Back to work, slacker

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I am formally opening my law firm on October 15th. Although I enjoy blogging in relative obscurity, it's bad for business. So I'm going to step outside my introverted tendencies and introduce myself more. If nothing else, some of you may be wondering why I moved "border to border."

After spending most of my life in Duluth, MN and graduating from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and Marquette University Law School (Milwaukee, WI), I moved back to my hometown. I was in private practice there from 1998-2004, concentrating on employment law and general civil litigation. While at my firm, I was also a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for Minnesota.

My husband's job as a design engineer at a maquiladora brought us to Brownsville. We moved here with our son, and our daughter was born here in 2005. After my maternity leave, I served as a municipal judge for the City of Harlingen from May 2006 to May 2008.

Although I have spent much of my career in civil litigation and employment, I hope to also build upon my municipal, criminal, and bankruptcy experience as I open my new firm in Brownsville.

I want to sincerely thank all of the lawyers I've met so far here. Everyone has been very welcoming and helpful to a complete outsider.

I also thank you for your indulgence.  Tomorrow, back to blogging about guns, gold, and all things libertarian.

SOLD - THANK YOU!!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

FOR SALE - 1998 Honda CR-V mini-SUV. Has 4wd, automatic trans., 4 cylinder engine, AC, cruise, power windows/locks, security system, CD stereo. It has been in our family since 2002. 155k miles; well maintained.

Has nearly new tires, registration & inspection until 4/09, runs/drives great. Has a few little scratches/dings, as you'd expect after 10 years, but nothing to worry about. Windshield currently has a couple of cracks and chips, but nothing in the field of view.

The perfect practical vehicle for any looming financial apocalypse. Very reliable. $4000. Email me at rrsyck@gmail.com if interested.

NO TO BAILOUT

Thursday, September 25, 2008

I've emailed Senators Hutchison and Cornyn and Representative Ortiz on my opposition to the enormous, unprecedented, likely ineffective bank bailout plan; have you?

It's very easy. Go to: www.congress.org. Put in your zip code and your officials will come up. Select one and go to "web form." The position "oppose bailout" is already there, and you can add whatever message you want. Many eminent economists are against this plan and are urging extreme caution. It appears that Congress may be listening to them and to us. This may be one of the few times you can actually make a difference.

I don't know what else to say other than to take a page from local blogger El Rocinante's playbook:

NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!NO BAILOUT!

This is only the beginning

It looks like the (latest) bailout plan is passing, despite overwhelming public opposition (at least 80-95%). Get ready for more after this "works" for a few days or weeks.

From the CNBC website today:

THE BANKING SYSTEM NEEDS ANOTHER $500 BILLION to survive beyond the $700 billion rescue plan being contemplated by Congress, said Pimco founder Bill Gross.

Again, I really do hope this works, but I feel sick to my stomach.

Here's a link to a sampling of the alternative plans some have proposed. Congress doesn't seem to care enough to consider any alternatives, though.

The Big Picture - bailout plan alternatives

Good luck, comrades. We're going to need it.

Congressman Ron Paul Schools Bernanke on the Bailout Plan

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Rumor is that the Paulson plan is dead and the Dodd bill or some variation is a foregone conclusion.

Ah, now the media are calling it a "rescue plan." Poor victim investment banks.

If this passes, you will be paying for the rich bankers' mistakes and losses while they enjoy their enormous profits. More inflation will further erode your buying power. If you disagree with this, contact your representatives and complain. The fix is probably already in, but it can't hurt:

Link to Congress.org

I hope that if a plan passes it works, but I'm not betting on it.

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

This is circulating today; I found it on The Big Picture blog.

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

DEAR AMERICAN:

I NEED TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH A TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF GREAT MAGNITUDE.

I AM MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA. MY COUNTRY HAS HAD CRISIS THAT HAS CAUSED THE NEED FOR LARGE TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF 800 BILLION DOLLARS US. IF YOU WOULD ASSIST ME IN THIS TRANSFER, IT WOULD BE MOST PROFITABLE TO YOU.

I AM WORKING WITH MR. PHIL GRAM, LOBBYIST FOR UBS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY. AS A SENATOR, YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS THE LEADER OF THE AMERICAN BANKING DEREGULATION MOVEMENT IN THE 1990S. THIS TRANSACTIN IS 100% SAFE.

THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY. WE NEED A BLANK CHECK. WE NEED THE FUNDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER THESE FUNDS IN THE NAMES OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MY FAMILY LAWYER ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR A RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY PERSON WHO WILL ACT AS A NEXT OF KIN SO THE FUNDS CAN BE TRANSFERRED.

PLEASE REPLY WITH ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IRA AND COLLEGE FUND ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND THOSE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO WALLSTREETBAILOUT@TREASURY.GOV SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER YOUR COMMISSION FOR THIS TRANSACTION. AFTER I RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION, I WILL RESPOND WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDS THAT WILL BE USED TO PROTECT THE FUNDS.

YOURS FAITHFULLY MINISTER OF TREASURY PAULSON

Comrades,

I realize I'm no economist, and I just dabble on financial blogs, so can someone help me out here? How does any bailout plan do anything but delay the inevitable? It's my understanding that if this plan passes, the banks face very little moral risk. What's to prevent these smart investment bankers, once the current crisis has passed (IF this bailout plan works), from developing more creative investments, knowing that any risk is now socialized, and leading us down the same path again?

Our economy has to have cycles; the enormous credit bubble has to pop sometime. Doesn't delaying it just increase the size of the recession/depression in our future? No one in power has been willing to give any opinion on exactly how bad the consequences might be if we let the natural economic cycle run its course. Are we so addicted to credit that we can't see the need to let the cycle run its course and take a lifestyle hit in order to save our nation's long-term viability?

I've been listening to Paulson's testimony a bit, and it's just scary. No specifics, no oversight, just give us a blank check NOW and stop asking questions. We have to slow this down and ask MORE questions.

Hitler: Another trade, another margin call

Monday, September 22, 2008

Does the financial meltdown have you craving a little levity? Here's Hitler after a bad day in the market.