In his classic, “The Pretender,” Jackson Browne lamented, “I’m going to be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender.” As Browne keenly observed, money (and life) creates angst. It is also the major factor that leads to civil lawsuits. When asked to explain what a civil attorney does, I say that it usually boils down to either arguments about money or arguments about what to do with money.
Once upon a time, honest, hardworking Americans who didn’t want to gamble with their money could put it in savings or money market accounts and collect a decent amount of interest. When they retired, the interest helped them pay their bills.
Scott Weese, a division chief with Cal Fire CZU, spends plenty of time pouring over forest-fuel-environment maps and briefing safety crews on weather conditions.
The...