Juris Vodcast

Economic Sanity from the FDIC

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 07:14:40 +0000

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) wasn’t in the public eye until the banks started to fail. Sheila Bair is the Chair of the FDIC. She was appointed by President Bush, but don’t hold it against her. Ms Bair is a Republican who believes the FDIC should be a consumer protection agency. She has fought for borrowers instead of lenders, and she wants the big banks to lose the freedom to calculate their own capital requirements.

Read more about Sheila Bair here here here and here.

Borrowing Our Way Out Of Debt

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:41:23 +0000

We’re printing an ungodly amount of borrowed money to bail out a bankrupt financial system, and so far that money is going to the people who caused the problems! It’s hard to see anything good coming of it.

I don’t see a significant difference between the two major candidates for President on economic issues. Both support endless wars, with military bases all over the world, financed with borrowed money. We are headed for big margin calls, both economically and environmentally.

CT Recognizes Same-Sex Marriage

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:42:19 +0000

The Connecticut Supreme Court has just legalized gay and lesbian marriage, based on their reading of the state constitution. The court applied intermediate scrutiny to the plaintiff’s equal protection claim. This is another well-reasoned and thoughtful decision. There were three dissenting opinions; these too are well-crafted, but they’re still on the wrong side of history.

Read the majority opinion here, and read the dissenting opinions here, here and here. Next, read the majority and dissenting opinions from the California Marriage Cases.

Spy Satellites & Wall Street Bailout

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:05:35 +0000

This has been a dreadful week for Constitutional government in the United States. First, the government funds the National Applications Office. This is another step towards combining the US military with domestic law enforcement. Next, they enact the Wall Street bailout bill, one of the biggest crimes ever committed against the US Taxpayer.

Senate to Taxpayers: Bend Over!

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:33:26 +0000

The US Senate just passed its version of the Wall Street Bailout Bill. Criminal fingerprints are all over this long, tedious document. In yet another example of bizarre political double-speak, the Senate version has been "sweetened." This means that corporate handouts, tax cuts and other expensive promises have been built into this bill. All of it is to be paid for with borrowed money.

Dennis Kucinich says the bailout is immoral. Ron Paul writes with open contempt about trying to put lipstick on a bailout.

US House Backs Away From Iran War

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:48:03 +0000

HR 362 is off the table for this session of Congress. Last July, I and other critics decried this resolution as being the functional equivalent of a declaration of war against Iran. The Democratic leadership in the House agreed.

House Resolution 2605 isn’t as well known, but it is far more visionary. The author is Ron Paul, and one of the co-sponsors is Dennis Kucinich. HR 2605 would cut off funding for the Iraq war. It’s too bad there aren’t 270 sponsors for this bill.

RIAA Gets Hosed In Court

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:22:13 +0000

The Recording Industry Association of America RIAA offers ample evidence to support the proposition that the music business consists of two basic groups: a bunch of gangsters and thugs on the one hand, and the real bad guys on the other.

You might remember, about a year ago the recording industry went to trial on a music file sharing case called Capitol v. Thomas. The RIAA won a couple hundred grand damages award against a single mother.

The good news is that the trial judge, sua sponte has ordered a new trial. He’s decided he should have instructed the jury that the plaintiffs needed to prove the music files the defendant made available on the peer-to-peer network actually were downloaded by a third party. Read the decision for yourself. It’s actually quite thoughtful and interesting. While you’re at it, read more here and here.

US Army vs US Citizens

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:22:37 +0000

The US Army is going to have a permanent garrison on US soil. The Third Infantry Division’s First Brigade Combat Team will take up residence on October 1, 2008. It is going to train to use force on Americans.

This is another signal event that shows hard times are coming. We’re on a slippery slope. Only tyrannical governments need to use the military to control the domestic population.

Read the Army Times coverage of this story.

The Bailout: Socialism or Fascism?

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:00:06 +0000

The President of the United States has told us what he thinks our country needs in this time of economic distress: a more powerful President! His proposal violates the separation of powers.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Scott F. Pearce, Esq. — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:11:30 +0000

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is the most important treaty you’ve never heard of. The big western countries are busy negotiating this big trade deal in secret. The news about ACTA that has leaked out of the negotiations is cause for concern.

Meanwhile, the US Senate Judiciary Committee has voted for a bill called The Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act. This distinctly wretched bill goes so far as to have the Justice Department empowered to file civil lawsuits against alleged copyright pirates. I guess the recording industry preferrs to have the taxpayers pay for their efforts to enforce their property rights. The only Senators to oppose this bill were Republicans.