Delaware Law Office

None Of The Above

2010-03-08T07:55:00.000-05:00

Many folks, including myself, are sick and tired of the partisan politics that has stagnated our government. I refer to both primary parties. It seems that almost all we hear regarding the federal political process is bickering, fear mongering, and name calling. Isn't it time that we sent our people in Washington a message, that they should get back to the work that we sent them to perform?

When I see international news stories about "radical" this and "radical extremist" that, I now for the first time see echoes of this type of behaviour within our own country. I hear myself talking to the television, saying... "you can't really believe that.... right?". We have a fair number of our own radical extremists. We should learn to recognize them and keep their rhetoric out of the governmental process of this, our government.

I think we need two things: first, we need to get at least one more political party, preferrably two more, significantly placed in national government. We need to do this to bust up the dog and pony show that the two primary parties have placed on stage for us; secondly, we need to vote the radical extremists out of office, and put people in there who are there to do a job.

Disorder or lacking order

2010-03-03T08:05:00.000-05:00

In a human resource position or hiring position, there will be tinges of worry about current and prospective employees. Now pyshcological diorders may be included as a new battlefield in the future for companies. Already, the American Psychiatric Assocation is propsing to include binge eating and excess gambling to the list of psychiatric disorders that will be in the DSM-5 publishing 2013. If this occurs employers may have to redefine disabililty in their work place. My perspective is that these are problems but I do not believe they are to the point of a disability. This is going to be a significant legal issue because employers may have to look back into their employees' health and finacial history, to see if they have the new types of disabilities. There could be whole new costs to employers arising from the testing for these disorders and payments for accomodations. The new work setting will make it harder on employers to do the normal hiring of new staff and to evaluat their current staff if binge eating and excessive gambling become certifies as disorders.

The Internet Sales Tax Debate 2010, Continued

2010-02-23T17:35:00.003-05:00

No physical presence in the State of California.
- Check

No money in the California State coffers.
- Check

California Legislative Assembly Bill ABX8 8 (PDF)
- Check

Poor Amazon and Overstock.com!

Undercover Boss

2010-02-12T13:36:00.002-05:00

The Harvard Business Review's article "Be an Undercover Boss" highlights the reasoning on why bosses should have a more intimate role in the daily work of staff. There is a possibility for a deeper understanding of each job and to have the ability to see an inside view of their employees' work with by a boss having this type of role. The tips involve the bosses to switch up their location, be the shadow of their workers, and to make each job work with them having a personal experience involving their employees. This article has allowed me to see the benefit in a boss allowing themselves to swept up in the workflow and observe. The issue is the boss cannot start off hands on. I feel staff will presume the boss is approaching and following them to critique the employees, not help. It seems that it will cause employees to feel uneasy and not vocalize or show the issues or problems they are having. This plan will not be a quick fix to the issue. If you doubt the possibility of this, the idea has been transformed into a television show called Undercover Boss, which recently aired after the Super Bowl. For further information view the article in whole.

Verizon phones

2010-01-27T07:53:00.004-05:00

This is year is the year of smartphones. Verizon Wireless has two new phones for this year that show how promising mobile business is now. The Blackberry Storm2 is an all touch screen phone that allows business to be taken international with its mobile e-mail, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint applications on the phone, and ability to navigate any business person overseas. The Motorola Droid is the new competition for the IPhone will all of the applications that it offers, the ability to do multiple tasks at once, and Android 2.0 from Google that is on the phone. I have just recently gotten a Blackberry Tour as my new phone. This phone allows me to take pictures, write a report and send that report in an e-mail to a teacher. I have learned about applications in a phone through my new phone. As technology advances so does the ability for business.

Three W2

2010-01-20T14:21:00.002-05:00

This year taxes are going to hit me hard. With my three jobs I will be paying the government some money. I do not really understand fully how taxes work but from what I have seen I think will be not be getting any money back this tax season.

Estate

2010-01-13T09:22:00.003-05:00

Since the holidays are over, I have been doing some evaluations. I have found that my estate is little more than a bed, car, clothes, and some furniture. I have noticed I have a very small amount in savings and no degrees under my belt. All of this evaluating has shown I am a hard worker that does not care about material things. This new year I will become more materialistic and chose to obtain things that I need for my future.

The Internet Sales Tax Debate 2010

2010-01-11T10:23:00.003-05:00

Since when did taxation become an accepted substitute for responsible government?

The internet sales tax debate is not new, but given the financial dire straights of many ineptly run State governments these days, it's expected to be hot topic (once again) this year.

Work

2010-01-06T11:57:00.003-05:00

Work's definition encompasses different aspects of daily life. The usuage of the simple word work will encompass almost every aspect of a person's life. This is my word of this year. I want to made sure that I work hard through every little detail in the upcoming months. My own laziness will not allow this year to control me into having doubts or regrets. This word is now going to be me.

The Wagner Hydra

2009-12-23T08:07:00.002-05:00

Ex Delaware Legislator Nancy Wagner takes feeding at the public trough to new levels. Like a seven headed hydra, she feeds at our expense. I see that it was reported, commmented, and discussed in various places how she is vying for the seat of Mayor in Dover by Delaware Politics.net, Delaware Grapevine, and others.

I have seen first hand her slimy brand of public service. I have sat in senate hearings and I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears how Nancy Wagner throws the truth to the wind in pursuing her political ambitions. I have seen a bizarre and scandalous report presented for public use by the Legislative Attorney, who later confessed to me that he had been instructed to write it in that way.

And now she goes for treble... or is it quadruple dipping... at the City of Dover. How sad.

Life in Motion

2009-12-15T07:33:00.000-05:00

For some, life is a runaway train. With proper planning though, and a good attitude, I love this american ride!

Craigslist and eBay in Delaware Court

2009-12-08T09:41:00.006-05:00

All roads lead to the Delaware Chancery Court, at least for a week or so. Just ask internet heavyweights eBay and Craigslist. They are visiting Georgetown this week in an attempt to "work it out" (eBay Domestic Holdings Inc v Newmark, et al, Delaware Chancery Court, No. 3705-CC).

Watch Dogs and Guard Dogs

2009-12-03T18:49:00.005-05:00

I love dogs. I am continuing to learn about dogs, day by day.

I used to be confused when reviewing the different breed descriptions when they would refer to a seemingly small and harmless dog as a good Watch Dog. This is because I didn't understand the difference between a Watch Dog and a Guard Dog.

Watch dogs are bred to alert the owner of an intruder or other problem. That's it. They bark to wake you up, then YOU deal with it. Guard Dogs, on the other hand, are bred to protect the property of the owner, whether the owner is present or not.

And so now it makes perfect sense to me how a Shih-Tzu can be an excellent Watch Dog.

This also helps me to understand how my "gentle giant" 225 pound English Mastiff stands behind me when he barks. He is a watch dog, not a guard dog. He barks really loudly, but he saves the biting for me. We'll see how he acts when he grows out of his puppy stage.

School District Merger the Right Choice for Delaware

2009-12-01T07:16:00.002-05:00

Excellent - the State Auditor (as reported by the News Journal) agrees that we are wasting 50 Million Dollars a year on surplus high paid school administrators, money we could spend on our children, or save from our taxes! It's a tune I have been playing for years, now it's a harmony! Let's see if we can get the State Legislature to make it a Chorus!

I love the opposition argument! It is awesome! The critics say that if we consolidated the districts, we would have to raise the teachers' salaries up to what they should be anyway, and that that would eat away most of the 50 million in savings. Like that's a bad thing!

The only bad thing would be to continue to allow these totally unnecessary and high paid people to leech the funds from our educational system, the children, teachers, nurses, sports and band programs, et al.

Way to go, State Auditor R. Thomas Wagner Jr.! - - applause - -

A Loss of Words

2009-11-30T10:56:00.002-05:00

This is the typical holiday season except for the fact I do no see happy faces. I have been up and down Delaware in a matter of two days and everyone just seems stressed. I worked on Thanksgiving and all of my customers had a growing anger towards everything. One of my friends does not even want to see the Christmas Carol due to her dislike of the holidays. I just want everyone to cheer up because everything is not that serious.

Analogy - Terrorism and Peter Pan

2009-11-25T08:49:00.001-05:00

In my opinion, modern terrorists are cowardly misfits, hiding behind various religious masks that themselves belie what they hide. Much in the way the lost boys in Peter Pan escaped the reality of their world, terrorists are angry misguided adolescents, refusing to take responsibility for themselves in any functional way. Terrorists strike out against their twisted self contrived perception of reality. Perhaps they are also tilting at windmills, but I am less familiar with that story.

Perhaps I am angry, as well.

Ethics

2009-11-16T09:54:00.002-05:00

At Delaware Technical and Community, college part of the paralegal major is to have a discussion on ethics. This is pretty consistent throughout all of my classes. Ethics is, according to the dictionary, that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions. The more that I learn about this subject the more I understand what I am doing and its effects in an office or school related environment.

Lexis-Nexis v. Westlaw

2009-11-06T08:52:00.003-05:00

I am working at this office along with going to school. My major has recently brought me to these two competing law encyclopedias. I have always dealt with LexisNexis and I do love the program. Being so easy to use, it was a must for all of my classes. Then this semester I was reintroduces to Westlaw, which is confusing me. I do not understand why students get choices because I will always go with what I am comfortable with. Lesson of my week has been easier is always better, when it comes to school work.

Applicants and phone calls

2009-10-19T13:38:00.003-04:00

This week has switched gears. I have been working helping people to recieve applications. I have learned I do not know Newark well at all nor can I give good directions. This experience is a new lesson in selective talking and listening. I have also spent this week trying to figure out all of the technology in the building. I have learned that it is much easier now to fax or e-mail rather than mail letters.

Shine Some Light on the School Budgetary Processes

2009-10-19T11:53:00.004-04:00

Today I read an email just to make sure that it wasn't junk mail. I am glad that I did... this time.

I received an email from the folks at Sunlight on Schools. I am still learning about the organization, the people behind it, and their goals, but it seems almost immediately to me as at least a good resource for information... and possibly much more!

The Sunlight On Schools project has gobs of data re the budgetary processes of Delaware's school districts, the salaries of those persons involved, and much more!

There is also a blog that is somehow related... or maybe they just reported on the same thing... I am still reading... The Caesar Rodney Institute Blog.

The first thing that struck me from looking at the salaries of the various individual District Superintendents, was that in addition to their high salaries, and the contract perks that are largely still hidden in contract language, many are also drawing significant amounts of overtime pay. I always thought that overtime pay was not applicable for exempt-management positions. Well not these folks! They are ripping us off merely by having their position at all, then adding to that they are drawing large salaries, adding hidden contract perks, and now I see that they are also getting OT!?!?

This certainly deserves a closer look. Anybody out there understand this? Care to explain it to us? Please do....

In Defense of Weather

2009-10-17T21:01:00.004-04:00

Almost every day I hear our media announce that... weather caused traffic accidents, death, and injuries on our highways. These are false and slanderous unsupported accusations. I feel compelled to take up the unpopular defense of our weather systems. Even if Pro Bono.

We human drivers of our highways have the responsibility to use due care in the operation of motor vehicles. The weather has no such duty. We have the affirmative responsibility to slow down and drive more cautiously in adverse weather conditions. It is not the fact that our weather must slow down for us!

The injuries and death on our highways for the most part are due to human negligence and reckless behaviour. And yet many of us and our media, continue to malign and blame our innocent weather systems for this carnage. I can no longer stand idly by while this misdirection of responsibility is splashed about our communication networks, spreading and instilling the insidious lack of personal responsibility which has infected our culture.

I will see you in Court!

A new employee

2009-10-09T16:38:00.003-04:00

Hello
I am the new employee of Larry Sullivan's law office. I will be working with him in the upcoming months to help him with his technological plans for his law office. I am currently a student of Delaware Technical and Community College with a Paralegal Major and Business General Major. I am a vivid reader who finds interest in nonfiction and fiction. I will be posting on this blog every week. This blog will become a combination of my recent work experiences at the office and current topics that spark my interest. I will also have a blog on The Reading Room that can be read every week.

Thought for the day...

2009-09-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

Today is day one, of your ten-year plan. Are you on course?

Query: Is Federalism Dead?

2009-09-26T17:35:00.002-04:00

I have found myself wondering over the last year or so, as to whether Federalism is dead in America. It seems as with many thoughts, they are not unique, as I have found several links on this topic... Publius; Case4theright; national review. While the popularity of the question doesn't solve the problem that prompts it, it does give me some solace that others share in the quest for the answer.

It was a good time for me to re-read the United States Constitution, and ... not finding what I was looking for there.... the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution. I feel secure that those words are still there. Even if maybe they are now just an illusion.

New Vice Chancellor

2009-09-26T07:57:00.002-04:00

The Delaware State Senate has confirmed J. Travis Laster , of Abrams & Laster, LLP, as our next Vice Chancellor of Delaware's Chancery Court, as reported in the News Journal.