This and that

Its been a while since I was doing my month of positivity. So let me get a few quick hits in. 

1. Law students are idiots. Well, so are some lawyers. Apparently, these law students, or former law students, are now suing their law schools. They claim that the law schools didn't tell them the true job placement rate. So, lets say school TJ reported that its employment rate was 90%. That meant 90% of its graduates were working, but not that 90% were working full time as lawyers. Everyone knew this. At least, everyone who can think knew this. These folks say they were duped.

First, who actually believes anything a law school, or any college, says. This school says its good for partying or seaside living. Another school says its good for meeting women. Maybe a third school says its good for people who want to become hair removal experts. They are lying. They all lie. Why? Because they want you to come to their school. If you believe them, you are an idiot, as Dr. House would say.

Second, if you don't do your own fact checking, you shouldn't be allowed to go to any graduate school. One of the things law school teaches, and the LSAT is supposed to test for, is the ability to think and reason. Look, there are only so many jobs as a lawyer. Its a finite number in any given year. If there are 200 law schools and each one puts out 200 lawyers a year, that is 40,000 new lawyers a year. Now, thankfully, some of them will not pass the bar exam. But lets say 75% due. That is 30,000 new lawyers every year. Then add in the folks who didn't pass the bar the year before and you have 35,000, 36,000 lawyers looking for jobs. Either they aren't all getting jobs or they are aren't all getting legal jobs. AND NOT ALL OF THEM WANT LEGAL JOBS! Two guys I went to law school with decided to stay with their previous careers. But they were still employed.

Think about it. If you are a 4th tier law school and you want people to come, you need to show that people who graduate get jobs. So you include everyone, as was the standard. It doesn't matter if they are working at Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe or at Burger King. They are working. If you are applying to a law school and you see it is a 3rd or 4th tier law school and the job rate is 95%, aren't you going to say to yourself, "Hmmmm.........I wonder how 95% of these folks got jobs? I know I would ask that question and I am not the sharpest tool in the shed. So if you can't fact check, maybe graduate school is not the right future for you!

Third, if they are flat out lying, fine sue then, but in this case, its how the numbers were reported. In other words, the ABA asked for what percentage of graduates were working, not what percentage were working as lawyers or in full time jobs. It was reported per the standard. You should know to check on that before you go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. It is basic checking, the same type of checking you would do before sending a letter to someone or filing a lawsuit. If you cannot do that fact checking and figure out what was reported, then you really should re-think your future.

There is no merit to these lawsuits because you are an idiot if you a) believe anything any school ever tells you about getting a job, b) think you deserve some job because you are a lawyer and c) think that you are better than the other people out there just struggling to get by.These kids expect a six figure job right out of school. 

2. Elk Grove is run by morons. Seriously. So there is a group that wants to get an MLS team in Elk Grove. YAY! Everyone is all happy. It ain't happening. MLS has pretty much come out and said so. There will be 1 more team. It will either be in NY or in Florida. Period. MLS encouraged everyone in Sacramento to support the "local team" which is the San Jose Earthquakes.

But, the geniuses who run Elk Grove, have decided that they want a team here anyway. They are looking at spending $9 million to buy land for a $100 million publicly financed stadium that, according to their own numbers, would lose $5 million per year. What the hell? You want to build something that you admit will lose money?

"Hi, Mr. Math, and I would like to explain to you the concept of BANKRUPTCY. Apparently, my example in Stockton didn't get your attention. If you are losing money every month, you are going to end up BANKRUPT. There is no such thing as negative money!"

Seriously, this is idiotic. Every study says publicly financed stadiums don't generate much growth, that there are better ways to generate growth, that cities don't need to finance them. The SF Giants just built PacBell Park with 3% public money. That means 97% of the money was private money. But apparently Elk Grove is SOOOO cool that we need to pay for an entire stadium ourselves. For a team that does not exist. For a team that does not have an agreement with ANY soccer league at ANY level. Yes, we are going to build it and hope they come. Unless Kevin Costner is around, it ain't happening!

I won't even get into who they are doing business with. Its a joke. A former Assembly Speaker who most people think used his influence to get his son's prison sentence commuted. Sheesh.

And then we have our Mayor talking at his state of the city speech, if you can call it a speech, talking about fiscal responsibility. First, Mr. Mayor, make sure your tie is on right and tied properly. Then stop reading what you wrote and look at people while you speak. Once you get those two down, you should be able to speak, not just in complete sentences, but thoughts, ideas, paragraphs, if you will, without stopping. It is how the professionals speak. And it ain't that hard! If you are going to talk about fiscal responsibility, don't come up with a dumb idea that is going to lose $5 million per year. That is not responsible. That is called IRresponsible. In other words, not responsible.

By the way, I do have vision and I do not have an inferiority complex. Yes, an elected official in Elk Grove sent me a message that I have an inferiority complex. Me? Really? Have you met me? I have a lot of things, but an inferiority complex is not one of them. By the way, nice way to correspond with your constituents with the name calling. Very mature. (Notice, not once did I call anyone a name here. I could have. I probably should have. But, alas, I did not.)


3. This last one will be short. You know what you get in life? Nothing. You get not one single thing. It may end for you today, tomorrow or in 40 years. You have no idea. It may be full of joy, full of sadness or somewhere in between. What will it be? I don't know. You don't know. So, you know what you should do? Wake up, thank God (or whomever) that you are alive, kiss your wife (or husband), hug your kids and make every day the best. Don't expect anyone to give you anything. It won't happen. If you want it, bust your ass and you may be able to get it. But don't whine when you don't get it and don't whine when people don't give it to you.

There, now I feel better.