Simitian says schools can't breathe easy yet

The Senator seemed to be caught between a rock and a hard place with all the problems currently facing his 11th District and the lack of money in spite of the enormous personal wealth of the inhabitants of the area which he covers.
I have always been a proponent of casino gambling which seems to terrify people even more than high food prices, unemployment, huge deficits, schools out of the most expensive areas like Woodside, Menlo Park, and yet we have more jobs closing, people not able to afford to commute because of gasoline, yet there are a lot very costly projects like the new gymnasium for 8 million dollars to be erected and named after the DOG of the anonymous donor with the proviso his name not be disclosed AND he be able to hire his own architect and construction company...As quirky as it sounds,the rich are not saying no to a freebie which would, no doubt make the rich richer just like the swimming pool donated a couple of years ago in the also rich Palo Alto. It would seem to me Simitian would contact people who are also friends like Noel Perry, who donated a park and clubhouse in Woodside,the 20th most affluent city in the U.S. where he lives and owns property and is a venture capitalist/philanthopists
who is around nothing but the richest men in the country. Why keep all this money in such a small area for just the rich? Philanthropy should go towards the educators,the unemployed and the STATE which is in such deep need.Costly plans for the California trails should be put on hold by our Coastal Commission which would cost hundreds of millions and perhaps shift we should shift the focus to citizens who really need the frivolous eccentricities the money of the super rich can do the most service.Simitian seems like a nice man and with his connections, he would more than likely be re-elected with his zeal and as a DEMOCRAT he would likely shift his priorities.

Excuse me, Ms. or Mr. Gordon, but why did you shift from where I thought you were going with the casino issue, or was it just you did not intend to discuss it. I wish it were legalized and gambling were permitted without harming anyone like plain poverty.
As for your speculation on depending on the rich giving to the poor, it just does not work for many reasons.There is no money in it but for the construction companies and the little the county would make issuing permits.
At Stanford, on May 22, there is a debate called DOES PHILANTHROPY SHORTCHANGE THE POOR? between two brilliant economists will be presented at 2 PM to 3:30 PM. Robert Reich of Stanford and Kenneth Perwitt from Columbia U. and you will see how the rich get richer and the poor get a nibble from what philanthropy means today as compared to the days of the Vanderbilts and in the Bay Area, the Sutro and the De Young families who didn't have such greed. The kind of money they gave to San Franciscans created the areas Atherton, Woodside, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and all the places where it is fashionble to own homes and not have to say you are rich and have impressive palaces to do venture capitalization and make more money.

Relying on gambling addicts to fund the state is a bad idea. Why not just legalize drugs and fund the state with revenues from a sales tax on crack and meth?

To Speedy G........Your answer is beyond medieval like pot leads to heroin use whilst ignoring the deaths caused my legal alcohol and just shoving that aside and the taxation does not build schools any more than the LOTTO does.....boring old way of thinking.
Crack and meth can and is produced by college/high school kids and is not a profit making business in which an 'investment capitalist' could privatize and make millions, or, PERHAPS he would. Money which is made in HUGE quantities for the special few, most always come from the poor people for the pockets of the very rich who then write off the land they purchased for pennies becomes a write off when they donate it to rich kids to keep the riff raff out...PLEASE.

I'd like to pass on a few words of wisdom uttered by a very sincere art history teaching assistant in a UC classroom, because it may be applicable to the previous post.

"I don't read your papers while on meth, so please do not write your papers while on meth."

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