mutton and not the sizzle that count” Worse,  President Obama is worth 11 Million, yet he gives daughters $48K in tax free gifts, Joe Bidens give a paltry  0.3%, while Romney gives 10% of his income to charity- but I digress.

A recent editorial by the Orange County Register titled  Editorial: O.C. GOP boss warms to union supporter Spitzer County supervisor candidate Todd Spitzer complies with letter, not spirit, of Scott Baugh's edict against on accepting union support makes the argument that  Orange County Republican Party boss Scott Baugh is hypocritical in his endorsement of  supervisor candidate Todd Spitzer,

”…the former supervisor and state assemblyman who more recently was fired from the District Attorney's Office and is now trying to get back on the board..” according to the editorial.  Particularly because “Mr. Spitzer was the lead advocate on the Board of Supervisors for a 2001 pension increase for deputy sheriffs that retroactively increased their pensions to the unsustainable "3 percent at 50" formula – guaranteeing a pension of 90 percent of a 50-year-old employee's final year's pay after 30 years of work.  Mr. Spitzer since has said he was wrong on that vote but mainly he blames others for not warning him.”

Chairman Baugh

Chriss Street has been warning about the county’s fiscal tsunami using the Titanic as an illustration, painting the board as adept as Italian cruise captain Francesco Schettino.

If you consider that Chuck DeVore is no longer in the running in 2012 against Mr. Spitze and  that Mr. Spitzer is well-financed, that he has the support of almost the entire GOP establishment, should the voters board do as captain Francesco Schettino and give the signal of full speed ahead?  That is the essence of our question to Councilwoman Deborah Pauly when we asked her why she decided to run against Mr. Spitzer in 2012.  After all, that would be a David Vs. Goliath battle, not for a country, but for quickly sinking Orange County.

Councilwoman Pauly in no uncertain terms told us that this is the reason she is running, echoing the Orange County Register’s editorial that Mr. Spitzer is part of the problem and not the solution, to the Titanic disaster facing Orange County and while severely under funded, she expects that voters will a second look at her, once the word gets out that she is serious about this race.

While the Cotobuzz applauded the January 2010 Baugh Manifesto, we thought it did not go far enough.  We contacted all of Orange County city council members that February and only Ms. Pauly took a stand.  That is to say, when Ms. Pauly speaks, voters listen.  And we do as well.

For his part, Mr. Spitzer says in response to our request for comment:   “I am eager to take the fiscal crisis head on. I was there in 1996-2002 with a tight fiscal belt working to emerge us from the Bankruptcy debt. I have the knowledge skill and experience to make the tough decisions to right the ship and control government spending “

For her part, Councilwoman Pauly responded:   "If Mr. Spitzer considers his irresponsible retroactive pension spiking vote to be a 'tight fiscal belt,' then the dangers of returning him to the Board are even greater than I thought," observes Ms. Pauly.

We have also asked Mr. Baugh to comment for this piece, but have not heard from him.

The question for the Orange County third voters is, does the Pauly v. Spitzer race matter, or is it just another Buffet Rule argument?  Do voters care, or are Orange County voters a microcosm of the President’s target market:  The 69% dependent, apathetic and or stupid electorate, using  the President’s own words.

One thing we know for sure is that like her or not, councilwoman Pauly is a change agent.

RELATED STORIES

Pauly's Union-Manufactured Tsunami

Posted By CotoBlogzz 02-11-2010 | 09:00 AM

Villa Park, CA - Our quest to find out  whether Orange County City Hall supports the Baugh Initiative has started to yield good fruit.  The Baugh Initiative advanced by Orange County GOP’s Chairman Scott Baugh requires politicians to choose between the GOP or the  the union.

The DeVore-Spitzer Debate Turns Into Monologue - Spitzer MIA, DeVore Lacks Substance

An interview of a different kind

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -  We were looking forward to a substantive debate between Mr. Chuck DeVore and Mr. Todd  Spitzer as they attempt to make their case for a Third District Board of Supervisors seat in 2012.  Given their collective experience in public service, the operative question is whether they have become part of the problem, or part of the solution.  We are still looking.

We publicly challenged both candidates to see whether they had any specific bold proposals - emphasis on bold, for what should be obvious reasons- for the fiscal tsunami facing the county, and to make sure they got the memo, we tried to reach them multiple times via their Facebook accounts, asking them to respond by no later than April 29, 2011 at 5:00 pm.    Mr. DeVore was gracious enough to respond.  We have yet to hear from Mr. Spitzer.

DeVore on ANDRES BOCELI - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA- Candidate Obama rightfully demanded that  words must mean something.  President Obamaregularly parses words not unlike the infamous "it all depends on what is is".  Politicians regularly use the terms accountability and transparency, but when pressed as to what they are ready to do, they deflect, deny or ignore, perhaps even lie - that is, the political game of DIDL.

California's Triple Threat - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -  We assert that the sucking sound you hear are all the jobs California is losing to Nevada, Texas and Utah, in large measure do to what we refer to as California's Triple Threat:   1) Public sector organized labor,  2) un-elected, un-checked parasitic bureaucracies and 3)  lobbyists.

Economic Freedom and the Triple Constraint - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - The Heritage Foundation & The Wall Street Journal compared 183 countries across ten specific freedoms such as trade freedom, business freedom, property rights, investment freedom and others, to come up with the so called The Link Between Economic Opportunity and Prosperity: The 2009 Index of Economic Freedom.  Such index ranked  Hong Kong at the top, while the United States was relegated to the number six slot

A view of Senator Obama Using a  Disgruntled Homeowner Prism During a recent blogging exchange with Assemblyman Todd Spitzer , he referred to a particular constituent as a disgruntled member of a homeowners association.  Now, we have heard the term disgruntled employee regularly in employer-employee spats and usually in whistle blowing scenarios.  We have also hear the term disgruntled resident in the context of an argument between representatives of a homeowners’ association and the resident itself.  Never from a politician to characterize a constituent.

A Winning the Future Moment, or Simply:  WTF? - Rancho Santa Margarita,  CA – President Obama has ditched the car in the ditch metaphor and the Hope & Change slogan in lieu of taking the engine off of an airplane metaphor  and Winning the Future slogan .  Critics say that the new metaphor does not work, since the airplane is heading to China to mortgage future generations of American, when the airplane has no fuel, while Governor  Sarah Palin characterizes the new slogan as “What Were They Thinking”  (WWTT) or in the vernacular:  WTF?

The 2010 Union Voting Guide - Use at your Own Peril - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - There is a lot of truth in the old adage that "we should not judge a book by its cover." But what if we have access to the Cover, the Table of Contents and the Appendix? Can we get a good idea as to the contents of the book? In other words, using another adage "tell me who you associate with and I will tell you who you are?" and applying the latter to political elections, if we know the candidate's supporters, we should be able to have a good idea about how that candidate will govern. Take for instance Van Jones, Reverend Wright, the National Representative of the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan, the Reverend Al Sharpton,  terrorist William Charles " Bill" Ayers and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel all supporters of candidate Obama.  Should this not have been a good indicator, largely ignored, of the contents of the now Presidential Book?

THE FORUM: Vote "Yes" for 23; support jobs

The California Air Resources Board acknowledges that "no direct public health impacts" are expected from Prop 23. The proposition delays control of greenhouse gas emissions, implicated in global warming. It delays implementation of AB 32 (the global warming solution), which penalizes sources of emissions, especially refineries and fossil fuel power sources.

The 2010 Union Voting Guide - Use at your Own Peril
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - There is a lot of truth in the old adage that "we should not judge a book by its cover." But what if we have access to the Cover, the Table of Contents and the Appendix? Can we get a good idea as to the contents of the book? In other words, using another adage "tell me who you associate with and I will tell you who you are?" and applying the latter to political elections, if we know the candidate's supporters, we should be able to have a good idea about how that candidate will govern. Take for instance Van Jones, Reverend Wright, the National Representative of the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan, the Reverend Al Sharpton, terrorist William Charles " Bill" Ayers and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel all supporters of candidate Obama. Should this not have been a good indicator, largely ignored, of the contents of the now Presidential Book?

2010 California Propositions Voters Guide
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - While heuristics indicate that a NO vote in any California's direct special interest democracy is a wise move, following the money may be even better. Below is a list of the 2010 California propositions, their main supporters and our recommendations, including a brief rationale.

 

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CALIFORNIA LAWSUIT EXPOSES ORANGE COUNTY FINANCIAL CRISIS

   CALIFORNIA LAWSUIT EXPOSES ORANGE COUNTY FINANCIAL CRISIS

The ballooning Orange County financial crisis continued to spiral out of control as the State of California filed a law suit to force return of $73.5 million of property tax revenue the County skimmed from local schools and community colleges last November.  At the time, it seemed bazaar that the supposed “Most Conservative County in America” would increase spending by $145.8 million, then  grab the school’s cash and cancel planned layoffs of 490 union workers.

The new lawsuit has caused increased scrutiny of other dicey actions by the County.  The biggest shock comes from the recent Orange County 2010-11 Audited Financial Report, which states the County failed to be in accounting compliance due to a $30,146,000 shortfall in cash Reserves:
 

            “The County General Fund maintains a Reserve for Contingencies which was established

through the Strategic Financial Plan (SFP) process. The target amount for this reserve is

15% of ongoing annual general purpose revenues (excludes fund balance available and

one-time amounts and transfers), or $91,446. This compares to the Government Finance

Officers Association (GFOA) guidelines for funding contingencies at 15% or higher. The

June 30, 2011 balance is $61,300, approximately $30,146 below the revised target” 

The Reserves would have been even more out of compliance, if the County had not skimmed cash from budget spending reduction by the former County Treasurer and other County Departments to plug some of the depleted County Reserves.  According to the Orange County Executive Office’s Key Budget message in the County of Orange FY 2011-12 Proposed Budget:

The County increased General Fund Reserves by $17.2 million.  The increase was primarily associated with the transfer of reserves of unallocated Fund Balance Available (FBA)

Unallocated Fund Balance Available is generally referred to as day to day check-book-cash.  The County knows the Treasurer has the right to recover his costs from investing the school, county and others deposits.  Since the schools are more than 50% of the Treasurer’s deposits, they were entitled to more than 50% of the multi-million dollar budget savings achieved during the former Treasurer’s term.  The County must have been so desperate to not report an even worse audited financial statement, they skimmed all the budget savings and transferred it to County Reserves. 

It also appears that last July the Orange County Employee’s Retirement System pension plan delayed lowering their annual expected rate of return assumption by ¼% to ¾% until this coming July 2012, which conveniently falls after the June elections.  Given that each ¼% reduction in expected return require unfunded pension liabilities to rise by $750 million; the current $3.75 billion underfunding of the pension is about to skyrocket to a $4.5 to $6 billion liability! 

The lawsuit against the County was filed by the California Department of Finance and the State Associations of Community Colleges in Orange County Superior Court, just across the street from the County offices.  The suit alleges the county has taken “the extraordinary step of flouting the law and illegally redirecting property tax revenue payments from schools and community colleges to the county's own general fund.”  The plaintiffs are demanding the court order the Defendant County to return the money to its rightful owners.

The real issue in the litigation is that the State took away some favored subsidies for Orange County and the County retaliated by taking school money hostage to force the State to revive the subsidies.  According to the Sacramento Bee, the Orange County spokesman, Howard Sutter, pretended to be surprised the State would try to help schools recover their $73.5 million: 

           “While the county has been proactive in discussing this issue with legislators and school    
           officials, the Department of Finance and Attorney General's office have made no contact
           with the county regarding this matter. The county is disappointed the state has now
           resorted to filing a lawsuit. We are evaluating the merits of their suit and cannot comment
           on its specifics at this time until we have had time to completely review their claims.”

For the last six months Orange County has used the schools’ and community college’s cash to bolster their backstop their dwindling cash and reserves.  The local schools have tried to avoid the ruinous cost of litigation by accepting a guarantee from the County that at some point in the future, the County would lend them money at no interest cost.  But with the State and the Community Colleges both suing the County, there is a high probability that the Court is going to require the $73.5 million be transferred from the County to a bank trust account for safe-keeping.

Orange County’s payroll is $65 million every two weeks.  The loss of the schools’ money, higher pension costs and restrictions against skimming County accounts present real risks to Orange County’s cash position.  Litigation will eventually require document discovery and depositions?  It will be fascinating to see how Orange County tries to spin their precarious financial position.   

 Follow Chriss' Blog at www.chrissstreetandcompany.com

 Chriss Street’s latest book: “The Third Way”; now available on www.amazon.com  If you would like to order a signed copy, contact The Forum Press at:  www.theforumpress.com

Obama's WOW - The Rosen/Clinton Rules

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Obama's War on Women (WOW)

1.  Wise women subscribe to the Gospel According to Pelosi/Obama - " a baby is nothing more than a fetus and a fetus is worthless"  Oxford University "connected"  Ethicists Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva


2.  Single hyper-sexually active women, who dare demand government subsidies for contraceptives are deemed role models


3.  Consistent with Princeton professor Peter Singers' views, Francis Crick (Nobel Prize for DNA/RNA) and Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel (Rham Emmanuel brother)- Women who choose to give birth to children with disabilities are in need of serious help from Planned Parenthood


4.  Women who choose life and stay at home, are not part of a macro-economic system, and thus know nothing about economics.


RELATED STORIES
Eric Holders Distinction
http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2011/03/let-my-people-blow-eric-holder.html 


 Obama's Phony religiosity  
 http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/is-barrack-obama-christian.html 
http://www.redcounty.com/content/obamas-religiosity-phony


Obama's WOW - War on Women: OK to choose to abort. not OK to choose family first:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-04-12/ann-romney-hilary-rosen-work/54235706/1


Real Moms of the GOP versus White House SOP http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2012/04/13/real_moms_of_the_gop_vs_white_house_sop


British Ethicists:  babies can be killed
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/04/12/British-Ethicists-Infanticide




Selective misogynist reasoning: 
http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2012/03/selective-misogynist-reasoning-boycott.html


Selective Aesthetic reasoning 
http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/selective-aesthetic-reasoning.html

RSM Biker charged with recklessly running red lights at 100MPR

Posted by CotoBlogzz 

*This case resulted in a non-fatal officer-involved shooting 

Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca - Dennis Mitchell Mueller,  has been charged with recklessly driving 100 mph, including running through red lights, on his motorcycle in an effort to evade a pursuing Orange County Sheriff's deputy, resulting  in a non-fatal officer-involved shooting, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.   

 Mueller, 20, Rancho Santa Margarita, is charged with one felony count of evading while driving recklessly and one misdemeanor count each of resisting and obstructing an officer and driving on a suspended license.    

He is  being held on $25,000 bail in this case and is subject to a no-bail probation violation hold and is expected to be arraigned today,    

The Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) is investigating the officer-involved shooting incident at this location involving this defendant.    

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with additional information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Ron Seman at (714) 347-8814.   

Not a real law professor, not a math major, not an economics major, not a logician

Posted by cotoblogzz

Not a real law professor, not a math major, not an economics major, not a logician 

During a fundraiser blitz Today in Florida, President Barack Obama predicted a 2012 victory, not unlike the 1964 contest between Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater — one that ended up with one of the greatest Democratic landslides in U.S. history.

In a gated community hosted by 1%ers the President pushed the Buffet Rule with the following rhetorical question:  any of you out there math majors?  You simply cannot cut the deficit gap by reducing revenue.

Now, if you do not get the oxymoronic visual, you may not get this takeaway either.  

Not a real law professor, not a math major, not an economics major, not a logician 

Student Art Exhibition 2012 American-Idol Style

Posted By CotobnLogzz

Mission Viejo, CA – The Saddleback College Art Gallery will  present the Juried Student Art Exhibition on April 23rd through May 9th in the Saddleback College Art Gallery.  This popular juried student art exhibition returns again this spring featuring works from Saddleback College’s studio art, photography and graphic design classes. Selected from over 400 submitted entries, 80 works will be chosen and on display with a variety of media including drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, jewelry, sculpture, photography, mixed media and graphics. 

All Saddleback students are eligible to vote in Saddleback’s “Student Choice” awards. Students may vote from Monday, April 23rd – Saturday, April 28^th at regular gallery hours.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday-Wednesday, Noon to 4 pm and Thursday, 4 to 8 pm.  The Gallery will also be open Saturday, April 28^th from 10am to 2pm.  An Artists’ Reception/Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 3rd from 5 to 8pm while jazz students play live music.  At 6:15 the awards will be announced which include the Student Choice Award, Faculty Choice Award, Dean’s Choice Award and President’s Choice Award. 

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Free parking is available in Lot 12.  Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the third left to “Theatre Circle,” turning right into Lot 12.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.  

Piano recital with Superstar Daniel Pollack

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Mission Viejo, CA – The Department of Music at Saddleback College is presenting  a piano recital fundraiser for the Saddleback College Piano Program starring superstar pianist Daniel Pollack on Sunday, April 29^th at 3 pm in the McKinney Theatre.  A meet-the-artist champagne ticketed reception at $10 per person follows the recital.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Pollack began his studies at the age of four and made his debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of nine, performing the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1.

Pollack  is a graduate of the Juilliard School from the class of the legendary Rosina Lhévinne.  Audiences worldwide, across five continents - North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Africa -- recognize the pianism of Daniel Pollack for its signature colors in sound, coupled with over-the-edge thrilling virtuosity, giving his performances an electrifying element that catches the imagination of concert goers. Worldwide critics speak about "his astonishing pianism," Washington Post; "his dramatic tension, poignant lyricism," Diapason Magazine, Paris, France; and "his torrents of sound that turned feathery flurries of delicate sounds," Los Angeles Times. Pollack was recently featured in a profile in the New York Times headlined "Piano Man, Winning Russian Hearts and Minds" in which it was quoted, "he is now a legend in Russia."

Another profile featured in the International Herald Tribune, headlined, "A Musical 'love affair' with Russia." Recent highlights include appearances as soloist with conductor Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia and as soloist with such major international philharmonics as London's Royal, Seoul, Korea, Hong Kong, Kiev, Ukraine, Bogota, Colombia, Montevideo, and in the U.S., as soloist with the philharmonics of New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore, San Francisco, Minnesota, among numerous others.  Pollack has held several artist faculty positions including The Juilliard School, Columbia University and Yale's School of Music and is now on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Tickets are $20 general; $15 students/seniors; and $10 for the Meet-the-Artist Champagne Reception.  Music teachers with a MTAC or CAPMT ID receive a two for one discount.  

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Free parking is available in Lot 12.  Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the second left to Theatre Circle, turning right into Lot 12.

The Music Department has established a comprehensive program which is considered to be one of the finest in California:  a complete lower-division curriculum for transferring music majors, numerous performance groups, private and group lessons, a full concert series with faculty and guest artists, and general music courses.  The nationally recognized faculty is dedicated to performance and to teaching in all areas such as vocal, instrumental, jazz, guitar and piano.  Other music classes include harmony, musicianship, composition, history and appreciation of western art music, rock, jazz and world.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers more than 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu.  For Fine Arts events, visitwww.saddleback.edu/arts. 

 

The 2012 Dance Collective at Saddleback College

Posted by Cotoblogzz

Mission Viejo, CA – The Dance Department at Saddleback College is presenting present Dance Collective 2012 on April 26^th, 27^th and 28th at 8 p.m. in the McKinney Theatre.  The Dance Department offers a wide variety of styles again this spring with hip hop, jazz, tap, modern, African, Belly Dance and ballet.  One of the hip hop pieces by Kim Baglino Tuason titled Phenomenal Woman incorporates the amazing poetry of Maya Angelou.  

A sobering modern piece by Kirsten Hopkin titled DUI calls attention to the dangers of drinking and driving.  There will also be a piece by Isadora Sharon and Carissa Brinckerhoff that blends the passion of African and Belly Dance in a piece called Sisterhood.  A piece by Mimi Liu is a multi-media piece juxtaposing film and dance titled I Spy.... I Sympathize:  Where Film Meets Dance On The Streets.  Ballet is represented in the concert through a beautifully designed piece by Kathryn Totheroh titled La Corte de la Reina.

Tickets are $12 (presale); $15 (at the door); children 7 years and under free but require an admission ticket.  Call (949) 582-4656 (Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 4 pm) or online at www.saddleback.edu/arts for tickets.

The Saddleback College Dance Department offers several technique classes at all levels for ballet, jazz, modern and tap. In addition, courses are offered in the history of dance, exercise for dancers, rehearsal and performance, dance production and choreography. College-wide dance concerts are put on each semester and promoted as a major theater event.

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit. Parking is available in lot 12. Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Pkwy turn left to the third traffic light, turn right into the campus and take the second left to the Theatre Circle turning right in lot 12.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visitwww.saddleback.edu/arts.  

 

An Evening in the Theatre of the Absurd. Beyond

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Mission Viejo, CA – The Department of Theatre Arts at Saddleback College has scheduled  three one act plays by Eugène Ionesco, for the first week in May with the May 3^rd already sold out. 

Ionesco, a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd. Beyond ridiculing the most banal situations, Ionesco's plays depict in a tangible way the solitude and insignificance of human existence.  Saddleback students will be performing The Bald Soprano, The Leader, and The Chairon May 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th at 8 pm and May 6^th at 3 pm in the Studio Theatre. 

The Theatre of the Absurd,  Théâtre de l'Absurde in French,  is  absurdist fiction written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1960s, as well as one for the style of theatre which has evolved from their work. Their work expressed the belief that human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down.

Other playwrights commonly associated with the Theatre of the Absurd include Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Fernando Arrabal, Suzanne Carbone and Edward Albee.

Directed by William Francis McGuire, these absurdist sketches tend to express modern feelings of alienation and the impossibility and futility of communication with surreal comic force where language becomes rarefied, with words and material objects gaining a life of their own.  If you haven’t experienced an Ionesco play, now’s your chance and the price is right at $5.

Tickets can be purchased by calling (949) 582-4656 (noon-4 Tuesday-Saturday) and online at www.saddleback.edu/arts.  Prices are $5 general admission.

Riley Moriarty, Shadi Ghaheri, Chelsea Martin

Photographer:  Ken Kinder

The Department of Theatre Arts program at Saddleback College produces several fully-staged shows in which students are encouraged to participate.  Theatre Arts students are given the opportunity to audition for every production and Theatre Arts students are given priority in the casting process.  In addition there are numerous opportunities for students to contribute in backstage activities of all college productions.

Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Free parking is available in Lot 12.  Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the third left to Theatre Circle, turning right into Lot 12.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.  

KNX1070/CBS's Political Polish Joke

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - “First of all, there's been a lot of confusion about the spelling of "Polak." It's not "Polock", "Polack", or "Pollock." And it's not "Pole", because that's something you stick old, worn-out boots on. It's just plain "Polak", because that's how it's spelled in Polish. No, really. I myself am Polish, and I'm not dead-headed enough to get offended by Polish jokes. I must admit, Polish jokes tend to be the most creative and catchy of any jokes I've ever heard”  writes Do Widzenia, a  Computer Science major student at Yale in The Canonical List of Polish Jokes

Included in the list are:

5 - Polish kamikaze flew 48 successful

 missions.

6 - Polish loan shark lends out all his money, skips town.

8 - Q. How do you sink a polish battleship?

A. Put it in water.

                      

KNX1070/CBS's  Bill Polish coverage of the GOP primary yesterday included his  attempt at humor, and while not funny, was more symptomatic of the radical left wing and hyphenated media’s use of rhetorical devices to manipulate the dependent, apathetic and or cognitive-challenged electorate and why President Obama has a chance at a second term.

In the President’s on words, 69% of Americans are apathetic or stupid.

Polish’s coverage included brief interviews with GOP operatives focusing on the lack of enthusiasm for the GOP candidates, and referring to Governor endorsements as enthusiastic as looking forward for a colonoscopy.  

Bill Polish is a  Los Angeles native, raised in Glendale and  graduated with a Master’s Degree in Journalism from USC.  After working in Eugene, Oregon; San Jose, CA; San Francisco; Chicago; Minneapolis; Phoenix; Seattle; and San Jose, he had the opportunity to return to his birthplace, in 2001, to work for KNX. Bill has been a field reporter; bureau chief; news director, business reporter and anchor  According to the CBS website, Polish is indecisive; can’t hold a job, loves to move,  hates commuting, loves walking to work, reading and photography.  Loves to manipulate the dependent, apathetic and or cognitive challenged electorate, might be added

The Mostly Left Wing & Hyphenated Media, targeting the apathetic, uninformed and or otherwise cognitive challenged electorate as exemplified by Polish’s coverage, continues to use WMD (weapons of mass dis-formation) to eventually hand the radical left a victory in 2012.  The message to the  KNX1070/CBS radio audience is clear:  There is something wrong with the GOP candidates and therefore, you should vote to reelect King Obama, err. President Obama.

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Lt. Governor Newsom’s - an Illustration of Self-Bounded Rationality 

http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2011/09/lt-governor-newsoms-illustration-of.html

King Obama? - Which Three Branches of Government?

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - We think that President Obama's Freudians or gaffes are not errors, as much as indicators of his belief system:  Candidate Obama said he had visited 57 states - there are 57 states in the Organization of Islamic Conference.

President Obama said in Turkey the USA is not a Christian nation, when a 2009 Gallop poll shows69% of Americans view themselves as Christians.

Most recently, President Obama has characterized the US Supreme Court as unelected officials, very much comparing it to any other parasitic DC bureaucracy, such as the US Office Supplies Department AKA as the General Services Administration, whose head Martha Johnson just resigned her post for wasteful taxpayer spending.

Now, effective politicians of all persuasion use rhetorical devices to manipulate and or persuade the electorate and the Mostly Left Wing Media & Hyphenated Media amplifies the administration’s message  to manipulate the dependent, apathetic and or otherwise cognitive challenged electorate.  Or as President Obama might say,  69% of Americans are either apathetic or stupid.

In belittling and demonizing the Supreme Court, it is clear the President is setting up yet one more scapegoat.

The separation of powers  model  of governance, developed in ancient Greece was  widely  used by the Roman Republic. Under this model, the state is divided into branches,  executive, a legislature, and a judiciary, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that no branch has more power than the other branches. 

French Enlightenment political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, Montesquieu incorrectly described a division  of political power among an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary, based on the British constitutional system.  In this case, the  United Kingdom had a very closely connected legislature and executive, with  links to the judiciary though combined with judicial independence.

Perhaps Professor Obama was using the "English Model" as he would say, when he was teaching Constitutional law and saw himself as King Obama?

As the Godfather might say, "I don't believe in coincidences"

Wishing KSBR Happy Birthday With Jazz Festival & Food

Saddleback College’s Veterans Memorial is the most significant tribute to veterans at any community college campus in the nation.

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – The KSBR Birthday Bash Jazz Festival, presented by Saddleback College radio station KSBR(88.5 FM) Saddleback College, returns to the Village Green at Oso Viejo Park on Sunday, May 27, 2012, with a new twist to the already popular event. 

The first annual Taste of the Bash will feature over 25 restaurants showing off their finest creations.  The Taste is an added value and those purchasing tickets to the concert will be admitted to the Taste of the Bash for no additional charge.  The Birthday Bash is the major fundraising event for KSBR-FM, Mission Viejo’s own community radio station at Saddleback College. 

The Bash has around 40 jazz artists who gather to play at the unique event. Brenda Russell, Boney James, David Benoit, Hiroshima, Greg Adams, and Peter White are just a few of the biggest stars in contemporary jazz who have appeared in Mission Viejo for the annual KSBR Birthday Bash Jazz Festival. 

Because of contractual obligations, many of the biggest stars cannot be announced until they actually step on stage, which makes the event even more fun and surprising.  

The event will include a special tribute to Veterans.  Saddleback College’s Veterans Memorial is the most significant tribute to veterans at any community college campus in the nation. In recognition of this event and the role that the college’s VETS (Veterans Education and Transition Services) Center plays in the community, the festivities will include a color guard performance and a special musical tribute to kick off the concert.

In addition, veterans and active military personnel may purchase general admission tickets for just $25 through the Saddleback College VETS Center (949) 582-4252. The Center is open Monday – Thursday 9am to 4:30pm and Friday 9am to 12 noon.

Doors open at 3:00 pm; the Taste of the Bash will run from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.  Advance sale ticket prices begin at $45; $50 at the door.  Reserved VIP seating is still available and is priced at $100-$175 per person. Tickets are available to the public at www.KSBR.org, at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center and at the Fine Arts Ticket Office at 949-582-4656.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community. Having served more than 500,00 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visitwww.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.

Jessee sentenced to life for conspiring to have third husband murder to save money and cash on insurance

Co-defendant Thomas Joseph Garrick, 36, Laguna Hills, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder for financial gain 

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - Sandra Jessee was sentenced today to life in state prison without the possibility of parole for conspiring to have her third husband murdered so she could save money by not paying for his cancer treatments and financially profit from his insurance and 401(k) death benefits.

Jessee, 61, was convicted in a re-trial of the case, as a previous jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on July 21, 2009, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office.

Sandra Jessee's son from a previous marriage Thomas Dayton Aehlert, 42, Gold Canyon, AZ, pleaded guilty in this case Oct. 7, 2011, to one felony count of second degree murder.

Co-defendant Thomas Joseph Garrick, 36, Laguna Hills, is charged with one felony count of special circumstances murder for financial gain and one felony count conspiracy to commit murder. He is being held without bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 27, 2012

In the spring of 1998, Sandra Jessee's third husband of 15 years, 56-year-old Jack Jessee, was diagnosed with cancer. 

Between June 1, 1998, and July 1, 1999, Sandra Jessee conspired with Aehlert to hire a hit man to murder Jack Jessee for financial gain. Sandra Jessee wanted to have the victim murdered because she resented having to care for him and did not want to deplete their retirement savings, believing that insurance would not cover all of his cancer treatments. 

On several occasions in June 1998, Aehlert called friend Brett Schrauben, 39, to solicit and arrange the murder of Jack Jessee in exchange for $50,000. On June 24, 1998, Sandra Jessee met Schrauben in a store parking lot in Placentia. She paid him $5,000 to kill her husband while she was away from her home and instructed him to make the murder look like a residential burglary.  

On Aug. 13, 1998, Aehlert called Schrauben to discuss the murder, which was to take place that day. Schrauben requested his friend, Garrick, be the get-away driver.

That morning, Garrick is accused of driving Schrauben to the Jessee's home so that Schrauben could carry out the murder, but they left after Schrauben changed his mind. When Schrauben called Aehlert and told him that the murder had not been committed, Aehlert told Schrauben that Jack Jessee had to be murdered that night or else Sandra Jessee would do it herself. 

Schrauben told Garrick that the total payment offered by Jesse for the murder-for-hire was $25,000. Schrauben lied about the true $50,000 payment amount with the intention of keeping the extra money for himself. Based on the pay-out amount, Garrick is accused of agreeing to commit the murder and allowing Schrauben to trade with him as the get-away driver. 

At approximately 8:00 p.m. that night, Sandra Jessee left her house under the pretense of going to the bank with the knowledge that her husband would be murdered while she was gone. After Sandra Jessee had left, Schrauben and Garrick returned to the victim's house. 

Garrick is accused of entering the home and stabbing the victim several times, killing him. Schrauben then drove Garrick away from the scene. Just minutes later, Jack Jessee's adult daughter went to the victim's house and discovered her murdered father in the living room. 

After the murder of her husband, Sandra Jessee sold the Placentia home she had shared with Jack Jessee and moved to Arizona. She profited by receiving over $650,000 after the murder of her husband from the home sale profits and Jack Jessee's 401(k) death benefits and insurance. 

Between Dec. 18, 1998, and June 30, 1999, Aehlert met with Schrauben on multiple occasions in Phoenix, AZ, and Laughlin, NV, to pay him the remaining $45,000 for the murder. Garrick is accused of being paid $20,000 by Schrauben for his role committing the murder. 

The case went cold until 2005, when additional investigation linked the defendants to the murder. Sandra Jessee was arrested on the Orange County warrant at her daughter's home in Apache Junction, AZ, on May 25, 2007, by officers from the Phoenix Police Department. Aehlert was arrested that same day at his work in Phoenix, AZ. 

Schrauben pleaded guilty to one felony count of voluntary manslaughter on Nov. 20, 2008, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18, 2012.  Garrick was arrested Nov. 22, 2011.