I think that saying that we currently have lower taxes, in terms of percentage of income, is a bit broad sweeping and could be considered anecdotal evidence. I haven't seen any accurate state-by-state statistical data, and I'm sure it's impossible to find this information on an individual case-by-case level. I can, however, tell you that I paid more taxes last year than I did the year before, and made less money last year than I did the year before. My circumstance are that I went back to school (graduate school), didn't take any loans and paid tuition out of pocket, and reduced my normal 40 hours at work to make time for school (thus taking a pay cut). Something seemed wrong with this picture. After having a lengthy discussion w/ the IRS (one of my favorite big bureaucratic govt. agencies), I came to find out that certain policies had changed from 2008 to 2009, that somehow involved shafting people like myself, who bust their butt at work & school - this equaled graduate students not qualifying for the full "Hope & Lifetime Credits," and paying more in federal taxes. I should have qualified for the full credit based on my income....and I didn't play any “minority cards” btw, because I don't believe in that. Anyway, going back to the subject at hand, I don't have any problems with the Tea Party. I'm sure they'll lose steam at some point...and I think it's a bit of a hyperbole to say that they will turn to something like "The Tuner Diaries" for inspiration. Personally, I think that groups that espouse socialist and communist doctrines are more concerning...

Russ Fher does rock, and he's practically an expert on municipal finance! I had him as a teacher for a public budget & finance class in grad school at CSUS and he was incredibly knowledgeable. He came across as someone who knows how to think outside of the box.

On the subject of the live music venue, I agree that this location is ideal; right in the heart of the central city. Though it's on Greenback, the location of the Boardwalk is terrible, making it somewhat of a misrepresentation of Sacramento. Even in the early 90's the Cattle Club/BoJangles, an analogous venue, wasn't as badly located as the Boardwalk. I think the idea of a medium-sized venue along K Street is fantastic...as long as it doesn't fall into the same peril as the former Empire Events center, which at one point had some great bands coming through, then somehow turned into a hip-hop/top-40, tacky club; where the likes of "girls gone wild" could come through (and yes, that franchise did stop through). I think the Council made a forward-thinking, yet pragmatic choice!!

Hmmm.. I would've given Nation Wide Freezer Meats the #1 spot and Jamie's #2. In my opinion, those are the two best, although the others are definitely notable!

What would proabably help all this is a good (and accurate) traffic study that focused on examining how frequently cars run reds and how frequently they don't stop at marked crosswalks (without traffic lights). Perhaps starting with main thoroughfares that you mention - 15th, 16th, etc. Then the City might be able to "crack down" in the most problematic areas in the best way possible. I wouldn't see why they wouldn't want to, especially since it could be a good source of revenue.