Wherein I explain how a Dilbert cartoon explains some issues that lie at the heart of the foreclosure crisis and the validity of securitization.

My Encounter with the Dilbert Cartoon

This Onion article, Republicans Vote To Repeal Obama-Backed Bill That Would Destroy Asteroid Headed For Earth, really misses the boat (and, we hope, the planet); thanks, Greg Vitercik, for bringing it to my attention. This is about states' rights.

"Because judgments inevitably affect the lives of real people, we have every right to insist that judges - however extensive their professional qualifications - be excellent human beings. And this excellence must include the ability to understand the human condition." - Seymour I.

Let's say you need to figure out (i) how to interpret a legal description that refers to property owners of several decades ago, or (ii) when a stream was piped under a property.

Are you interested in "the zoning of a specific parcel" in Philadelphia?  Do you crave access to "all previous applications, approved uses and site drawings for a parcel of land .. an on-line interface that allows individuals to search and view documents and drawings related to specific properties?" Look here. The link works (as of 24 June 2010).

Is it legal for a presidential candidate to offer the vice presidency to a rival in return for his or her support? Is it legal for a Senator or member of Congress to offer his or her campaign workers jobs on his staff in return for their support?

Rachel Maddow's recent interview with Kentucky senatorial candidate Rand Paul has me thinking about anti-discrimination laws in general and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in particular. Rand Paul's father, Rep.

Some traders and other folks in the securities business look askance at the SEC's case against Goldman Sachs in connection with the Abacus transaction because it seems like sour grapes from a party who wants to re-trade a deal that didn't work out very well.

Excellent piece "The Hole in the Buffett Defense" today by James B. Stewart

A few months ago, I wrote about my surprise at Alan Greenspan's relaxed attitude toward fraud. Today, I'm wondering about the attitude of Warren Buffett, who said yesterday, "I haven't seen anything in Goldman's behavior that makes it any more subject to criticism than Wall Street generally."