Robert Khuu Presents

Dystopian “death panels” … of death.

If anyone’s been paying attention to current events, health care reform is the hot new contested topic in front of Congress right now. Of course, there have been many criticisms, but the one criticism that confounds me the most is the criticism that the universal health care system will create panels of distant bureaucrats that determine the fate of the average American taxpayer’s health coverage. Grandma was denied the critical treatment required to take care of her hypertension by some no good government bureaucrat! Little Susie was denied life saving, I don’t know, antibiotics that would have prevented the spread of the … Hanta Techno-virus by some distant government bureaucrat while he smokes on his stogie, Ho Ho Ho! More »

Even though I survive by absorbing the ambient evil …

The legal profession is probably one of the few professions where it is apparently socially acceptable for people to tell you to your face that you are scum of the earth in a social setting. It is also probably the only profession where it is alright for people, friends and family alike, to tell you to your face that it should be abolished or severely limited. Even my mother has told me that she hates lawyers. Granted, of the times I have been told this, it’s mostly said in jest; however, I can’t help but feel that, deep down inside, most of the people that tell me this, really do mean it.

So that leads me to my question: why all the lawyer hate? I’m not so naive as to think that all lawyers are good, but I would say the vast majority of lawyers do their job in an ethical manner. Of course, what can you really expect? The news tends to focus on the bad lawyers as opposed to the good lawyers, right? Even so, I think lawyers still catch a lot more flak than they should. Think about it. The news reports on stories about teachers molesting their students, about doctors behaving unethically on a regular basis. Yet, no one ever demands that these professions be severely limited nor do they call these professions scum.

I suppose, at the root of it all, I’m just insulted. It’s one thing to criticize my intended profession, but it’s something altogether different when people say to my face that all lawyers are the root of all the problems that this country faces (everything from the Interstate Highway system to the War on Terror). In fact, I’m a sellout for working with someone that has opposing political views! In fact, my focus on commercial law makes me too “practical” (told to me in a negative manner)! Maybe lawyers should just do everything pro bono.

Oh wait, pro bono doesn’t pay the bills.

Car hide and go seek

I recently bought a 2009 Toyota Yaris after my previous car decided to do $3000 worth of damage to itself. So far, I really do like the Yaris. I haven’t really encountered any deal-breaker problems. The only “problem” I have is the Yars’ size. Not because of it’s actual size, but it’s size in relation to other cars. It’s so small that it’s usually dwarfed by other cars and I tend to have a tough time finding it once I’ve parked it in a full lot. Usually, it’s some SUV soccer mom vehicle that’s blocking my view of the car, but even a regular sedan can block my view. I already had enough trouble looking for my old car in the parking lot. Now, it usually takes a moment of panic in addition to 2-3 minutes of looking for my car. I didn’t realize how big American cars really were until I started driving the Yaris. Since practically everyone out in the Midwest drives an American car, I’m usually outmatched 99% of the time. I’m just glad this is my last snowy winter so that I don’t have to play this game in the snow.