We have previously discussed the lack of priority in this country as Congress has spent trillions on wars and corruption in Iraq and Afghanistan while our most basic state and federal public programs and services are cut. Indeed, we spend billions on increasingly hostile countries like Pakistan or affluent countries like Israel while our educational system and infrastructure collapses. There is no greater example of that lack of priority than the decline of our court systems which are woefully underfunded and facing a growing crisis in dealing with civil and criminal cases. I often speak to judges and they all complain that they are overwhelmed and unable to meet the most basic demands of the legal system. In California, one court had to resort of a garage sale while another is imposing a $1 a page charge for people to get copies of needed court records. Our legal system is one of the most basic governmental functions — the very definition of a nation committed to the rule of law. However, California alone shows how dire the situation has become.
California has closed more than 50 courthouses and eliminated 3,900 full-time positions. The court estimates that it is short $266 million for minimal operations and $612 million to be fully functional. It also says that it would need $1.2 billion over three years to return services from past cuts.
The wait times for hearings is growing and the state is beginning to resemble India where people simply have little hope of a ruling on disputes — resulting in their avoidance of the courts or abandonment of cases. The Kings County Superior Court was faced with staff cuts and inadequate budgets and had to hold an actual garage sale to raise money.
The state is about to announce a new round of court closings to save money — increasing the barrier for judicial review and case resolution. Lines now stretch out the door and courts report increasing tension and even violence as people lose their tempers in waiting for hours.
In the meantime, Alameda County courts are now going to charge $1 per page to simply download documents — creating a financial barrier for many seeking to address legal issues. This is consistent with the increased use of toll roads and taxes for highways. What was once viewed as a basic function of the government (supported by general taxes) is now being treated as a privilege with a surcharge.
The federal system charges for PACER documents online, which I have always found objectionable as a court access issue, but they only charge 10 cents a page. With a cap of $3. The Alameda courts would cap it at $40.
I remain mystified by the short-sightedness of our budget decisions. Cutting educational, judicial, and other basic programs have collateral impacts and displaced costs that are simply ignored. The long-term impacts are particularly worrisome as we produce less competitive students for the new job market, reduce the availability of the courts for conflict resolution, and make add delays in transportation and other basic services. We are de-evolving as country as we spend wildly on foreign wars and aid while reducing our own level of public support and investment.
Source: LA Times
There has always been enough water for people, plants, and animals.
Then came the corporations of Oil-Qaeda.
Then came the abuse.
Then came the coup.
The end is the final chapter when psychopaths have an epigovernment ruling the ignorati (Just Sayin).
Dredd – just to summarize, you are saying that that Obama led a coup and now his administration (psychopaths) are ruling over an epigovernment?
California on fire, budget woes, and water supply problems.
A fix for water supply: Solar powered sea water desalination system.
A big stumbling block is cost. Solar-powered desalination currently averages about $1.52-$2.05 per cubic metre of water produced, depending on technology, energy costs and location, according to the World Bank.
Conventionally, alternatives typically cost half that or less. The cubic-metre costs of desalinised water in Israel’s traditional Hadera and (newer) Sorek plants, for example, are $0.65 and $0.52 respectively.
Ken, you are absolutely correct and the primary costs of desalinization is electrical energy to push the water pumps through the membranes. With cold fusion and ion capture devices now available, we have the potential to reduce these costs by 80% to 90%.
Thinking that the oligarchy and their main stream controlled media are first, going to even tell you what is transpiring technologically in the world and second, give you the money to bring these things to the market in competition against the $trillions they’ve invested in conventional fossil fuels and nuclear is the problem.
I don’t really have the solution other then to give money to those who have the competency to assist those technologies in getting these products to the market, knowing what they are up against.
In Brazil, the local utility gave the Ion capture company Energia Universal the green light on installations of two of their systems, only to pull the plug and confiscate the equipment as soon as they were installed, despite two university studies verifying the safety and technology. Sadly, their are just in a long line of individuals and companies to have had their energy technologies suppressed starting with Nicola Tesla.
hskiprob – I thought cold fusion still didn’t work.
No Paul, many now are getting excess heat out of various reactions and everyone is scratching their heads to try to figure out what is going on and explain it. Lot’s of theories. Nobody is really sure what to call it but many are calling LENR. Low Energy Nuclear Reaction.
The judges should issue a “Writ of Mandamus” to force Congress and state legislatures to do their constitutional duty – enforce the U.S. Constitution’s judicial guarantees on every level which requires funding.
Judges have this power!
Why governments fail is simply explained by this statute. Obviously the cow represents the government. http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608007051020534626&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0
It is human nature to seek the greatest security for survival. Government can offer that to only a portion of society before it goes bankrupt. How many people can actually work for a government before the ability of those not working for the government can not longer afford to pay for it is unknown. Add in those that do not find the merits of government to be just and beneficial only creates greater problems. Add in those that find lawful or unlawful ways to avoid helping pay for it. Add in the fraud and injustice that those in government inflict on society such as the tazing of children and the elderly that Jonathan continually points out to maintain the governments physical and psychological controls. Add in the corruption within the military industrial complex controlled by the ruling oligarchy, strictly done for profits.
An older gentleman told me just today that when he was a young teenager he remembered the government preparing for WWII, three or four years prior to the war. That’s the same thing that happened with World Trade Center Building 7. Since you cannot set explosives in a building in one day, the preparation for the controlled demolition of Building 7, had to have been done prior to the event. Just so happens there is material and circumstantial evidence of when the explosives most likely were set.
The difficultly that we all face is finding and believing the truth, even when it stares us in the face, is because of the evil that is required by so many for such events to have been pulled off. How could the Salem Witch Hunt really have occurred? How many people did it take to pull off the invasion of Iraq? Did the Mayans really sacrifice people to the Gods or have events like this just been done by evil people willing to kill others to gain and maintain power and control.
It is really that easy for so many people to acquiesce to evil? It is not that I am against the government, I’m against injustice. It is not my fault that governments create such high levels of it. I know the private sector is rife with injustice as well, but my chances of defeating them are much greater than those of defeating the injustices caused by the collusion of governments and the private sector, when in cahoots. If we eliminate the private sector we will all starve. If we eliminate or at least curtail the government sector, we will only then need to fight the private sector injustices. The question one must ask in this situation, must government be the final arbiter?
J. Brian Harris, Ph.D., P.E. the answer to your question is NO!
Annie, know that your daughter and her husband are in all of our thoughts.
Dear Annie, I hope you and yours are well. Yeah, what about the nuclear plant? I thought we were closing it down!
Who cares? What about the nuclear power plant?
Annie – California may lose Legoland.
Those who would not be sad if California, like the nation of Kiribati, sank beneath the waves are cold-hearted without a conscience, like judges in New Zealand:
(Guardian, “New Zealand refuses climate change refugees”). Lord Dipshit has reversed Lord Diplock.
Dredd – it could be like the island of Thera.
Long live California, may she not shake or bake.
Schuler, No apologies needed. Some here ask stupid questions, you ask good ones. Some folks here may not agree w/ all I have to say. But, I have a somewhat unique perspective, working in the industry but not being an attorney. My perspective comports w/ many other non lawyers, like legal secretaries and paralegals.
It is a culture change not just limited to civil litigation, that being the erosion of personal responsibility that permeates much of our culture. It used to be many times someone was injured it would be “Oh well, sh!t happens.” Take a few ibuprofen, ice it, and forget it. You and many folks would be shocked the numbers of cases that go to trial where there is NO or very little damage. These are rear enders where the person driving the rear car is always liable. I have a standing joke when I hear an accident reported on the news like a bus accident and the reporter says, “There were no injuries.” My line is “Wanna bet?”
Judges used to toss out frivolous cases because that is one of their duties. Anyone can file a lawsuit but that does not mean it has merit. Who takes advantage of the system, well that is a big demographic that includes both sexes, all ages, races, income, etc. But, you can discern who tend to file the most lawsuits by seeing on what television shows carry “Have you been injured in an accident?” attorney ads. You always focus your ads on your target audience. I hope I answered your questions, but feel free to ask any follow-ups.
Dredd – someday you will grow a sense of humor. I am not going to hang by my thumbs until it happens, but someday????
Only America haters would want California to be destroyed.
Alien psychopathic America haters.
May California, a great state in the United States, lead the way out of the oil prison, as it has on so many other issues.
Her husband is in gridlocked traffic, can’t get home. She’s home alone with the pets. Thanks for the kind thoughts Shuler C.
Dredd – first they have this little fire they have to worry about.
Just heard from her, no evacuation yet. Sky is smoky.
*And son in law*
Hopefully he will make it. My sister was on the Coaster and had no problems. So far, so good. Thanks for the spelling correcting, thought maybe you had a stroke 😉
My daughter and aonmin law are near the Tomahawk fires which are getting worse, no word from her, I don’t know if they’ve been evacuated.
Dear Annie, best wishes for your daughter and her family as they try to regain normalcy. Hope all are well as they can be.
My sister is in Carlbad and they have evacuated 11000 people so far, but not her.