Watch a clip here from Alexandra Pelosi’s HBO film “Diary of a Political Tourist”](yes Nancy’s Daughter) catches a tipsy Congressman Peter King making a comment at a White House function before the election had even been started declaring that, “It’s already over. The Election’s over. We Won.” When Pelosi asks, “How do you know that?” King replies, “It’s all over but the counting. And we’ll take care of the counting.” This was recorded in he summer of 2003 a year before the 2004 election! Elections have been stolen for the last two presidential races the whole thing is just a sham now. See www.theonion.com for a parody of what really happens in the elections now days bring back Paper Ballots electronic voting is always hacked! “It’s not the people who vote that count. It’s the people who count the votes.”-Josef Stalin

Lying with statistics has always been part of politics, but it has perhaps become more prevalent as we have become more mathematically illiterate as a people. In fact, 65.7% of statistic are just plain false. Okay, I invented that one – but to make a point. One of the easiest ways to lie with statistics is to make them up. Being “precise” makes them more believable too, which is why I didn’t round that off to 67%. Watch for unrealistically precise figures when you read or here statistics. Nobody can actually say to the nearest hundredth of a percent how overweight a population is, for example, or exactly how many homeless people there are. But what else should you watch for? Here’s an small example pulled from a magazine I was reading. The May 2008 issue of Sierra Magazine had a small piece on the “hyper-consumptive, carbon spewing ways” of Western countries,” with the following quote: “Stephen Pacala, director of the Princeton Environmental Institute, claims that the planets richest 700 million people – a mere 7% of the world’s population – are responsible for half of the global greenhouse-gas emissions produced by fossil fuels.” Notice that if 700 million is 7% of the world’s population, we suddenly have 10 billion people in the world. The actual figure was about 6.7 billion as of 2008. That kind of mistake is common in reporting. It is most likely a simple error, but on the other hand, it seems that the mistaken figures are often better for making the desired point than the true ones would be. It is bad enough if 10.3% of the world’s people produce over half of carbon emissions, but politically a stronger point if a mere 7% do. Watch for this kind of common mistake and/or manipulation of the statistics. For another example of lying with statistics, watch election reporting. More than once I’ve seen the vote percentages given for the Republican and Democratic candidates add up to 100% in major elections – even presidential elections. Of course for that to be true there would have to be no votes for any other candidates. In reality, other parties often get several percent of the votes. What the news organizations are apparently reporting then, is the votes that they think matter. This kind of manipulation gives the impression that there are no other political parties, but there were a dozen that ran presidential candidates last time I voted. Be careful too of the more subtle lying with statistics. For example, let me ask you a question: If a company’s profits go from 3% to 6%, did they rise 3% or 100%? Profits did double, which is a rise of 100%, but as a return on equity they moved only from 3% to 6%, which still leaves a poor rate of return compared to most industries. How this is reported depends on the political slant of the news organization. If they want to attack the company for making too much money, they can write a headline that says; “XYZ Company sees 100% Increase In Profits!” Technically it is an accurate statement, but it hides a lot of truth, doesn’t it? Lying with statistics is perhaps most evident in opinion polls. In this case, the manipulation of the truth is accomplished by the way in which questions are phrased. If a thousand people were asked, “Should the government help people who face losing their homes to foreclosure?” the number of people for such a program would certainly be higher than if a thousand were asked, “Should you be forced to pay more taxes to help people make the payments on their houses?” Notice that both accurately describe what the program would do. As you watch the evening news or read newspapers and news magazines, stop at each statistic they throw out there. Ask if it is likely to be accurate, and how it was arrived at. Ask if it tells the whole truth, and what other ways things could be measured. Get online and look for other information. Lying with statistics will continue, but being fooled by them is optional.

Kentucky had the highest rate of child deaths from abuse and neglect in the United States during 2007, according to a report released Wednesday by a national child advocacy group.Every Child Matters Education Fund, a non-profit group in Washington, D.C., reported that 41 Kentucky children died from abuse and neglect in 2007 — a rate of 4.09 deaths per 100,000 Kentucky children.To help stem the tide of deaths, the group called on state officials to make public specific information about each child’s death, including whether he or she had previous contact with state social workers.”If you want to stop children from dying, it would be in the best interest of Kentucky to open up the process,” said Michael Petit, the group’s president. “It’s not a question of affixing blame; it’s a question of learning.”Kentucky law permits the disclosure of details about children who die from abuse or neglect but does not appear to mandate release of the information.Each year, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services produces an annual report of deaths and near deaths caused by child abuse and neglect, but it does not provide any specifics about each child’s case.”Our practice is to address confidentiality in the manner dictated by state statute and regulation,” said Patricia R. Wilson, commissioner of the state Department for Community Based Services. “Opening such records is a complicated issue that would require careful thought and deliberation in order to protect innocent family members.”The Herald-Leader has filed an appeal in Franklin Circuit Court of the Cabinet’s denial of a request for records in the May death of 22-month-old Kayden Branham, who died in Wayne County after drinking liquid drain cleaner that was allegedly being used to manufacture methamphetamine.In addition to calling for changes in state law, the report challenges Congress to modify federal confidentiality laws. Such changes would allow policy-makers, the media and the public to understand better what policies need to be improved in the aftermath of a child’s death, he said.A photo of 10-year-old Michaela Watkins, the Clark County girl who received 77 injuries at the hands of her father and stepmother in 2007 before she died, represented Kentucky on the cover of the report, “We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in America.”Michaela had been monitored by social workers after she was removed from her mother’s home and sent to live with her father and stepmother, Patrick and Joy Watkins. The two were found guilty of murdering Michaela, who had been scalded and beaten.Nationally, as many as 50 percent of the children who died had previously been brought to the attention of authorities. State data has shown similar results in Kentucky.The report said 210 children died from abuse and neglect in Kentucky from 2001 to 2007.”Reports such as this, though troubling, serve to heighten the importance of investing in strengthening families and protecting children from abuse and neglect,” said Wilson, the Kentucky Cabinet official.Despite the numbers, Petit said, children should be taken away from their families in only a small number of cases. Rather, he said, state and federal lawmakers should spend most available money on efforts to build stronger families, such as strengthening nutrition assistance, preventing teen pregnancy, increasing health care coverage for children and providing money for home nurses to visit first-time, low-income mothers.Petit criticized the voting records of Kentucky’s U.S. senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, on legislation that he said could help prevent child deaths. According to the national child-advocacy group Vote Kids, Bunning did not vote for any of the legislation that the organization deemed as helpful to Kentucky’s children. McCon nell voted for two bills.Representatives of both senators said the criticism was unfounded.”It’s unfortunate that this report by a D.C. special interest group chose to ignore what Senator McConnell has actually done for the children of Kentucky,” said McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer.Steurer said McConnell supported a University of Louisville program to help detect and prevent child abuse, wrote legislation to increase funding for a program that provides health insurance for low-income children and advocates for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.Bunning’s spokesman, Mike Reynard, noted that Bunning has nine children, 35 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.”Senator Bunning is a family man who votes his values and doesn’t pay attention to the views of an extremist organization that cares less about improving the lives of our nation’s children and more about pushing the agenda of Democrats in Washington and the liberal elite of Hollywood,” Reynard said in a statement.The group says it is non-partisan.The report shows that in 2004, the most recent data available, $89 was spent per capita in Kentucky on child welfare services, ranking it 16th among states.Child advocates noted that the state’s budget has faced repeated cuts since then.”The most alarming aspect of this alarming report is the numbers come before the most recent series of budget cuts,” said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, the state’s leading child-advocacy group.Brooks said Cabinet officials have dealt well with mandated budget cuts, but programs that help save lives and money continue to shrink.”Belt-tightening may be good for Frankfort political careers,” he said. “It is a bad idea for Kentucky’s kids.”

Today’s was apparently a fairly acceptable if not good bill as an answer to an unprecedented liquidity and credit predicament bred here on US’s Wall Street and spawning across the globe. Voting to pass it to rectify the vast ineptitudes of lax financial regulation and it’s aftermath of failed banks and credit squeezes all at once was apparently too daunting for many of those we elected to lead us in Washington. Leaders lead in tough times. Shamefully, and certainly regretably, our leaders didn’t lead effectively today, from the President on down.It’s been said in these past weeks, investors hate uncertainty. I disagree! My paltry 30 years in the business of advising clients to match their monetary investments with their choices has told me that investors HATE lying! So when lying results in the markets’ uncertainty, prices gyrate and the press and media pounce like starved tigers thrown a week’s worth of red meat.The special interest groups don’t have any idea what was in this bill, nor the checks and balances that had been added, so to have set and stoked a huge bonfire of steam, admonishing anyone who could fog a mirror to call or email their representatives or Congress people on Capital Hill and vote NO, was about as irresponsible as special interest groups often turn out to be.Where were those same special interest groups last week? Just as in the dark as they were yesterday, yet yesterday they chose to pull the blast email trigger that was so itchy for oh, so many days; too many days, in fact, and let their voices be heard. Where were these people all along this elongated process, of borrowing maximum home equity loans, gaining credit with merely a signature-who needs a job? Where were these smart consumers who borrowed more money than their paychecks, often at interest-only just because the loan shark sold them it? Where have these people been as they, themselves often got caught up in impulse spending over the past years and now are facing the sobering truth that yes, indeed, these massive credit card balances do have to be repaid-not just the minimum monthly payment? Is it too harsh to draw the comparison that while 700 billion just has too BIG a sound to swallow, so does the average American’s credit card balance relative to their annual salary? Who’s dropped their common sense here? Oh…perhaps most all of us!So, we indeed have action today. The proverbial “Bill and Betty in Boise” have had their voices listened to; principally their NO vote registered. Bill & Betty have effectively trumped our elected officials and our governments’ financial representatives, who despite not having crystal balls, do have a fiduciary duty to us taxpayers, and who would potentially stand trial for mis appropriations, if I correctly understood the checks-and-balances that were written into the final bill.Perhaps my fictitious characters Bill & Betty believe this “relief” is for the other guy and not them. It’s not. The first time they try to get a credit card or mortgage or car loan, or expect that their employer can simply and continuously fund payroll – yes their paycheck – out of their Money Market, they’ll realize that their lives and that of their family’s are also impacted. You see, while we may not have seen our neighbors-near and far, we are still all stitched at the hip with the financial systems being as intertwined as they are, unless, of course, you live on a remote farm, grow your own food, and till the field with horses that don’t require that darned expensive gas we’ve all been saddled with.The so-called bailout bill (and I DO trust they’ll give it a relatable name next time) is necessary and perhaps the defeat was cast as early as they named it, a week ago. Bailout sounds like the average unaffected guy and gal has to do the heavy lifting for the high rolling gamblers who should have pushed back from the financial buffet tables before the second round of desserts. That’s a BIG part of the problem.And, finally, I really believe that there was still a ton of confusion and indecisiveness around this final bill-yes that same confusion that apparently prompted John McCain to return to Washington to explain, particularly to his party-but IF some House Republican Representatives got so peeved when the cause of these dire circumstances was outlined by Pelosi this afternoon, that they changed their vote out of displaced anger, I would suggest that they:1) grow up into the leader roles they’ve been elected to, and2) re-direct that very anger to the failed policies and those politicians behind same over the past 8 years, just like many voters are poised to do in November.After all, where DID that huge 2000 surplus evaporate to anyway? Ahhh. The truth again. Ouch, that hurts! And yes, the current financial situation of the United States and the world hurts too, hurts for strong willed and courageous elected officials to lead by putting a shovel in the ground of rebuilding, not run for cover screaming “Chicken Little, Chicken Little”.The smart money is ALWAYS long term, so fear is not an effective emotion now. Neither is selling equities now at depressed levels. If you are not diversified with your Certificates of Deposit to qualify for FDIC insurance on all your fixed income deposits, then transfers of the amount in excess of the FDIC insurance to achieve that end are in order. Otherwise, keep your powder dry, and pray for more wisdom than has been served up in Washington today.  

Caribbean 2009-10: Trouble In ParadiseBraced For The Worst In 2009/10 Given the small, open nature of the regional economy, we believe that the Caribbean will suffer a prolonged period of economic recession – far worse than the downturn witnessed during the post-September 11 tourism slump. We are projecting regional real GDP growth of -2.5% and -0.3% this year and next, but warn that the risks remain skewed to the downside should global demand destruction hurt the Caribbean’s key industries – specifically, financial services, real estate and tourism – more than currently anticipated. As economic activity cools and unemployment rates start to grind higher, there is a risk of widespread public disgruntlement, which could lead to increasing protests, provoke an already-fragile security environment and erode the popularity of governments across the board. In this Special Report, we assess which countries are likely to suffer most as a result of the acute external headwinds, and which are best placed to recover once the global dust settles. ( http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=129431&rt=Caribbean-2009-10-Trouble-In-Paradise.html )With none of the major countries in the Caribbean facing general elections this year, we expect a measure of political stability in 2009. Having said that, local authorities will have their work cut out to curb the growing violent crime problem that has plagued the region in recent years. According to preliminary figures, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago both suffered their bloodiest year on record in 2008, registering homicides of 1,600 (62 per 100,000) and 549 (42 per 100,000) respectively. While both governments have outlined a more dynamic security policy framework going forward, we believe that the crime issue will remain a major problem for policymakers going forward.The economic outlook in the Caribbean is gloomy, with much of the region staring down the barrel at recession. Few countries, if any, will remain unscathed, with only Trinidad & Tobago out of our ‘big six’ (including Puerto Rico, Guyana, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica) projected to register positive growth in 2009. The main risk is a deeper and more protracted recession in the US and UK – two developed world markets which are vital for the influx of tourism, remittances, and financial services earnings into the region.The government bailout of Trinidad & Tobago’s financial giant CL Financial Group and the Stanford Group scandal have sent shockwaves across the Caribbean financial system. Given the exposure of the firm to a wide array of industries across the regional economy, the resilience of the Caribbean banking sector could come under pressure in 2009. Add to the mix the likely weakness of offshore financial hubs (such as the Cayman Islands) due to the precarious position of developed world hedge funds and Washington disapproval over regulatory frameworks, and we caution that the outlook for Caribbean finance looks sombre.  To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=129431&rt=Caribbean-2009-10-Trouble-In-Paradise.html OrContact us at :Bharat Book BureauTel: +91 22 27578668Fax: +91 22 27579131Email: info@bharatbook.com Website: www.bharatbook.com Blog: http://bharatbookresearch.blogspot.com Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/3bbharatbook

Congress leader Kamalnath speaks on Lok Sabha election results.

Kentucky had the highest rate of child deaths from abuse and neglect in the United States during 2007, according to a report released Wednesday by a national child advocacy group.Every Child Matters Education Fund, a non-profit group in Washington, D.C., reported that 41 Kentucky children died from abuse and neglect in 2007 — a rate of 4.09 deaths per 100,000 Kentucky children.To help stem the tide of deaths, the group called on state officials to make public specific information about each child’s death, including whether he or she had previous contact with state social workers.”If you want to stop children from dying, it would be in the best interest of Kentucky to open up the process,” said Michael Petit, the group’s president. “It’s not a question of affixing blame; it’s a question of learning.”Kentucky law permits the disclosure of details about children who die from abuse or neglect but does not appear to mandate release of the information.Each year, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services produces an annual report of deaths and near deaths caused by child abuse and neglect, but it does not provide any specifics about each child’s case.”Our practice is to address confidentiality in the manner dictated by state statute and regulation,” said Patricia R. Wilson, commissioner of the state Department for Community Based Services. “Opening such records is a complicated issue that would require careful thought and deliberation in order to protect innocent family members.”The Herald-Leader has filed an appeal in Franklin Circuit Court of the Cabinet’s denial of a request for records in the May death of 22-month-old Kayden Branham, who died in Wayne County after drinking liquid drain cleaner that was allegedly being used to manufacture methamphetamine.In addition to calling for changes in state law, the report challenges Congress to modify federal confidentiality laws. Such changes would allow policy-makers, the media and the public to understand better what policies need to be improved in the aftermath of a child’s death, he said.A photo of 10-year-old Michaela Watkins, the Clark County girl who received 77 injuries at the hands of her father and stepmother in 2007 before she died, represented Kentucky on the cover of the report, “We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in America.”Michaela had been monitored by social workers after she was removed from her mother’s home and sent to live with her father and stepmother, Patrick and Joy Watkins. The two were found guilty of murdering Michaela, who had been scalded and beaten.Nationally, as many as 50 percent of the children who died had previously been brought to the attention of authorities. State data has shown similar results in Kentucky.The report said 210 children died from abuse and neglect in Kentucky from 2001 to 2007.”Reports such as this, though troubling, serve to heighten the importance of investing in strengthening families and protecting children from abuse and neglect,” said Wilson, the Kentucky Cabinet official.Despite the numbers, Petit said, children should be taken away from their families in only a small number of cases. Rather, he said, state and federal lawmakers should spend most available money on efforts to build stronger families, such as strengthening nutrition assistance, preventing teen pregnancy, increasing health care coverage for children and providing money for home nurses to visit first-time, low-income mothers.Petit criticized the voting records of Kentucky’s U.S. senators, Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, on legislation that he said could help prevent child deaths. According to the national child-advocacy group Vote Kids, Bunning did not vote for any of the legislation that the organization deemed as helpful to Kentucky’s children. McCon nell voted for two bills.Representatives of both senators said the criticism was unfounded.”It’s unfortunate that this report by a D.C. special interest group chose to ignore what Senator McConnell has actually done for the children of Kentucky,” said McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer.Steurer said McConnell supported a University of Louisville program to help detect and prevent child abuse, wrote legislation to increase funding for a program that provides health insurance for low-income children and advocates for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.Bunning’s spokesman, Mike Reynard, noted that Bunning has nine children, 35 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.”Senator Bunning is a family man who votes his values and doesn’t pay attention to the views of an extremist organization that cares less about improving the lives of our nation’s children and more about pushing the agenda of Democrats in Washington and the liberal elite of Hollywood,” Reynard said in a statement.The group says it is non-partisan.The report shows that in 2004, the most recent data available, $89 was spent per capita in Kentucky on child welfare services, ranking it 16th among states.Child advocates noted that the state’s budget has faced repeated cuts since then.”The most alarming aspect of this alarming report is the numbers come before the most recent series of budget cuts,” said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, the state’s leading child-advocacy group.Brooks said Cabinet officials have dealt well with mandated budget cuts, but programs that help save lives and money continue to shrink.”Belt-tightening may be good for Frankfort political careers,” he said. “It is a bad idea for Kentucky’s kids.”

Third Ad from the Boswell for Congress Campaign

For more Election 2008 coverage, go to www.wsj.com/video. Residents of Arlington, Virginia came out in droves this week to cast their votes early for the presidential election. wsj’s Evan Perez talked with some of them about how they were coping with the long lines. (Oct. 30)

Here is Inland Empire Business Lawyer Sebastian Gibson’s Top Ten:   1. Tell everyone you fire, that you’re just being mavericky.   2. Try to look like a hot librarian.   3. Never take your glasses off or your hair down so people don’t treat you like a beauty contestant.   4. Answer all interview questions like an adorable beauty contestant even though your hair is up and you still have your glasses on.   5. Don’t let people impersonate you on late night comedy shows.   6. Don’t do any work at turkey farms.   7. Run for office, get lots of free clothes, and when you lose, sign a lucrative book deal.   8. Treat the elderly with respect but watch out for any advisers who call you a “whack job.”   9. Claim you’re being unfairly attacked if you make any mistakes and try to look pitiful.   10. If your mistakes pile up, blame the liberal media and pout a lot.   Now here is everything (well, almost everything) you need to know in business about environmental, international law, election and campaign law, consumer law, class actions, constitutional, internet, publishing, advertising, media, publicity and privacy rights, employment law, estate planning, wills, trusts, water law, agricultural, insurance law, bad faith, psychologist and psychotherapist defense, education law and child accidents. You can also find all you need to know (well, mostly) about business, personal injury, car accidents, brain damage, wrongful deaths, real estate, landlord-tenant, homeowners association law, construction, patents, trademarks, corporations, entertainment law, advertising, copyrights, food and wine, and hotel and restaurant law and litigation by searching for those subjects and adding the words Inland Empire business lawyer or Inland Empire business attorney to your search terms and looking for other articles by Sebastian Gibson.   You can also learn more about any of these areas of law and how we can assist you as Inland Empire business attorneys, or as lawyers in any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  .   1. Personal Injury, Car Accidents, Brain Damage, Catastrophic Injuries and Wrongful Deaths in The Inland Empire – If you’ve had an Inland Empire auto, motorcycle, truck, pedestrian, bicycle, bus, train, airplane or car accident of any kind, get the other driver’s information, take camera or cell phone pictures, call the police, get a report, seek medical treatment immediately, call us or another good Inland Empire personal injury lawyer. Report the accident to your insurance agent, file a report with the DMV and don’t talk to anyone else or give a recorded statement until you talk with an attorney from our office. If you’ve lost a loved on in an accident, call us or another good Inland Empire personal injury lawyer immediately. Brain damage and catastrophic injury cases as with wrongful death cases require the expertise of an Inland Empire attorney with experience in these difficult cases. If you want to ensure that you and your family members receive the compensation you deserve, be sure to hire an Inland Empire personal injury attorney with decades of experience with brain damage, catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths.   2. Environmental and Toxic Tort Law in The Inland Empire – With multi-billion dollar energy companies spending more money to confuse the public on the threat posed by global warming than on research into alternative forms of energy, it will take all of us to sort fact from fiction and solve the growing problem of global warming. An additional danger to all of us comes from exposure to toxic materials in our daily lives from tainted food, to contaminated ground water, to dangerous viruses in the public and in hospitals to lead and mercury poisoning. If you experience unusual symptoms that a doctor can’t explain, you may have been exposed to a toxic substance and have a toxic tort claim that should be evaluated by us or another qualified Inland Empire environmental attorney.   3. Inland Empire International, Shipping and Maritime Law – An Inland Empire international attorney with years of international legal education and experience such as you’ll find at our Inland Empire law firm, can provide you with a wealth of practical knowledge and the ability to find answers to your international law questions. It is to your advantage to also have an Inland Empire international lawyer working in cooperation with foreign counsel in other jurisdictions to ensure that the most cost-effective avenues are pursued to resolve your legal matter. However, many international matters can be resolved with letters between Inland Empire international lawyers and foreign lawyers, and international mediations and arbitrations can also be utilized. If you have been injured on a ship or an oil rig you have rights under the Jones Act to be compensated for your injuries, medical treatment, past and future wage loss and care.   4. Inland Empire Election and Campaign Finance Law – If you are considering running for political office or have already done so and are facing campaign finance legal issues, the time to hire an Inland Empire election attorney with election law knowledge is at the first possible opportunity before you get into hot water that can sink your campaign or put your political career into jeopardy.   5. Inland Empire Consumer Law and Class Actions – If you have paid for an item but have not received it, been promised an action or service that has not come to fruition or are considering ordering services or signing any type of agreement, the time to hire an Inland Empire consumer lawyer is immediately in order to avoid being scammed, or defrauded. An Inland Empire consumer attorney’s letter drafted forcefully but professionally will obtain the desired result, products or services in a good percentage of cases. Whether you ordered gold bars but did not receive them, were told that your car would be paid off when you traded it in on a new one or were promised that a pool would be completed in your back yard, an Inland Empire consumer attorney can and should be hired for a modest fee to write a letter on your behalf and demand the required action, products or services. If you think you are just one of many who have been scammed or defrauded in some way, you may have a class action.   6. Constitutional, Publishing and Publicity and Privacy Rights, Internet Law, Advertising and Media Law in The Inland Empire – Defamation includes both libel and slander. Anyone in the media or publishing or broadcast world or with a web site is at risk of a lawsuit for claims of defamation or false advertising However, constitutional law questions also arise in civil rights discrimination cases, discrimination in employment and a wide variety of other legal matters. If you have been disenfranchised or your constitutional rights abused in any matter or if you have been accused of abusing the rights of others, contact an Inland Empire constitutional lawyer as soon as it occurs. If others seek to profit with the use of your name or image you also have a claim for damages.   7. Employment Law in The Inland Empire – It may seem silly to think you should hire an Inland Empire employment attorney whenever you are considering firing an employee, but it has come to that. However, a consultation with a good Inland Empire employment law firm can provide you with the advice of how to handle your employee relations both immediately and in the future as you either seek to cut costs or get rid of a problematic employee. If you have been sued or threatened with a suit, or are being scammed by an employee, consult an Inland Empire employment lawyer immediately.   8. Inland Empire Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts – The current estate tax in 2008 affects only people who die with an estate in excess of two million dollars. In 2009, that amount will increase to three and a half million dollars and in 2010, the estate tax is repealed. That’s the good news. If, however, the estate tax repeal is not extended by 2011, the estate tax will kick in again. The worse news is that in 2011, if the estate tax repeal is not extended, the estate tax will kick in at one million dollars. The current federal estate tax rate is a whopping 47 percent. That stays the same in 2009. But other current provisions in the tax code change or end in 2010. In light of this, it is more important than ever to hire an Inland Empire estate planning lawyer to draft your will and evaluate the need for a living trust to avoid probate fees ensure your estate goes to the beneficiaries you want it to go to. If you don’t have a will or trust at death, the state will determine who gets your estate, but it will usually be your spouse and children, of if you have none, your closest relatives.   9. Water, Agricultural and Natural Resource Law in The Inland Empire – It is hoped by American farmers and meat producers that the new Country of Origin Labeling Law taking effect in groceries will cause food shoppers to seek meat and produce from the U.S. over food items from other countries. But it is the water shortage in California that has California farmers faced with dire consequences. In 2008, the California Governor formed a Water Bank to stave off mandatory water rationing, but if California has another dry winter, or more fires that draw upon California’s precious water reserves, or if the state legislature does not address the state’s delta environmental problems and expand the state’s water works, with a bill that has been tied up while the legislators haggled over a budget, rationing across the state could become a reality. If you have a water or agricultural issue, the time to call an Inland Empire agricultural lawyer with knowledge in this areas is before the issue becomes critical.   10. Insurance Law, Bad Faith, Psychologist, Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist Defense in The Inland Empire – As insurance companies feel the pain of the stock market crash and face the reality of the value of their own investments decreasing, we expect to see insurance companies delaying settlements, and flirting with violations of the insurance bad faith statutes. As the public becomes more and more depressed with the sinking stock market, loss of jobs, reduced income and less enjoyment out of life, we also see the likelihood of greater use of psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists. When claims are made against these professionals without justification, our Inland Empire law firm stands ready to defend them   11. Inland Empire Education Law and Child Accidents – A recent court ruling in California has given temporary relief to parents homeschooling their children. However, we still expect further court rulings to make guidelines that will govern when or under what circumstances homeschooling of children will be permitted in California. Children, as any parent knows, can be injured any time, anywhere. What should not happen is any injury to a child that is the result of the negligence of another. To that end, our Inland Empire personal injury lawyers championed protection for children and convinced at least one court and encouraged other personal injury attorneys to do the same, to uphold a new tort for negligent endangerment of a child.   If you have a legal matter in The Inland Empire, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Temecula, Murrieta, Riverside, San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Fontana, Rialto, Redlands, Hemet, Perris, Colton, San Bernardino County, Highland, Yucaipa, Banning, Riverside County, Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead or in Fontana, our Inland Empire law firm has the knowledge and resources to be your Inland Empire Lawyers and your Inland Empire Attorneys. Be sure to hire a Coachella Valley law firm with experience in Personal Injury, Car Accidents, Drownings, Brain Damage, Catastrophic Injuries, Wrongful Death, Business, Real Estate and Landlord Tenant Law, Homeowner Association Law, Construction, Trademarks, Patents, Corporations, Entertainment, Sports Law, Marketing, Advertising, Media, and Copyright Law, and who will endeavor to ensure that your rights are properly represented.   Additionally, if you have a legal matter which involves Environmental and Toxic Tort Law, Litigation, International, Shipping and Maritime Law, Employment, Election and Campaign Finance Law, Consumer Law and Class Actions, Constitutional, Publishing, Publicity, Privacy Rights, Internet Law, Advertising and Media Law, Food and Wine Law, Hotel and Restaurant Law, Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts, Water, Agricultural and Natural Resource Law, Insurance Law, Bad Faith and Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist Defense, Education Law or a Child Accident in The Inland Empire or anywhere in Southern California, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how an Inland Empire attorney from our offices can assist you.