As Public Outrage Grows, More Turn to Violence and Destruction in Protest

We'll be seeing more videos like the one above. An estimated 6.1 million delinquent homeowners will lose their homes in the near future.

Financial blogger Yves Smith discusses the possible beginning of a violent backlash, the most notable example being the man who burned down his house and flew his plane into a federal office building in Austin on February 18th:

Note that he sees his violent response to his economic plight as a political act, a blow for freedom. I am certainly not advocating this course of action. But others start connecting at least some of the dots this way, seeing their financial stresses not as the result of bad luck or lack of sufficient effort, but as an indictment of the system. Given the breakdown of communities (for instance, the fall in involvement in local civic groups and shortened job tenures, both of which lead to weaker social ties and greater isolation), the odds that the disaffected will turn to violence is greater than in past periods of stress.

Violence certainly is not the solution to our problems, but that isn't to say that the growing anger in the U.S. isn't justified. If more isn't done to stimulate the economy and create jobs, desperate people angry over the nation's economic inequality will take matters into their own hands and the results could be disastrous and deadly.

Not Enough Lawyers Willing to Work for Peanuts to Help Save the Poor from Themselves!

USA Today published an article stating that there aren't enough lawyers to assist the poor who are facing foreclosure. This is a curiosity considering that thousands of lawyers have been laid off since the start of the "Great Recession." Why aren't these lawyers flocking to meet the demands of victims of foreclosure? Let's examine this article in sections and figure out why.



"The deluge is hitting cities across the country: Cleveland, Las Vegas, Washington, Phoenix, and others, USA TODAY found. In Chicago, the number of people seeking help has more than doubled over the past two years, says Dan Lindsey, who supervises a foreclosure program there. In Miami, so many people started seeking help that the local legal aid office now turns away everyone but people over 60 and families with children, says senior attorney Carolina Lombardi."



It's divinely ironic to me that lawyers tend to be centered in New York, yet the demand is in cities like Cleveland and Phoenix--cities that are not considered job meccas for attorneys. I guess the unemployed attorneys in NYC are holding out for the 6-figure dream. So, this begs the question--why don't the unemployed lawyers move to these podunk cities to provide much needed legal service to the future homeless of America? The answer lies in this next section:



"Hiring a private lawyer can cost over $5,000, a price out of reach for most homeowners who can't pay their mortgages, says AnnaMarie Johnson, executive director of Nevada Legal Services."



Well, OBVIOUSLY! If people can't pay for their home, they are not making enough to pay an attorney to save that home. But, GOSH, aren't these attorneys being selfish? Isn't it better to earn a little less and help these people rather than loiter around legal eagle towns hoping to catch the next 6-figure break? Why must lawyers make $5000 to save a family from foreclosure? Isn't that an unconscionable amount?



Oh yeah... cause they need to make money to pay back their student loans.

So, they hope and pray to be associates at big firms where they will work for companies that don't need the help, basically assisting the man with one mountain of gold in acquisitioning the second. Is that what they really want? I feel strongly that most future attorneys are hoping to go to court and fight for people's inalienable rights by using the constitution as a tool on a daily basis. But our student loans preclude us from doing real lawyering. It's so sad that there are so many people losing their property and unemployed and underutilized attorneys that would love to help them--but the two are divided by debt and income.



It almost makes me think that attorneys should be considered civil servants because they SHOULD help citizens. However, until the education bubble pops, this is unlikely to happen.



All roads lead back to reducing the cost of higher education.

This is going to be an amazing documentary btw. Give it a looksy.