Hot off the Press: I despise Orange County so much that I’m actually cheering for the Yankees edition

Despite efforts by lobbyists to persuade it to do otherwise, the California Energy Commission is poised to ban "energy-hungry big-screen televisions": http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bigtvs14-2009oct14,0,4908205.story. The lobbyists urged the commission to "let consumers use their wallets to decide whether they want to buy the most energy-saving new models of liquid-crystal display and plasma high-definition TVs" instead of passing government regulation. Yeah. That approach as worked so well with cigarettes, which actually kill people.

In this LAT op-ed piece, Tim Rutten says voters and California's initiative process are partly to blame for the state's woes: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rutten14-2009oct14,0,2091582.column.

According to this Barbara Ehrenreich (who seriously writes a grip-load) LAT op-ed, "[f]eminism made women miserable.": http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ehrenreich14-2009oct14,0,7471297.story.

Since its minimum wage is tied to inflation, Colorado is required by law to lower the state's base pay because of falling inflation: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/us/14colorado.html?_r=1&ref=us.

This is unprecedented, at least from what I know: Iowa governor Chet Culver is cutting his own salary 10 percent, sacrificing his own finances as a gesture of solidarity to Iowans who have also been hit by The Great Recession (seriously, when will it get a proper fucking name): http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2009/10/14/culver-to-cut-his-own-pay-by-10-percent/. It's a start, but seriously, Chet: you get complimentary housing and transportation on the state's coin. You're still making more money than my parents make combined.

P-C article regarding what scholars say are troubling trends in Halloween costumes: http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091015/NEWS01/910150340/1079. I always dressed as a mad scientist; I had a white doctors robe with blood stains all over it.

The other California lifestyle, which never gets any publicity: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bessie16-2009oct16,0,7618199.story. That's Venice for you.

Think the budget situation in Iowa looks bad now? The state budget gap could be $1 billion for FY 2011: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091016/NEWS10/910160366&theme=BUDGET_CUTS. Regarding the affect on the state's public universities (aka, Iowa City's only major industry) House Speaker Pat Murphy had this to say: "When people say there are going to be hundreds of layoffs, I say, no, it will be thousands."