Or computers, jewellery, etc.

Or just order online of course.

Raise taxes beyond that and, bingo, receipts decline because people practice more tax evasion and avoidance, or simply work less hard, or move to Nevada etc etc

Compared to the relatively large salaries paid to tens of thousands of California employees at Apple, Facebook, Google, Intel, and hundreds of other CA technology companies, the deferred comp and options paid to a few top executives is relatively small. Anyone can research the state tax numbers - the vast majority of state (and federal) income tax is paid by very high income knnowledge workers who are mostly at the high-technology companies, and the professional lawyers and accountants who service these companies. None of their compensation is deferred or involves "interest-free loans."

Even the thousands of employees who get stock options and make a nice bundle when a company goes public almost always do "same-day sales" when the options are exercised, resulting in immediate taxation at ORDINARY income tax rates, not capital gain tax rates. This is partly good investment planning - diversifying assets, especially when employees work at the same place where the stock is issued - but also because most employees can't afford the tax hit when options are exercised so they need to sell the stock to pay the tax bill.

Between people who deliberately disseminate false inforamtion on this chatboard to make the progressive community look stupid, and the few incessent, angry posters who call themselves progressives but obviously hate the progressive movement or they would control their anger and bitterness better when posting here, it may be a good thing the city has changed so much over the past 15 years that the D5 seat is history and the pro-landlord, pro-development policies of the mayor, port and real estate interests are firmly in control of the city. Counting to 6 is likely to become increasingly difficult for the "progressive community." And counting to 8 is likely near impossible.

San Franciso was an interesting place to live post urban flight after the 1960's when housing prices and rents plummented, but current extremely high rents and high real estate prices have taken the bloom off the rose. Even with Prop C passing and its emphasis on non-profit landlord housing, I don't see the demographics changing much at all. The city is now like Paris or Manhattan or London or Tokyo - only the uber rich need apply to live there, along with a few percentage of very low income folks who can score a subsidized affordable apartment.

If the SFBG wants to be a place where organizing and sharing ideas is possible, then mandatory chatboard registration is needed. One, it will mostly end the false posts like the one I'm responding to now - fools, idiots and liers would be quickly identified and shamed from posting in the future - and two, it should allow us to block people like lilli and marcos and troll II and dnative and matlock who add nothing but a lot of snark, misinformation and nonsense because they are profoundly lonely and bitter.

A chatboard that attracts well-meaning posters like Greg and Danielle and others will attract other balanced and informed posters, and some progress on thoughts and ideas might be possible. Otherwise this chatboard is mainly a cesspool of bad information and a bunch of angry, bitter posters.