Dear Friends,
It is the middle of week two. So far so good. I am not getting to this blog as often as I hoped but, perhaps, I am here as often as I anticipated. Civil Procedures is probably my toughest class. I am not yet certain what my professor is working towards. Property and Contracts are both a lot of work, but I really enjoy the classes and am having a good time working through the cases. Torts, though, is likely my favorite. The teacher moves at a good pace and the material is enjoyable.
I think I'm going to like it here.
-LCC
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
School
Dear friends,
I am in day two of classes. We had a two-day orientation last week. I feel like my legal methods class has met 4 times already.
I am going back at 4:00 for yet another legal methods class.
Is it too early to feel burned out?
-LCC
I am in day two of classes. We had a two-day orientation last week. I feel like my legal methods class has met 4 times already.
I am going back at 4:00 for yet another legal methods class.
Is it too early to feel burned out?
-LCC
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Maxed Out
Dear Friends,
I watched the documentary "Maxed Out" last night. I am a big fan of the creditslips.org blog, and Professor Elizabeth Warren of HLS, a regular contributor to that site, is given a lot of camera time by the filmmaker.
I am not sure that the reasons for today's credit problems are as simple as the film might have one believe (i.e. greedy bankers and evil politicians) and I do feel sorry for the sad state of the many "victims" featured but I also understand that it is not a crime to take advantage of the uneducated, as cruel as that may sound. A vast majority of the people in this country are completely unaware of the consequences of credit card debt. They want more than they can afford and they seem willing to live paycheck-to-paycheck until the day they die. Everyone interviewed talked about the difficulty they have paying bills and then would list the car note, the house note, the credit card debt, and the cell phone bill.
One of the people interviewed was going on and on about all of his problems while sitting in front of his computer in what appeared to be a large house in the suburbs. None of them seemed to understand the connection between all of the things they had and their sad state. It is tough to get by without a car. I sold cars for a while and understand the position some folks are need. That said, I also saw a lot of people buying cars WAY out of their price range. They would take on $500 a month car notes on $35,000 a year salaries. Oh and that's for 72 months. Cell phones are not a necessity. Cable TV is not a necessity. Living in a big house in the suburbs is not a necessity.
I find it hard to feel bad for people who would rather spend their money than save it. On the other hand, the banks are not making life easier for the average American. I must get a new offer for a loan or a credit card every single day. Some of them want to give me well over a hundred thousand dollars. For someone that is broke, I imagine this sort of offer is very tempting. I also know why I get these mailers. I have average credit and live in a poor, black neighborhood in the South. Seriously, I live in what most would describe as "The Ghetto." Most homes on my block go for under $100K. I mention that it is a predominantly black neighborhood because I feel it is important to draw attention to a certain aspect of "Maxed Out" that I felt was not given enough time. Slavery ended 150 years ago. The blacks were freed, but had absolutely nothing to begin life with. Most turned to sharecropping, which, for all intents and purposes, made them debtors right out of the starting blocks.
Martin Luther King, Jr. used to discuss the myth of the bootstraps. "How," he would ask, "can we expect them to lift themselves up by their bootstraps, if they haven't got any boots?"
Being black and being poor go hand-in-hand in this country. It is one of our nation's greatest blemishes. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but whether we admit it or not, the effects of slavery and sharecropping are still taking their toll on the nation's black population. We have created a culture of debtors who have no intentions of ever paying off their debts. Why would they? Reparations will come when the economy collapses and banks are forced to forgive their debts. We are already seeing the warning signs as hedge funds built on sub-prime loans fall every few weeks.
Is that too doom and gloom for you? Sorry. The banks are shooting themselves in the foot by relying on the lower-middle class for all of their profits. The bankruptcy law passed recently is the most obvious example. We are treating the symptoms without treating the disease. I am, first and foremost, a capitalist and have great faith that the market will fix itself. That said, I fear what will happen in this country as it does. There is a great and destructive recession looming. The bottom is about to fall out.
Good luck.
-LCC
I watched the documentary "Maxed Out" last night. I am a big fan of the creditslips.org blog, and Professor Elizabeth Warren of HLS, a regular contributor to that site, is given a lot of camera time by the filmmaker.
I am not sure that the reasons for today's credit problems are as simple as the film might have one believe (i.e. greedy bankers and evil politicians) and I do feel sorry for the sad state of the many "victims" featured but I also understand that it is not a crime to take advantage of the uneducated, as cruel as that may sound. A vast majority of the people in this country are completely unaware of the consequences of credit card debt. They want more than they can afford and they seem willing to live paycheck-to-paycheck until the day they die. Everyone interviewed talked about the difficulty they have paying bills and then would list the car note, the house note, the credit card debt, and the cell phone bill.
One of the people interviewed was going on and on about all of his problems while sitting in front of his computer in what appeared to be a large house in the suburbs. None of them seemed to understand the connection between all of the things they had and their sad state. It is tough to get by without a car. I sold cars for a while and understand the position some folks are need. That said, I also saw a lot of people buying cars WAY out of their price range. They would take on $500 a month car notes on $35,000 a year salaries. Oh and that's for 72 months. Cell phones are not a necessity. Cable TV is not a necessity. Living in a big house in the suburbs is not a necessity.
I find it hard to feel bad for people who would rather spend their money than save it. On the other hand, the banks are not making life easier for the average American. I must get a new offer for a loan or a credit card every single day. Some of them want to give me well over a hundred thousand dollars. For someone that is broke, I imagine this sort of offer is very tempting. I also know why I get these mailers. I have average credit and live in a poor, black neighborhood in the South. Seriously, I live in what most would describe as "The Ghetto." Most homes on my block go for under $100K. I mention that it is a predominantly black neighborhood because I feel it is important to draw attention to a certain aspect of "Maxed Out" that I felt was not given enough time. Slavery ended 150 years ago. The blacks were freed, but had absolutely nothing to begin life with. Most turned to sharecropping, which, for all intents and purposes, made them debtors right out of the starting blocks.
Martin Luther King, Jr. used to discuss the myth of the bootstraps. "How," he would ask, "can we expect them to lift themselves up by their bootstraps, if they haven't got any boots?"
Being black and being poor go hand-in-hand in this country. It is one of our nation's greatest blemishes. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but whether we admit it or not, the effects of slavery and sharecropping are still taking their toll on the nation's black population. We have created a culture of debtors who have no intentions of ever paying off their debts. Why would they? Reparations will come when the economy collapses and banks are forced to forgive their debts. We are already seeing the warning signs as hedge funds built on sub-prime loans fall every few weeks.
Is that too doom and gloom for you? Sorry. The banks are shooting themselves in the foot by relying on the lower-middle class for all of their profits. The bankruptcy law passed recently is the most obvious example. We are treating the symptoms without treating the disease. I am, first and foremost, a capitalist and have great faith that the market will fix itself. That said, I fear what will happen in this country as it does. There is a great and destructive recession looming. The bottom is about to fall out.
Good luck.
-LCC
Monday, August 6, 2007
Bonds
Dear Friends,
I am posting this link in its entirety.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003621797
Basically, the author posits that Bonds' arm guard gives him a heretofore undisclosed mechanical advantage. Not only does the guard protect his arm, it also acts in such a way as to make his swing more powerful and more consistent. Is this more damning than the alleged steroids abuse? I would say yes.
-LCC
I am posting this link in its entirety.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003621797
Basically, the author posits that Bonds' arm guard gives him a heretofore undisclosed mechanical advantage. Not only does the guard protect his arm, it also acts in such a way as to make his swing more powerful and more consistent. Is this more damning than the alleged steroids abuse? I would say yes.
-LCC
Schedule
Dear Friends,
I now know all I need to know for now.
I am in the section I hoped to be in and have the schedule I hoped I would have. It is surely no accident that the number of classes per day decreases throughout the course of the week. I have four classes on Monday, two on Tuesday, three on Wednesday and Thursday, and then one on Friday.
I can't imagine that law professors want to work on Fridays, so it makes sense that the schedule would be set up that way.
This might have been the most boring blog post in the history of blog posts. I will try to think of something more exciting soon. Maybe something on Tax Law.
-LCC
I now know all I need to know for now.
I am in the section I hoped to be in and have the schedule I hoped I would have. It is surely no accident that the number of classes per day decreases throughout the course of the week. I have four classes on Monday, two on Tuesday, three on Wednesday and Thursday, and then one on Friday.
I can't imagine that law professors want to work on Fridays, so it makes sense that the schedule would be set up that way.
This might have been the most boring blog post in the history of blog posts. I will try to think of something more exciting soon. Maybe something on Tax Law.
-LCC
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Advice
Dear Friends,
I've been getting lots of good advice lately (I assume it's good anyway) and want to thank everyone who's been offering support.
Here is a list of some of the books I'm reading right now:
The Magic Mirror - Kermit L. Hall
"This book is about the history of American legal culture and the law in action." That is the first sentence of the Preface to The Magic Mirror. So far it is quite accurate. I am not reading this in a traditional manner; rather, I am skimming through it and reading chapters that look interesting. Lots of great stuff here. I highly recommend it.
The Glannon Guide to Civil Procedure - Joseph W. Glannon
This is by the guy who did the E&E for CivPro. So many people have recommended that I buy a book on CivPro that I made it a priority to do so. What sets this book apart is that Prof. Glannon teaches by testing. Every other page has a multiple choice question with a full explanation of each choice and reasons why the right answer is right. I am learning a lot. Let us see how I do when I am tested for real (I hate "for real" but use it anyway. Why?).
The Blessing of Liberty: A Concise History of the Constitution of the United States - Michael L. Benedict
This is the book I keep by the toilet. It is pretty easy to read and has small informative sections. My father gave me an advance copy he had as part of his "Pre-Law for People who were not Pre-Law" packet. Right now I am learning about how common law in England laid the foundation for common law in the Colonies.
In Search of Belief - Joan Chittister
The author of this book is a friend of my mother-in-law. She takes every line of the Apostle's Creed and writes a chapter about it. I read bits of it at the start of the day. It helps to put me in a contemplative mood.
The Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
I actually finished this one last weekend. I like how everything tied together. The most important thing I learned: The wand chooses the wizard. Words to live by, my friends. Words to live by.
I hate the phrase "Words to live by." It should be "Words by which to live," shouldn't it?
-LCC
I've been getting lots of good advice lately (I assume it's good anyway) and want to thank everyone who's been offering support.
Here is a list of some of the books I'm reading right now:
The Magic Mirror - Kermit L. Hall
"This book is about the history of American legal culture and the law in action." That is the first sentence of the Preface to The Magic Mirror. So far it is quite accurate. I am not reading this in a traditional manner; rather, I am skimming through it and reading chapters that look interesting. Lots of great stuff here. I highly recommend it.
The Glannon Guide to Civil Procedure - Joseph W. Glannon
This is by the guy who did the E&E for CivPro. So many people have recommended that I buy a book on CivPro that I made it a priority to do so. What sets this book apart is that Prof. Glannon teaches by testing. Every other page has a multiple choice question with a full explanation of each choice and reasons why the right answer is right. I am learning a lot. Let us see how I do when I am tested for real (I hate "for real" but use it anyway. Why?).
The Blessing of Liberty: A Concise History of the Constitution of the United States - Michael L. Benedict
This is the book I keep by the toilet. It is pretty easy to read and has small informative sections. My father gave me an advance copy he had as part of his "Pre-Law for People who were not Pre-Law" packet. Right now I am learning about how common law in England laid the foundation for common law in the Colonies.
In Search of Belief - Joan Chittister
The author of this book is a friend of my mother-in-law. She takes every line of the Apostle's Creed and writes a chapter about it. I read bits of it at the start of the day. It helps to put me in a contemplative mood.
The Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
I actually finished this one last weekend. I like how everything tied together. The most important thing I learned: The wand chooses the wizard. Words to live by, my friends. Words to live by.
I hate the phrase "Words to live by." It should be "Words by which to live," shouldn't it?
-LCC
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