LGP Political Discussion Thread

[columbia]

Maybe Shyster could be sent in for the job, as a special appointment.

[ExPatriatePen]

Maybe she's making a stand in a way she sees fit and thinks will be effective. Maybe she's also willing to accept whatever consequences may come her way for this announcement. Does that make her a grand stander or someone fighting for rights?

Who said they were mutually exclusive?

I think her job is not to fight for rights... she's in a position where her job is to enforce the laws that are already in place.

What do you think of activist judges? That the ones who advocate for causes you believe in are good and the ones who advocate for the cause you don't believe in are bad?

That's not the role of Judges/AG's... you want to do that, find another job, maybe as a legislator.

[Shyster]

*not sure if that's a real law but it came up in a google search

I see a bunch of web sites claiming that’s a law in PA, but none of them provide an actual cite for their claims. I just ran some LexisNexis searches, and I don’t see such a statute anywhere. There may once have been an old statute that said something like that, but I suspect that if it ever existed it ceased to have any effect as of the consolidation of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (aka the Vehicle Code), which I believe occurred in 1978.

As an aside, consolidation means that a state legislature takes all of the piecemeal laws that it passed over the years and reorganizes and catalogs them into official compilations divided into separate subjects. For example, the consolidation of Title 75 brought together and replaced no less than six different laws dealing with cars that had been passed respectively in 1927, 1929, 1929, 1945, 1959, and 1959. Given the bass-ackwardness of many parts of our government in PA, I doubt it will surprise everyone that Pennsylvania is the only state left in the nation that has not finished compiling its laws. Many of the Titles of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are completely empty. Despite having one of the largest state legislatures out there, ours hasn’t yet finished the project—heck, they aren’t even close—even though it’s been underway for something like 40 years.

[columbia]

The Attorney General may, upon determining that it is more
efficient or otherwise is in the best interest of the
Commonwealth, authorize the General Counsel or the counsel for
an independent agency to initiate, conduct or defend any
particular litigation or category of litigation in his stead.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI ... 4.000..HTM

Then again, she is not a he, so perhaps that tosses out the whole section.

[Shyster]

If you are involved in a lawsuit and your attorney expresses ethical challenges surrounding the merits of your case, would you want to retain them as your advocate?

Maybe or maybe not. It would depend on the nature of the objection. Lawyers are expected to behave such that they do not violate the Rules of Professional Conduct or other applicable rules. But the mere fact that a lawyer has a personal distaste for a position or argument is usually no reason or excuse to not give full legal representation or do his or her best as an advocate. A lawyer is permitted to withdraw if they are asked to do something they would consider "repugnant," but even then they have an obligation to act in such a way that the client's interests are protected. Personally, I have found that I can sometimes do a better job arguing a position I disagree with than one I support.

What is the sanction for this?

Theoretically? Impeachment. In practice? Most likely nothing.

[Shyster]

Do you guys really want me to pull out the usage guides that say that "he" has been used as a gender-neutral pronoun for centuries? Because I'm sure you know I have them.

Edit: Not to mention that the statutory-construction provisions in Title 1 of the Pa.Cons.Stat. provide that "Words used in the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter."

[Gaucho]

The fact that Snowden is on the run and no country willing to grant him asylum (*cough cough* Germany *cough cough*) tells you everything you need to know about how effed up the world is.

[columbia]

Oregon may have solved the student loan crisis
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/11/oregon_ ... s_partner/

[PensFanInDC]

Oregon may have solved the student loan crisis
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/11/oregon_ ... s_partner/

The libertarian in me is screaming NO!!!! But the common sense in me is

[Factorial]

This should make many on here happy:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday she is resigning to take a job running the University of California education system.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013 ... y/2511755/

[tifosi77]

But the mere fact that a lawyer has a personal distaste for a position or argument is usually no reason or excuse to not give full legal representation or do his or her best as an advocate.

What if that personal stance is informed by a professional judgment?

Personally, I have found that I can sometimes do a better job arguing a position I disagree with than one I support.

A very good sign of a reasoned and capable rhetorical pugilist.

I actually wish I was better at that, myself.

[GSdrums87]

Oregon may have solved the student loan crisis
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/11/oregon_ ... s_partner/

It seems like basically, the consequences will be lower paying jobs for graduates and a college degree will become as valuable as a HS diploma. The cost of school is artificially high because the government is giving out free money to go to school thus driving debt up. While this is better than just giving out loans, it is still garbage IMO.

[tifosi77]

To quote my bud here at the office, "You mean no one at the station was like 'Wait, these are joke names!'"

[Hockeynut!]

Oh, that was amazing. I'd love to see the news station's follow up apology.

[tifosi77]

The apology was here as recently half an hour ago when I posted it on Facebook. But it appears to be gone now.

The opening paragraph read something like "We misreported the pilot's names", which for some reason made laugh almost as much as the original story.

[Sarcastic]

Oregon may have solved the student loan crisis
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/11/oregon_ ... s_partner/

The libertarian in me is screaming NO!!!! But the common sense in me is

Very interesting. I will have to read in more detail and digest properly. The way things are going can't continue.

[pensfan1989]

The issue with the student loan crisis, at least to me, is that far too many loans are given to people who are going for crap majors that have crappy prospects for work upon graduation. Then they graduate with thousands in debt and can't get a job making more than $30k a year.

Having seen some of the people at Pitt under these circumstances, I believe that student loans should really only be given out to people who are going into a field that has a direct impact on society and others (e.g. nursing, med school, engineering, physical sciences). There are far too many people in college who are getting degrees in "something they enjoy" and then can't get a job upon graduation. These are the people struggling to repay their debt and becoming a drain on the system.

[columbia]

Hmmmm....I've provided a lot of value in my career in information services and software development.

I was a history & political science major and certainly don't regret that choice.

[obhave]

The issue with the student loan crisis, at least to me, is that far too many loans are given to people who are going for crap majors that have crappy prospects for work upon graduation. Then they graduate with thousands in debt and can't get a job making more than $30k a year.

Having seen some of the people at Pitt under these circumstances, I believe that student loans should really only be given out to people who are going into a field that has a direct impact on society and others (e.g. nursing, med school, engineering, physical sciences). There are far too many people in college who are getting degrees in "something they enjoy" and then can't get a job upon graduation. These are the people struggling to repay their debt and becoming a drain on the system.

How do you know that student is going to succeed in that major? Does everyone going into school know they are going to be a hard science major? If they go in saying they are going to do science, then change their minds, do they have to pay back their loans they got based off of them originally declaring that major? How can you possibly regulate that. You want people to do the sciences because they are good at it and they enjoy it, not only because it is the only thing they can afford to do.

[obhave]

Hmmmm....I've provided a lot of value in my career in information services and software development.

I was a history & political science major and certainly don't regret that choice.

There are values in other majors. People only ever praising the value of hard science majors/engineers is baffling to me.

[pensfan1989]

I want people who have the best chance to succeed at a level that they are able to pay back their loans. Too many people are getting degrees that won't get them jobs that won't put them in a position to do that.

With each loan backed by the federal government, the American taxpayer is taking a risk. And they should be managing that risk to people who have the best chance to live up to the terms of their loans. The taxpayer shouldn't be taking a risk on someone getting a degree in "something they enjoy" that will never have the potential to be paid back.

They could also do things with the loans to encourage people to save money, like requiring those who take loans to take general requirements at community colleges. Last time I checked, CCAC was about 1/4 the price of Pitt.

The ease of getting loans has no doubt contributed to the rising costs of higher education. Universities can charge more because they know more students can pay. Universities aren't helping much with some of the focus on research and their hiring practices, but that's an issue for another topic.

[Pucks_and_Pols]

I think its absurd to say that you have to be in nursing or engineering to take out student loans. I was a history major, went to a private school on loans, have been employed since the day I graduated, and have never missed a payment on my loans. I wouldn't have qualified (neither would my wife for that matter) under your plan.

[Sarcastic]

Selected majors have nothing to do with students leaving school buried neck deep in debt. Not too long ago still, I paid $1,500-2,000 a semester. You could work part time, go to school, graduate with little or no debt. My first college was a State school, so not the most expensive, but point is it was all doable. What you have happening here is very much the same as in the healthcare industry.. pretty much since Clinton left office. Institutions trying to rip people off for profit. It's greed and corruption, nothing else. I may have posted an article not too long ago about universities typically spending only about 40-50% of money they take in on education. Rest on advertising and (I am sure) lining their own pockets.

Anyone can tell me why books became so expensive? Because they charge what they want and students have to buy them.

What I hate sometimes is hearing comments that people should be more responsible and all that nonsense. There is a country-wide failure we have and I am becoming very jaded to it all.

[Grunthy]

I don't understand this country's obsession with college. This country so demonizes trade jobs in high school it is embarrassing. We need to get off of the every body needs to go to college.

[Sarcastic]

I don't understand this country's obsession with college. This country so demonizes trade jobs in high school it is embarrassing. We need to get off of the every body needs to go to college.

I totally agree.

I also heard somewhere on TV recently that like 50% of people that go to college quit before finishing for one reason or another? It's a mess and I think this country will pay for it in the near future.