tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316565772024-03-08T06:45:21.671-08:00Andy Choy's Non SequiturThe main reason I blog is to stay in touch with all of you. For the past year, the longest time I’ve spent in the one time zone has been 3 weeks and that’s only happened once! While I’ll occasionally update my location, the purpose of the blog is primarily to let you know where I am mentally rather than physically. Have a read and please drop me a line to let me know what’s on your mind.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-66493458984201038532007-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:002007-07-30T10:51:05.762-07:00Hollywood Box Office TrendsI can't really understand why Hollywood isn't more concerned at the alarming rate at which movie life-spans are shrinking. Seems if you don't catch a movie the first week or two it comes out, you can't see it on the big screen at all. I've been meaning to see Spider-Man 3 but it hasn't been playing at a decent outlet in weeks even though it only came out in May. Even a movie like Transformers or Die Hard 4 is hard to find now.<br /><br />I understand the argument that Hollywood now makes more money on DVD sales than theatrical release, but all things being equal, wouldn't the studios want to extend the time and amount of money they make from each channel of distribution? Whatever happened to a movie with "legs"?<br /><br />The hard part is that I think the opening weekend numbers have become a signaling device that audiences assume correlates to how good a movie is. Anyone who has tried to sit through Miami Vice will attest that this method doesn't always work.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-74470952110197304892007-07-16T21:03:00.000-07:002007-07-16T21:08:13.475-07:00Worst TV Show EVERI was at the gym earlier this evening when I happened upon the worst TV show EVER! Seriously, this show should be banned. I'm absolutely certain this show has more negative and corrupting influence over kids than rap music or TV voilence ever will. So there's this show on MTV called My Super Sweet Sixteen or something similarly stupid. Basically, the entire show highlights these little spoiled brats getting these ridiculous sixteenth birthday parties. Who was the brains behind this one? Seriously, as bad as the show sounds, it's worse.<br /><br />With crap like this on the air, I guess I can understand why Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are so popular....Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-67175612937447536082007-07-12T11:19:00.001-07:002007-07-12T11:26:54.534-07:00Time Shares?I've had a few interactions with folks in the time share industry while working out here in Vegas. The cost of sales for a time share a ASTRONOMICAL. These guys pay top dollar on everything from free rooms to meals and entertainment to lure customers into hearing the sales pitch and ultimately buying a share. I would have thought that everybody is well aware that time shares are a horrible investment and moreover a complete rip-off. I mean, why else would anyone give you so much just to listen to the sales pitch? The profitability must be huge (which equals "RIP OFF"). Yet, time shares in Vegas are thriving! Who are you people buying these things?<br /><br />Also, if you are going to listen to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sales pitch</span>, you should try to demand much more than free show tickets. Some operators will actually give you as much as 2 nights <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">accommodations</span> with meals in addition to the show tickets just to sit through the time share presentation.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-73668098750238635002007-07-10T10:46:00.000-07:002007-07-10T11:29:26.965-07:00New 7 WondersSo the New 7 Wonders have been announced and they are:<br /><ul><li>Great Wall, China</li><li>Christ the Redeemer, Brazil</li><li>Machu Picchu, Peru</li><li>Chichén Itzá, Mexico</li><li>The Roman Colosseum, Italy</li><li>Petra, Jordan</li><li>Taj Mahal, India</li></ul><br />I've been to the first five on this list but not the last two. Personally, this is not the list I would have chosen. Here's my list of the New 7 Wonders (which disqualifies the great pyramid of Giza since it's one of the original 7 wonders):<br /><br /><ul><li>Great Wall, China</li><li>Machu Picchu, Peru</li><li>Chichen Itza, Mexico</li><li>Hagia Sophia, Turkey</li><li>Acropolis, Greece</li><li>Roman Forum, Italy</li><li>Angkor Wat, Cambodia</li></ul><br />Of these sites, I've been to the first six. In looking over my choices, I realize that I have a bias toward ancient feats of engineering. The youngest structure on my list was built over 500 hundred years ago (Machu Picchu) and gets the nod for its unbelievable location. Perhaps it was the 3 day hike to get there but Machu Picchu is easily one of the most spectacular sites I've ever seen. Here's my list of runner-ups and why they didn't make the cut. Interestingly enough, I haven't been to any of these sites. Perhaps they'd make the cut if I actually saw them:<br /><br />Close calls (spectacular, but not spectacular enough)<br />Petra, Jordan<br />Timbuktu, Mali<br />Bet Giorgis, Ethiopia<br />Golconda Fort, India<br />Samarkand, Uzbekistan<br /><br />Too Recent:<br />Taj Mahal, India<br /><br />Too Primative:<br />Stonehenge<br />Easter Island<br />Nazca Lines<br /><br />Other:<br />Great Zimbabwe<br /><br /><br />Man, I'm getting itchy feet....Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-39647019707959290292007-06-26T17:12:00.000-07:002007-06-26T17:23:35.481-07:00Importance of Industry on Job SatisfactionI've never placed too much emphasis on which industry to work in. I guess it comes from my ADD nature and knowledge that I'd eventually get bored with any industry I target. That being said, I think there are two very important considerations for selecting an industry.<br /><br />First, you've got to have some core ability to succeed in your industry of choice. Unless you're a technophile or electrical engineer, working in high tech probably isn't the best choice for you.<br /><br />Second, and more important, you've got to like the type of person who is also attracted to the industry. I never really thought about this aspect of job selection in the past but have come to appreciate it more lately. I've found that different industries attract different types of people. I think working an in industry where you like your peers really helps with job satisfaction, particularly for workaholics such as myself.<br /><br />Agree? Disagree?Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-91641240075814971142007-06-25T12:17:00.000-07:002007-06-26T17:12:27.447-07:00New Theory on Fertility Drug UsageI was talking to a friend about the prevalence of peers using fertility drugs or seeking invitro fertilization. I was quite frankly shocked that healthy, successful people in their early thirties are having difficulties conceiving. Her theory was that some of these over-achievers may simply be overly anxious and impatient about having a child. In thinking about it more, I think her theory makes more sense than anything I came up with.<br /><br />So are you people just impatient or is there something else going on here which is adversely affecting fertility?Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-39489731454620101112007-06-21T20:38:00.000-07:002007-06-26T17:06:03.032-07:00Jury Duty AwaitsIn case you're wondering, if you don't respond to Jury Duty summons, they just send you another one. If you don't respond to the next two, then they get serious and send you a very threatening note informing you that you have one last chance to report to jury duty before they send the cops after you.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-15113221274170491422007-06-10T21:03:00.000-07:002007-06-10T21:04:46.870-07:00Who's Ringo?Alright --<br /><br />All this time I thought "Ringo" was my friend Tyler, but Tyler just left a few messages using his own name. So who are you "Ringo"?Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-65149359865198130422007-06-07T13:10:00.000-07:002007-06-07T13:21:01.165-07:00Genius of Jack WelchI love what I've read about Jack Welch's management philosephies. He make a heck of a lot of sense with some pretty straightforward ideas such as the importance of candor within an organization. One of his lessor discussed tennants has to do with celebrating successess. Although he doesn't emphasize this pricipal too much, I have found it to be very important. Rather, I have experienced the consequences of failing to do so first hand.<br /><br />The main drawback of not sufficiently celebrating successes is that it kills employee morale. I'm not talking about the promoting flowery, "Hey, isn't this a great place to work!" morale. I'm talking about avoiding the "That isn't my job!" mentality. When you don't celebrate success, there's no incentive for people to stick their neck out and put extra effort into their daily jobs. Sales people side with their customers on the margin. Marketing departments run promotions during peak times when their assured success, ironically when the marginal effect of marketing dollars is lower. Employees start leaving at the stroke of 5:00 PM. I wouldn't be surprised if expense accounts slowly creep up as well.<br /><br />This problem can be very easily overcome by simply remembering to celebrate successes, no matter now small.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-85268442675372982352007-06-06T09:16:00.000-07:002007-06-06T09:35:25.873-07:00Elementary School TeachersA completely haphazard memory came to me this morning. I distinctly recall being repeatedly reprimanded as a child by my elementary school teachers for the same offense. Anyone who knows me can probably guess what that was.<br /><br />I talked to much during class.<br /><br />Even to this day I'm not quite sure why this was such a crime. I was undoubtedly bored out of my mind by the banal teachings in class. Additionally, the oratory and socialization skills I was developing have been FAR more valuable to me than any possible lesson about... to tell you the truth, I don't even remember what sort of crap they were trying to teach me in elementary school because I was too busy trying to talk to my friends during class! Interestingly enough, by the time I reached graduate school, these very traits I was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">chastised</span> for became the basis for academic success.<br /><br />Seems to me that there's a serious disconnect in our primary education system. The students just want to be engaged and the teachers just want to get through the day. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Unfortunately</span>, most students probably find playing and goofing off to be more engaging than the teachers' lesson plans.<br /><br />For that matter, aside from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">indoctrination</span>, why do school mandate certain works as "required" reading? Why is Shakespeare so important? Heck, it's not even written in modern English! If a kid wants to read Black Hawk Down or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Moneyball</span> (two of my favorite books) instead, why not let him or her? I'd argue that those two books are more relevant to today's world than some story about some murdering playboy and his little <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">hoochie</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">mamma</span> (Romeo and Juliette).<br /><br />That it, I'm home-schooling my children.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-55398442507788839692007-05-30T16:39:00.000-07:002007-05-30T16:46:07.196-07:00Pet Peeve of the DayWhat's up with people who have administrative assistants answer their phone but don't provide them with any information like when a better time to call back would be? If you're going to have someone answer you phone, at least equip them with some information. Why the heck don't you just have me roll straight into voice mail away?Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-46469817052251157152007-05-30T09:20:00.000-07:002007-05-30T09:33:53.722-07:00Quote of the DayI love this quote:<br /><blockquote>"I'm a very well-educated, successful, intelligent person," he told the paper. "This is insane to me that I have an armed guard outside my door when I've cooperated with everything other than the whole solitary-confinement-in-Italy thing."</blockquote><br />Click <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070530/ap_on_he_me/tuberculosis_infection&printer=1;_ylt=AqPn1ERrVbxJE61RFBR6_kla24cA" target="_blank">here</a> to read the entire article. I find it ironic how this moron proves my point about the U.S. health care system being better than anywhere else.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-83216326015904353222007-05-29T11:53:00.001-07:002007-05-29T12:12:37.707-07:00My Plan for Universal Heath CareRather than just come out with some half-baked idea about increasing income tax to the rich and forcing businesses to pay more medical coverage, I have an extremely actionable and inexpensive plan to provide for universal health care coverage.<br /><br />Step 1: Tax the crap out of unhealthy behavior. Whatever the tax on on cigarettes and alcohol is, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">freakin</span>' quadruple it. Institute a new tax on trans-fat or whatever it is in junk/fast-food that makes people obese. In fact, just institute a new tax based on body mass.<br /><br />Step 2: Tax the crap out of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">polluting</span> businesses, especially fossil fuel burning companies. I think government is missing out on a HUGE opportunity to both increase revenues and do something good for the environment by not taking action here. Pollution is a sizeable negative externality that government should try to curb. I cringe every time the news reports the number of deaths from a cold front and people rally for the government to subsidize heating oil costs. Why don't these people just wear more clothes in their homes? And where are all the Greenpeace folks then?<br /><br />Step 3: Build more parks and playgrounds. Gym membership fees are outrageous. A little jog path with a few pull-up bars works just as well. We just need more of them.<br /><br />Step 4: Ban American Idol. Is there a more effective way to get people off their couches and exercising more?<br /><br />Step 5: Sponsor more beauty <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pageants</span>. Feminists always talk about the evils of women with poor self-image and all the eating disorders the media causes. Simple solution here is to promote a healthier definition of beauty. A little government <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">propaganda</span> could go a far way here.<br /><br />All kidding aside, I think the key here is for people to take more responsibility for their own health and stop thinking that government can effectively provide health care for the population. And before anyone points out that many other countries do in fact have universal health care, ask <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">yourself</span> this: If you were ill, which country would you go to seek treatment?Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-85980125211803710382007-05-23T09:21:00.000-07:002007-05-23T09:34:13.153-07:00Unsolicited Resume AdviceI've been noticing a strange trend lately. More often than not, I've been seeing resumes which are longer than one page. I'm not talking about full <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CVs</span> that headhunters send which are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">understandably</span> longer. I'm talking about good old-fashioned "hey, I'm responding to your job posting" resumes. I've always felt that the purpose of the resume is to get you an in-person (not on the phone) interview. The resume only needs to get the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">perspective</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">employer</span> interested enough to talk to you and doesn't need to list each and every merit badge you earned while in the Boy Scouts. As such, one page should suffice. And if you simply can't squeeze everything into one page, there's nothing wrong with 10 point font.<br /><br />That being said, nothing will ever come close to matching the three-page resume I saw while working in Alabama last year that listed "skills" such as "The ability to hear a sound and discern from which location it came" and "The ability to see what is happening to one's side while one's eyes are focused forward." I'm not sure what's sadder: the guy's resume or the fact that I actually spent an hour interviewing him.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-70622921285389414052007-05-17T15:52:00.000-07:002007-05-17T16:01:38.347-07:00Best PR Person EVER<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wq326eUNyHo/Rkzd2eNJ2OI/AAAAAAAAAAM/rP2AMsv7SwA/s1600-h/maxim.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065667608775874786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wq326eUNyHo/Rkzd2eNJ2OI/AAAAAAAAAAM/rP2AMsv7SwA/s400/maxim.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I don't know whom he/she is or how much he/she gets paid but Lindsay Lohan's PR agent must be the most talented PR person on the planet. How else do you explain her being rated as #1 in Maxim magazine's Hot 100?</div><div></div>Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-57661109535640513562007-05-10T09:10:00.000-07:002007-05-10T09:36:27.304-07:00Why Jump Off a Building When You Can Enlist?I don't understand why people jump off buildings to kill themselves. It just seems like a horrible way to die. I'm not talking about the falling or even the landing but rather the senseless damage that will undoubtedly be done upon landing. Seeing as how most tall buildings are in urban areas that have some degree of pedestrian traffic, chances are pretty good that an innocent bystandard may be injured. Best case scenario still has the body landing on something else and still causing expensive damange.<br /><br />Why don't people who want to die just enlist to serve in the military? Serving in the military might give some distraught people a feeling of purpose in life and a reason to live. The worst case scenario is that they die in combat and are no worse off than if they had committed suicide.<br /><br />Just a thought....Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-13540529245005387512007-05-07T21:53:00.000-07:002007-05-09T21:36:03.509-07:00Why I Love Sales TaxesThere's no denying that government spending is sometimes a good thing (unless you're a anarchist, that is). While one can argue how much government should be spending, I don't think anyone (other than the aforementioned anarchists) will argue that we shouldn't have a government at all. That being said, governments need some way to raise money. There's really only one way a government can raise funds: taxation.<br /><br />Side note: Some of you Public Finance guys out there might take issue with the statement above and say that governments can issue bonds to raise funds. While this might be true in the immediate term, eventually the governments will have to pay off the debt through some other means which comes back to taxation.<br /><br />Side note 2: OK, I guess the government can also seize assets and sell them off to private individuals in order to raise money but that's not sustainable in the long term and detrimental to a well-functioning state.<br /><br />Back to the story. With taxation being the only way to raise money, we're left with only two choices: taxing production or taxing consumption. As a firm believer in the free market, I abhor anything that inhibits the creation of value. Taxing production does exactly that. The tax reduces the incentive to produce. Taken to an extreme, there would be no incentive to make goods and provide services people want and shortages would abound (think Cuba -- more on this in the future). Income taxes are a form of production taxes since you pay according to how much wealth you earned.<br /><br />On the other hand, sales taxes are consumption taxes. They collect funds on transactions that take away from the public good. Each time someone consumes an item, there is less of that item to go around. The more you consume, the more sales taxes you pay.<br /><br />Many people think that sales taxes aren't fair because poor people can't afford to pay their proportional share of the tax burden. Sales taxes naturally adjust for this since wealthier people can consume more goods/services than the poor and as such would pay more in sales taxes. Wealthy individuals who don't consume goods/services aren't putting a strain on the system and as such shouldn't pay the same amount as those who consume more.<br /><br />Agree? Disagree? Let me know!Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-36543015583409937332007-05-07T14:15:00.000-07:002007-05-07T14:17:13.637-07:00Hedge Fund Bubble Alert!You know the bubble is about to burst when there's a website called <a href="http://www.turnkeyhedgefunds.com/" target="_blank">"turnkeyhedgefunds.com"</a>....Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-12226991273770066492007-05-07T10:05:00.000-07:002007-05-12T00:18:23.277-07:00Notes from My Business School Reunion<p>I spent the weekend in the Bay Area attending my business school 5 year reunion and came away with the following thoughts (in no particular order):<br /><br />1. My classmates at Stanford aged very well. For the most part, everyone looked pretty much the way I remembered them looking. A handful of people had shorter or longer hair but for the most part just about everyone was instantly recognizable.<br />2. While there were a lot of people missing that I really wanted to see (I think turn-out was about 50% of the class), there were so many people in attendance whom I haven't seen in such a long time that it was easy not to focus on the missing people.<br />3. Evening events should always be indoors!<br />4. There was virtually no involvement from the faculty or staff at the reunion. I think it would have been nice if the Dean had attended and given a few words.<br />5. The event was far too short. I could have easily spent an entire week just hanging out with my classmates talking about work and life and such.<br />6. There are no changing tables in the men's bathroom in Arrillaga. What's up with that?<br />7. I was a bit surprised by the number of people who confided that they are having trouble conceiving a child. Most of my classmates are only in their early 30s, well-educated, wealthy, and in great physical shape. Just more data for my assertion that natural selection for humans may be dead (to be the subject for a posting some time in the future).<br />8. Although I spent only two years with these people and haven't seen many of them in 5 years, we were able to pick up old friendships very easily.<br /><br />I'm definitely looking forward to seeing all of my long term partners at the next GSB reunion!</p>Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-46271585234553562212007-05-02T08:11:00.000-07:002007-05-02T08:18:33.330-07:00Quick Thoughts on Immigration RalliesI don't have too much time this morning but wanted to jot down two thoughts about the immigration rallies yesterday. And for the record, I'm a HUGE proponent of increasing immigration and immigrant rights but I'll explain that some other time.<br /><br />First, why on Earth do the protesters wave MEXICAN flags and wear red, white, and green? If they're trying to fight for immigrant rights, seems a lot more sensible to wave around an AMERICAN flag and wear red, white, and blue, doesn't it? Wouldn't they want to show their pride in being Americans and loyalty to the US?<br /><br />Second, why do they demand rights? If I were one of the organizers of the rallies, I would demand to pay income taxes. What? That's right. Take the contrapositive position and instead of "No taxation without representation", shout out, "Representation with taxation!" Seriously, wouldn't the anti-immigrant movement look pretty stupid if they were against people who wanted to pay income taxes and be treated as equals?<br /><br />Just two quick thoughts to start the morning....Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-9462487968847500912007-04-30T08:37:00.000-07:002007-04-30T08:45:16.942-07:00Why Not Clean Up The Slums When You Can Tax?Read a very interesting (to me, at least) article this morning about de facto privitization of law and order in Brazil that disguised itself as <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/rio_s_slum_militias&printer=1;_ylt=AsNg58Xf2VyE0kFuMQJv66y9IxIF" target="_blank">"Vigilantes impose peace in Rio slums".</a> I don't understand why politicians think they have a monopoly on public service or even if relying on government is the most effient means of providing public goods. One of these days I'll get around to writing some thoughts about public education.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-74501131904853686502007-04-29T22:56:00.000-07:002007-04-29T23:07:02.291-07:00Why Collect Tolls When You Can Tax?So I'm in the Bay Area this week and want to rant about the stupid bridge tolls. It's not the amount that annoys me but rather the inefficiency of the toll collection process. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about fee for usage as a more socially efficient means of paying for infrastructure. That being said, collecting tolls on the various bridges in the Bay Area is one of the biggest wastes of resources. Any one who has tried to cross one of the bridges during rush hour knows exactly what I'm talking about. Traffic gets backed up for miles just so the city can collect $4 per car. In this case, the cost (inefficiency) of collecting the direct usage fee is far greater than the alternative of collecting the revenues in a more indirect manner. My proposal would be to increase property taxes for homeowners in the Bay Area to offset the revenues lost by ending the bridge tolls. EVERYONE benefits from the bridges in some form or another and I'm willing to bet there's a pretty high correlation between price of home owned and usage of the bridge. In any case, the inefficiency of this indirect payment would be considerably less than the current inefficiency of everyone slowing down to pay the toll. I actually like property taxes a lot because it's one example of a progressive tax that is based on consupmtion and not production., but that's a topic for a different day....Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-62165356265254140472007-04-28T00:07:00.000-07:002007-04-28T00:13:42.817-07:00Why Ban When You Can Tax?So all this talk about banning incandescent light bulbs in California is really annoying me. I can just see it now -- Californians making a run for the Nevada border to buy their fix of cheap light bulbs. A much easier and more efficient remedy is to simply levy a large tax on incandescent light bulbs. The revenues from this special tax could then be applied to subsidize the price of more expensive (but more efficient) florencent bulbs.<br /><br />And in case you think this is crazy and without precedence, it's essentially what the cigarette tax does.Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-64268558904652223052007-04-25T09:17:00.000-07:002007-04-25T11:32:15.327-07:00Proposal on Gun ControlI've got a simple proposal to overt tragedies such as the Virginia Tech shootings: co-signing gun permits. While the waiting period and background checks mandated by the Brady Bill certainly make a lot of sense, I think we need more stringent measures to protect against first time felons such as Seung-Hui Cho. Just about everyone from his classmates to an escort he hired a week before the events knew this guy was "creepy". Even his own sister says he was a weirdo! It got me thinking if there is ANYBODY who is willing to vouch for this guy. Voila! Co-signing for gun permits.<br /><br />Just like a loan, the co-signer would bear responsibility for the actions of the primary signer. Gun enthusiasts, hunters, and even people who want to own a firearm for personal protection should have no problem finding someone to co-sign their application. And if they can't find a friend or loved one to co-sign and accept responsibility for their actions, shouldn't that tell us something about the applicants' worthiness to own a means of death?<br /><br />Of course, we could always just adopt Chris Rock's proposal and levy a HUGE tax on bullets....Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31656577.post-35262031611624112422007-04-25T08:27:00.000-07:002007-04-25T09:17:21.211-07:00Long Delay ExplainedI started blogging a few months ago in an effort to stay in touch with my friends better as my travel schedule was getting rather crazy. The blog really helped me keep in touch with one friend in particular, Wes Roberts. Wes was by far the most frequent reader of and commentator on my site. Many times, my postings would lead to a long e-mail chain back and forth. For those of you who don't know Wes, we were friends in college and worked together for 5 years. Much of our time at work was spent talking about the sort of things I write about. Sadly, Wes passed away a few weeks ago. Here's his obituary.<br /><br />Wesley David Roberts passed away on March 23, 2007. He was born on January 12, 1977, beloved son of Renae and David Roberts. He attended Palos Verdes schools, beginning with Mira Catalina where his mother was and is a teacher. He was in the first class to go through four years at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, where he was active with Mock Trial, a member of the cross country team and Spanish Honor Society, and captain of the golf team. He belonged to Palos Verdes Assembly and was presented in 1995, the year he graduated. He received a BA from the University of California Berkeley in 1999, majoring in Economics, and was president of Chi Psi Fraternity. While attending Berkeley and after graduation he was an executive at Virco Manufacturing in Torrance. He received an MBA from the Marshall School at the University of Southern California in 2005 and was a law student at UC Hastings at the time of his passing. He had a heart of gold and was a pet lover, avid reader, hiker, traveler and Cal football fan. <br /><br />Wesley is survived by his parents, Renae and David Roberts of Rancho Palos Verdes, his English bulldog, Bentley, his grandmothers Peggy Johnson and Delia Roberts, his grandfather Dale Johnson, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in the South Bay. He will be remembered with love by Katie Dye Roberts and her family in Rancho Palos Verdes.<br /><br />Donations in his memory can be made to The Beacon House (1003 S. Beacon Street, San Pedro 90731) or the Peninsula Education Foundation (PO Box 2632, PVP 90274).Andy Choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994747552033593698noreply@blogger.com0