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[Maximum Spin]

I mean....just look at the Supreme Court. They just ruled that it's not a bribe if you can't prove it was a bribe. If you pay someone extra for something they did for you AFTER the fact, it's just a "gift" and not a "bribe."

That's not what they ruled. Why do people keep saying these thing? They ruled that the letter of the law in question only covers quid pro quos, and if you read it, you'll find that indeed it does.

[nenjin]

Maybe because we've got enough braincells to rub together to read between the lines.

[ggamer]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=162538.52950

This the sad thread not the american current events thread that's this one! ^^

not to say don't talk about that at all, but I think it'd be a fair line to draw to say people can vent about politics/current events in this thread and not be fact checked unless it's something especially disgusting or dangerous

[JoshuaFH]

I'm just really torn up on what I should be doing... I feel it would be a big improvement to move out of my apartment and try to arrange living with my Mom, Sister, and Niece. What a complex problem this is when you just so happen to be a jobless and pathetic loser with no special credentials, and my current lease is simultaneously the only thing keeping me from being homeless myself, and the thing preventing me from taking my time because it needs to be renewed now.

God I'm just in despair. Every day I don't know what to do. I can't move anywhere else because I just don't have income right now, and that's the 1# thing leasers want to see. I WILL have income... in the future. Not now though, I wasn't able to do anything about that. I'm too much of a piece of shit to have found a stable job in such a span of time between my job ending in April and now.

This tears me up, because I don't want to keep living in my fucking mindcage of an apartment for years and years on end still. Living by myself has proven to be counterproductive because I'm my own worst enemy and I can't stop myself from self-sabotaging myself over and over and over and over and over. Atleast if I had my family around I'd have some anchor connecting me to reality so I can't stay withdrawn inside myself for actual weeks at a time.

I also wanted to move my family out of their dinky little apartment that is getting rundown to shit, but it seems right now I'm just powerless to do so. I was really hoping there would be some way I could, but all my best efforts are fruitless. Though my "best efforts" are fucking awful, because I'm poor and don't know what I'm doing, the whole idea was fueled on hopes and dreams, not any basis on anything real.

I'm thinking I might need to finally (finally finally finally) get some kind of accreditation or degree, now in my late thirties. I've just spent my whole life living in fear and hostility towards 'the system' because it seems so obviously rigged to fuck people over, and I don't know if my best choice might be to offer my hand into the gears so my whole body can be chewed up into pieces; and when it shits me out, the fat fucks at the top will laugh at the statistic I've become, but atleast then I might be employable.

But even then, I don't know fucking shit about academia. I'm still not sure what I'd even learn. The only thing I can think of that is vaguely realistic would be accounting to get a cpa with a specialization in tax, if only because I've been a tax pro for two tax seasons now and I think I'm familiar enough with this bullshit that I could probably tackle it at a higher difficulty. I don't particularly enjoy the idea though, it's not like its my dream vocation. Anything else... I don't have any allusions to being even slightly talented or knowledgeable in anything else, and going into any field that I might find 'enjoyable' just sounds like a recipe for certain failure and crippling, permanent debt... so I have to choose something, but I'm again locked in despairing at my hopeless future. But again, the machine hungers, and it is waiting impatiently for me to feed myself into it.

But assuming I did harden my heart and just choose something, I'm still so clueless about actually HOW I'd go about it. Obviously it has to be online, like fuck am I ever visiting a campus for any reason whatsoever. I guess I'll just have to research myself online for which purported online universities are legit, and which ones are scams. I'm starting from zero here as well though, so I don't look forward to having to trawl through a nigh endless swamp of opinions to ascertain which ones reflect reality and which ones don't.

But before all that, I still have to renew the lease to my apartment. They've raised the rent on me again by 31 dollars this time, but now they're offering me a two year lease instead of just a 1 year lease... and that's kind of tempting. I've already established that I want to move out, but if I'm just getting the wheels going on that idea now, it might be a while before it gains traction, and that will lock in the price for those two years... but I don't know if I want to hard-commit to the idea, I promised my Mom I would make another honest go at the moving idea next April.

I just really don't know what to do. Even if I accomplished all I had wanted to do, I have no doubt I'd still be miserable.

Just.... fuck me. Fuck my life. I hate being alive. It's wrong that someone as incompetent as myself is even allowed to manage my life. It's wrong that I was born. It's wrong that it's me who is alive and experiencing this life. This life is wasted on me, anyone else wouldn't have turned out to be such a loser; but me? With me at the wheel, I could turn myself or anyone else into a loser. What a piece of shit I am.

[McTraveller]

It is never wrong to have been born or be alive.

[Eric Blank]

We've been denied power installation because the power company's lawyers say the easement that was made for our property when it was divided up and sold doesn't meet their standards of cover-their-asses. Basically, even though they're legally obligated to honor the easement and give us a contract, they're going to refuse until we come up with an easement with our neighbors that does meet their demands. Which the neighbors will never do, because theyre grouchy stubborn and basically saying "fuck you i got mine" since both of them have power. And the company can get away with this because nobody can afford to sue them; they'll just drag it out and wait until you go bankrupt and declare "we win!" Standard business practice.

So, as our bank demands we install power (from the grid) as a condition of getting a loan to build a house, we are more likely than not not going to get a house. Which means I get to live in the moldy rotten trailer for the foreseeable future unless I can get into low income housing.

Trying to come up with some way we can get a housing loan or force the company to put in power (the attorney general?)

[anewaname]

Does this mean your access to your property is through a driveway over a neighbor's property, and that there is no direct road access?

[Eric Blank]

Correct, unfortunately. The current road was built by the one old man, the old road used to go through the back of what is now a different neighbor's property.

I'm hoping we can get a loan for off-grid power like a bunch of solar cells and batteries or something.

[femmelf]

I don't know if this helps, but I hope so. Lots of people are in bad situations even if different from yours. I don't pretend to know all about the specifics. I just hope you can find a way through.

I tend to try to brush off my many failures by correctly saying it was not my fault and keep plugging away to pray something hits.I don't know. It seems more constructive than blaming myself, even if I do that too sometimes.

You are not a waste. Don't give up.

[ggamer]

Trying to come up with some way we can get a housing loan or force the company to put in power (the attorney general?)

If there are law firms that take contract cases for minority clients pro bono in your area, I would start looking there. If you don't fit into the specific local criteria for minority the local law firms in question might decide to service, then general contract law firms might be your best bet; contact over e-mail and phone with a concise telling of your situation, and start asking if they or any firm they know locally might be willing to start a case against your local power company. You should know by the time you get through about a quarter of them whether it's likely anybody will take your specific case pro bono. Good luck my friend and fuck your asshole neighbors America should be a free country!!

[Truean]

Please do not quote:

This is not legal advice. If you take legal advice off the internet, then you are stupid. Most people on the internet have no idea what the law really says or how it works, or what court cases say and fall for propagandists who would be laughed at in court but are somehow allowed to spew their ilk. Half of incoming law school students wash out despite being very smart, but everyone thinks they know things? This is why I cry/laugh when I see people trying to comment on court cases online.... It's all just wrong. ... If you require legal assistance, then find an attorney licensed in your area.

Unfortunately, prior to budget cuts this used to be (partially) one of the many wonderful things government did for its citizens (while being lied to that nothing was ever done for the people). The idea of not making sure stuff like this didn't happen with monopolies like utilities used to be considered unthinkable, but then.... "budget cuts." The reduced remains of the agencies responsible after years of grueling budget cuts and laying off staff so they can't do much still exist in some form:

https://blog.advancedenergyunited.org/aee/bid/318037/everything-you-need-to-know-about-public-utility-commissions

The name of these neglected and left to starve agencies are Public Utilities Commission(s) Each State including D.C. has one. They have not done this for people in quite some time directly because when taxes get cut and things get defunded, there are repercussions. Although today they deal more with utilities pricing, there may be some information to be found there in the one for your state.

* Also it sounds like a possible real estate law problem with the easement and a landlocked property, although that's impossible to know without getting into property things. Property is an entire year course in law school for a reason, and sadly this is a consequence of the DIY philosophy. My old boss (ages and ages ago) used to charge the equivalent of $125 in today's inflation to review, draft and file real estate transactions (including filing fees) and he did it 1000 times a year. Now, nobody wants to pay for it. I'm not saying it's your fault. I'm saying society has decided to kill the machinery that used to keep this from happening (if you're wondering why you ended up in this situation that did not used to happen too much, because somebody used to look out for it. There used to be some low paid lawyer (think a little more than public defender but not expensive at all) who did this sort of thing for the public through government. A fraction of a penny of your state taxes used to pay his whole salary and this did not used to happen nearly as much. Then, budge cuts especially deregulation of utilities. Also why Texas baked for days with no power recently). 
* The problem is that much like the government agencies the average law firm is being squeezed. I know that may sound very odd, but it is often true.
Think about it, the fact that one side's fighter is being asked to fight for free while the other is well funded does not bode well tactically. (Not talking right or wrong). 
Think about it, if you can't afford someone to fight for you, then you can't fight the (who are we kidding) large, powerful rich interests. (See also erosion of the middle class).
This is why the rich did "Tort reform" to lessen damages. They feared lawyers, because we can hurt them to help you and they have chipped away at us at every chance to stop us doing that.

Legal Aid Societies are a possibility (but see also budget cuts and exhausted, underpaid attorneys trying to exist and do decent things).
It may also depend on how the plat was subdivided and how the property became landlocked for purposes of access and / or utility easement.
The work involved would include reviewing whatever deeds permitted the subdivision of the lot. All of this depends on the state, etc.

It is possible a law firm might take this on, possibly on a flat fee. The problem is there is a lot of "legwork" involved. There are also possible filing fees, which have gone up as court budgets have been slashed, which leaves things to be made up for with filing fees that the lawyer never really sees, but rather go (basically) straight to the court.

Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do for you, because I'm just not in a position to take any cases at all especially online, but you probably knew that.

This and several thousand other things no one thinks about is what happens when government gets slashed, and the middle class gets slashed. No one can afford (through taxes or private to pay for or provide the fight, so the rich just screw over everyone). Problem: People need healthcare Answer Publicly fund it. Problem: People need legal help Answer publicly fund it. Unfortunately....

Please do not quote:

[Eric Blank]

Thank you, Ill look into it!

[Jopax]

So we shift managers do a 2-month rotation trough every unit because management wants multiple people evaluation every employee (so there's no favourites or somesuch idiotic thinking). My current stint started this month, had 14 work days so far, of those 14, not a single goddamn day was the shift complete and fully functional. It's constant sick leaves, asking for free days, asking to leave early because of xyz and frankly it's become maddening at this point. Every shift is me putting out fires and herding fucking cats because the folks that are working are for the most part disinterested, dumb as bricks, lazy, or any combination of all three.

Add to that the fact that multiple people quit last month and they've only started finding replacements now, after said folks left, so there's a couple of completely new people that you gotta train and watch over as well.

Last three shifts I was in there was work to do, but it was for the most part manageable, this shit, I am at my limit on a daily basis and it does not show any signs of letting up. I've got a two week break coming up next month but I honestly wonder if I'll make it that far at this pace.

[ggamer]

I feel like there being a profound disconnect between upper management and the rest of the company has become a fact of life for every industry in America. I have worked at multiple restaurants in my adult life and almost all of them have closed to some variety of combination or mismanagement, HR failure, and /or complete failure to balance the books. This is happening like constantly and has been for years and it's kind of driving me crazy.

[None]

I got my dosage increased for my anxiety medication, and the side effects came roaring in, where previously I'd felt just about nothing. I wasn't sure I was getting anything out of my previous dose, but I'm definitely, definitely sure this one's working the neurons. On the bright side, background anxiety definitely seems to be down.

Hopefully it doesn't take too long to reach a new equilibrium. Kinda accentuates the drastic measures it takes to reach well-being, and the depths and breadths of illness.

edit: day two, this shit is exhausting, but I do NOT feel anxious except with sudden noises. Things require more effort, though.