Joseph Brogan, 58, professor at La Salle with Tolkien touch | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/09/2009

Joseph Brogan, 58, professor at La Salle with Tolkien touch | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/09/2009: "Joseph V. Brogan, 58, of Havertown, a La Salle University political-science professor who taught an honors course on The Lord of the Rings, died of lung cancer Wednesday at his home.

Dr. Brogan taught at La Salle for more than 25 years. In addition to courses such as modern and classical political theory, constitutional law, and U.S. politics and federalism, he twice conducted the honors course on J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy."
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I met Joe Brogan through his brother (and my friend and former colleague) Tom Brogan. Joe was just a wonderful person. He was a brilliant scholar and a fantastic teacher. I attended a panel that he chaired at the American Political Science Association on the politics of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was one of the most fascinating theoretical conversations I have ever heard. Whether it was something that elevated, or just sitting and talking with him at a Phillies game, he was a great guy in every way. What a loss for LaSalle, his family, and everybody who knew him.

UIC students, faculty push gov. for more funding - 3/08/10 - Chicago News - abc7chicago.com

UIC students, faculty push gov. for more funding - 3/08/10 - Chicago News - abc7chicago.com
Here's the local media take on the demonstration here at UIC yesterday.

Fans of Donna Berger

Ever since I posted a couple of what I thought were light-hearted observations on the similarity of attorney Donna Berger's blog to mine (see below), I have been getting nasty, mean, and (of course) anonymous personal attacks on me in the comments to those items. I finally started blocking these posts. I don't mind the occasional personal attack on me, and I normally leave things like that up for all to read because they say more about the writer than about me. But this is obviously an orchestrated campaign that came in response to my attempts at humor, and I'm not going to open my blog to this person or persons, whoever she/he/they may be, to carry on in this cowardly and petty fashion.

I wonder who it could be?

Ugly gender war splits country club - Chicago Tribune Archives

Ugly gender war splits country club - Chicago Tribune Archives: "PHOENIX—When the men of the Phoenix Country Club saw their feeding ways in peril, they did not tarry. Some sent nasty e-mail messages, hectored players on the fairway and, for good measure, urinated on a fellow club member’s pecan tree. One of the club’s male members was expelled.

The targets of their ire were the women—and some men—who have dared to speak up against the club’s policy of forbidding women in the men’s grill room, a center of power dining in Phoenix."
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Mystery Reader sent this along. You need to register to read past the third graph, unfortunately. I would have to say that urinating on the pecan tree definitely means war.

Last Decade Spelled Disaster For Older Workers

Last Decade Spelled Disaster For Older Workers: "Washington, DC—Older workers endured a staggering 331% increase in unemployment over the last 10 years, a new analysis conducted by the AARP Public Policy Institute shows. This dramatic rise in older unemployed workers has resulted in declining financial and retirement security for millions of Americans who have little time to make up the losses.

“The last decade has spelled disaster for millions of older workers who have lost their jobs, seen their retirement savings diminish, and had their health care costs continue to skyrocket,” said Nancy A. LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President. “The recession has only made this bad situation worse, as the statistics show clearly that older workers who lose their jobs stay unemployed longer than other groups.”

The new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by AARP’s Public Policy Institute shows a dramatic 331.4% increase in the number of unemployed Americans age 55+ and over from January 2000 through December 2009. For age 65+ workers, the increase in the number of unemployed was lower, but still a massive 235%."
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Now add to that the impending collapse of many private and public pension funds. Add to that the meltdown in home equity. Add to that the loss of many public services that I believe will hit all levels of government over the next few fiscal years, as governments make cuts that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. This thing we once called "retirement" could become rather interesting for those now aged 55 to 65.

California Proposition 14, Top Two Primaries Act (June 2010) - Ballotpedia

California Proposition 14, Top Two Primaries Act (June 2010) - Ballotpedia: "A California Top Two Primaries Act ballot proposition is on the June 8, 2010 ballot in California as a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment.

If approved by voters, the proposal will require that candidates run in a single primary open to all registered voters, with the top two vote-getters meeting in a runoff. The new system would take effect in the 2012 elections.[1]

Specifically, it would provide for a 'voter-nominated primary election' for each state elective office and congressional office in California. Voters could vote in the primary election for any candidate for a congressional or state elective office without regard to the political party affiliations of either the candidate or the voter. Candidates could choose whether or not to have their political party affiliation displayed on the ballot.

The proposition also prohibits political parties from nominating candidates in a primary, although political parties would be allowed to endorse, support or oppose candidates. Elections for presidential candidates, and for members of political party committees and party central steering committees would not fall under the 'top two' system."
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This already failed in 2004. Apparently the idea is to produce two moderate candidates in the general election, instead of a left-wing democrat and a right-wing republican nominated by the foaming-at-the-mouth partisans of their respective parties. The Greens and Libertarians and other minor parties think, correctly, that this will wipe them out entirely because they will never, ever, be number one or number two in the primary, so they won't be on the general election ballot at all.

Congressional estimates show grim deficit picture - Yahoo! News

Congressional estimates show grim deficit picture - Yahoo! News: "The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that Obama's budget plans would generate deficits over the upcoming decade that would total $9.8 trillion. That's $1.2 trillion more than predicted by the administration.

The agency says its future-year predictions of tax revenues are more pessimistic than the administration's. That's because CBO projects slightly slower economic growth than the White House.

The deficit picture has turned alarmingly worse since the recession that started at the end of 2007, never dipping below 4 percent of the size of the economy over the next decade. Economists say that deficits of that size are unsustainable and could put upward pressure on interest rates, crowd out private investment in the economy and ultimately erode the nation's standard of living."
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And it seems that the electorate is now thinking about the deficit as a major issue. It took Ross Perot to put that issue out front in 1992 because the major parties didn't want to talk about it. But now the federal budget deficit, and debt in general, have become mainstream concerns--not that our politicians seem to be doing anything about it...

Sole occupant of 32-story Fort Myers condo wants out | news-press.com | The News-Press

Sole occupant of 32-story Fort Myers condo wants out | news-press.com | The News-Press: "Only a handful of purchasers who put down deposits closed on their condos in the building, and except for Vangelakos, they've accepted deals with developer The Related Group to swap for units in Tower 2.

But Vangelakos, who paid $430,000 for the home, closed in November 2008 and insisted on taking possession. He, his wife Cathleen, and their three children use the condo as a vacation home when he can get away from his job as a Weehawken, N.J., firefighter.

Neither side is happy with the arrangement - the company is spending money because it can't shut down the building altogether and the Vangelakos family considers the arrangement creepy, especially at night."
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This would be too much like The Shining for me.

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times: "Moreover, they set the allowable number of occupants per house, the kind of pets that are permitted and the race of persons who can stay in the community."
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I linked to this ridiculous article below, and an astute commenter highlighted the language that I am re-posting. For many decades, HOAs were used to keep African-Americans and other minorities from buying suburban housing. The Supreme Court declared them unenforceable in 1948, but they remain on the books of many an HOA to this day. This "Flynna Jones" person seems to have an interesting perspective on race restrictions.

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times

HOA Rules - Why is it Necessary in Home Buying - International Business Times: "Being a member of a homeowners association can give you a lot of benefits. As soon as you enter into such group, you can be assured of a safe and orderly community to live. This organization is tasked to look after the homeowners, enforce rules and asks the residents to pay certain fees. And in exchange, the group will keep the peace and comfort of the area, provide the best amenities, different advantages and develop living condition. It can get rid the issues of other residents too. Through this, the relationship of everyone in the community is peaceful."
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Mika Brainy says if you want a good laugh, read this article.

The Galveston County Daily News

The Galveston County Daily News: "GALVESTON — A homeowners association in an affluent West End neighborhood is accusing one of its members of falsely portraying himself as its president and signing documents that would release hurricane-damaged beach-front houses to the city in a controversial buyout program."
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to a story about a $21 million buyout program.

BBC News - Swiss ask whether animals need lawyers

BBC News - Swiss ask whether animals need lawyers: "Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a proposal to appoint state-funded lawyers across the country to represent animals in court. Supporters of the initiative say such lawyers would help deter cases of animal cruelty and neglect, by making sure that those who did abuse or neglect animals would be properly punished."
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I guess the Swiss must have a lot of extra money lying around to even be considering this. Thanks to Marty Muloski for the link.

FOXNews.com - California Considers Tracking Animal Abusers Like Sex Offenders

FOXNews.com - California Considers Tracking Animal Abusers Like Sex Offenders
Having solved all of California's other problems, the state legislature has made time to do this?

Banks shuttered in Fla., Ill., Md., Utah - Yahoo! Finance

Banks shuttered in Fla., Ill., Md., Utah - Yahoo! Finance: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over Sun American Bank, based in Boca Raton, Fla., with $535.7 million in assets and $443.5 million in deposits. Also seized were Bank of Illinois of Normal, Ill., with $211.7 million in assets and $198.5 million in deposits; Waterfield Bank in Germantown, Md., with $155.6 million in assets and $156.4 million in deposits; and Centennial Bank in Ogden, Utah, with $215.2 million in assets and $205.1 million in deposits."
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I guess these bank closings are another "lagging indicator" in this glorious economic revival that we are experiencing.

'Chop, chop from the top!'

'Chop, chop from the top!': "“Chop, chop from the top! Don’t balance the budget on the backs of the students and staff!” chanted students, staff and faculty Thursday at the University of Illinois’ Chicago campus.

A financial crisis at UIC, precipitated by the state’s budget crunch, continues to foment uncertainty on campus. Recent cuts have been made at the university, including furlough days for faculty. Now, some employees are losing their jobs."
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I saw some of this after teaching my classes yesterday. Decent sized group and lots of noise. There is huge resentment against the UIC administration right now among students, staff, and faculty. I assume the same is true at the Urbana-Champaign and Springfield campuses. People perceive them as overpaid, underwhelming, and out of touch. I think many people wonder why these people get paid $200,000 to $400,000 per year, and get the best staff, resources, and other support, but still have no idea how to protect this institution from disaster. All they do is look down the ranks and cut the people who make the place work.

Poll: 86 percent say government 'broken' - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

Poll: 86 percent say government 'broken' - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com: "Wide majorities of Americans do not trust elected officials and think the federal government is “broken,” according to excerpts of a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday.

Eighty-six percent of the 1,023 Americans surveyed nationwide said that the government is “broken” compared to only 14 percent who said it is not.

However, only 5 percent of the 86 percent who think government is “broken” believe that it “cannot be fixed.”"
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Those two sentiments in combination--government is broken but it can be fixed--mean that the Democratic Party should expect to be the target of voter rage in November, at the federal and state levels. The only way people can vote to "fix" government in our two-party system is to vote for the party that isn't currently in control. Unless there is some major good news on the economic front between now and election day, the Democrats are in trouble. I see no way such news can be forthcoming. The employment picture just can't turn around by then. Some indicators are positive, but voters don't care about the Dow-Jones average.

New ghost towns: Industrial communities teeter on the edge - USATODAY.com

New ghost towns: Industrial communities teeter on the edge - USATODAY.com: "Whether it's textiles in the Carolinas, paper in New England or steel in the Midwest, most industrial cities and mill towns 'are on pins and needles,' says Donald Schunk, an economist at Coastal Carolina University. 'Day to day, week to week, any manufacturing facility seems vulnerable. People don't know if they'll be there.'

That's true in:

• Georgetown, S.C. (pop. 9,000), where the closing of the local steel mill last year left International Paper as the last major private employer.

• Madawaska, Maine (pop. 4,000), where workers voted last month to take an 8.5% wage cut to keep the financially strapped paper mill going.

• Glenwood, Wash. (pop. 500), where flat lumber prices and rising land prices are crippling the forest products industry."
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If you add up all the seriously troubled states, cities, and CIDs, it starts to look like a whole lot of ordinary people are going to be wondering who to blame.

Scientists defend warning after tsunami nonevent - Science- msnbc.com

Scientists defend warning after tsunami nonevent - Science- msnbc.com
Right, wrong...who cares. The important point is...THE DEBATE IS OVER, YOU TSUNAMI-DENIERS!

Help for Donna Berger's blog! Here is the label of my shirt!

In answer to numerous queries, I have managed to locate the magic shirt that I was wearing in my online photo. Now if Donna Berger can find one, she can have herself photographed wearing it and make her condo law blog exactly like mine (see below).

California is a greater risk than Greece, warns JP Morgan chief - Telegraph

California is a greater risk than Greece, warns JP Morgan chief - Telegraph: "Jamie Dimon, chairman of JP Morgan Chase, has warned American investors should be more worried about the risk of default of the state of California than of Greece's current debt woes."
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And the state comptroller says he may have to start paying state workers with IOUs again.