May
17 was the anniversary of Brown v. the Board of Education decision by the
Supreme Court. This decision allowed a little black girl to attend a previously
all-white elementary school. She had had to walk 21 blocks to get to the black
school, while the white school was only seven blocks away. The only reason the
case ever got to court was because of legal representation.
But all that is about to change. In many states,
small claims courts are being shut down due to a shortage of funds (that is,
legislatures decide to use the money for themselves rather than for small
claims courts). I heard this news report on May 17, the Brown v. Board
anniversary. So you cannot expect to ever receive your legal rights unless it is
such a big case that you can get the funds to hire a lawyer, which Mr. Brown
was able to do with a lot of help. But if you are just a citizen being screwed
by the IRS or by a corporation, there is no legal recourse. The rich and the
powerful can now use the law to get what they want, and the middle class people
without influence simply have to accept whatever happens, no matter what the
law or a signed contract says. Technically, you can file a case in a small claims
court, but it may literally sit there forever.
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