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: The Once and Future Lawyer

A little jetlagged, and financially stable...for now

Luckily for me (and most other recent law school graduates), my debt far outweighs whatever losses I may or may not have taken in the stock market's latest see-saw (or dead cat) bouncing. Anyone who graduated from professional school in the last three years will likely still be working in a decade, so it's not going to be too bad in the long run (fingers crossed). Anyway, I'm still sifting through about two weeks of news, and I want to come up with a response to this interview where Gov. Palin rambled on for about five minutes about nothing, but I'll just put some links to some of the more interesting articles from today and leave the reader to judge them for him or herself.

Harvard professor Jeffrey A. Miron agrees with my suggestion that the bankruptcy laws may be equally as good as a rushed bailout plan. See Jeffrey A. Milon, Bankruptcy, Not Bailout, is the Right Answer. His commentary is much more detailed than either of my quick thoughts on this issue (new deal, quick thoughts).

I still have not made up my mind completely about Gov. Palin. While my initial concerns have still not been alleviated, I can't say I've been entirely reassured that McCain made the best selection either. In an article posted today, Fareed Zakaria, a Harvard and Yale educated expert on government and foreign affairs followed up on an earlier written piece, both of which echo some of my own concerns. See McCain's VP decision is 'fundamentally irresponsible'; Palin is Read? Please.

I find it fascinating on the spins that are coming out of both camps regarding Gov. Palin and her upcoming debate with Sen. Biden. Regardless, this sort of response to what one would anticipate would have a very canned or rehearsed should send a red flag up to anyone who has ever been put on the spot in class and was just saying whatever stream of thought sounded best. I must copy this transcript, and if I find one comparing a black-line to the SNL skit, maybe I'll put it up as well. While I find Gov. Palin's clarification on why the proximity of Alaska to Russia counts for foreign policy experience slightly disturbing, I find this response much more so, given the uncertainty of the financial markets as of late:

COURIC: Why isn't it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the?it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

And finally, all this nonsense about free speech lately. See, e.g., Report on Obama's 'Truth Squad' Stirring Up Controversy. I attempted to sift through about ten pages of worthless websites to find some sort of neutral reporting on this issue, and came up empty, other than finding that John McCain also has a truth squad. See, e.g., McCain 'Truth Squad' Hits Back at Clark, Obama; McCain Campaign Deploys 'Palin Truth Squad.'

I'm not sure whether the general public understands the contours of free speech other than they think its an unfettered right. It is not. As pointed out on the Volokh Conspiracy site, it's difficult to find any substantive information on exactly what has happened, and I'm inclined to believe the whole thing is blown out of proportion by the the uninformed public and self-perpetuating misinformation. Either way, I'm not going to following this particular story beyond the occasional click.

Enough for now. I think I'm going to start house hunting and enjoy what little time off I still have left.

Full post as published by The Once and Future Lawyer on September 30, 2008 (boomark / email).