Friday, November 17, 2006

Cracking the Tap for Stem Cell Cash

Monday is Revolution Day down here in Romantic Old Mexico but in California it will be the "show-me-the-money" day for the California stem cell agency.

The Finance Committee for CIRM is scheduled to open the spigot and start a major cash flow to fiscally strapped agency. The prime order of business is the governor's long-delayed promise to pump $150 million into the stem cell effort.

Of course, it is a loan to be paid back when the $3 billion in bonds are sold following the expected positive resolution of the lawsuit and appeal involving the agency.

The session of the group is slated for 1:30 p.m. in the state treasurer's office in Sacramento.

The treasurer's Web page coincidentally has an interesting feature on it, a constantly changing total for California state government indebtedness. The total approached $24 billion at the time of this writing. Your share was $2,551.93 -- if you live in California.

As for Revolution Day, it marks the 1910 revolution in Mexico, a multi-year affair that, among other things, sent tens of thousands of Mexicans fleeing into the United States because of the bloodshed and destruction of the economy. You can read more about it in "The Hummingbird's Daughter" by Luis Urrea" and "Rain of Gold" by Victor Villasenor , both men with strong California ties.

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