 |
| Latest News & Information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Obama on Iraq and Media Cover-ups Leading to Lots of Mistrust |
|
|
|
Michigan, USA - Presidential hopeful John McCain is fast gaining momentum as more voters discover Obama's recipe for America. Obama was caught off-guard by a middle class plumber who helped reveal the disaster of Obama's tax plan, something the McCain campaign team says the media blackout is keeping them from doing. "It took 'Joe the Plumber' to show that Obama can't be trusted," says Iman Nalou, of Farmington Hills, Michigan. "I have many neighbors who were going to vote for Obama, and after hearing what he is really about, they all changed their minds."
Obama is worried as more of the truth emerges. He never wants to tell you the whole story, and the lies have Obama's campaign on the ropes as political pundits dig deeper into Obama's policies and find quite a bit of flip-flopping and hypocrisy. From promising to take public financing to the election to his stance on Iraq, Obama is losing ground on the trust factor.
For Issam Hanou of Novi, MI, Obama lost his vote a long time ago. "He lies and can't be trusted. How could you believe anything he says he is going to do when he lies? You can't trust him. He will promise you anything and give you some excuse why he breaks his promise." Hanou is really upset over Obama's Iraqi flip-flops. Hanou says a youtube video that his son showed him was really frustrating. Hanou's son Gino, a college student at Ohio State has long distrusted Obama. "I liked what he had to say early in his campaign about ending the Iraqi war, but he kept saying different things. I finally took the time to do some searching and what I found out was how much of a liar he really is."
The harsh words are not only directed at Obama. The mainstream media catches most of the blame for failing to research or investigate Obama's real stance on the issues. "I know more about 'Joe the Plumber' than I know about Obama," says Nalou. "I heard they had vans parked outside this poor guy's home. I never heard once about TV vans or newspapers camping out in front of Obama’s friends like Reverend Wright, Refko, Raines, and Ayers, the one who has tried to hurt Americans by blowing up the capital.”
The media has less than a 12% confidence rating, writes Truth in Media. “Liberal journalists coloring the truth and omitting important evidence has defanged the once powerful watchdog role media has played,” their website says.
GE, owner of NBC television, has watched their stock plummet as the station takes a bashing by the public for its obvious Obama favoritism. NBC Universal plans to cut $500 million in spending.
NBC President and CEO Jeff Zucker announced the cuts Friday in a staff memo. The half billion dollar reduction would equal 3 percent of the company's entire budget.
NBC Universal is upset over the leaked memo and has attempted to sweep the depressing information under the rug.
The one sided reporting of the news has bolstered other media as more people turn away from traditional television and newspapers to the internet and radio.
According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, since June 9, when Mr. Obama edged enough votes for the nomination, the project took a weekly look at 300 political stories in newspapers, magazines and television. Obama was highly favored in writing and imagery in 77% of the stories, favorable in 19%, 2% neutral, and 2% unfavorable. Each of the stories were presented as newsworthy and considered mainstream, but each story (except for the 2% neutral ones) would fail journalistic integrity tests.
Tom Rosen, the project's director. "No matter how understandable it is, given the newness of the candidate and the historical nature of Obama's candidacy," he told the Associated Press, "in the end it's probably not fair to McCain."
Both Nalou and Hanou feel the media has lost more credibility than Obama. Hanou says, “What makes America great is that we used to have someone who watches the government and makes sure they serve the people fairly. Now we have no one. You can not trust the media and they are trying to become king makers on the back of the people. Lot’s of stupid people will fall for the lies, Obama's political ads., and commercials.”
|
Filed in Government & Society :: :: By Sam Yousif on Monday, October 20, 2008 :: 831 Views
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Delays in Attorney Retirement Could Contribute to Firm Overcrowding
An estimated 250,000 baby boomer attorneys have begun entering retirement age. But with the recent plunge in values of 401(k) plans and other nest-egg assets, more attorneys may choose, or need, to keep working. While the upside for law firms is less brain drain, the downside is an excess of lawyers combined with a diminishing workload. And associate attrition has become almost nil, says consultant and blogger Bruce MacEwen, so both ends of the firm pipeline are clogged -- which means things may get ugly.
Early Moves Can Ease Path to Power in Executive Branch
For Washington, D.C., associates on the rise, there might be an even more desirable prize than making partner -- a power spot in the executive branch. But unlike the partnership track, the path to becoming the next public sector legal star isn't clear-cut. Career development experts and attorneys say achieving such a career goal takes planning and the ability to recognize the best opportunities, network with the politically well-connected, and find private practice work that highlights exceptional talent.
Morgan Lewis Switches to Merit-Based Bonuses
Morgan Lewis & Bockius announced it has adopted a merit-based bonus system for associates in the 2009 fiscal year. The firm said it is doing away with its requirement that associates log 2,000 billable hours in order to receive a bonus -- as well as any promises that reaching that mark will ensure a bonus. Consultant Steven Kruza said that Morgan Lewis seems to have "weathered the [recession] storm pretty well" and that moving away from the lockstep structure appears to be more of a precautionary measure.
Government Contract Lawyers Could Thrive During Obama Administration
By doubling the use of private contractors and shrinking the civil servant class, President George W. Bush ushered in a sea change that ensured a stream of income for government contract lawyers at Am Law 200 firms. President-elect Barack Obama has said he'll reduce the number of contractors, but attempts to make cuts are likely to cause conflicts -- and, in turn, create legal work. Plus, Obama's pledge of a massive infrastructure investment program could be a bonanza for government contract lawyers.
First Private Criminal Defender Program in Texas to Commence
A first-of-its-kind program in Texas is scheduled to open Jan. 15 in Lubbock, providing specially trained private practitioners to represent indigent criminal defendants who are mentally ill or retarded. Private attorneys will be appointed by the director of the Lubbock Special Needs Defenders' Office, a nonprofit corporation created in October. A peer review committee will determine which attorney applicants qualify for appointments, says attorney Philip Wischkaemper, who helped develop the program.
Help May Be on the Way for Calif. High Court Arguments
Arguing before the California Supreme Court can be daunting, especially for first-timers who don't realize they'll likely face a buzz saw of questions after uttering, "May it please the court." But help may be on the way. UC-Berkeley School of Law is developing a moot court program that would let lawyers test their skills in advance on a panel likely composed of professors, experienced appellate practitioners and retired justices. The program would be run by the school and has the high court's blessing.
Bad Economy Makes It a Good Time to Go It Alone
Is now the perfect time to start a solo practice? Yes, according to consultant Susan Cartier Liebel. With times so tough, starting a new business may seem the height of insanity, but Liebel says it is during these times that lawyers should realize that the "opportunity cost" of taking a risk, like starting a solo practice, is much lower. And for those attorneys who are able to shake off their paralysis, bad economic times may present some special opportunities for solo practitioners, Liebel says.
Ex-Holland & Knight Partner Files Suit in Benefits Dispute
A former partner in Holland & Knight's Miami office is suing the firm after efforts to arbitrate a dispute over his 2002 termination broke down. R. Thomas Farrar was one of 60 attorneys and 170 other employees cut by the firm in April 2002. Farrar, who had worked for the firm since 1981, alleges Holland & Knight violated his partnership agreement by terminating him and wrongfully depriving him of his right to retirement benefits.
10 Resolutions for Job-Seeking Success
We often start off the New Year with a host of well-intentioned resolutions that hardly outlast the winter snows. This year, however, glum economic news has given both job-seekers and the nervous employed added incentive. Here are 10 New Year's resolutions to follow, whether you are in the market or just want to be prepared, provided by William A. Chamberlain, assistant dean at Northwestern University School of Law. With some persistence, you could soon have more to celebrate than just the New Year.
Four Essential Elements of a Strong Law Firm Culture
Two once-great San Francisco Bay Area firms -- Heller Ehrman and Thelen -- are in the throes of dissolution, and consultant Peter D. Zeughauser says there's a lesson to be learned from their demise. Firms need a strong firm culture that breeds partners who are in it for each other, not just themselves. Noting that even the best lawyers practicing together can find themselves circling the drain without such a culture, Zeughauser details four key elements that can help firms avoid entering the whirlpool.
Newest Fla. Supreme Court Justice to Spend Just One Day as State District Court Judge
Veteran Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on Friday by Gov. Charlie Crist, just three weeks after Crist had named Labarga to the state 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach. Crist chose Labarga for the high court from a new list of candidates after rejecting the first list due to its lack of diversity. Labarga jokes that even though he will be a 4th District Court judge for only one day, he still wants his photo included on the court library's wall.
Advice for the Lawlorn
I am a second-year, female litigation associate at a BigLaw. During the last couple of months two partners, one male and one female, have said that I am too nice. How can I convince them I'm tough enough?
SEC Role Under Scrutiny in Madoff Scandal
Red flags about the business dealings of Bernard Madoff were raised to the Securities and Exchange Commission over a decade but weren't pursued, and Republican and Democratic House members said that reflected deep, systemic problems at the market watchdog agency.
Supreme Court Review Sought in Public Accounting Board Case
The federal appeals court opinion that upheld the constitutionality of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board was a disastrous decision that undermines the president's ability to supervise federal officers, say Jones Day lawyers who want the Supreme Court to review the case.
Smartphones Pose Risks for All Executives
Like many executives, Barack Obama is an admitted BlackBerry addict. But advisers insist that on Inauguration Day he should give up the device, which, in the words of one senior aide, "never stopped crackling with e-mails" during the campaign. As president, Obama will be subject to a strict records-retention law called the Presidential Records Act, and wireless devices also pose security risks deemed too high for the commander in chief. The question for in-house counsel: If a BlackBerry poses dangers for the nation's chief executive, should your chief executive officer be using one?
Firms Get Ready for Wave of Bankruptcy Filings
A steady rise in corporate bankruptcy filings throughout 2008 is expected to crescendo in 2009 and 2010, with collapses spreading from the retail, auto-related, real estate and financial industries to almost any area affected by the downturn in consumer spending, lawyers say. In response, law firms are reviewing the size of their bankruptcy teams to make sure they've lined up the attorneys needed to attract and manage cases.
SEC Pursues Ponzi Scheme Targeting Haitian-Americans
While there's been much focus on the rich victims of an alleged $50 billion scam wrought by Wall Street fund manager Bernard Madoff, federal securities investigators have quietly moved on another suspected Ponzi scheme, much smaller in scope but similarly devastating. Attorneys for investors claim that the network branched out across several states, targeting people with little investment experience and few assets. Attorney Jared Levy estimates the losses could exceed $100 million.
Class Status Denied in Suit Against DuPont Over Chemical-Tainted Water
The use of medical monitoring as a remedy for mass exposure to toxic chemicals has suffered a setback in New Jersey. A federal judge in Camden has denied class certification sought in behalf of 15,000 people whose drinking water may have been contaminated by a chemical spilled from DuPont's Chambers Works in Salem County.
null: In re Ballard
Federal law did not preclude auto manufacturer from filing unsecured deficiency claim based on state law where Chapter 13 consumer debtor proposed to surrender "910 vehicle" whose value was less than balance remaining on auto loan (applying "hanging paragraph" to cases involving surrender of 910 vehicle).
null: Siepel v. Bank of America, N.A.
Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act preempted state-law claims that trustee breached fiduciary duty by failing to disclose conflicts of interest in selection of nationally-traded investment securities.
Expanding the Scope of the Consumer Fraud Act in Real Estate Transactions
In Matera v. M.G.C.C. Group, Inc ., the Law Division has recently held that a cause of action can be alleged under the Consumer Fraud Act absent any contact between the parties, as long as there is a causal nexus between the alleged violation of the CFA and the alleged ascertainable loss. This holding marks a dramatic expansion of the CFA, threatening a new unforeseen and unwarranted breed of liability for real estate developers, lending institutions, and any entity which falls under the ambit of the CFA.
|