Gripe of the day

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

I have to wonder if and when Chinese consumerism starts to produce a Sino middle class if we won't see that trade deficit decrease. I don't know. I do think we need to look hard at our own long term issues and shift our labor and financing resources toward infrastructure projects. This is a fundamentally complicated issue that I doubt anyone can agree on.

Markk recognizes the problem, and the kind of Ponzi scheme we've created, where our expenditures really aren't producing anything of value in the immediate and long term pictures. I can't really see how we can stay on track without massive deficit spending, which itself creates a host of problems. Obviously the wealthy aren't going to vote against their interests, so it'll be interesting to see how we're going to squeeze some more blood out of what's left of the middle and lower classes.

- Doc

[_Brackite]

Didn't California raise gasoline taxes several months ago to help improve infrusture in that state??

[_Markk]

the secondary point here is that dirt removal is a huge issue in the LA basin. In the past year we have seen it go from $32/yd to about $50/yd. The irony being that the Crenshaw Transit project (infrastructure project) is burdening an already burdened aspect of building...i wonder how many people understand that a considerable amount of excavated dirt is put on trains out of LA? or that there is such a business as being a "dirt broker"?

But yeah, those pensions yo...that is a true house of cards for the CA economy.

Dirt is expensive because of the green requirements. There are "phase" requirements that require a testing of the soil for contaminants in California. You can't just export or import soil to a project and use it without a phase 2 report.

I used to use dirt brokers all the time, you used to be able to sell it, but now days becasue of the environmental requirements you can't give the crap away. More often than not, we have to pay landfill prices to get rid of export, plus loading and transport.

Which reminds me of a story, when I was just out of high school I worked for a LDS friends father, who was a plumbing contractor. We were doing a large utility job and had yards of excess soil to get rid of. Some guy came up and offered us a case of beer for each load of dirt he could take away in a small dump truck, so we said okay. After about five loads my friends dad busted us, we copped to it, and then made the guy give him cases of root beer...and then put us on a wacker all day. The good part about it is he was the Bishop so it didn't go any further.

[_MeDotOrg]

I When Pat Brown, Jerrys dad, was governor something like 20 plus percent of our tax dollars went to infrastructure, under Jerry, it is like 3%

https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/ca ... _pie_chart

Also when I looked at the chart, I noticed general government spending is at 3%, yet pensions are at 17%...wow, I have to digest that.

Pat Brown was dealing with a pre-Howard Jarvis tax base.

[_SteelHead]

Don't gripe. It is a great day. Somebody just launched a tesla towards mars....

[_Doctor Steuss]

Dirt is expensive because of the green requirements. There are "phase" requirements that require a testing of the soil for contaminants in California. You can't just export or import soil to a project and use it without a phase 2 report.

for what it's worth, soils and engineer reports are required for any new home site that is being financed through government loan(s).

California may have implemented their state requirement since so much of new home builds are beyond the VA and FHA threshold. That's just a guess though.

[_Markk]

Dirt is expensive because of the green requirements. There are "phase" requirements that require a testing of the soil for contaminants in California. You can't just export or import soil to a project and use it without a phase 2 report.

for what it's worth, soils and engineer reports are required for any new home site that is being financed through government loan(s).

California may have implemented their state requirement since so much of new home builds are beyond the VA and FHA threshold. That's just a guess though.

What kind of report? An engineers report is typically in regards to compaction and perk...along with expansive nature. I haven’t done a residential project in 20 or 30 years, what kind of report is required?

A phase 2 report is required for export and import and more in line with contaminants.

[_Doctor Steuss]

What kind of report? An engineers report is typically in regards to compaction and perk...along with expansive nature. I haven’t done a residential project in 20 or 30 years, what kind of report is required?

A phase 2 report is required for export and import and more in line with contaminants.

It’s a geotechnical report, that includes the things you mentioned (like compaction, particle size distribution, groundwater, etc.), as well as laboratory analysis of things like water soluble sulfate, sodium sulfate, salts, and chloride.

I was definitely mistaken though as far as it being similar to what you were talking about (my apologies). After looking up the Phase II Environmental Assessment requirements, it’s definitely much more involved than what is required in a GeoTech report, or things like the fill sections on VA-29-1852, or the toxic hazard section of HUD-92541.

Basically, I’ve learned yet another reason why I’m glad I’m not doing this stuff in CA.

My condolences on the government headaches you have to work through.

[_Maxine Waters]

Debt financing, devaluation of our currency, austerity, and probably a bump in taxes for the wealthiest 5%. We'll have to keep importing cheap labor to keep this scheme going for a while. That's why the The Wall is so absurd.

- Doc

I think California has had more than its share of cheap Latin American unskilled labor over the past 75 years. How much has this really helped?

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Debt financing, devaluation of our currency, austerity, and probably a bump in taxes for the wealthiest 5%. We'll have to keep importing cheap labor to keep this scheme going for a while. That's why the The Wall is so absurd.

- Doc

I think California has had more than its share of cheap Latin American unskilled labor over the past 75 years. How much has this really helped?

I guess sixth largest economy in the world probably is too abstract for you to understand?

eta: Not too shabby for 39 million people.

- Doc