Thursday, July 25, 2024

Why Everyone Should Get A Preup

Her First $100,000 has a recent article on why everyone needs a prenup.  Although "everyone" means everyone getting married. 

The main reasons are:

  • You want to be in control of your own financial situation
  • Prenups help you safeguard your assets—both current and future
  • Prenups help you protect your income and define spousal support obligations
  • Prenups can protect you from your partner’s debt
  • Prenups can protect you from financial hardship in divorce

I couldn't agree more. A prenup would have literally saved me a couple million dollars. Take the advice. 

Thursday, July 18, 2024

The U.S.'s “Pay-to-Win” Justice System

Stefanie Chen has an interesting opinion piece in The Spectator, a surprisingly impressive newspaper from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, about our pay-to-win legal system

Chen concludes:

Despite the presence of a clear “wrong,” in all of these cases, the U.S. capitalistic justice system has made it so that the rich can avoid admitting to their wrongdoings. While it’s hard to watch someone who had proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt get away with a mere slap on the wrist, it is also difficult to completely overturn America’s unjust court system at once, considering that it’s been established since Nixon’s presidency. Still, steps such as offering more qualified lawyers to poorer defendants, or promoting law to all socioeconomic backgrounds can be taken to help equalize the playing field between the rich and the poor. It might not stop the wealthy from getting away with crimes, but revising the biased court system can help make it so that the poor’s and middle classes’ lives aren’t ruined by unjustified sentences at the hands of a biased court.

I do not completely agree with her solution as it includes hiring more lawyers because I think that would just make the matter worse. What we need is a system like most of Scandinavia where crimes are rigorously enforced for all people and the punishment is equitably applied no matter who you are.  Then we would not need so many lawyers finding loopholes and pedaling influence. 

Friday, July 12, 2024

One Of Many

Joshua Kindred, a Trump appointed Federal Judge in Alaska, has resigned after a report came out accusing him of grossly inappropriate behavior as well as knowingly lying to investigators

A federal judge in Alaska resigned this week after investigators concluded he created a hostile work environment by sending crude messages to employees, engaging in sexual contact with a former law clerk and lying to colleagues about that relationship.

He could be impeached although that rarely happens with federal judges, especially after they have resigned. 

He could also be debarred but, as this site demonstrates, violating the Lawyers Rules of Professional Conduct or even the law rarely results in disciplinary action let alone disbarment for a lawyer. 

Lawyers, especially judges, are for the most part above the law. And they know it. Kindred had to resign because he was so openly abusive and, as one report stated, he ran his chambers like it was the Playboy mansion. Despite his resignation, he will very likely be able to continue to practice law. 

Most lawyers will blame Kindred for getting caught not for what he did. Because he is just one of many. 

Friday, July 5, 2024

Sexism is often thought of as being exclusively or mostly a male characteristic. Not so. Women mansplain just as much as men. Women are also just as sexist as men. For sexists of genders, I give you  Sally Miller Gearhart, the patron saint of the sexist. 

She was so sexist she believed males needed to be reduced to 10% of the population. I kid you not. 

Her solution to the world's woes, outlined in, "The Future–-If There Is One–-is Female", was a three step process:

  1. Every culture must begin to affirm a female future.
  2. Species responsibility must be returned to women in every culture.
  3. The proportion of men must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race.
Observation: The most sexist men would probably love Gearhart's solution, as long as they were in the 10% Think about, they would probably not have to work all and women would be all over them wanting sex. I bet Gearhart never thought of it that way. 

For those who agree that women should take over, it might be good to remember what men do.