Ex-CTLawyer

I find it interesting that many posts talk about the inability of therapists to cure xxxxx.
Medical professionals treat and sometimes cure diseases and illnesses.
Therapists help one cope with emotional and mental health situations. These are not things which can be cured. One cannot cure anger, grief, jealousy, resentment, etc. a good therapist can help one to deal with these feelings/issues.

Therapy need not be a long term thing. It does not have to break the bank.

There are all kinds of therapy practiced by people with far different training, experience, education and degrees.

I would not consider the therapy offered by Clinical Licensed Social Worker (who may only need a Batchelor’s degree in some states) to be the same as that offered by PHd. psychologist.

When I received a designation as a Marital Law specialist, the university granted me a Counseling Certificate. In no way did I consider the 15 credits sufficient to provide marriage counseling/therapy despite being allowed to do so by law.
My holding the Certificate allowed my divorce clients to avoid the mandatory (Connecticut) court employee provided marriage counseling in order to obtain a civil divorce.

@AAQ

You write about the need to have the highest paying renters in my response to not renting to students; a group I label as destructive and transient,

So, if I can rent a 3br to six students for $4800 month plus utilities or a couple with 3 children for $4100 per month. I’ll take the family. The wear and tear from 6 students far exceeds the family. They tend to move friends in without permission. They tend to leave after the academic year and the unit needs painting every time. They have no pride in the place.
The family wants to live in nice surroundings and does not generally trash the place. Typically only have to paint after 4 years if they renew leases. They want stability, don’t trash the grounds, etc.

Yes property is expensive, but I look at the rental market and aim for 85%of market rate on a new purchase that is financed. If it can’t carry at a 10% return, not worth buying,
Typically, landlord loses a month’s income every time there is a change of tenant. Lease expires 11:59:59 pm and can’t expect to have it ready for move in at midnight.
Outside of NYC, landlord pays real estate agent, typically one month’s gross rent on a year’s lease.
I don’t use agents, we own an in house Real Estate Agency. Mostly get my tenants by referral from happy existing tenants whose friends and families are anxious to live in my properties.

BTW you talked about appreciation in deterring your profit. You neglect to mention depreciation, that wonderful accounting system that throws off tax saving snd profit. After 29 years (used to be 15) and depreciation to zero one doesn’t sell and have a huge taxable capital gain from reduced cost basis. Instead one doesn’t a like kind property swap, avoids the tax and gets to start depreciation again. I’m

Epithets belong on gravestones

Let’s wait until he is dead to assign one

Appropriate during different points in his life:
Adulterer
Felon
Deadbeat
Barker
Liar
Charlatan
Presidential Victor
Presidential Loser

@fakenews
B”H my properties are not financed, so I am not subject to fluctuations in interest rates.

In 2007/8 when the markets imploded, real estate values dropped. Many with mortgages found themselves underwater and lost their properties.
AND: my real estate taxes dropped for a year when my town made the next year’s budget. I passed the savings along to my tenants by lowering their rents proportionally for my tax savings for the renewal one year leases.

When taxes and insurance and maintenance are stable I do not increase rents at renewal time. This year real estate and fire taxes are increasing 2.5% based on the grand list of Oct 1, 2025 (payment due in January 2026-we pay taxes in arrears in CT). Tenants will get a proportional increase when lease renews. Example 2 family house with $600 tax increase, each tenant will get a $25 increase for the coming lease year. I don’t increase their $2500 month rent by 2.5% which would be $62.50 unjustly enriching myself.
I set a 10% net ROI for myself (7% which I could get in a stock dividend<which I do regularly for clients and self for 40 years >, and 3% for my efforts/labor time in managing the properties, doing bookkeeping and taxes, etc.)

If I had to pay a mortgage those 3Br 2 bath central A/C modern apartments would have to bring in $3800 mo rent, which is comparable in the area.
I’d rather have long term stable families as tenants who can afford the rent on dad’s income while mom can raise the children and watch over the property.

Not unusual for me to get a text from a tenant stating that the kitchen faucet broke and the bought a mid price replacement from Home Depot for $40 and they asked their son in law to install it so as not bother me to get a plumber. I immediately Zelle them the cost of the faucet and express my thanks.

Long term good tenants are the key to financial sucess as a landlord, turnover is a killer.
Today is the last Friday of the month bc and many of my tenants have already paid rent for July. I have not had to bring an eviction action in about 20 years and I”H will never have to do so again

I have been a landlord for many decades. When my expenses (taxes, maintenance, insurance) rise then rent has to increase at renewal time. I keep my net constant, but why should you expect me to subsidize my tenants?

I do not look at what the current rentals in my local markets are to set rents. They are set based on expenses and a reasonable Return on Investment.
In years when taxes and insurance does not go up, I renew at current rental amounts.

This may be one reason that most of my tenants have been in place more than 10 years.

Since I only drive through the Bronx and Queens when going to and from Nassau and Fairfield County homes I doubt I will make changes in my life.
No reason to visit the city for business, entertainment or shopping.

@ujm

Major error in headline and your post.
The female was not YET (and will now not be) the diplomat’s fiancée. He bought the ring and was about to propose.
This is typical goyische method, buy and show the ring to entice girl to say yes. Does not say much for the midos of the women swayed into marriage by the sparkle of a stone

@Lakewhut

Always do sure and always so wrong.

There is no requirement that a Democratic candidate running for office be a supporter of the party platform.
In fact a new platform is voted on at every National Party Convention for the purpose of electing a President.

Candidates run for election in years when there is no platform.
Some state parties have a platform, some don’t.

A vote for a Democratic candidate I. A local election in no way means you are supporting a national platform (that doesn’t exist in 2025).

@Neville
I am talking about NY
I did not daven in my small CT town Chabad but they had the banners and picture in the lobby, not shul

@CoffeeAddict
Too long

I’d like to make a few comments after reading this thread.
I have never been through the tuition/scholarship application process. B”H I am was able to afford paying for mine and other children as well.
That said, having been onThe boards of Yeshivas, Day Schools and Camps; I detested the committee system.
It is demeaning and unhealthy for fellow parents and school staff to have access to and make judgmental decisions about the finances and lifestyles of families. Too much information was leaked/shared and discussed that was hurtful to the applicants.
Years ago in a local city the boards of 6 of these type of institutions turned the process over to the local Jewish Family Service. They set up a committee of professionals who handled the process for all 6 institutions. They received the cost to attend, but not the name of the institution. They received handled each applicant discreetly. The offices had separate entrances and applicants were never in A waiting area where they could see others coming for the interview.
The operational costs was provided by a grant by Federation.
It worked well for more than 20 years. The school administrations were relieved not to be in the position of negotiating and dealing with unhappy parents.

Next: Parsonage
This is a misunderstood concept, it should not be applied to teachers.
In the old days the local church provided a place for the Parson to live. American synagogues followed suit owning a house used by the Rabbi. When clergy started buying and supplying their own homes, the IRS code allowed them to consider a small portion of their salary as parsonage. Often they met privately with congregants in their homes, hosted learning groups and the wife might teach a woman’s class.
Today Parsonage is a term often used by those in their homes religious education world to justify a system of tax avoidance. It is definitely a grey area

@SquareRoot
Grasping for draws. Admit you are wrong.
Article 4 of the Constitution is not about the powers anc obligation of the President/Executive Branch.

@AAQ
Foreign relations has always been the Roman of the Executive Branch of the Federal W as specified in the Constitution, never the States
The Constitution states that all powers not specifically assigned to the Federal Government are reserved to the states (States Rights), but the Feds use thing such as carrot and stick to get control: want Highway funds we can set speed limits, etc.
Private college takes federal dollars for research, scholarship, hello requirements for Title 9 compliance, same for day schools taking Federal money for school lunch programs

@amom
In carpentry they teach to measure twice and cut once (avoids mistakes and waste). You read a post quickly and incorrectly and attacked me wrongly.
Square Root will not own up and admit the Constitution does not order the President to secure the borders as he posted. That is a falsehood.

My post is not for or against any individual who occupies the Presidency, it is about honesty and accurately stating what is in the Constitution. I put my bona fides out there and Square Root cannot refute the truth.

@anom
Wrong, wrong, wrong!

When hiring you are required to have the employee fll out a W-9 which requires providing you (the employer) with the listed forms of ID showing eligibility to work; such as birth certificate, passport, drivers license, social security card, etc.
You sign that you have examined these ids and person complies with the law and keep copies of there ids,
You also have to have them fill out a W-4 for tax withholding. You must withhold applicable taxes and Social Security and Medicare and file tax returns remitting the withholding and your employer’s obligations as well.

Follow the law!

@Neville

I did not write public schools are above any and all corruption. Please don’t put words in my mouth.

I addressed the fact that the typical adjunct teaching community college is likely to be working full time in his/her field and less of an ideologue than the full time university academics.

Out of state tuition to state universities is much cheaper than private universities.

In New England to save taxpayers money the 6 state university systems try to avoid duplicative programs with limited enrollment and high cost and admit students from the other 5 states at in state tuition cost.

This has been around for decades.

As for student loans, the borrower voluntarily signed a promissory note, received the services and should pay for it.
I am willing to make some accommodations for students who were defrauded by for profit schools who closed down, and student stuck with no transferable credits.
Also loan payment credits for working in areas of great need for wages below the going rate in more popular areas (teachers, doctors, nurses in remote underserved locales).

Many in the CR are aware that I may be a social liberal, but am a fiscal conservative.
In my grandparents’ time (1910s) an 8th grade education was sufficient to earn a living and perform most common work tasks), in my parents time (1930s) a high school education sufficed, today a college or technical education is needed. I believe society as a whole benefits from a dictated workforce and am willing to pay for it through my taxes.

BTW, for those who will raise the issue of ‘illegal aliens’ receiving free college education: the Connecticut plan for free community college for high school graduates requires the student fill out the Fafsa form and all grants are paid directly to the school. The Fafsa is only open to US Citizens

@Neville
The Pale of Settlement was a great swath of the Russian Empire where Jews were permitted to live. It in clouded parts of present day Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and the Ukraine ( among others).
The market town of Suwslki was 50% Jewish, a provincial capital in both Poland and Lithuania and even under Prussian control at times.

Borders were very fluid which was the reaso. For my description

@Keith
City College, Hunter, Community Colleges are commuter schools. No dorms, Spartan or otherwise.
No meal plans in the free tuition

I have taught in Community colleges as an adjunct (probably half the staff is) ; tend to be professionals working in the field, not the ideologues who work full time in academia

@Baal-habooze

Lay off the booze because it is making you post lies

Trump would love what happened in 2016 to happen again in 2016: he won
The last time was 2020 and he lost.

No one stoke the election from him. He lost the popular vote both times.
Every major case about voter fraud went through the courts and found against Trump’s false claims of fraud. Many ruled on by Federal judges he appointed.

I have been an election official for decades and from experience there is almost no voter fraud.

Last year I did have to have one potential voter arrested for fraud; a Republican. Who was a convicted felon and ineligible to vote and attempted to vote his father’s name. Both had the same name and address (not a Junior). I had a printout of the felons list from Secretary of State for voting district which included date of birth which matched his drivers license). The attempt to fraudulently vote caused his parole to be revoked and he is back behind bars finishing his original sentence.
So this was a slimy Republican caught

There are 9 Frum synagogues in my town, plus independent minyanim.
The shul I attend for Mincha/Maariv weekdays was the only shul saying Tachanun this week. It is Nusach Ashkenaz according to the Lita (Litvak) ritual.
It attracted a 25% bump in attendance from Sunday through today (Wednesday) of Ashkenazim who normally attend other shuls but wanted to daven in a minyan where Tachanun was being said.

BTW>>>> during Chol HaMoed Sukkos I attended this shul for Schacharis so I would not feel totally out of place davening with Tephillin on.

My paternal side came to the US from the Lithuanian section of the Pale of Settlement in 1872, we still hold to those traditions and Nusach

Why aren’t we voting in this poll, because your post is illiterate….
No one is gunnu do anything.

There are two elections coming, the plebiscite of the people Nov 5th, the the vote of the Electoral College in December.

Trump has lost the plebiscite twice in a row and I expect him to lose again November 5.

He is 1:2 in the Electoral College.

I expect VP Harris to win the Plebiscite November 5 and hope she also wins the Electoral College election.

@Akuperma
Wrong again! The USSR invaded Poland in September 1939 joining on the side of the Nazis in trying to conquer and divide territory.
That was their entry into the war.
It was not until Germany invaded the USSR in 1941 that the USSR formally joined the Allies in the war against the Axis powers.

Eastern Europe was a war zone from September 1939 with highly disrupted transportation, food supply, utilities etc.

The USSR borders were not truly open to nonessential visitors after September 1939. Internal travel was highly restricted as well, Jews were not free to travel from Moscow or Leningrad to The Ukraine, nor were most ordinary USSR citizens. The Kremlin restricted travel to avoid stirring up nationalism and having insurrections in the individual republics.

I got As in geography and European. World and US history.
Nice try.

No change.
I was brought up a Zionist and still support a Jewish homeland governed by Jews.

Don’t approve of labeling or segmenting Jews, I am a frum Jew of Northern European ancestry.

@AAQ
Thieve misunderstandings are a collateral damage of reading the CR in my phone which makes it hard to go back and forth to posts. Also leads to many typos on my part

@DovidBT
Actually vouchers allow you to claim other taxpayers’ dollars and spend them in ways that align with your values.

I have had running disagreements with local taxpayers who live in lower end homes in my CT community.
They clam an entitlement in the schools because of property tax. They pay a. Average of $7000 per year, but the town spends $25000 per year in each public school student.
I pay $28000 per year on the main CTL compound house and have never had a child in public schools.

The proposal for vouchers would give those taxpayers paying $7000 in local property taxes $25,000 a year in local tax dollars to spend outside the public education system. I object to this.

It takes a minimum of 18 less students in our local schools to eliminate a common teacher. Have to shed 100+ students to eliminate an art or music teacher and 120 to get rid of a gym teacher. 600 have to go to get rid of a librarian