A Los Angeles Times article titled, "Weighed Down By Recession Woes, Jurors Are Becoming Disgruntled," brought to light some serious concerns about the California jury system.

A few years ago when we went to the one day, one trial system everyone was excited and cheering about how great the system had become. Well, it seems like the happy times are over and our jury system is showing some signs of wear and tear. I will be honest that I was just called for jury service and I was not too thrilled. I have been called a lot and ironically, my wife never gets called. Can someone explain that to me?  We are both registered voters and we both have California drivers licenses and have lived at the same residence for 13 years.

I have been through this plenty of times and find the process rather demeaning. You take time out of your schedule and you are treated like cattle. But, as demeaning as the process is, you really need to serve, even in these hard economic times. We all are experiencing some form of financial hardship during this times, but don't make excuses. This is only time our country asks us to take the time to serve. It should not be too much to ask considering all the freedoms that come along with being an American.

The article in the L.A. Times talked about the problems the Los Angeles County juror system is experiencing. The county used to summon 55,000 people a week. They are now down to 45,000 due to court cutbacks. Of those summoned, only about half respond. The county in turn is looking a lot harder at claims of financial, medical and child care problems and for repeat no-shows it is imposing fines of as much as $1,500.

In L.A. County, nearly a 1/4 of the qualified jurors were released due to economic hardship last year. On one case involving my favorite subject, asbestos, 66 out of 107 prospective jurors were excused for financial difficulties. That is absolutely unacceptable.

I know the system needs improving. Personally I believe there needs to be a complete revamp of the jury system in our state. However, people need to answer the call and stop making excuses. The impact of a lousy juror pool is tremendous. Take the time and show up.

Cross posted at www.foxandhoundsdaily.com

Later this week, Sacramento's historic Squeeze Inn burger joint will be reopening at its new location at 5301 Power Inn Road with a Re-Grand Opening to be held in mid-March. The Squeeze Inn was forced to relocate following an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit  filed by a professional litigant.    

The Squeeze Inn, which appeared on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, is equally famous for it's 1/3 pound hamburger with a bubbling cheese skirt as it is for the original building's tight quarters. The new location, just around the corner from the historic original location, will incorporate many of the charms of the original location, including the original countertop and barstools.    

While it's sad to see a historic part of the community changing, the Squeeze Inn is fortunate to be able to keep its doors open at the new location. Unfortunately, not all small business owners are as lucky, many being forced to close their doors when targeted by abusive lawsuits.

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims is soon to file a lawsuit against the Fresno County Board of Supervisors that will surely have taxpayers paying for lawyers on both sides. Suing the board is not going to solve the county’s budget problems, bring any resolution to the issue of inmate releases or make the streets any safer. This is Sheriff Mims trying to have the last say and prove that…well I don’t know…that she’s right? The main problem here is that the taxpayers should not have to pay for Mims’ apparent need to prove a point. It is absurd that a county already burdened with significant budget woes will now have to dig deeper into their pockets—all because Ms. Mims has to take a disagreement within government straight to the courts. It sure is easy to file lawsuits when someone else is paying the bill. This is why taxpayers are so often caught holding the bag for a multitude of disputes including this one. Government needs to work this one out without the lawsuits.

The lawsuits have already started for Toyota and its pedal problem. Personal injury lawyers claim they are fielding hundreds of calls from people who have been injured or fear they will be injured by these acceleration issues.

Now certainly, Toyota may face liability in instances where the accelerator actually malfunctioned and people were injured. But liability for fear that they might be injured? Or "injury" due to the possible drop in resale value? Please.

The new pedals are out and millions of consumers will be getting replacement parts and hopefully moving on with their lives. But lawfirms will make sure Toyota does not move on for a long time, as these suits will drag out for many years, or until Toyota decides to settle to make them go away.