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About me - GCM

I am a lawyer, a student of life, a student of politics, and a student of history. I am also a father, and an avid chess player. I enjoy reading and writing on legal, political, and financial topics.

I am a firm believer that we can learn from the past and

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Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies Do the NSA and CIA threaten civil liberties in the US?: 1 of 20

NSA's Data Gathering A Violation of the Fourth Amendment or Just Bad Policy? The NSA is widely known to be gathering the following information on average American citizens in the area of email, internet, phones, financial, and airline information. Endnote 1. The information includes the following: a) email- sender, recipient...
Business > Finance & Insurance Shifting the green: JPMorgan Chase buys Bear Stearns: 1 of 7

The Economic Crisis and Government Bailouts Did it Really Need to Happen The economic crisis in the United States reached new heights his week with the forced fire sale of Bear Stearns for a mere two dollars a share. The crisis began last summer when sub-prime mortgage defaults began to rise causing a deterioration of the cr...
Business > Small & Home Business Succession planning and the family farm: 1 of 7

Training the next generation to run the farm can be a difficult process, but absolutely essential to the continuation of the family farm. A farm family can use a number of different techniques to assist its younger generation to acquire the skills necessary to take over the farm. Successful farming requires a number of skill...
Home & Garden > Real Estate (Other) Do "sell and rent back" deals help or hurt homeowners facing foreclosure?: 1 of 6

Sale and lease back deals typically hurt homeowners facing foreclosure. They also are not an effective means to accomplish the goal of the sale and lease back, which is to remain in the home. Homeowners facing foreclosure should consider other better options to sale and lease backs. 1)Homeowners Can Lose Equity in Sale and L...
Politics, News & Issues > Family Law Should US citizens accused of domestic abuse lose the right to bear arms?: 4 of 15

No, a person should not lose rights, even the right to bear arms, based on an unproven accusation alone. Such a law would violate basic principles set forth in the fifth and sixth amendments to the Constitution. The fifth amendment provides for the right to due process before the government can deprive life, liberty, and pro...
Personal Finance > Banking Basics A guide to negotiating with the bank: 2 of 6

Negotiating with the bank can be one of the most important tasks. There are four essential steps to a successful negotiation. Step One: Understanding What the Bank Wants And Giving It to Them The first step to negotiating with a bank for acceptable terms is understanding what a bank wants to achieve by making a loan; the ban...
Business > Management (Other) 10 Questions to ask your accountant (before you hire him): 1 of 3

Hiring the right accountant can make a huge difference in the success of the farm. The right accountant helps the farm make tax sensitive decisions such as when to purchase new equipment to maximize tax deductions for depreciation. The accountant also should be responsible for mid-year and end of year reviews that assist the...
Politics, News & Issues > Party Politics & Ideology Commentary: Presidential primaries and caucuses: 6 of 14

The Race for President: Lets Move Away from Supporters Statements And Get Back to the Issues Despite the existence of real pressing issues in this country and a disagreement between the parties as to how to address those issues, the nation's media seems fixated by inappropriate comments made by people other than the candidat...
Business > Business Issues Paulson's proposed regulatory reform of the U.S. financial system: 1 of 2

Initial Thoughts on Paulson's Proposed Regulatory Reform of the U.S. Financial System Treasury Secretary Paulson has proposed a three step process to reform the financial regulatory system. He claims that his proposal is aimed to help give tools to financial regulators to prevent or respond to future crises. Endnote 1. His t...
Business > Entrepreneurship Tips for writing a bed-and-breakfast business plan: 1 of 1

A business plan for a bed and breakfast must contain the basic essential facts about the business written in a way that effectively communicates the information to the target audience. There are three essential big picture issues that the business plan for the bed and breakfast must address: 1) the audience; 2) the comprehen...