JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

OVER THE CLIFF

AND...we're back on the edge of the cliff: As the house of representatives (Motto: "Afraid of tea and parties and some guy named Grover") passed the legislation sent to it by the Senate. 
Now on to the debt ceiling debate...or as we like to call it: "America held hostage by a bunch of republican congressmen."
We shall see. 

Fiscal Cliff update: Boehner can't control his caucus. He cannot get the votes to pass the senate bill. The Speaker's second in command- Majority leader Eric Cantor stabbed the speaker (and the country) in the back by announcing he will not support the bill. 
So over the cliff and down the river we go, courtesy of the house republicans. 

Good morning and happy new year. It's 2013. Just 364 more days until the end of the year. (sigh). 

That splashing sound you heard was the country going over the cliff in a barrel. 
That hissing sound you heard was all the air going out of the fragile economy. With the combination of your taxes going up and government spending going down- as much as 9 billion dollars a week will be taken out of the economy. 

They say they have a deal to fix it: The senate passed a bill late new years eve- the house votes on it next.  But even the so called fix just kicks the can down the road for most of the issues for a few months. As our late law school  property law professor used to say: one of the biggest lies is "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you." 

The simple fact is that the government is broken. There is no leader among the entire house and congress willing to stand up and say "here's my idea to fix this...follow me." Instead, each vote is measured by each congressman and senator with the yard stick of how  the extremists (read tea party) in their district will view the vote and will it anger them enough to run a challenger in their primary?  Until five or ten brave souls who are true leaders get together and tell the extremists they no longer matter, this brinksmanship of bringing our country to the edge of defaults and economic disaster will continue every two or three months. 
So get used to it. 

As we reported yesterday, Justice Ben Overton -a real leader, passed away. It's no exaggeration to say that Justice Overton rescued the Florida Supreme Court and perhaps the judiciary in the state by bringing honesty and integrity to the court. Of course this occurred in 1974, when most of our reader's parents were knee high to a yet to be invented Starbucks Vente cup, so how relevant is all of this to you anyway?

Let's start our resolution list. Write them in the comments section and we'll fill the best in. We start with a simple one at number 10:

1________                         6________
2________                         7________
3________                         8________
4________                         9________
5________                       10 Eat less sugar. 

Remember: with all  new year's resolutions to try more cases and get tougher on crime rattling around in the otherwise despoiled heads of judges and prosecutors, January is the worst time to set a case for trial. Rumpole practice tip#4. 

We're smart enough to follow our own rules, so it will be a while before we see you in court for anything other than an arraignment or motion. 



36 comments:

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Angry Girl said...

Dum da dum dum.
Here it is. D day. Diet day. That day that in October, November and December seemed so far away as you guzzled egg nog and stuffed fried foods down your gullet followed by cake and cookies and green and red colored M&Ms.
Gym time as well. You promised yourself you would be up early and at the gym today.

Hahahahaha. None of your clothes fit and your system is so poisoned by sugar and carbs that you can't even roll out of bed and get moving without two cups of coffee stuffed with cream and sugar or spelnda (which is just as bad for you BTW) and a bagel and cream cheese.

Maybe today is not the day. Why rush it? There's always tomorrow right? And the weekend.
Plus there's all those football games on TV and you can't watch those without subs and chips and beer and soda.

I'll be thinking of all of you as I run my traditional New years day ten K.


Anonymous said...

Hey AG-- those green and red colored M&Ms are the best.

Anonymous said...

Angry Girl is Rumpole's alter ego.

Your schtick is getting old, time to bring a new persona to the blog. How about Fake Big Bird?

South Beach dandy said...

The restaurant and club I went to for new year's eve was so exclusive, I spent the night by myself.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole, you dear soul you. Putting aside the wasteful spending, until there is tax fairness, the country will be divided on economic issues. Why should I pay almost half my money in earnings yet people only pay 15 percent in capital gains? Its not fair. Why should money be taxed at death when it has already be taxed? Making money is difficult no matter the legal method. And the rates should be the same weather carried interest or capital gains, once you arrive at the highest bracket. And that rate should never be more then 25 percent. And there should be no deductions. I hope the the House radicals continue their brinkmanship. I would think if you were not already older and rich you might feel the same way, given your email address...

Fake Country Dave said...

Where is everyone? The building is locked.

Rumpole said...

The problems are many. For instance, I probably paid more in income tax than Mitt Romney for the last few years. The very wealthiest have access to vehicles and procedures that lower their rates and the money they pay.

So why not a VAT like Europe, which taxes consumption? Because it strikes the poor in a disproportionate manner.

If you start to propose a solution that makes the tax rate simple and eliminates many of the deductions, then the real estate (for the mortgage deduction) and charities start their lobbying efforts.

There is no simple solution, and trust me, even with taxes over a million dollars the new tax rate increase is going to affect me. But, because I have prepared, I have a significant stream of income outside the normal tax rates, from sheltered investments and the like, so in the end I am still not paying on a percentage basis either my fair share, or percentage wise the same as some poor schmo labouring for 75 or 100K a year.

Anonymous said...

My resolution- charge higher fees. I'm worth it.

Anonymous said...

Not a resolution but a goal- find angry girl, get her drunk, and do things to her that she will regret in the morning.

Anonymous said...

No procrastinating, staying inexorable. Been in the gym for a year now so I'm good on that. Continuing to persevere.

"To thine own self be true."

Curtis Mayfield- Move on Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6Z66wVo7uNw

The best song ever:
Curtis Mayfield- "Dont Worry"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6Z66wVo7uNw

"Hurry people running from their worries while the judge and their juries dictate the law that's partly flaw."

Anonymous said...

" What they don't know, there can be no sure and if there's hell below were (all) gonna go."

Curtis Mayfield- "Don't Worry"
Best song ever.

Anonymous said...

More shumie stuff and Fake Kenny on the blog. Plus let Fake Tannebaum post. He was the best.

DS said...

Dont ussually believe in resolutions for New Years. It is just another day , we only change the calendar names and dates, but all else really stays the same.

But, Yesterday , I looked in the mirror and realized we are at perihelon and I and I had a revolation.

I want to be a better DAD.

I want to be a better ME.

It aint much but , but there are my resolutions.

DS

DS said...

Oh yeah

GO NOLES

ACC CHAMPS

ORANGE BOWL WINNERS

F-L-O-R-I-D-A S-T-A-T-E

FLORIDA STATE
FLORIDA STATE
FLORIDA STATE

don da dom/......

Anonymous said...

So glad Rubio's part of the extremevGOP agenda has been exposed.

Fake kenny W said...

I've got offers from other blogs. Step it up or I'm history.

Anonymous said...

House GOP s out of control

Anonymous said...

Rubio is a patriot. He also likes NWA. That's said, he recognizes that it is unfair to tax those who make 450 a year when we already give so much. 450 is chicken scratch. Trim your belts people. Either that or let the whole shit house go up in flames.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

Fiscal Cliff Averted, House is voting NOW .....

The Senate Bill is being voted on by the House right now.

We should have the totals shortly but it looks like enough Republicans have given in and will vote YEA.

CAP OUT ....

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

READ IT FIRST AT THE JBB

FISCAL CLIFF AVERTED .....

HOUSE VOTE on the Senate Bill:

YEA 257
NAY 167

CAP OUT
captain4justice@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

That's a shame. Better to go off the cliff.

Anonymous said...

My resolutions are two and they are intertwined:

1. Call the Shumie more frequently to...

2. ...visit the restaurants and clubs recommended by Fake Kenny.

Anonymous said...

Try the new Ebook on six steps to shumie time:

The first is to set inflexible hours, meaning no matter what you agree to leave at say 5:pm. Then every two weeks you gradually push that back 15 or 30 minutes until in a few months you find yourself leaving at 2pm and having done the same amount of work!

Anonymous said...

As the Congressional Budget Office calculates, for every $1 that this proposal cuts spending, it hikes taxes by $41! In total, $15 billion in spending cuts are dwarfed by $620 billion in tax increases.

Congratulations.

Richard Baron said...

Keep it just the way it is.

Anonymous said...

Look at the Forum and the statement on youtube by Judge Barry M. Cohen which is one of the allegations presented by the JQC. I know you all know what the deal is but people like me make it bad for business around here. Speaking the truth of course is "inappropriate" and denying justice is the norm.

Go figure in a courthouse that is named after a prosecutor.

Anonymous said...

M resolution is to add a new rule to Shumie Time: have more sex.

Can I get a ruling on this ref?

Anonymous said...

Sorry for the double comment, don't think it went through.

My resolution is to add a a new rule to Shumie Time:

Have more sex.

Can I get a ruling ref?

Anonymous said...

Can someone give me updates on Jeff Feiler fhe INTERCONTINENTIAL MAN OF MYSTERY. ?????

Ernesto Espana said...

Help! Should steak be ordered medium or medium rare? Its becoming a real issue in my family when we go out.
Thanks.

Fake traffic judge (Ret) said...

Missing the days when I woke up in the morning agonizing over whether I would withhold and $212 or adjudicate and $319.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see the blog become gluten and transfat free and leasen use of BPA containers.

Fake Dr Atkins said...

And carb free too!

Anonymous said...

At @ 2:24:00 ---carbs are good for ya!!

DS said...

Ernesto
Med. Rare at the most.
Dont cook all the juice` out