If public-sector workers cannot afford to live in the south-east of England, then the government should be changing pay scales that currently discriminate in favour of public sector workers in cheap bits of the country and against those in expensive bits, rather than reintroducing something that once looked like a boon to the poor and turned out to be a shackle.

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As long as an entity with zero assets and nothing to lose can hire a firm on a contingency to threaten another entity with everything to lose, the scales will be tipped in their favor.

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Without the plan, foreclosure might have been several thousand dollars cheaper than modification, but the scales are now tipped in the other direction: Foreclosure will now be more costly than modification.

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In the end, public opinion may be what tips the scales toward reform.

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Steven Thorburn, 37, a fruit-and-veg trader, was the first to be prosecuted after trading standards officers seized his scales in July 2000.

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It's important to remember that a child can still be gifted if he or she possesses just some--not all--of the listed characteristics in the scales.

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Indicators are mixed, and any number of events next week could tip the scales to the bears or bulls, but sideways trading in the short term seems likely to be followed by a solid rebound, writes MoneyShow.com Senior Editor Tom Aspray .

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