Ex-CTLawyer

@yitzchokm
As I have been to China many times in the past 21 years, I have seen the corruption and dishonesty in the Chinese processed food industry.
When the government is your automatic 50% partner, factory owners and manager look for ways to make their own fortunes. Great fortunes are made in this manner, but the risk is high. Every year scoundrels are caught sabotaging food supply and the typical response is a swift execution. Much of this does not hit the foreign press.

The CTL family Greyhound fell victim to tainted Chinese processed food exported to the USA back about 2007. A large processor of component ingredients for animal food was substituting fake wheat gluten for real. Major American brands used the fake wheat gluten and thousands of animals and some humans were injured and/or died. Our Greyhound, a retired loser at the race track which we had rescued) was fed a dry food made by Iams (I can mention the name here, because Iams paid a settlement in the case). Instead of wheat gluten it contained melamine. This caused her kidneys to fail. We incurred more than $8,000 in Veterinary expenses and she suffered for 8 weeks until she died.

I was in China earlier this year, I ate only fresh fruits and vegetables, steamed rice and packaged items I brought with me.
We do not buy or use package Chinese produced food products exported to the USA. This is not to say that we may not be fed such items when eating at a relative’s home or restaurant. We may not buy that can of mushrooms labelled ‘Made in China’ but have no way of knowing if someone else is serving such an item to us.
Our dogs no longer eat any commercial pet food. They have a diet of turkey, sweet potatoes and peas which we cook for them.
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It is not necessarily a matter of inferior quality, but honesty. I certainly trusted Iams, and had fro many years. They were duped by the dishonest food supplier in China. BTW, about half a dozen Chinese factory executives implicated in this fraud were executed.

Quality control only tests a small sample of product and is not the same as food safety examination. Quality control tests the looks, size, taste, feel, smell etc. of the food. Is it to the company’s standards? Does it look like the picture on the label?

@Whitecar
I replied to the thread title which presented two choices.
To be perfectly honest there is no way I could say who I’d want 6 years from now. I don’t know who will have been President in the intervening years and what shape the country will be in.

I do not hide my disdain for the current administration or those you have suggested, but I have not even chosen a D to oppose the Republican nominee in 2020. Right now I’m trying to get through state elections in 2018. My congressional elections will b e landslides for the Congressman and Senator up for reelection to I am spending little time on those elections.

None of the above

@DovidBT
I have been able to operate a number of businesses during my lifetime. I sold the food businesses in 1978 and the sewing factory in 1984. Since then I have only run the law firm and associated trust administration business; PLUS real estate investment business. Mrs. CTL is a builder/designer and licensed realtor. Late MIL was a RE Broker and licensed property manager for 50 years, so it was easy to run the property/real estate investment business from adjoining offices in the same building.
My father Z”L always had multiple businesses. He taught me if you have 5 businesses and one goes bad you can live well from the other 4, but if you have one business that goes bad it can be a catastrophe.

Even now, in my mid 60s I am working towards another doctorate and have a new business venture that will incorporate law. I’ll retire from active legal practice when I launch this venture in a couple of years. My children and their spouses will run the CTL practice on a day to day basis and I’ll be of counsel.

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BTW, I did law school in 2 1/2 years commuting 3 days each week to school in Massachusetts while still running my full time business. I’d get up at 4 am, drove 175 miles to school, leave at the end of the day drive home 175 miles and be in the house by 9PM. It was hard, but worth it.

@Laskern

Do you actually mean CETA…Comprehensive Employment and Training Act?

It was NOT done away with by President Reagan (and I’m no fan of his). Congress in 1982 voted to fold it into the Job Training Partnership Act. In turn this was replaced by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. All of these were Congressional actions, NOT the pronouncement of a President.
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BTW, I fought and sued the CETA program in CT back in 1980 and pushed our Congressmen and Senators to close it down. At that time I was an owner of a sewing factory in Waterbury, CT. CETA funds had been made available to train sewing machine operators (we were sending work overseas as we could not get enough qualified operators). The director of the CETA program in CT had put rules in place making the ILGWU the administrator and training agency for sewing machine operators. So, if I wanted to have CETA funded trainees in my factor (paid for with my tax dollars) I had to let the union have access to my sewiung floors where they could attempt to organize my non-union sewing force. No other industry was forced to have union supervision of CETA. By the time the case actually got to court, it was moot, CETA had been folded into the Job Training Partnership Act and the union was no longer in control.

@1
employees DON’T 1099 their workers. Employees are the workers.
Sounds like you are unhappy with Frum employers who 1099 non employee workers. By definition a 1099 worker is NOT an employee

In 1980 Minimum Wage in CT was $3.25 per hour. A decent 2 bedroom apartment could be rented for $300 per month including heat and hot water.
In 2018 Minimum Wage in CT is $10.10 per hour. That same apartment (now 38 years older) rents for $1450 per month. Wages have gone up approx 320% of 1980. The cost of housing has risen to 480% of 1980 cost.
We had no state income tax in 1980, now that minimum wage earner would be paying approx $20 per week in this tax. Minimum wage should keep up with inflation (at a minimum). Lower skilled workers should not be faced with the choice of working 40 hours per week and not being able to afford, food/clothing/shelter, or going on public assistance, getting a section 8 housing voucher, food stamps, WIC, fully paid medical and a monthly cash stipend that is larger than minimum wage.
By keeping minimum wage below a livable standard we are pushing people onto public assistance.
In my area, babysitters get $15 per hour, non-English speaking house cleaners get $30 pert hour. If you want a kid to weed your garden, shovel snow or cut the lawn it’s $25 per hour. AND all of that is cash, non-taxed income. My non-Jewish next door neighbor has a 19 year old who is a certified lifeguard. He refuses to work for the town at their pools because they pay minimum wage. Instead of earning $400 per week at the pool, he cuts lawns 5 hours per day, 4 days a week for more money and spends his afternoons at the beach

@DY

@Curiosity

the word is COMMENSURATE:
com·men·su·rate
kəˈmensərət,kəˈmenSHərət/Submit
adjective
corresponding in size or degree; in proportion.
“salary will be commensurate with experience”
synonyms: equivalent, equal, corresponding, correspondent, comparable, proportionate, proportional
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People who commiserate have the same negative feelings about something. Take a look at how commiserate is built: it’s from Latin “com-,” which means “together with,” and miserārī, “to pity.” Put them together, and you get “to pity one another, commiserate.”

Underpaid Yeshiva and Day School staff often commiserate about their small and often late paychecks.
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Time for better English instruction in American Yeshivos and Day Schools

@yitzyk
My father Z”L always insisted that you never miss an opportunity to spread knowledge. So, even knowing this thread was tongue in cheek I elaborated on what types of mailbox situations can now be installed.
Two weeks ago, when it was time for the annual Rustoleum painting of outdoor railings, pool and patio furniture, etc. our mailbox got its annual sprayjob.

Mammele…………..
In most jurisdictions, the police cannot confiscate a car because it was driven by a drunk driver. They can arrange for revocation of a drivers licence by DMV.
When a car is used for delivery of drugs, it may be forfeited by order of the judge at trial.

There is a HUGE difference between a piece of property being impounded pending trail and actual confiscation which changes ownership.
Chances are the car driven by the drunk driver may have been impounded pending trail, not confiscated.

The legal meaning of words is often quite different than the way they are used in news articles.

@Lightbrite…………
I believe this thread was started in response to the ‘have a nice car thread’
However, Joseph the troll, used it to make a personal attack on me. When he was shut down in response he has made himself absent from the thread.
Maybe the spirit of the three weeks has had an effect on him.

@Takes2-2tango

More than 30 years ago the Post Office changed the rules and new construction streets/developments don’t get front door delivery of mail. They either require cluster boxes at the end of the street or boxes on posts at the curb for delivery from mail vehicles. Our house was grandfathered for front door delivery, but when we built the house next door for my late MIL A”H we were required to put a post and box at the curb. We moved our box to the curb about 15 years ago because I don’t wish to shovel snow from the front walk in the winter. The family and guests all come up the driveway and use the walkway and stairs to the side entry.

We raised and married off 5 children, 2 boys, 3 girls.
The girls definitely cost more to raise through marriage.
The education cost was the same, Tuition for day school, yeshiva high school, college and law school was not sex dependent.
The girls had far more clothing than the boys and while a oy might wear the same suit from year to year until it was outgrown, a young lady needs (wants) new styles each season. Add to that the cost of accessories (handbags, scarves, jewelry, cosmetics and the costs go through the roof.
Our children all received cars at the same age, similar cost.
Wedding gowns cost more than Bar Mitzvah suit, hat and tefillin.
Weddings cost way more than B’nai Mitzvah (we paid 100%).
Unlike, others we did not furnish/equip the young couples’ homes. They were earning real incomes at time of marriage.
One year in EY after high school and before college for learning, similar cost.
Boys’ car insurance was higher, Girls’ medical expenses were higher, boys didn’t see dermatologist, gynecologist, etc.
Overall, it cost about 25% more, adjusted for inflation, to raise our girls than the boys.

Against

@benignuman
The purpose of a car is NOT always to get you from point A to Point B
We have multiple cars. B”H money is not an issue in this stage of our lives. All the kids are married and earning good salaries. The house is long paid for.

That said, Mrs. CTL has her original 1971 Jaguar XKE V12 Convertible. It comes out of the garage east summer for pure enjoyment sake. She has a modern SUV for daily point A to B driving.
I have a large luxury sedan….it is often used to transport clients. I would not do that in a Honda or Hyundai, etc. When billing $500 per hour the clients expect the attorney to drive a luxury auto. I won’t drive German or Japanese which is why most of our cars are English.

I also own a 1972 Harley Davidson Motorcycle I bought when I was in college. Definitely not for getting from A to B, BUT when I need a release, a long rode through the northwest hills of Connecticut is great therapy.

We have never owned a minivan, we were the generation who had 9 or 10 passenger station wagons.

Flanken is short ribs that have been cut across the bones in 1-2″ bone lengths. Short ribs are the full length of the bone and separated into sections by cutting the meat between bones.

There is no blanket answer, each case is different.
I own, but I drive less than 6K miles per year and pay cash for my car and keep it an extremely long time (my current car is now 14 years old with 76K miles on it and I’ll probably drive at another 6 years,

Mrs. CTL prefers a lease. She drives about 15K miles per year, wants a new model every three years and 100% warranty with roadside assist and the dealer picking up and delivering the car for each/service. Everything but gas/insurance is included in her lease.

Our firm leases cars for our senior staff. It is a set monthly amount and deductible as business expenses.

My 21 year old wanted to buy a new car this year for commuting to work. She wanted a Nissan Altima. Due to the high residual value, the cost per month was much cheaper to lease than buy with the promotional low/no interest deals.
She won’t be keeping the car more than 3 years, by then she expects to need a larger family car. Her husband bought his car using a 0% loan from the manufacturer.

There is an adage that you don’t make capital investments into things that depreciate in value, and that is true of most cars. Sit down and do a financial analysis. How much can you afford to pay in total car expense each month and how much of a car can you buy or lease for that amount?
Then consider the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are under warranty and won’t have large surprise bills.
By the first half of 2016, 32% of all new cars delivered in the USA were leased not sold. If it didn’t make economic and/or emotional sense for many people the number would be much lower. I leased a car the first time back in 1977 and the market share of leases was less than 5%. Things have changed, as have car prices. Today an average new car costs more than I paid for our first 3 bedroom home in 1976.

@Joseph
It is ONLY public hospitals that MUST accept all patients without regard to ability to pay or requiring payment in advance.
Private hospitals are not bound to do so for non-emergency situations. They do not consider normal-childbirth an emergent situation and at registration if you don’t have the acceptable insurance or prepayment they can redirect you to another facility if the travel time would not be detrimental to the mother or child.

The difference is in the binder ingredients, not the active ingredients of the specific medication. Some generics are high in starch on the binder side and can cause problems for people with diabetes. My BIL had this problem and for three of his medications the doctor must check BRAND MEDICALLY NECESSARY. His insurance company stopped complaining after they paid for his third hospitalization caused by reaction to a substituted generic drug.

FDR………….
he had the courage to take the country out of a mess, stand up to Congress and America Firsters.
and yes, I know he did not admit many European Jewish Refugees, but the question is about a President for the USA, not the world.

Clinton……….great economic times and a balanced budget

Nixon…………….terrible person, but a brilliant strategist in Foreign Diplomacy

@Neville
You missed my last post about butter

@CTRebbe
“1. Supply and demand makes no sense;If there are less customers than 35 years ago they automatically produce less hats. It should not affect the price.”

Sorry, but you are wrong.
My first degree is in Management Science.
In freshman economics we learn about ‘economy of scale’
The more you produce (manufactured goods) the less it costs to produce.
The hat manufacturer will get better prices on larger quantities of supplies: thread, boxes, ribbons, machine needles, etc. Larger facilities rent for less dollars per square foot, there are volume discounts for shipping, insurance, etc.

@Joseph
If you read my post, in its appropriate legalspeak, it said that CTRebbe and I were not related to the best of my knowledge.
How do I know, you ask?
I know all my relatives up to the 5th cousins. There is a very limited number who have or currently live in CT and are male (who might use the handle ‘rebbe’).
Having seen most of them at our daughters’ chasunah, last summer, during shivah for Mrs. CTL’s mother this fall and a family funeral/shivah in Boro Park this month>>>The Coffee Room was a subject of discussion. 5 Family members admitted to being members of the CR, 2 Lawyers (myself and a son) and 3 doctors (1 in Brooklyn, 2 in NJ). Not a Rebbe in the family.

@5ish
First, I apologize for all the typos on my post above, it was made from my phone and these fingers do better with a keyboard.

I am recommending these classes BOTH for the transcript and the necessary skills (English Composition) and knowledge (History, Western Civ, Political Science) needed to properly digest and understand the material thrown at an 1L law student. Self teaching does not accomplish the same thing as a college course with a qualified instructor leading the way and providing feedback.

Just as in Yeshiva a bochur will learn with a chavrusa, most law students have study groups. The other members will likely not be former Yeshiva students. Their is an expectation that all students have a basic underlying BA or BS education that would include the above courses and knowledge. The OP’s son would soon find himself an outcast, shunned by other students in study groups and at a disadvantage.

The bochur has no experience with college classes, so suggesting learning in another type of forum will not help him be ready for law school instruction. Yes, many law schools use the Socratic Method of instruction, but the required first year courses in subjects such as Legal research and writing require the underlying English Composition class I suggest.

Replies to all, especially Moderator 29.

My absence does have to do with Mrs. CTL’s health, not the topic and/or controversy.
Mrs. CTL was hospitalized three times in the past two weeks, had surgery and has to have another surgery tomorrow.. Bina Chana bas Sorel Rivel (yes that is a slight change from two years ago, we found some documents that corrected her name when going through my late MIL’s things this fall.

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For those who questioned civil remarriages of formerly married partners who had a civil divorce and subsequent marriages also ending in civil divorce. Yes, I checked with my Rav. These are to gain civil benefits (e.g. Tax advantages). The couples were already living together before I signed the licenses and performed the ceremonies as a Justice of the Peace. None of the men have been Kohanim (to the best of their knowledge and my investigation). None have been frum, ans ALL are past child bearing age so mamzeruz will not be an issue in the future.

I do not now when I shall be able to read or post in the coming week. Please do not think I would post and run, just trolling or stirring the pot.