Peter's Caveat

Scandalous Divorce Lawyers Who Sleep With Their Clients

2012-02-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

I'm very proud of my soon to be billionaire friend Richard Komaiko who has written his first article for the Huffington Post. Richard is the co-founder of Attorneyfee.com, a much better writer than me, and just an overall mensch. Hopefully this is one of many articles to come.

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In "Sex and the City", Charlotte starts a romance with her attorney, Harry, while getting divorced from her husband, Tray. She finds true love in the arms of her attorney, and ultimately gets a fairy tale ending. In real life, however, fairy tale endings are few and far between. Far more common are disaster cases where romance between divorce attorneys and their clients results in calamity for both parties.

Consider the case of Raymond van Arnam, a New Mexico divorce attorney who, because of his affection for a client, became a little too zealous in pursuit of her interests. Van Arnam actually broke into the home of his client's estranged husband and invited two colleagues to join him in looting the residence. When the estranged husband returned home, Van Arnam rushed the man's car in a fit of rage, and was ultimately charged with fourth degree felony breaking and entering. Or consider the case of William Frick, a Missouri divorce attorney who became romantically involved with a client. When he discovered that his client was also seeing other men, Frick became jealous and started sending her threatening letters and vandalizing her property. The drama reached a climax when Frick was arrested for discharging a handgun at local security guards after he was caught spray painting her name on public property.

The vast majority of situations are nowhere near as tragic as van Arnam and Frick and nowhere near as romantic as Charlotte and Harry. The vast majority are somewhere in the middle, but even those situations pose a very real danger to the client in a divorce case. Normally, everything you say to your attorney is protected by attorney-client privilege. But that privilege only covers things you say to your attorney in his capacity as your attorney (ie, not pillow talk). If your former husband suspects that you're having an affair with your attorney, he can actually subpoena your attorney and put him on the witness stand to testify against you about the affair. Having your attorney testify about the intimate details of your private life would obviously be embarrassing, but it can also mean strategic suicide for your court case.

Nonetheless, this kind of thing happens every day. How common is it? Reliable numbers are hard to come by, but according to one nationwide survey of attorneys, 7% admitted to personally having a sexual relationship with one or more clients, and 32% admitted to having colleagues who carry on such affairs. It's so common today that there are actually law review articles with titles like "The Legal Profession's Dirty Little Secret"!
Up until 2002, not a single state had a law that explicitly prohibited attorneys from sleeping with their clients. And while most states do have such laws today, they are pretty watered down. Rule 1.8(j) of the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility (the rules set by the American Bar Association for governing the conduct of attorneys) says that "A lawyer shall not have sexual relations with a client unless a consensual sexual relationship existed between them when the client-lawyer relationship commenced." In other words, you can take your lover as a client, but you can't take your client as a lover.

By comparison, the rules of professional ethics for doctors are far more stringent. The Hippocratic Oath, written about 2,500 years ago, forbids physicians from having sexual relations with any patients or even family members of patients: "Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons".
The dangers of getting sexually involved with a client/patient have been recognized in more serious terms by almost every other professional association. The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatry Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, and even the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork all strictly forbid their members from having sexual relations with clients/patients under any circumstance. This permits one of two conclusions: either divorce attorneys have figured out some way to immunize themselves against the temptations of human sexuality, or they hold themselves to less stringent ethical standards than the masseuses and masseurs of America.

What do you think? Is it possible for a divorce attorney to give truly objective advice to someone with whom he's sharing a bed? Should divorce attorneys be permitted to represent their lovers at trial? And would you ever feel comfortable being represented by your lover?

Follow Richard Komaiko on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@RichardKomaiko

Links of the Day

2012-02-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

Feel good story gone very wrong: "Basically, she did everything wrong," Ron Berman, a canine behavior specialist, said. "She went up to a dog she didn't know--who didn't know her--and she either tried to kiss him or hug him or put her face too close to his face. He felt threatened and bit her." I wonder if NBC will try to use this in their defence of a lawsuit that is surely coming their way.
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Say it ain't so Tilted Kilt, I would never in a million years think you'd be sued for sexual harassment. Everyone know that the girls working there are timid and shy creatures who dress like nuns and expect to be tipped and treated as such.
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Setting a great precedent before the NATO and G-8 summits in Chicago this summer, the City has offered to settle a lawsuit with these 800 no-good bums for $6.2M. They were doing something illegal and now the City is compensating them for it, sounds like justice.

The Tragedy of Mesothelioma

2012-02-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

Mesothelioma is an awful and aggressive form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects the smooth linings of the chest, heart, and lungs and effects between 2,500 and 3,000 Americans annually. Due to difficulty in early detection (mesothelioma symptoms can often be attributed to other conditions), this awful disease is often diagnosed too late for any treatment other than palliative care.

Although the link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma has been known since the beginning of the 20th century, many such revelations were concealed by the government at the request of the asbestos industry. In the post -World War II housing boom, asbestos was key product in providing housing materials and thus millions of people became “at-risk” for developing mesothelioma.

Today one of the most prominent “at-risk” populations for mesothelioma are the 9/11 rescue workers who sifted through the rubble of the Twin Towers searching for survivors and removing debris. Of the 12,000 police officers and first responders, 297 developed cancer, and 56 perished from mesothelioma or other forms of cancer related to the inhalation of the contaminated air at the site.

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a non-profit organization “dedicated to eradicating the life-ending and vicious effects of mesothelioma.” As you can see in this chart Mesothelioma is severely underfunded comparing to other forms of cancer. Please go to http://www.curemeso.org/ learn about mesothelioma, find volunteering opportunities, and donate to this wonderful organization in search of a cure.

Dubrovnik- Summer of 2009

2012-02-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

After a whirlwind tour through London, Lisbon, and Geneva in one week, my friends and I were looking forward to a relaxing week on the Adriatic coast. We arrived in Dubrovnik on an early morning Easyjet flight from Geneva, but our sense of exhaustion was quickly overcome during our ride from the Dubrovnik Airport into town. The road carved out of the hills, common place all along the coast, provided breathtaking views of sea and old town of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik itself is a very busy small town, filled with tourists coming ashore off of the many cruise ships that dock nearby. However unlike many other European cities that serve as a tourist attraction (such as Venice) only a short walk away from city center yields an undisturbed local neighborhood where daily life goes on as usual.

We booked our accommodations at Hostel Marker (Apartments Lovrijenac) through Hostelworld.com, and stayed what in essence was an apartment just outside the city gates. At first we were disappointed by the lack of hostels in the town, as we were all looking forward to the community atmosphere that a hostel may offer. However, upon meeting our host, Marko, any sense of a lack of community was quickly overcome. Marko was the best host we have ever had, and quite possibly one of the nicest people I have ever met. Not only did he offer ample advice on what to see and where to go, one night he actually took us out and showed us the town from the local’s perspective. Marko arranged a rental car for us, transport to Montenegro, and even helped us retrieve a lost photo camera after my friend forgot it back in Dubrovnik, all in all I cannot say enough good things about him.

During the day we took Marko’s advice and spent time at the Banje beach, walked along city walls, and took a ferry to the island of Lokrum. Banje beach is located directly south of the old city. Although small, and a bit rocky it offers a cozy place to relax, take a dip, and have a drink along the water.

The city walls, are probably one of the biggest attractions of Dubrovnik. Very well preserved and very imposing, the walls take about two hours to circumnavigate and cost €7 to enter. The views of the old city and its distinctive orange roof tops present and excellent photo opportunity.
Lokrum is a nature preserve popular with hikers and nature lovers, the island is teeming with wild peacocks and offers beautiful vistas from its many cliffs. To get to Lokrum, simply board a 15 minute ferry by the south city gate.

For a small town, Dubrovnik offers a lively nightlife, although it is mostly limited to the weekends. Dubrovnik has two night clubs, East-West and En Fuego which are located on the opposite sides of town, about 1 km apart. The clubs charge a cover fee after 11, so make sure to arrive early if you don’t feel like paying cover. East-West appealed to my friends and I much more as it stands right above Banje Beach about 100 meters from the water. East-West has an open-air and an indoor section, I highly recommend staying in the outdoor section if you do not want to smell like smoke (smoking indoors is accepted here). Food in Dubrovnik is more expensive than elsewhere in Croatia, but is still relatively cheap by American standards. Many restaurants line the main street of Dubrovnik which spans no more than a few hundred meters. It is worth noting that only a few meters away from the main street, restaurants tend to be 25%-30% less expensive. Expect to pay between €6-€7 for a main course, beer is about €2.00-€2.50 for half liter of domestic brew.

Overall, we greatly enjoyed staying in Dubrovnik and the people we have met along the way. I cannot wait to go back to Croatia, which is an inexpensive, fun, and beautiful destination that I highly recommend to everyone.

The Righteous Amongst Billionaires

2012-02-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

In recent years Warren Buffett has joined the ranks of George Soros as a “righteous” billionaire to millions of frantic Obama supporters preaching wealth redistribution. In his old age, Mr. Buffett has supported raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans who tend to pay lower tax rates than many middle-class citizens. Time and time again Mr. Buffett has pointed out that he does not pay enough taxes. Without trying to dissect whether his contention has merit, it is clear to me that Mr. Buffett’s demonstrative actions to emphasize his point have been quite hypocritical.

Tired of hearing of Mr. Buffett’s low tax rate, many of his detractors have suggested that Mr. Buffett voluntarily send a check to the U.S. government for the conceived shortfall. However, Mr. Buffet dismissed this request for unilateral action and instead offered to match any similar donations by Republican members of Congress. It appears that Mr. Buffett is only willing to do the right thing if others join him in action. This is akin to saying “stealing is horrible and completely reprehensible, but I will not stop stealing unless everyone else also stops.”

Recently, several media outlets have glorified Mr. Buffett for living up to his pledge when he matched Rep. Scott Rigell’s (VA-R) donation of $49,000 to the U.S. government (15% of Rigell's Congressional Salary). The media was awash with praise of Mr. Buffett, yet many such articles ignored a very simple incongruity. If Mr. Buffett believes that he should pay the same percentage of taxes as other Americans, why is he simply matching the dollar amount of Rep. Rigell’s donation? If Mr. Buffett truly wanted to be “fair” (according to his own definition), he would not merely match the dollar amount of Rep. Rigell’s donation, but he would prorate the donation to reflect his significantly higher level of income and net worth. Of course that would mean millions upon millions of dollars, not a measly $49,000 which to Mr. Buffet is like a quarter under the couch cushion.

I don’t know what is motivating Mr. Buffett’s call to action, perhaps it’s a feeling of guilt that stems from a lifetime of financial success (he has amassed a fortune of nearly $40 billion). Maybe it is the desire to leave a positive legacy in the twilight of his life. Regardless of what this driving force might be, it’s unfortunate that Mr. Buffett is only willing to take a stand at the expense of others who do not agree with him. If Mr. Buffett acts as a leader and does the right thing, as he has done with his philanthropic organizations, without asking the same of others, he will earn the positive legacy that he appears to seek.

I am back :)

2012-02-06T12:15:00.001-08:00

I am back, and although it has been a long absence it was not for the lack of material. Much has happened in the world and in my life since last post over 2 years ago. I have become an uncle, I have a new job, I visited a few more places in the world. Life is good. Over the next few months I have committed to writing at least one post every week to satisfy the craving for creativity in my life, so look out for updated materials. Help me start a dialogue and let’s discuss life, friendships , and current events.

My trip to Europe

2009-05-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

As I am writing this post I have not slept for 30 hours. I thought I'd share with you some of my impressions of the UK over the last day. Here is the recap of my day. Upon arriving at London Heathrow I knew I had to make my way to the London Paddington train station to catch my train to Bristol (my final destination in the UK). To get from Heathrow to Paddington I boarded an express train, and with a little help from a co-worker I managed to score a first class seat for this 15 minute journey. What did the first class ticket provide besides charging most people double the regular fare? I would say absolutely nothing. I could not understand who in their right mind would pay an additional 20 dollars to sit in the first class car, and yet there were three other passengers in the first class. And then I realized, I'm in Europe. Unlike the US, class tensions have dominated political and social discourse on the content for the over a millianea. Here there are distinct differences between the son of an aristocrat and the average joe's kid. For all of Europe's idealism and self-righteousness this simple example illustrates that the in Europe class warfare is a much more significant topic than in the United States. Where in the United States would you see passengers split out between the haves and the have nots on a fifteen minute journey?

Armin Van Buuren review

2009-03-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm going to switch it up a little and tell you about a concert of Armin Van Buuren that I attended in Chicago. I was looking forward to the evening for several months, I was heavily disappointed by circumstances beyond my control.

While the Armin wanna-be was warming up the crowd, my wallet misteriously "disappeared" from within my coat pocket. Of course, when this happened at the start of the evening, my night was severly dampened, as well as made $150 more expensive than I would have preferred. The atmosphere was great, everyone seemed really excited when Armin took over the DJ booth, yet a few things could have been improved. The music volume was excessive to say the least and was possibly controlled by a deaf person. Yes, I understand that concerts have loud music, but I should at least be able to hear my own voice! Also I would have really liked to avoid the two days of constant ringing in my ears that were to follow that memorable night.

Vision (the club that hosted the concert), was packed, which unfortunetly meant that I got to know and smell the crowd a lot more than I would have liked. Another major gripe was the smoking in the bathroom, although Chicago has passed a non-smoking ordinance the laws of the state apparently do not apply to Vision, judging by the smoke cloud in the men's bathroom that most certaintly cut my life expectancy by several weeks.

Overall I'm not sure how much of my displeasure was brought out by the "loss" of my wallet, but I do believe the concert could have been better. That being said, Armin is the best DJ in the world.

AIG!!! AIG!!! AIG!!!

2009-03-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

There has been much controversy over the past few weeks about the AIG bonuses. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that solving the bonus "fiasco" is somehow more important than tackling our troubled economy. I mean seriously is it productive for our politicians to spend time pinpointing who is at fault for $160M in bonuses delivered to a bailed out company, or should they inquire why the company required billions upon billions of dollars of bailout money?

It's like giving a homeless person a $100 to get some food and then getting pissed off when he buys chewing gum for a quarter. It just doesn't make sense (Afterall giving money to the homeless is silly, since it discourages them from working and they are going to spend the money on drugs anyway). Not to mention the fact that everyone is way too quick to finger point at the big bad corporate execs receiving their undeserved bonuses.

First off, unless someone does a study of each bonus recipient and performs their performance evaluation, they don't know if a specific individual is responsible for AIG downturn. No one can make blanket statements that all AIG executives were active in bringing down the insurance giant.

Secondly, companies use bonuses as a form of compensation in order to attract the top talent. If the government wants a failing company to become even more incompetent, it should just start regulating compensation and hiring policies. It's a well known fact that nothing attracts top talent more than the government oversight, regulation and low levels of compensation, just look at our federal government employees.

Thirdly, the bonuses were part of the employment contract of these individuals, and taking away their compensation isn't exactly just. Top executives routinely receive most of their compensation through bonuses, so taking away their bonuses is taking away the compensation that AIG employees depend on.

But if the government really wants to get its $160M back, I have a solution. I propose that members of Congress start looking within themselves for cost saving measures. Some members of Congress, such as Nancy Pelosi, who is a multimillionaire and the wealthiest member of Congress still receive six digit gov't paychecks and benefits. If we take away all forms of compensation and benefits from nationally elected officials I'm sure we can save around $160M. Our Congressmen, Senators, and Presidents should not be motivated by compensation to run for office, and my guess is very few of them are. They are more likely to be tempted by "other" forms of compensation that they receive while in office, which eclipse their meager federal salary and benefits. I also think that stripping Members of Congress of compensation, would follow the same logic used to strip AIG executives of their bonuses. AIG executives failed AIG, and our Congress failed the American people, so why should our Congress deserve compensation?

The birth of Hamasastan

2009-03-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

So its been a while since my last entry, and I realize I need to stay more consistent with my posts, but here I go.

I don't mean to gloat but I just want to point out that I pretty much nailed the analysis and the outcome of Israel's endeveour into the armpit of the world. Although Israel's casualty toll was not as high as I anticipated (thankfully!) the benefits of Israel's incursion are still unclear. It is true that currently fewer rockets are flying towards Israel from the world's largest and most densely populated sewer, but I am saddened to say that this is a temporary occurance. Within hours of Israel's withdrawl from Gaza, tunnels were being rebuilt on the Egyptian border and weapons smuggling resumed. At the end of the day, Israel spent vast resources and suffered a further tarnishing of its image in order to successefully empowered Hamas, who are now in charge of distributing international aid. Even though some organizations are trying to bypass Hamas this task is close to impossible.

On a positive note Lieberman happens to agree with my resolution of the conflict, and I am exploring potential legal remedies for his blatant plagarism of my political platform.

If I was a Prime Minister na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na

2009-01-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

Israel is currently in the midst of a ground invasion of Gaza. I believe that this is a huge mistake for several reasons. Israel is needlessly risking the lives of 20,000 soldiers during the invasion and there is no clear goal or defined success.

The reason behind sending Israeli soldiers into Gaza is mainly to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties as a result of a prolonged air strike campaign. If I was an Israeli I would be outraged that my government values the lives of Gazan civilians more than the lives of their own citizens. Unfortunately it is to be expected that the invasion of Gaza by a large military force will yield high casualty rates amongst Israeli soldiers. I would understand a large scale invasion if Israel was going in to overthrow an unpopular government or had the slightest chance of changing the reality on the ground. But I predict that this exercise will do nothing for Israel's strategic benefit. I envision Israel going in, suffering casualties and high amount of international condemnations, and succeeding in stopping or significantly diminishing the amount of rockets fired for a short time, several months perhaps. But as soon as Israel leaves, Hamas will fill the vacuum and emerge more powerful than ever. Several years from now, Israel will look back on this venture as pointless since it's likely to find itself in the same predicament as before it took action.

I do have an alternative plan. Israel needs to seize all attacks for 48 hours and give all Palestinian civilians time to flee to Egypt. At the end of the 48 hours, I would like to see a sustained carpet bombing of Gaza, since everyone who stay will be fair game. Once there is a sustained amount of damage inflicted, tactical units of the Israeli forces will be allowed to enter Gaza to mop up any resistance. At the conclusion of the operation Israel will give the Egyptians a choice to either annex Gaza and take responsibility for all of its residents or turn Gaza into an uninhabited Demilitarized Zone. If Egypt accepts the proposal, Israel can pay the Palestinians some sort of compensation for their property, which would be substantially less expensive than the prospect of continued military hostility. By turning Gaza over to the Egyptians, Israel will solve two problems. They will no longer be dealing with a rogue state on their border, and will be able to hold the Egyptians accountable for any attacks. Secondly, the problem of a continuous Palestinian state would be solved.

My solution might not be the only correct way to resolve the situation, but what Israel is doing right now is nothing short of pointless. That being said, I wish for the Israeli soldiers to stay safe and Israel finding a bit more peace in 2009.

What would America, Russia, China, France, or UK do if this happened to one of their cities?......Well France would surrender, but what about the rest?
http://www.sderotmedia.com

The problem with an auto bailout

2008-12-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

The auto industry bailout has been floating around Washington for the past few months and while I understand the grave short-term consequences if the Detroit three fail, I do take some issue with the proposed bailout. Perhaps instead of a bail out the government can assist in a gradual phase out these companies in order to reduce a shock on the economy. But here are some other reasons why the bailout won't get results.

1. Bailing out companies that are not competitive is foolish- Ford, Chrysler, and GM have not been competitive in the United States for quite a few years and have steadily lost marketshare in the domestic market. Although these companies perform slightly better abroad, I think the decline of these once dominant companies in the United States is a tell tale sign that some major business restructuring needs to happen. Besides producing a sub-par product, the Big Three are forced to compete with the likes of Toyota and Honda who do not have major union commitments inhibiting their business model.

2. American cars are Crap. I mean realistically are there any people in their mid 20's who would buy a new Buick or a Chrysler? Such individuals would be very hard to find, and no one is to blame except the car companies themselves. I really believe that the people who created the PT cruiser, Buick Rendezvous, and the Ford Taurus are heading straight for auto designer hell. Poor design and horrible quality has greatly tarnished the American car industry, and the bailout is unlikely to reverse the course.

3. From my understanding the bailout proposal stipulates that in exchange for funds, the Big Three have to commit to manufacturing more hybrid vehicles. Isn't that wonderful and honkey-dorey? What the gov't ignores is the fact that hybrid vehicles have actually hurt the Detroit automakers. It will be very hard for these companies to recover if they are forced to make unprofitable products.

The true north strong and free, eh?

2008-12-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

When most people think of Canada they think of the maple leaf, hockey, freezing cold, and unfortunate accents, and yet most Americans turn a blind eye to Canada's open hatred of America. While on vacation in Mexico (which was overrun by drunken Canadians seeking a to change their skin tone from ghost pale to polar bear white) I found it distasteful how quickly Canadians injected themselves into American politics. Within seconds of any conversation, the Canadians wanted to point out how much they hate America, why they would never move there, why our politicians (except The Chosen One) suck, and that 9/11 was a conspiracy.

It's quite bold for a country that is on the verge of a coup and a secession to preoccupy itself with the politics of its neighbor, insecurity perhaps?

Now I know Canadians have acquired a reputation for politeness, but this is far from polite. It irritates me that Canadians seem to think that they are somehow more enlightened than Americans. Much like Europeans, Canadians glow in the aura of false knowledge. Canadians and Europeans often act as if they know all there is to know about the United States and yet when you dig more than inch deep they reveal their true ignorance. Canadians like to tout the superiority of their universal healthcare system, and yet ignore the fact that their taxes are absurd. Canadians talk about how peaceful their country is, and ignore the fact that America has done their bidding for the last 80 years or so.

It is disgusting how Canadians use every opportunity to put down the United States, which is quite bold for a country that owes its independence and freedom to its proximity to the United States. Let's face it, if the US was not Canada's neighbor, Canadians would be speaking Russian by now.

In the context of global politics Canada should be seen and not heard. Canada don't make us make an Iraq out of you, we'll have the Quebecois fighting the Anglos within 3 weeks of an invasion. If the invasion does not pan out, we'll confiscate your 6 hockey teams and start breaking off pieces of the Stanley Cup until you cry for mercy.

Facebook Politics

2008-11-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

The other day as I was perusing the Facebook status updates of my friends when I came across a political statement that I found rather ironic. This friend who shall remain nameless posted something to the effect that she would like all the angry Republicans to stick to their promise and move to another country in case of an Obama victory.

Ironically, the most famous example of such a threat was made by Alec Baldwin and his ex-wife Kim Bassinger during the 2000 campaign when the couple vowed to move to Canada if George W. Bush was elected president (a promise that unfortunately they did not keep and instead Alec took out a lot of anger on his 12 year old daughter who is a little pig http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J0-ZatDHug) However, for a conservative or a McCain supporter to make the same promise is entirely illogical. I will admit that I don't know whether the comment in question was addressed to anyone in specific, but I will explain why it makes no sense.

The liberal view of the US is that we are a fixer upper mansion and the rest of the world is made up of either shacks or small but cozy high tech new constructions. In case that the much needed home improvement is not made, liberals would eagerly move into the cool new constructions (i.e., France or Canada). As a result liberals have no issues making such dramatic statements as the one made by Baldwin in 2000.

Conservatives believe through thick and thin that the United States is the greatest country in the world. It may not be perfect, and from time to time they deal with a landscaper that they don't like (Obama), but at the end of the day they would rather live in the United States than anywhere else. Conservatives cannot identify any other country in the world that values the free market economics, social, and foreign policies more than the United States, and hence no alternative can possibly exist.

If indeed this comment was addressed to a specific McCain supporter, I would be curious to know what country did he foresee himself moving to in case of an Obama victory. Yes, Canada has a "Conservative" Prime Minister in Ben Harper now, but Canadian Conservatives are near equivalent of American Liberals (Canadian Liberals = Communists). Same logic can be applied to the European Conservative governments in Germany, Italy, and France. So unless this individuals just likes the sound of the label "Conservatives" and doesn't care about substance, none of these countries are a viable alternative.

On a lighter note: Hilarious video of the consequence of the Obama victory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3_95F5e-Ac

On the bright side

2008-11-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

So Obama won, and our country is heading towards a minimum of 4 and a likelihood of 8 years of deeply damaging foreign, economic, and social policy. However there are a few bright spots that accompany the Obama presidency.

1. The embargo on Cuba hopefully will end. This 50 year old economic embargo of a poor country just off the coast of Florida is insane. US does and has done business with regimes much less palatable than Fidel's (or should I say Raul's) Cuba. Does anyone really believe that Cuba is a more hostile nation than China, Vietnam, or Saudi Arabia? We actually entered military conflict against two of those nations on a much larger scale than anything we have experienced with Cuba (Korean War+Vietnam war > Bay of Pigs) and yet we do business with them. The hijackers from Saudi Arabia amongst other terrorist have killed more Americans than Fidel ever has. What threat does Cuba really pose to the United States anymore? Opening up Cuba to American commerce will be the most effective tool to bring liberty and freedom to this island. America needs to realize that its "culture of cool" and "marketing" are the greatest weapons to conquering hostile totalitarian regimes. Open trade with Cuba will benefit both the United States and Cuba, a minor economic stimulus that is all too important in this struggling economy.

2. Chicago will get the 2016 Olympics. The world is in love with Barack Obama, and with the upcoming Olympic bid for 2016 Summer Olympics this is something the Chicago Olympic Organizing Committee will seek to capitalize upon. Barack Obama has already played a key role in Chicago being chosen as the US Finalist, when he fully endorsed the Olympics through a video sent to the USOC lobbying for the Chicago bid. If Barack Obama so much as mentions Chicago and the Olympics in the same sentence again, undoubtedly the IOC will award Chicago the games.

3. Affirmative action is no longer justifiable. If a minority can obtain the most sought job in the world, surely there is no longer a need for a step up for anyone. Acceptance to school, employment search, and other processes that currently condone discrimination based on race, sex, or creed should come to an end. Realistically, I'm not too optimistic that this will happen, but Nebraska just voted down affirmative action, and I think we will begin to move on the right track.

Obama Supporter's profile

2008-11-04T19:48:00.001-08:00

You might be an Obama supporter if...

1. You are a Liberal Arts major (very likely to be a psychology or sociology student)

2. You took a an astronomy class in high school, and think that alone qualifies you to be an astronaut.

3. You have little to no understanding of Economics and don't really feel like that's worth your time, socialism really simplifies economic theory.

4. You don't let facts get in the way of your views.

5. You feel a strong need for social acceptance dating back to kindergarden when you were ostricised for being the fat kid that was always "it" in the game of tag.

6. You have a compulsive need for "change" although you aren't really sure what change is.

7. The mere mention of the name George W Bush causes hysterical deafness and violent seizures that render you temporarily deaf and permanently brain damaged.

8. You enjoy large crowds chanting a leader's name in unison. (Heil optional)

9. Your other home is in Pyonyang, Teheran, or the Gaza Strip.

10. Kumbaya is on your Ipod, and unicorns are in your stable.

It's the Economy Stupid

2008-11-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

It looks like Barack will be the 44th president of the United States. Coupled with Democratic wins in the Congress this presents a very scary scenario. We are in the midst of an economic recession, and I have a hard time believing that a Democratic controlled Washington can in any way alleviate the economic situation. So far the Democrats have talked about raising corporate taxes and taxes for wealthy individuals, increasing the capital gains tax, coupled with a ridiculous amount of new programs. This spells nothing short of disaster. Raising taxes does nothing to improve the economy, especially during a recession, and will hamper investment during a period that needs an economic resurgence as well as increase our record budget deficit.

The policy of sound economics has been ignored by the Bush administration and will be further avoided by the Democrats for the next 8 years. Why do I say 8 years? That's right I believe Obama will be re-elected for a second term.

I'm confident that Barack Obama regardless of his actual abilities will go down as one of the greatest American presidents of all time. Do I agree with this? Absolutely Not. But I have a sense that Barack Obama's ability to BS will allow him to escape any responsibility for anything that goes wrong during his administration. As he has done throughout the campaign he will point back to George Bush as the source of all problems, and of course Obama will be the source of all solutions. With time the economy will recover and go through an upward cycle, just as it did under Clinton, and the uneducated ignorant masses will attribute this prosperity to Mr. Obama, ignoring the fact that the President can't really take much credit for the performance of the economy.

On a lighter note: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI

Why do Russian-Americans hate Obama

2008-10-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Within the Russian community the dislike for Obama is very strong, which is rather counter-intuitive since immigrant communities more often than not lean Democratic. One recent example of such sentiment was Jan Schakowsky, getting booed on a stage at the annual Russian picnic. The Russian community, and specifically Russian Jews have had experiences within their lives that have shaped their strong opposition to the Goldenchild.

First of all, it is my strong belief that the hardships of life in the Soviet Union has created a society of realists rather than idealists. Russian Jews want to hear answers rather than vague promises of hope, change, unicorns, kumbaya, and rainbows. So far (and this is unlikely to change) the Obama campaign has been built around vague policies and the notion of feeling good.
To Americans, perhaps this is a new concept and a change from politics as usual, but anyone who has lived in a socialist society can see these overtures for what they really are, empty promises. The Soviet government also talked about change, in fact they went one step better, they touted a world revolution of the proletariat. You see the working classes would seize power from the greedy rich people, and everyone would start living in a harmonious society. I mean who wouldn't want that? Every step of your life is planned out, you get to share your communal apartment with two or three of your favorite random families, and everyone will be on equal footing, with some being more equal than others. And while we try to get there, lets "Spread the wealth" as Goldenboy insists.

This brings me to the second point. Russian Jews don't like government handouts to the poor. Within only a few years after immigration, many Russian families are able to achieve a level of success not often parried by American families. If a Russian family can become successful after only a few years in a foreign country, why can't all Americans have the same level of success? Undoubtedly, most American have had many more opportunity to succeed yet they fail to do so? Perhaps in that case they don't deserve another opportunity.

Unlike other segments of the population, Russian Jews realize that certain people just leach off of society. In fact given the opportunity to enjoy a lifestyle of their choice at the government's expense, many Russians would probably do just that. This makes Russian uniquely equipped to sniff out slackers and leaches to society, and when they hear groveling to such segments of the population they can't help but be appalled.

Wow Radio sucks

2008-10-05T15:37:00.001-07:00

Ok so one of these recent evenings I was driving without any CDs in my car and had the misfortune of turning on the radio. I turned on 96.3 and 103.5 and after about 5 minutes wanted to kill someone. I especially hate Pink. This no-talent artist that miraculously manages to extend a five word lyric into a 5 minute song needs to be deported to an abandoned coal mine in Canada, or if that's not available, perhaps to North Korea, where she can be the muse of the Dear Leader. Maybe the US really should consider this as a legitimate strategy at dealing with DPRK, I mean if Kim Jung Ill is recovering from a stroke, perhaps 5 to 10 minutes of Pink's music can take him out his misery. In a way I guess it is inspiring that in today's society Pink did not let the lack of good looks or talent stand in the path of her success.

The last 8 years

2008-10-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

I think it's funny how many people are so hostile towards Sarah Palin and how sexist the liberals really are. Granted, Palin's performance in the interviews has left something to be desired, but the truth of the matter is that Palin has more experience than Barack Obama. The media, SNL, and others are trying to show Palin to be just some dumb woman, and I don't really see how that's not offensive. Yet Goldenboy, is commended on his sexiness on shows like the View rather than asked about any tough issues.

I would really like to see a tough interview of Obama, I'd like to see him asked about Wright, Ayers, Rezko. I'd like him asked about the 57 states in the Union, his Muslim faith (his words not mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIXRt57tM3Q) and being endorsed by Hamas. I would like him to name a single legislative accomplishment that he has achieved over the last 4 years, two of which were spent campaigning. I would like him to describe a single one of his programs in any detail, and I would like to know where he will find the money to fund it after the behemoth bailout that he has endorsed.

I'm tired that eloquence or rather ability to read off the teleprompter is somehow seen as a great qualification for our president. Of course, President Bush has done little to quench the thirst for fine oratory or wit, but ask yourself is your life really that much worse now than 8 years ago? Don't listen to the news, don't read any commentary, just think of your personal life, is your family better or worse than it was 8 years ago?

I remember when Bush was first elected, apocalypse was being predicted by the Democratic party. Celebrities threatened to move to Canada, and abortion right activists claimed the era of Roe vs. Wade was over. Yet nothing really changed. My family, and I would imagine most peoples' families are as prosperous as ever. Yes we are in Iraq, but really what percent of the population is actually effected by this? I would venture to say that out of families with active duty soldiers, most lean Republican anyway. Yes the economy is supposedly in bad shape, but how many people have felt the effects of it so far, I'm not seeing troves of newly homeless warming up by the fire in downtown Chicago, but maybe the four horseman of the apocalypse have been rendered invisible by the global warming related smog.

I'm not a fan of Bush, and I don't agree with everything on the Republican agenda, and I'm not a Republican.

I am for a strong America, I am for more individual freedom, and I am for reaping rewards for responsible behavior and suffering consequences for the lack thereof.

Day after the Debate

2008-09-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Debate observations:

-I thought Obama came off as rude throughout the evening. On many occasions he tried to interrupt McCain or inserted some comment like "it's not true" while McCain was speaking. I also found it incredibly rude when he said "Are you done?" while McCain was trying to make his point.

-I didn't think either candidate made a real solid point on economics. McCain presented the conservative view that gov't regulation only creates more problems down the line, while Obama was only to eager to trumpet gov't involvement in the financial market. I thought the key point came when Obama could not come up with a single program that he would consider cutting despite the $700 billion bailout. After being asked several time, he kept only talking about the need for fluff programs.

-I thought McCain made two solid points on foreign policy, one involving sitting down with Ahmadinwackjob and the other about Obama insisting the surge didn't work. I though it was a great exchange when McCain asked Obama what he would talk about with Ahmadinajad. Obama's attempt to use Kissinger's statements against McCain also reeked of desperation and lack of knowledge/understanding.

-Throughout the debate it seemed rather obvious that Obama was doing his best George W Bush impression in trying to avoid any specific mention of foreign leader names, countries, or important events. He seemed like a person who is clueless yet tries to project an image of a knowledgeable person. In contrast McCain was able to draw a connection between 25 years of successful engagement in foreign policy and his bid for the presidency.

On a Separate note: My commentary on the bailout didn't mention that help to irresponsible borrowers was part of the $700B package. My point centered on the politicking by the Democrats who are holding the nation's economy hostage by demanding concessions to help such individuals as part of any bailout programs. I honestly don't know what the right course of action is at this point, but focusing on helping the thousands of people who took out loans far exceeding their payment abilities is wrong. I think the whole experience just shows the issues that arise out of government regulation of financial markets. The prospect of the gov't safetynet is what promoted a lot of this irresponsible behavior. Now we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and no option is particularly attractive.

Can I get a bail out?

2008-09-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a little upset with this whole mortgage crisis. Why is the gov't so concerned about helping people who decided to live beyond their means, while punishing those who had common sense?

Is this really going to help anyone in the long run? All this is doing is sending a message, "go ahead screw up, and let Uncle Sam (or any uncle who pays taxes in the US) foot the bill." This moronic obsession with its origins in wealth redistribution is absurd. If the gov't just lets those folks lose their homes, I think it would send quite a message, "Think twice before you buy something you can't afford." I dare even say that it would be a long-lasting message, that these folks would pass down to their children.

Realistically how are these people any worse off than someone who is a responsible borrower. These slackers are living in a better home than the responsible individual of the same income level, and have the gov't fight to keep it that way. That doesn't sound just. Sam Zell was right there needs to be a cleansing.

Life without Israel or Jews

2008-09-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes, I hear many gentiles (especially Europeans) or extremely liberal Jews say that if the state of Israel did not exist the world would have been a better place. Muslim terrorism wouldn't exist, the Arab world wouldn't hate America, and that everyone would just get along.

Unfortunately, this is quite a simplistic answer without much emphasis on fact. Let us pretend that Israel no longer exists, let us pretend that Jews (the much reviled source of hatred of the Muslim world) do not exist. What would happen then?

Would Russians continue to fight the Dagestanis and Chechens?

Would Serbs continue to fights the Kosovars and Bosnians?

Would the Pakistanis and Indians get along?

Would the Thai Muslims continue to try to succeed in the south of that country?

Would Muslim terrorists disappear from the Phillipines and China?

Would Darfur be averted?

Would Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq and Iran stop fighting?

Of course I can go on and on, but the simple fact is that none of these conflicts involve Israel or Jews in the remotest way, and yet they all have one thing in common, Muslim religious zeal. Now of course there are extremists in many religions including Judaism and Christianity, but somehow the main populace has been able to contain the numbers of such ideologues to a significant minority.

The point of making Israel and Jews into the world's villain is simply unfounded. If Israel didn't exist who is to say that Muslim extremist wouldn't find some other cause to rally around. They would most certainly find some "fourth" or "fifth" most holy city to expel the infidels from. For instance Al-Qaida's founding mission was not attacking Israel, it was expelling the infidels from Saudi Arabia, during the first Gulf War era.

Without Israel life would be much worse for the United States. If the US allows Israel to cease to exist, they will find themselves one step closer to confronting radical Muslim terrorist here at home. I view Israel as the important outlook station, without which America will be blind to its threats.

On a Separate note: Speaking of Jews, it would be kind of interesting to ponder what would have happened if Kievan Rus adopted Judaism rather than Christianity. Few people realize how close this was to reality. Judaism made it to the top three, along with Islam and Christianity, but lost out at the end. I hear it might have won the Congeniality prize but that's just pure speculation. Anyway here is an article about the discovery of an ancient Jewish city in Russia....http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080920/ap_on_re_eu/russia_lost_capital

What's up with Russia?

2008-09-18T18:46:00.001-07:00

As many of you have probably heard the Russian market has experienced quite a decline recently. The decline in the Russian market is only outdone by the Chinese stock markets. The decline stems from the fall in oil and commodity prices, drop in the demand from China, and the fall of the ruble.

But what is lost in all of this is the effect of a certain Mr. Putin and his politics. It seems to me that Putin believes that he can bring back the old Soviet Union, but what he doesn't understand is that the current Russia is much more intertwined into the world economy than the Soviet Union ever was. This is precisely why his authoritarian tendencies are really hurting the Russian economy.

For instance, what investor will feel comfortable when even large companies such as BP cannot escape the grasps of the government. The track record of Yukos, Mechel, already painted a dim picture of the Russian rule of law, but the past Georgian war has really hurt.

Now I'm not defending Russia or Georgia, but the fact that this war drove a sharp decline in foreign investment is evidence of irresponsible leadership. Somehow I highly doubt that China with all of its authoritarianism would be willing to start a war with a foreign country or Taiwan. That is because when a regime is already viewed as shaky and potentially unfriendly to foreign business, something as dubious as a war with a tiny neighbor isn't going to do much for investor confidence.

In the end it appears that Russia might come to realization that the economy and not Georgia should be its primary focus. I don't exactly see how adding two tiny and impoverished republics to its territory, should be the government's priority. If Russia remains ignorant of such realities, it risks economic collapse which is likely to bring about a regime change that even Mr. Putin won't be able to avoid. Russia must make a choice capitalism and rule of law or authoritarianism and murky economics.

World is coming to an end

2008-09-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today in the WSJ I read that the current financial crisis is the worst since the great depression? Really? Great Depression was pretty bad, and really didn't end from the time the Market crashed till WW2, it created long lines for welfare checks, double digit unemployment, and "hoovervilles" as well as an "alphabet soup" of new gov't agencies under Roosevelt.

Today unemployment is at around 6%, not too bad all things considered. I'm not seeing double digit interest rates and mile long lines at the gas station a la Carter years. The rise in foreclosure is limited to certain states (Florida and California), and is heavily impacted by foreclosures on secondary residences. Somehow I have a feeling that the market gurus are making this out to be much more than it really is, perhaps it is because sensational news is what sells, perhaps it is because this "crisis" is one of the biggest things to happen to the markets for a while. But not so long ago we experienced 9/11, fall of Worldcom, Enron, and the burst of the tech bubble and that had a lot of potential to really mess things up, granted it has caused difficulties but they have passed for the large part, and this too shall pass.

On a lighter note, some sort of genius combined my interest in politics, humor, and love of hockey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URIypadX3n0