Posts Under "Contemplation":
January 9, 2009
The changing of one year to another often prompts thoughts about the future and about goals and about change. For me this is no exception. Most recently I've been thinking about my plans to attend law school.
I have the rare opportunity to live near people who are actually in law school and see the kinds of hours they keep and the stress on their lives. Without attending law school I've been able to see the good, the bad, and the ugly, without actually having to spend any money on tuition or do any reading, or even take any exams.
What I've found is that there's a lot about law school that's good, and that I would enjoy. There's a lot I wouldn't. But the biggest issue comes down to what do I want to do with it?
I've always wanted to go to law school to practice constitutional law. I want to find the defenseless and defend them, and I want to stand on principle for things I think are important. This is probably most lawyer's dreams; I doubt anyone actually gets a thrill from writing contracts. But given the current state of affairs in the economy, and the massive debt I would incur, it would be impossible to attend law school and then do this kind of work, while still maintaining my financial obligations.
The truth is that law school would cost me about $150,000, almost all of which would need to be financed with borrowed money. There are little to no scholarships available for those who want to attend graduate schools, meaning most people who cannot simply get it from their parents or their own bank accounts have to borrow.
FinAid does some of the math for you with their repayment calculator.. According to the FinAid calculator, a $150,000 loan (or series of loans) at a very nice 4.5% interest rate for the typical 10-year repayment schedule would require a monthly payment of $1,154.58 and they suggest an annual salary of $186,549.60.
Compare that with PayScale's average salary for a lawyer:
A lawyer making $56,966.00 a year can expect to take home $40,279.10 (after taxes, excluding student loan interest deductions), according to PaycheckCity.com, for a monthly disposable income (after paying student loans) of $2,202 or a paltry $26,428.00 a year. That's not enough to live on in any major city.
So the short version is that law school doesn't appear to be in the cards for me, and barring some massive idea that makes me lots of money, I won't be able to afford it ever. It's not worth that much debt and that much unhappiness to earn a law degree.
11:45 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Contemplation, Continued Learning
May 26, 2008
With the picnics and camping trips and sporting events of this weekend wrapping up, Americans will return to their lives and start their summers. But this holiday dedicated to those heroic persons who gave their final measure of devotion on the world's battlefields deserve to be remembered, and we should take time to do so.
With Americans deployed worldwide, it is also important that we show honor and respect to those who have made tremendous personal sacrifice. Though we may debate the politics of the war, we should never debase the heroism of our soldiers, and we owe them nothing less than our best wishes.
To those serving in uniform, thank you for your service. To those who have gone before and lost their lives in defense of America's freedom, they have not died in vain, but for the greater cause of liberty in a chaotic and dangerous world. America is better because they served, and America is worse off because of the lives we have lost.
So take a moment to remember. Cherish the freedom and prosperity that the sacrifice of thousands has preserved. Forget not the lives lost, and be thankful for those willing to give it all.
6:23 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Contemplation, Gratitude, Holidays
March 18, 2008
If you had asked me on June 18th, 2007 why I was coming here, I would have told you for one reason: to make a difference. I had this idea that lending my voice to the chorus of others would somehow make an appreciable impact on the region and on the society at large. As of today I have been here for eight months less two days, I have been on-again, off-again with Claire, changed jobs, and watched the economy change around me. Thinking about the time spent and the impact not felt, I felt discouraged at what had been accomplished, or not accomplished.
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9:11 pm | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: California, Contemplation, Relationships, Washington, DC
November 20, 2007
I'm thankful for great friends. I'm thankful that my friend Robert isn't in Iraq anymore. I'm thankful that my mother worked so hard to help me get here. I'm thankful that God saved me and I'm thankful that I have so much.
So what are you thankful for? Tell me in the comments!
10:20 pm | Comment (4) | Print | Categories: Contemplation, Gratitude, Holidays
November 19, 2007
Much of the strucutre, including the names of the soldiers, are covered in cracks that have not been repaired.
These cracks, while not appearing to affect the structural integrity of the monument, are likely to worsen over time, as rain that freezes into ice will continue to expand the cracks.
Simply because those who fought the battles are gone does not provide an excuse to forget their sacrifice. The 109,000 Americans who died in World War I deserve to have a memorial on the Mall just as the 450,000 Americans who died in World War II do. The memorials on our National Mall serve a dual purpose: to both honor those who served and to remind us the terribly high cost of our freedom.
I've got some contacts here in DC that I will be drawing on to see what I can do to get this memorial refurbished and returned to a condition that honors the veterans who sacrificed so much. The memorial has a seal that indicates the Great War to be "a war for civilization." Civilized society must never forget the wrenching battles that helped forge its existence, and I plan to work hard to see that this does not happen.
There is a photo album of pictures that I took on Saturday. You can view it here.
Updated at 11/19/2007 @ 9:43 pm
2:26 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Contemplation
November 11, 2007
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Whereas it has long been our customs to commemorate November 11, the anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the heroes of that tragic struggle and by rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace; and Whereas in the intervening years, the United States has been involved in two other great military conflicts, which have added millions of veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of this Nation; and
Whereas the Congress passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926 (44 Stat. 1982), calling for the observance of November 11 with appropriate ceremonies, and later provided in an act approved May 13, 1938 (52 Stat. 351) , that the eleventh of November should be a legal holiday and should be known as Armistice Day; and
Whereas, in order to expand the significance of that commemoration and in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this Nation, the Congress, by an act approved June 1, 1954 (68 Stat. 168), changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day:
Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America , do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 , as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.
I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on Veterans Day.
In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.
Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this eighth day of October in the Year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-ninth.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
11:11 am | Comment (4) | Print | Categories: Contemplation
October 30, 2007
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10:24 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Contemplation