CAI Illinois Chapter opposes bill that would allow renting of units despite board prohibition
House Bill 821 -- This Bill seeks to limit the ability of an association to impose leasing restrictions. As amended, the Bill states that if a condominium document is changed to prohibit leasing, a unit owner incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is leasing the unit at the time of the amendment, that organization may continue to rent the unit. ILAC questions the validity of this Bill as authorizing activity which is normally prohibited in a declaration and creates two separate classes of owners who may have different leasing restrictions. ILAC opposes this Bill.
Contact your legislators immediately. If passed, this bill will enable organizations to set up group home leasing operations in your associations.
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In Illinois, condo association boards can make rules on their own authority that prohibit renting of units, with no grandfather clause. Here is a bill that would allow exceptions for units owned by 501 (c) (3) corporations. This text was in an email alert to members. The link goes to CAI Illinois' page on current legislation, where this bill is mentioned along with others.
The scariest part of the year is any day the Illinois legislature is in session.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Gator Statue Leads to Fight with Homeowners' Association | Firstcoastnews.com | UF Gators: "And when the Gators win big, Guyer decorates the statue with pom-poms. That's when it crossed the line, says Pace Island President Alan Williams.
He points to a rule stating that the 'Architectural Design Board has the sole discretion to determine whether plans submitted for approval are acceptable.'
Williams says the statue sends the wrong message to kids: it's OK to play with alligators.
He says they asked Guyer to remove the kids, but they declined. Williams also says homeowners agree to the rules when they move in, and that the homeowner and even Pace Island can be sued if they don't enforce the aesthetic rules.
So now, Guyer is facing a $50-a-day fine with the Gator firmly planted out front."
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So this HOA president thinks he has a general police power to make sure statues send a socially responsible message to the nation's kids. He thinks this statue will induce kids to run out and try to saddle up an alligator. Especially when the Gators win. So I guess any kids who see this blog post, or the newspaper article, will race out the door in search of the nearest six-foot reptile. Better drop that fine, or the publicity will lead to untold fatal gator-riding episodes.
And this is the same HOA that made this family take down a "Welcome Home" banner for a soldier returning from Iraq. What was the bad message there, I wonder?
Pahrump Valley Times - Nye County's Largest Newspaper Circulation
Pahrump Valley Times - Nye County's Largest Newspaper Circulation: "Fifth District Judge Robert Lane late last week granted a defense motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Comstock Park Homeowners Association against a handful of board opponents.
The suit accused Carlo Verdi, Carol Curtis, David Connors, Leon and Delores Goss of defamation, libel, slander and fraudulent misrepresentation.
Plaintiff's attorney Evan Wishengrad, representing homeowner's association directors Paul Enck, Darryl Setzkorn, Harold 'Frank' Burfeind and Carol Volke, during a hearing before Judge Lane March 2, claimed the defendants went door to door in the mobile home park, accusing the board of embezzling money.
Language in the complaint also accused the defendants of disrupting homeowners' meetings and filing repeated complaints to the state ombudsman."
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These defendants were association members who were critical of the existing BOD. The BOD filed a lawsuit against them, claiming slander, etc. So the owners got themselves a lawyer who managed to get the entire suit dismissed on the grounds that the BOD didn't get the members' approval of the suit before filing it--as Nevada law requires.
Does the BOD's action here, in hiring a lawyer to sue members who criticized them, sound like they had the best interests of the association in mind? I mean, if they think they have been slandered as individuals, wouldn't the proper approach be to get their own attorneys to represent them as individuals, and at their own expense? Just wondering what people think.
The suit accused Carlo Verdi, Carol Curtis, David Connors, Leon and Delores Goss of defamation, libel, slander and fraudulent misrepresentation.
Plaintiff's attorney Evan Wishengrad, representing homeowner's association directors Paul Enck, Darryl Setzkorn, Harold 'Frank' Burfeind and Carol Volke, during a hearing before Judge Lane March 2, claimed the defendants went door to door in the mobile home park, accusing the board of embezzling money.
Language in the complaint also accused the defendants of disrupting homeowners' meetings and filing repeated complaints to the state ombudsman."
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These defendants were association members who were critical of the existing BOD. The BOD filed a lawsuit against them, claiming slander, etc. So the owners got themselves a lawyer who managed to get the entire suit dismissed on the grounds that the BOD didn't get the members' approval of the suit before filing it--as Nevada law requires.
Does the BOD's action here, in hiring a lawyer to sue members who criticized them, sound like they had the best interests of the association in mind? I mean, if they think they have been slandered as individuals, wouldn't the proper approach be to get their own attorneys to represent them as individuals, and at their own expense? Just wondering what people think.
Lenders tighten rules for financing condos | www.oceancitytoday.net | Ocean City Today
Lenders tighten rules for financing condos | www.oceancitytoday.net | Ocean City Today: More on the Fannie Mae requirements:
"New requirements they will be looking for are:
z Fidelity insurance, something many buildings do not have. That protects the association in the event a member steals any of its money. Buildings with less than 20 units are exempt from this requirement.
z A budget line item that accounts for the insurance deductible, to show the money is available in case it has to be spent.
z A reserve fund that contains 10 percent of the total budget.
z Especially troubling for some condominiums is a rule that classifies certain ones as 'condo-hotels' and therefore ineligible for financing through the two federal mortgage entities."
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They interviewed a realtor who said any building with a rental office inside is considered a "condo-hotel."
"New requirements they will be looking for are:
z Fidelity insurance, something many buildings do not have. That protects the association in the event a member steals any of its money. Buildings with less than 20 units are exempt from this requirement.
z A budget line item that accounts for the insurance deductible, to show the money is available in case it has to be spent.
z A reserve fund that contains 10 percent of the total budget.
z Especially troubling for some condominiums is a rule that classifies certain ones as 'condo-hotels' and therefore ineligible for financing through the two federal mortgage entities."
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They interviewed a realtor who said any building with a rental office inside is considered a "condo-hotel."
Friday, March 13, 2009
'Sovereign man' pleads guilty to drunken driving -- themorningcall.com
'Sovereign man' pleads guilty to drunken driving -- themorningcall.com: "Scott A. Witmer, 44, of Allen Township pleaded guilty this morning to drunken driving, a decision that came a day after his trial began and two days after he claimed the court lacked jurisdiction because he is a 'sovereign man' who lives inside himself, and not in Pennsylvania.
'I did not mean to waste the court's time or any of that stuff,' Witmer told Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'But I felt I had the right to see what the Constitution has to offer.'"
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In this case, the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania offer him up to six months in the jug, to be determined on May 15.
The old sov went out with a whimper, if you ask me.
'I did not mean to waste the court's time or any of that stuff,' Witmer told Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'But I felt I had the right to see what the Constitution has to offer.'"
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In this case, the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania offer him up to six months in the jug, to be determined on May 15.
The old sov went out with a whimper, if you ask me.
Giving The Fingerprint: New Policy Raises Privacy Concerns - cbs2chicago.com: "The new law, which is set to go into effect June 1, 2009, will force anyone selling property in Cook County to provide a thumbprint from their right hand."
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I think the title companies wanted this law in order to prevent fraud. Is this a bad thing? I don't see it as a big intrusion on privacy.
Cherokee Homeowner Sued Over Flag Pole - News Story - WSB Atlanta
Cherokee Homeowner Sued Over Flag Pole - News Story - WSB Atlanta: "'I wanted to display my patriotism … and I wanted to do it in a way that I could keep the flag up all the time,' said Tripodo.
While Tripodo says his next door neighbors were impressed, the Bridgemill subdivision homeowners association in Canton wasn’t too thrilled and ordered him to take it down.
'They say you're not allowed to have any structure outside the framework of the home,' said Tripodo."
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Nice gig for the HOA's attorney in these lean times.
While Tripodo says his next door neighbors were impressed, the Bridgemill subdivision homeowners association in Canton wasn’t too thrilled and ordered him to take it down.
'They say you're not allowed to have any structure outside the framework of the home,' said Tripodo."
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Nice gig for the HOA's attorney in these lean times.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
35 Counties Account for 50% of Foreclosures | Mother Jones
35 Counties Account for 50% of Foreclosures | Mother Jones: "USA Today points out that, last year, just 32 counties accounted for one half of all foreclosures in the United States. Those counties are outlined in red below. Even among them, there are some areas that are worse than others: 'Eight counties in Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada were the source of about a quarter of the nation's foreclosures last year.'"
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Take a look at the map that accompanies the article. A whole lot of this nation isn't part of the foreclosure crisis.
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Take a look at the map that accompanies the article. A whole lot of this nation isn't part of the foreclosure crisis.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Field Poll: California voters deeply pessimistic about state's economy -
This one gets the "No **** Sherlock" lifetime achievement award. Fred Pilot, who is on an apocalyptic roll, unearthed this nugget.
Don Surber » Blog Archive » “There is nobody there”: "Barack Obama is too busy posing for magazine covers to actually do the job to which he was elected.
There is a price to be paid when a president throws a party every other night, weekends in Chicago or Camp David and poses for magazine cover after magazine cover.
After 51 days in office, Barack Obama has appointed only 73 people to 1,200 jobs that require Senate confirmation."
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I found this on Instapundit. This number--73 appointments out of 1200 positions--seems astounding, at nearly the two-month point and in a national economic crisis, with major foreign policy problems looming. How can an understaffed executive branch deal with an avalanche of issues?
There is a price to be paid when a president throws a party every other night, weekends in Chicago or Camp David and poses for magazine cover after magazine cover.
After 51 days in office, Barack Obama has appointed only 73 people to 1,200 jobs that require Senate confirmation."
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I found this on Instapundit. This number--73 appointments out of 1200 positions--seems astounding, at nearly the two-month point and in a national economic crisis, with major foreign policy problems looming. How can an understaffed executive branch deal with an avalanche of issues?
Emergency Funds: 50% Of Americans 2 Paychecks Away From Having Big Financial Problemos
Emergency Funds: 50% Of Americans 2 Paychecks Away From Having Big Financial Problemos
Two paychecks? Did they say two? Those lucky devils. I say raise their taxes forthwith.
Two paychecks? Did they say two? Those lucky devils. I say raise their taxes forthwith.
CARPE DIEM: The "Man-Cession" Continues
CARPE DIEM: The "Man-Cession" Continues
Seems that the recession is hitting men harder than women.
Seems that the recession is hitting men harder than women.
EXCLUSIVE: Bill would let agencies trump homeowners association rules : North County Times - Californian 03-11-2009
EXCLUSIVE: Bill would let agencies trump homeowners association rules : North County Times - Californian 03-11-2009: "Southern California's giant water wholesaler, Metropolitan Water District, is sponsoring state legislation to make ordinances from local water districts trump homeowners association rules. Introduced Feb. 27 by Assemblyman Ted Lieu, a Democrat from Torrance, the legislation is known as AB 1061. No date has been set for a committee hearing."
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Good. I hope it passes. Reading the objections to the bill, I wonder if some of these managers and lawyers and HOA presidents who don't think it is necessary understand how bad the water situation in California really is...and how much worse it is likely to get. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
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Good. I hope it passes. Reading the objections to the bill, I wonder if some of these managers and lawyers and HOA presidents who don't think it is necessary understand how bad the water situation in California really is...and how much worse it is likely to get. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.
Conflict-of-interest issues grow for President Obama's new urban czar Adolfo Carrion
Conflict-of-interest issues grow for President Obama's new urban czar Adolfo Carrion: "President Obama's new urban czar, Adolfo Carrión, admitted Tuesday he has not paid an architect who designed a renovation of his Bronx home two years ago.
That presents conflict-of-interest issues because at the time the architect was a key player in a Bronx development that needed approval from Carrión, then the Bronx borough president."
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It is remarkable how little Obama's team seems to know about the people they put up for major appointments. How many have withdrawn so far? Yesterday their head intel guy pulled out over conflict of interest and bizarre statement issues. Now it seems that Carrion has a major problem.
That presents conflict-of-interest issues because at the time the architect was a key player in a Bronx development that needed approval from Carrión, then the Bronx borough president."
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It is remarkable how little Obama's team seems to know about the people they put up for major appointments. How many have withdrawn so far? Yesterday their head intel guy pulled out over conflict of interest and bizarre statement issues. Now it seems that Carrion has a major problem.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
DUI SUSPECT ABOVE THE LAW: Drunken driving suspect tells court: Law doesn't apply to him -- themorningcall.com
DUI SUSPECT ABOVE THE LAW: Drunken driving suspect tells court: Law doesn't apply to him -- themorningcall.com: "An Allen Township man accused of driving drunk wore a Coors Light sweatshirt to court today and offered a novel defense.
The law doesn't apply to him, Scott A. Witmer said, because he is a 'sovereign man.'
'It means I live inside myself,' Witmer, 44, told a curious Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'I don't live in the state of Pennsylvania.'"
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So the cops get a domestic violence call, which leads to him driving off and when they stop him he's drunk...or so say the minions of TYRANNY. And at that point it turns out he has a revoked driver's license, invalid plates, and no insurance. But those things are for chumps, because he is a SOVEREIGN MAN, and he is moving to YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD after he gets out of JAIL.
The law doesn't apply to him, Scott A. Witmer said, because he is a 'sovereign man.'
'It means I live inside myself,' Witmer, 44, told a curious Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito. 'I don't live in the state of Pennsylvania.'"
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So the cops get a domestic violence call, which leads to him driving off and when they stop him he's drunk...or so say the minions of TYRANNY. And at that point it turns out he has a revoked driver's license, invalid plates, and no insurance. But those things are for chumps, because he is a SOVEREIGN MAN, and he is moving to YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD after he gets out of JAIL.
Homeowner group sues man over metal roof: "The Treemont Homeowners Association has filed suit against Joe Sigel, who installed a metal roof on his West Austin house. The association has a rule against 'galvanized steel sheet' on roofs, but Sigel says he has used 29 percent less electricity during the warm months with the reflective roofing."
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Interesting issue--I don't recall seeing this situation before. From the look of the roof, I wonder if it is blinding on a sunny day. If the whole neighborhood did the same thing, you could probably see this block from outer space.
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Interesting issue--I don't recall seeing this situation before. From the look of the roof, I wonder if it is blinding on a sunny day. If the whole neighborhood did the same thing, you could probably see this block from outer space.
Becker & Poliakoff Founding Partner Requests Federal Solution to Foreclosure Crisis in Common Interest Ownership Communities - Yahoo! Finance
CAI attorney Becker Requests Federal Solution to Foreclosure Crisis in Common Interest Ownership Communities - Yahoo! Finance: This is in the form a letter from Gary Becker to Barack Obama, and here is the punch line:
"To put this into proper perspective, according to the Community Association Institute (www.caionline.org), the value of homes in all associations is estimated at $4 trillion. Estimated annual operating revenue for U.S. community association operated homes, housing 60 million Americans, is more than $41 billion. To a large degree, the assessments paid by the unit owners are going to maintain the collateral of the banks and defaulting unit owners, neither of whom are paying their share of the common expenses.
There is a solution to this problem -- banks receiving Federal bailout monies and unit owners offered restructured mortgages at lower interest rates, as a condition of their receiving Federal funds and lower interest rates should be obligated to bring their obligations to their Community Associations current."
"To put this into proper perspective, according to the Community Association Institute (www.caionline.org), the value of homes in all associations is estimated at $4 trillion. Estimated annual operating revenue for U.S. community association operated homes, housing 60 million Americans, is more than $41 billion. To a large degree, the assessments paid by the unit owners are going to maintain the collateral of the banks and defaulting unit owners, neither of whom are paying their share of the common expenses.
There is a solution to this problem -- banks receiving Federal bailout monies and unit owners offered restructured mortgages at lower interest rates, as a condition of their receiving Federal funds and lower interest rates should be obligated to bring their obligations to their Community Associations current."
Eldo Telecom: Congressman seeks broadband infrastructure deployment to alleviate "economic disaster" in California's Central Valley
Eldo Telecom: Congressman seeks broadband infrastructure deployment to alleviate "economic disaster" in California's Central Valley: "Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno sent a letter to President Barack Obama late last week requesting Obama create a federal economic disaster designation and declare the San Joaquin Valley its first designee.
The letter to the president requests rural broadband development as well as higher unemployment benefits, other infrastructure improvements to put people work, and expansion and modernization of federally qualified health centers."
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This is from Fred Pilot's blog. Interesting idea--creating the designation "economic disaster area." But right now there would be a lot of competition for that title.
The letter to the president requests rural broadband development as well as higher unemployment benefits, other infrastructure improvements to put people work, and expansion and modernization of federally qualified health centers."
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This is from Fred Pilot's blog. Interesting idea--creating the designation "economic disaster area." But right now there would be a lot of competition for that title.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Dr. Doom: Recession Will Probably Last 36 Months - Economy * US * News * Story - CNBC.com
Dr. Doom: Recession Will Probably Last 36 Months - Economy * US * News * Story - CNBC.com: "So what can the government do? The easy part is lowering interest rates and buying toxic assets. The hard part, he says, will be tackling housing. Roubini says that the housing market, like a company restructuring in bankruptcy, needs to have 'face value reduction of the debt.' Rather than go through mortgages one by one, he says reduction has to be 'across the board...break every mortgage contract.'"
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He also wants to nationalize the banks. And he says the Dow may drop to 5000.
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He also wants to nationalize the banks. And he says the Dow may drop to 5000.
AB 1061 Assembly Bill - INTRODUCED
AB 1061 Assembly Bill - INTRODUCED: "This bill would, instead, provide that a provision of any of the governing documents of a common interest development shall be void and unenforceable if it prohibits, or includes conditions that have the effect of prohibiting, the use of low water-using plants as a group, or has the effect of prohibiting or restricting compliance with a local water-efficient landscape ordinance or water conservation measure described above."
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I was not aware that this had been introduced in California, but here it is. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
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I was not aware that this had been introduced in California, but here it is. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Tasers finally down Sacramento parolee after rampage - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Tasers finally down Sacramento parolee after rampage - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: "When they arrived, officers found Tillman and his father, Junius Andrus Tillman, 59, walking down the freeway with a pit bull, arguing with each other, CHP spokeswoman Lizz Dutton said.
The officers took the elder Tillman into custody. The younger man then ordered his dog to attack the officers. They responded by shooting him with a Taser, according to the CHP.
Unfazed by the jolt, Andreas Tillman pulled the prongs out of his body and then went after one of the officers and knocked him out, the CHP said. Several more officers who then arrived shot Tillman again with their Tasers and subdued him."
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A pit bull lover bites the dust. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this coincidental link. Woof.
The officers took the elder Tillman into custody. The younger man then ordered his dog to attack the officers. They responded by shooting him with a Taser, according to the CHP.
Unfazed by the jolt, Andreas Tillman pulled the prongs out of his body and then went after one of the officers and knocked him out, the CHP said. Several more officers who then arrived shot Tillman again with their Tasers and subdued him."
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A pit bull lover bites the dust. Thanks to Fred Pilot for this coincidental link. Woof.
Bloomberg.com: Worldwide
Bloomberg.com: Global Financial Assets lost $50 TRILLION: "The global economy is likely to shrink for the first time since World War II, and trade will decline by the most in 80 years, the World Bank said yesterday. Its assessment is more pessimistic than an IMF report in January predicting 0.5 percent global growth this year.
Developing nations will bear the brunt of the contraction and they will face a shortfall of between $270 billion and $700 billion to pay for imports and service debts, the Washington- based World Bank said.
“This crisis is the first truly universal one in the history of humanity,” former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus said at an ADB forum in Manila today. “No country escapes from it. It has not yet bottomed out.”"
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Not to put too fine a point on it...
Developing nations will bear the brunt of the contraction and they will face a shortfall of between $270 billion and $700 billion to pay for imports and service debts, the Washington- based World Bank said.
“This crisis is the first truly universal one in the history of humanity,” former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus said at an ADB forum in Manila today. “No country escapes from it. It has not yet bottomed out.”"
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Not to put too fine a point on it...
TV-Series :: Power Rangers :: News :: Power Rangers Cancelled: "The long running action/adventure franchise Power Rangers, which rose to unprecedented heights in the 1990s, will be coming to an end in it's present live-action format according to the New Zeland Herald and co-producer Sally Campbell. The decision will leave several New Zealand film, stunt, and effect crews out of work
Whilst Power Rangers remains one of the top toylines in the United States, ratings had slumped to all-time lows in recent years. However, ratings in the UK for the series remained incredibly high."
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I remember my oldest son, when he was 3 years old, watching Power Rangers with his friend Stephen, the two of them leaping all around the family room, helping the Rangers fight the monsters who were stomping Angel Grove.
Going green, without a lawn
Going green, without a lawn: "Still, a large-scale shift away from lawns probably will take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in California.
Government agencies would need to offer more – and perhaps bigger – rebates so residents can afford to redesign their yards. Some cities and many homeowners associations would have to permit fake turf or desert-friendly plants. And it may be a while before the public is convinced that native shrubs and ground covers can look as good as grass.
There is no official statewide count of lawns, making it difficult to measure change. By one estimate, residential lawns cover about 300,000 acres in California and suck up about 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year – equal to the amount used by 3 million typical homes."
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Lots of legal work would go into changing all those covenants, unless the state legislature makes an exception for them, as a number of states did for removing race restrictive covenants.
Government agencies would need to offer more – and perhaps bigger – rebates so residents can afford to redesign their yards. Some cities and many homeowners associations would have to permit fake turf or desert-friendly plants. And it may be a while before the public is convinced that native shrubs and ground covers can look as good as grass.
There is no official statewide count of lawns, making it difficult to measure change. By one estimate, residential lawns cover about 300,000 acres in California and suck up about 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year – equal to the amount used by 3 million typical homes."
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Lots of legal work would go into changing all those covenants, unless the state legislature makes an exception for them, as a number of states did for removing race restrictive covenants.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
The secret of long life? It's all down to how fast you react | Mail Online: "People's reaction times are a far better indicator of their chances of living a long life than their blood pressure, exercise levels or weight, researchers have discovered.
Men and women with the most sluggish response times are more than twice as likely to die prematurely."
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Sure. They get hit by cars, falling trees, space junk, icebergs, you name it. You have to move fast or die. Ask the Road Runner.
Bloomberg.com: Worldwide
Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: McCain says let GM go belly-up: "March 8 (Bloomberg) -- Republican lawmakers said Congress should stop providing General Motors Corp. with federal aid and let the company file for bankruptcy if necessary."
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McCain has a knack for stating the obvious, but it is a mark of how screwed up our government is that this hasn't happened yet.
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McCain has a knack for stating the obvious, but it is a mark of how screwed up our government is that this hasn't happened yet.
Obama makes Oval Office call to reporters - Curl - Presidential Election Commentary - Washington Times
Obama makes Oval Office call to reporters - Curl - Presidential Election Commentary - Washington Times: "President Obama was so concerned that he had appeared to dismiss a question from New York Times reporters about whether he was a socialist that he called the newspaper from the Oval Office to clarify his policies."
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As usual, he turned his long-winded non-answer into a criticism of the Bush administration.
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As usual, he turned his long-winded non-answer into a criticism of the Bush administration.
LCB clerks to get a crash course in courtesy | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/08/2009
LCB clerks to get a crash course in courtesy | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/08/2009: "Starting this month, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is spending more than $170,000 on a charm school of sorts for its 4,000 employees.
It is the latest offensive in the system's multimillion-dollar effort to reshape its image from unfriendly government bureaucracy to state-of-the-art retailer, complete with snazzy stores and employees who smile a lot."
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I spent four years in Pennsylvania and I'd have to say that the state monopoly on liquor stores there would turn Karl Marx into a libertarian.
It is the latest offensive in the system's multimillion-dollar effort to reshape its image from unfriendly government bureaucracy to state-of-the-art retailer, complete with snazzy stores and employees who smile a lot."
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I spent four years in Pennsylvania and I'd have to say that the state monopoly on liquor stores there would turn Karl Marx into a libertarian.
The Next Hit: Quick Defaults - washingtonpost.com
The Next Hit: Quick Defaults - washingtonpost.com: "Many borrowers are defaulting as quickly as they take out the loans. In the past year alone, the number of borrowers who failed to make more than a single payment before defaulting on FHA-backed mortgages has nearly tripled, far outpacing the agency's overall growth in new loans, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal data."
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I think the key letters here are not FHA, but FRAUD.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link. He notes that this will hit community associations hard.
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I think the key letters here are not FHA, but FRAUD.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link. He notes that this will hit community associations hard.
Outside buyers drawn to Detroit's foreclosed homes
Outside buyers drawn to Detroit's foreclosed homes: "DETROIT (AP) - Welcome to Landlord Nation, where foreclosure notices are plentiful and for-sale signs offer at least 1,800 homes for under $10,000 that once were worth at least 10 times more.
In extreme cases, homes are on sale for $1 or less, which has enticed investors to Detroit from as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia"
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If somebody had put this in a novel 10 years ago, it would have seemed laughable.
In extreme cases, homes are on sale for $1 or less, which has enticed investors to Detroit from as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia"
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If somebody had put this in a novel 10 years ago, it would have seemed laughable.
California's Inland Empire - Los Angeles Times
California's Inland Empire - Los Angeles Times: "We drove through streets of boarded-up bungalows, the neighborhoods of old California now turning back to wild oats and silvery foxtails so high the windows were obscured. Men wandered the potholed streets looking like something out of a current-day Steinbeck novel.
To say we might lose 'community' is too simple. We are already more isolated and urbanized than in the past. But to lose the community on my street, the street I've lived on for 22 years, breaks my heart."
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This is pretty depressing--an LA Times account sent by Fred Pilot.
To say we might lose 'community' is too simple. We are already more isolated and urbanized than in the past. But to lose the community on my street, the street I've lived on for 22 years, breaks my heart."
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This is pretty depressing--an LA Times account sent by Fred Pilot.
Some Sacramento homebuyers walk away from big loans - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Some Sacramento homebuyers walk away from big loans - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: "It's become a familiar question in the Sacramento region's real estate market. Some borrowers stop paying the mortgage because they can't afford it. But many who can afford their payments have decided it's no longer worth it. They walk, or, as is becoming the trend, park rent-free in the house for months until they get the boot."
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And these are mostly expensive homes where the owners make a rational calculation to walk away from their mortgage obligations. Are we headed for another wave of foreclosures, with more repercussions for banks, neighborhoods, and community associations? The article says that "this situation is extremely common in places like California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada." As Fred Pilot notes, this is "the heart of Privatopia."
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And these are mostly expensive homes where the owners make a rational calculation to walk away from their mortgage obligations. Are we headed for another wave of foreclosures, with more repercussions for banks, neighborhoods, and community associations? The article says that "this situation is extremely common in places like California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada." As Fred Pilot notes, this is "the heart of Privatopia."
Attorney General Chided for Language on Race - NYTimes.com
Attorney General Chided for Language on Race - NYTimes.com: "Mr. Obama was asked whether he agreed with Mr. Holder. He hesitated for five seconds before responding.
“I’m not somebody who believes that constantly talking about race somehow solves racial tensions,” Mr. Obama said. “I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure that people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out there. I think if we do that, then we’ll probably have more fruitful conversations.”"
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Sounds like a sensible answer to me.
“I’m not somebody who believes that constantly talking about race somehow solves racial tensions,” Mr. Obama said. “I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure that people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out there. I think if we do that, then we’ll probably have more fruitful conversations.”"
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Sounds like a sensible answer to me.
Gated-community residents snarl over pit bulls | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean
Gated-community residents snarl over pit bulls | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean: "In 2006, the old board amended the association's bylaws to prohibit pit bulls, Doberman pinschers, rottweilers, chow chows, wolf hybrids and any dogs trained to attack or fight. But a judge ruled that the amendment was invalid and restrained the board from enforcing it.
A year later the board declared that the Cains' pit bulls, Max and Isabella, were an 'annoyance and obnoxious' and prohibited them from being in Crockett Springs. Two residents, who were also board members, said they had seen the dogs 'completely out of control.' Pat Hyde said that on July 17, 2006, the dogs surrounded a landscaper after running away from Byrd Cain."
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The owners found these two dogs by the side of the road a few years ago and decided they are just lovable little fur balls. Some of the neighbors don't see it that way.
This whole pit bull lover syndrome is really sick. People get these dogs for one reason: they want dogs that make them feel powerful and scare their neighbors. Then when the neighbors complain, the pit bull owners haul out the usual nonsense about how the dogs are harmless. If pit bulls could be rendered harmless by giving them Niceness Pills, the pit bull owners wouldn't want them. They would want Fila Brasilieros or Presa Canarios or some other vicious breed that was created to kill.
Every pit bull in the country should be sterilized, along with all the other breeds that were created by sociopaths to kill other animals.
A year later the board declared that the Cains' pit bulls, Max and Isabella, were an 'annoyance and obnoxious' and prohibited them from being in Crockett Springs. Two residents, who were also board members, said they had seen the dogs 'completely out of control.' Pat Hyde said that on July 17, 2006, the dogs surrounded a landscaper after running away from Byrd Cain."
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The owners found these two dogs by the side of the road a few years ago and decided they are just lovable little fur balls. Some of the neighbors don't see it that way.
This whole pit bull lover syndrome is really sick. People get these dogs for one reason: they want dogs that make them feel powerful and scare their neighbors. Then when the neighbors complain, the pit bull owners haul out the usual nonsense about how the dogs are harmless. If pit bulls could be rendered harmless by giving them Niceness Pills, the pit bull owners wouldn't want them. They would want Fila Brasilieros or Presa Canarios or some other vicious breed that was created to kill.
Every pit bull in the country should be sterilized, along with all the other breeds that were created by sociopaths to kill other animals.
Community associations in Virginia are experiencing a collections blip | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Community associations in Virginia are experiencing a collections blip | Richmond Times-Dispatch: "As the recession widens and more people lose their jobs, some condo and homeowner associations are having trouble collecting fees to pay for upkeep of walking trails, pools and landscaping.
More than half of the 10,000 community associations in Virginia, regardless of location, are experiencing a collections blip, real estate experts and community managers say."
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A blip? I think the economic situation has moved the needle well above blip status.
More than half of the 10,000 community associations in Virginia, regardless of location, are experiencing a collections blip, real estate experts and community managers say."
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A blip? I think the economic situation has moved the needle well above blip status.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Arizona Capitol Times - Serving Arizona's Business, Government and Political Community since 1946
Arizona Capitol Times - Lawsuit says Casa Grande HOA run like a racket – community suffers : "The two swimming pools have been filled in with dirt. One clubhouse has been leased out to a volunteer fire department. Trash has piled up in an adjoining lot. The other clubhouse has been closed off with a chain-link fence and razor wire. What’s left of it was covered with graffiti. The streets were overgrown with weeds. Stop signs, utility boxes and a half-built house were all covered in graffiti. A back road from the main entrance into the community dead ends at a large flood-control canal. The last flood washed out the road. It was never repaired. “They didn’t do anything with the assessment money,” Neisent said. “They didn’t maintain the roads, the facilities that were promised. We have no clubhouse. We have nothing.” No new homes have been built for a few years, largely because the DC Lot Owners Association — the community’s HOA — outlawed septic tanks. No new sewer hookups are available. “It could have been a really nice area,” Neisent said. In another interview, she added: “It just deteriorated before your very eyes.”
The deterioration can be traced to the homeowners association, she said."
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Fred Pilot sent this link. The photo shows a dilapidated clubhouse and a patch of dirt that once was a swimming pool.
The deterioration can be traced to the homeowners association, she said."
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Fred Pilot sent this link. The photo shows a dilapidated clubhouse and a patch of dirt that once was a swimming pool.
Condo owner finds out he's been living and renovating in the wrong unit - KDVR
Condo owner finds out he's been living and renovating in the wrong unit - KDVR:
DENVER - He bought his first home, poured $30,000.00 into it to fix up, now 6 months later Jonathon Kyte has learned his home doesn't belong to him.
'I froze, I just pointed at it, my wife was there, we were just speechless.'
According to the city and county of Denver, Jonathon owns the dump, next door. He found out about the mistake almost by accident when he recieved a map which showed the unit he's living is actually unit number 4.
But he owns the deed and title to unit number 5."
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Now, that has to hurt.
DENVER - He bought his first home, poured $30,000.00 into it to fix up, now 6 months later Jonathon Kyte has learned his home doesn't belong to him.
'I froze, I just pointed at it, my wife was there, we were just speechless.'
According to the city and county of Denver, Jonathon owns the dump, next door. He found out about the mistake almost by accident when he recieved a map which showed the unit he's living is actually unit number 4.
But he owns the deed and title to unit number 5."
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Now, that has to hurt.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
GM auditors raise the specter of bankruptcy - Yahoo! Finance
GM auditors raise the specter of bankruptcy - Yahoo! Finance
Hasn't this been a foregone conclusion for at least a year? Get on with it.
Hasn't this been a foregone conclusion for at least a year? Get on with it.
Bloomberg.com: News
Bloomberg.com: FDIC running out of money to insure consumer deposit accounts: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said the fund it uses to protect customer deposits at U.S. banks could dry up amid a surge in bank failures, as she responded to an industry outcry against new fees approved by the agency."
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Sounds like a great time to expand health care coverage, don't you think? What's a few trillion more?
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Sounds like a great time to expand health care coverage, don't you think? What's a few trillion more?
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Green living hung up in Carrboro: Town seeks authority to override homeowners' associations: News: Orange County: Independent Weekly: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill
Green living hung up in Carrboro: Town seeks authority to override homeowners' associations: News: Orange County: Independent Weekly: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill: "Kolling-Perin lives in Roberson Place, a neighborhood governed in part by homeowners' association covenants. The covenants, like most other documents of their kind, restrict what residents may do with their property, including installing so-called 'sustainability features' like clotheslines. Rules like these are meant to protect property owners from less tidy neighbors, whose unsightly yard ornaments or garish color choices could conceivably lower property values for those around them. But Kolling-Perin was surprised to learn that her environmentally friendly community wouldn't allow a clothesline, even temporarily.
'Many of us moved here because of how liberal it is,' she said. 'Carrboro is a place where you can live your politics.'
Kolling-Perin contacted Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton to see if the town had a process for circumventing homeowners' association rules when it came to environmentally friendly home improvements. Carrboro had no such law, but Chilton and the Board of Aldermen thought well enough of the notion to take it up as an issue.
'People in Carrboro take sustainability very seriously and want to be able to be a community on the leading edge,' Alderman Dan Coleman said."
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What a hoot. This place would make a great sitcom.
Fred Pilot sent the link to this saga of conscience-ridden folks of Carrboro.
'Many of us moved here because of how liberal it is,' she said. 'Carrboro is a place where you can live your politics.'
Kolling-Perin contacted Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton to see if the town had a process for circumventing homeowners' association rules when it came to environmentally friendly home improvements. Carrboro had no such law, but Chilton and the Board of Aldermen thought well enough of the notion to take it up as an issue.
'People in Carrboro take sustainability very seriously and want to be able to be a community on the leading edge,' Alderman Dan Coleman said."
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What a hoot. This place would make a great sitcom.
Fred Pilot sent the link to this saga of conscience-ridden folks of Carrboro.
Russian scholar says US will collapse — next year
Russian scholar says US will collapse — next year: "MOSCOW – If you're inclined to believe Igor Panarin, and the Kremlin wouldn't mind if you did, then President Barack Obama will order martial law this year, the U.S. will split into six rump-states before 2011, and Russia and China will become the backbones of a new world order.
Panarin might be easy to ignore but for the fact that he is a dean at the Foreign Ministry's school for future diplomats and a regular on Russia's state-guided TV channels. And his predictions fit into the anti-American story line of the Kremlin leadership."
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Fred Pilot found this upbeat piece from the Kremlin.
Panarin might be easy to ignore but for the fact that he is a dean at the Foreign Ministry's school for future diplomats and a regular on Russia's state-guided TV channels. And his predictions fit into the anti-American story line of the Kremlin leadership."
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Fred Pilot found this upbeat piece from the Kremlin.
Civic Committee Task Force Report Asserts that State of Illinois Nearing 'Financial Tipping Point'
Here is the punch line from the executive summary:
One of the many lessons from our country’s current financial and economic crisis is that a failure to act brought unsound actions to a tipping point. When a financial tipping point is reached, it becomes impossible to contain the spread of economic damage or quickly remedy the situation.
Illinois is dangerously close to a financial tipping point with unfunded debts of over
$116 billion—amounting to roughly $10,000 per resident, if not more. Government
inefficiencies and deficit budgeting will increase this by up to $10 billion per year. Unless
urgently-needed steps are taken, Illinois will soon reach a point of no return. The State will not
have sufficient resources to carry out basic public functions or keep its financial obligations to
retired public employees. This is a problem that will be faced by the current generation of
elected officials and residents of Illinois.
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Note that language about what happens when you pass the tipping point. Their 2006 report was dire enough. Everybody agreed with them, but state government did nothing except make the problems worse. In August 2008, Blagojevich handed the state employee unions a 15% pay raise over 4 years. State employee pensions and medical benefits are a huge part of the problem, and the unions refuse to do much of anything to reduce those costs for new hires. They are stuck on more bread and butter for unions, forget the consequences.
Now the state of Illinois is staring right down the gun barrel of insolvency. And that is not an exaggerated metaphor. California has gotten all the press, but Illinois is very nearly in the same situation. If we had a responsible governing class, maybe they could work through it. But the fact is that Illinois ultimately is run by the Chicago Democratic Party machine, and they view the state government as an ATM. I don't expect the public employee unions, mobsters, machine hacks, and ethnic group privilege-mongers to do anything productive about this situation. It seems likely that, like California, Illinois will have to hit the wall.
Here is the punch line from the executive summary:
One of the many lessons from our country’s current financial and economic crisis is that a failure to act brought unsound actions to a tipping point. When a financial tipping point is reached, it becomes impossible to contain the spread of economic damage or quickly remedy the situation.
Illinois is dangerously close to a financial tipping point with unfunded debts of over
$116 billion—amounting to roughly $10,000 per resident, if not more. Government
inefficiencies and deficit budgeting will increase this by up to $10 billion per year. Unless
urgently-needed steps are taken, Illinois will soon reach a point of no return. The State will not
have sufficient resources to carry out basic public functions or keep its financial obligations to
retired public employees. This is a problem that will be faced by the current generation of
elected officials and residents of Illinois.
------------------
Note that language about what happens when you pass the tipping point. Their 2006 report was dire enough. Everybody agreed with them, but state government did nothing except make the problems worse. In August 2008, Blagojevich handed the state employee unions a 15% pay raise over 4 years. State employee pensions and medical benefits are a huge part of the problem, and the unions refuse to do much of anything to reduce those costs for new hires. They are stuck on more bread and butter for unions, forget the consequences.
Now the state of Illinois is staring right down the gun barrel of insolvency. And that is not an exaggerated metaphor. California has gotten all the press, but Illinois is very nearly in the same situation. If we had a responsible governing class, maybe they could work through it. But the fact is that Illinois ultimately is run by the Chicago Democratic Party machine, and they view the state government as an ATM. I don't expect the public employee unions, mobsters, machine hacks, and ethnic group privilege-mongers to do anything productive about this situation. It seems likely that, like California, Illinois will have to hit the wall.
Late HOA dues lead to foreclosure threat | Latest News | WFAA.com
Late HOA dues lead to foreclosure threat | Latest News | WFAA.com: "Steve Pilat made his house payment, but not his homeowner's association payment. It was a decision that almost cost him his home.
The Irving homeowner's home was among 88 houses and condos listed to be sold at an auction Tuesday due to overdue HOA fees."
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I suppose these are great times for all the HOA/condo association collections lawyers.
The Irving homeowner's home was among 88 houses and condos listed to be sold at an auction Tuesday due to overdue HOA fees."
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I suppose these are great times for all the HOA/condo association collections lawyers.
GOP to Michael Steele: Quiet About Rush Limbaugh or You're Fired - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)
GOP to Michael Steele: Quiet About Rush Limbaugh or You're Fired - Washington Whispers (usnews.com): "For no reason, he is dividing the GOP between conservatives who like Limbaugh and moderates who don't and jeopardizing future fundraising efforts, his key responsibility."
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As I said. Another strange thing is that Steele has decided that he, Michael Steele, is the public face of the Republican Pary. Not so. He's the CEO of an organization that needs to get certain basic things done, and fast. As a "senior party advisor" said, "He needs to hire staff for the RNC, get the operations up and running, start raising money, and understand that his role is to win elections,"... Officials are concerned that Steele either doesn't understand his responsibilities or has an inflated vision of his role. "At this point, it is as if he has a fundamental misunderstanding of the job description.
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As I said. Another strange thing is that Steele has decided that he, Michael Steele, is the public face of the Republican Pary. Not so. He's the CEO of an organization that needs to get certain basic things done, and fast. As a "senior party advisor" said, "He needs to hire staff for the RNC, get the operations up and running, start raising money, and understand that his role is to win elections,"... Officials are concerned that Steele either doesn't understand his responsibilities or has an inflated vision of his role. "At this point, it is as if he has a fundamental misunderstanding of the job description.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Geithner: Obama to fight international tax dodgers
Geithner: Obama to fight international tax dodgers: "WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's Treasury secretary says the administration will unveil a series of rules and measures in the coming months to limit the ability of international companies to avoid U.S. taxes.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday that Obama will propose legislation to limit U.S. companies' ability to shelter foreign earnings from taxation in the U.S. He also said the administration will try to limit wealthy Americans' ability to use tax havens to avoid taxation."
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Yes, this is the same Timothy Geithner whose appointment was in doubt because he dodged taxes while working overseas.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday that Obama will propose legislation to limit U.S. companies' ability to shelter foreign earnings from taxation in the U.S. He also said the administration will try to limit wealthy Americans' ability to use tax havens to avoid taxation."
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Yes, this is the same Timothy Geithner whose appointment was in doubt because he dodged taxes while working overseas.
White House Knocks Jim Cramer For Calling Obama Budget "Greatest Wealth Destruction By a President" - mediabistro.com: TVNewser
White House Knocks Jim Cramer For Calling Obama Budget "Greatest Wealth Destruction By a President" - mediabistro.com: TVNewser
I find it odd that President Obama chose as his press secretary a fellow who is so fond of snide, nasty little jibes that take the place of answers to direct questions. I would have thought that Obama would choose someone relatively forthright. This Gibbs individual answers every tough question with some sort of snarky little personal attack.
I find it odd that President Obama chose as his press secretary a fellow who is so fond of snide, nasty little jibes that take the place of answers to direct questions. I would have thought that Obama would choose someone relatively forthright. This Gibbs individual answers every tough question with some sort of snarky little personal attack.
Mall wants Manilow music to drive out unruly teens
Mall wants Manilow music to drive out unruly teens: "A group of several dozen young people regularly spread rubbish, spray graffiti, get intoxicated, use drugs, swear and intimidate patrons at the outdoor mall, he said.
The city council, police and local property owners covering 410 businesses agree that 'nice, easy listening' music like Manilow's 'Can't Smile Without You,' 'Mandy' and other hits might change the behavior of loitering teens.
But one 16-year-old told The Press newspaper that unfashionable music wouldn't deter them.
'We would just bring a stereo and play it louder,' Emma Belcher said.
Lonsdale countered that the city would then hit them with anti-noise laws."
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Ms. Belcher threatens to pump up the jam. Lonsdale will go nuke in response. And the strains of "I Write the Songs" depress spirits all over the mall.
The city council, police and local property owners covering 410 businesses agree that 'nice, easy listening' music like Manilow's 'Can't Smile Without You,' 'Mandy' and other hits might change the behavior of loitering teens.
But one 16-year-old told The Press newspaper that unfashionable music wouldn't deter them.
'We would just bring a stereo and play it louder,' Emma Belcher said.
Lonsdale countered that the city would then hit them with anti-noise laws."
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Ms. Belcher threatens to pump up the jam. Lonsdale will go nuke in response. And the strains of "I Write the Songs" depress spirits all over the mall.
Our Troubled Economy Is a Response to Barack Obama's Policies - WSJ.com
Our Troubled Economy Is a Response to Barack Obama's Policies - WSJ.com: "As 2009 opened, three weeks before Barack Obama took office, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 9034 on January 2, its highest level since the autumn panic. Yesterday the Dow fell another 4.24% to 6763, for an overall decline of 25% in two months and to its lowest level since 1997. The dismaying message here is that President Obama's policies have become part of the economy's problem."
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Somebody in the press finally said it.
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Somebody in the press finally said it.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Moffett to quit Freddie Mac as CEO - Mar. 2, 2009: "Freddie Mac's chief executive, installed last year after the government took over the troubled mortgage finance company, is resigning, the company and its regulator said Monday."
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CEO of Fannie Mae = Drummer for Spinal Tap ?
Portland Downtown Living: New guidelines for Fannie Mae condominium loans
Portland Downtown Living: New guidelines for Fannie Mae condominium loans: "Effective March 1, 2009, Fannie Mae is implementing condo guideline changes “in light of the current condo market and the need to mitigate risk on condo loans”. Some of these changes may affect a buyer’s ability to obtain conventional condo loans for new and established condos."
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Check out this summary from the article:
"* For new construction and newly converted condo developments, 70% of the units must be pre-sold (closed or under contract). This is being increased from 51%.
* No more than 15% of a condo project units can be more than 30 days delinquent on HOA dues. This is an existing guideline that is now being applied to new condo projects. The calculation was also changed from being 15% of HOA fee payments to 15% of total units.
* Fidelity insurance will be required for condos with 20 or more units, ensuring that homeowner association funds are protected. Presently, this requirement applies to new projects and is now being extended to include established condos.
* A requirement that borrowers must now obtain a condo-owners insurance policy unless the master policy provides interior unit coverage; coverage may not be less than 20% of the assessed value. A condo-owners policy, known as an HO-6 policy, covers personal property, personal liability, and the physical unit from the studs and in. Many policies also include special assessment coverage or the option to include a special assessment coverage rider.
* No more than 10% of a project can be owned by a single entity.
* No more than 20% of a project can consist of non-residential space.
* The homeowners association must have at least 10% of its budgeted income designated for replacement reserves and adequate funds budgeted for the insurance deductible."
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Check out this summary from the article:
"* For new construction and newly converted condo developments, 70% of the units must be pre-sold (closed or under contract). This is being increased from 51%.
* No more than 15% of a condo project units can be more than 30 days delinquent on HOA dues. This is an existing guideline that is now being applied to new condo projects. The calculation was also changed from being 15% of HOA fee payments to 15% of total units.
* Fidelity insurance will be required for condos with 20 or more units, ensuring that homeowner association funds are protected. Presently, this requirement applies to new projects and is now being extended to include established condos.
* A requirement that borrowers must now obtain a condo-owners insurance policy unless the master policy provides interior unit coverage; coverage may not be less than 20% of the assessed value. A condo-owners policy, known as an HO-6 policy, covers personal property, personal liability, and the physical unit from the studs and in. Many policies also include special assessment coverage or the option to include a special assessment coverage rider.
* No more than 10% of a project can be owned by a single entity.
* No more than 20% of a project can consist of non-residential space.
* The homeowners association must have at least 10% of its budgeted income designated for replacement reserves and adequate funds budgeted for the insurance deductible."
Lawmakers look for ways to aid condo associations - Business Monday - MiamiHerald.com
Lawmakers look for ways to aid condo associations - Business Monday - MiamiHerald.com: "State Rep. Julio Robaina, a Miami Republican who has hosted a series of town hall meetings on the issue, said his top priority would be ensuring associations are made whole by banks before the foreclosure process is finished and huge delinquencies have accumulated.
Other lawmakers are also proposing legislation to address the problem.
''Constituents have brought me clear evidence that banks are purposely delaying the foreclosure proceedings, thus hurting the associations,'' Robaina said."
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I wonder if owner groups can join with CAI in backing this.
Other lawmakers are also proposing legislation to address the problem.
''Constituents have brought me clear evidence that banks are purposely delaying the foreclosure proceedings, thus hurting the associations,'' Robaina said."
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I wonder if owner groups can join with CAI in backing this.
German MP wants DNA testing on dog poo: "A German lawmaker proposed on Monday a novel and high-tech way of dealing with the menace of dog poo on the streets: DNA testing to identify the canine culprit and fine its owner.
Peter Stein, a conservative politician in eastern Germany, told AFP that under his proposal, officials would test the excrement and then match it up to the offending dog using a DNA database of all pooches."
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I expect this technology to show up in the nation's HOAs as soon as it gets cheap enough. Imagine the potential for imposing fines.
Steele to Rush: I'm sorry - Mike Allen - POLITICO.com: "Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.”
“My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.”
-----------
Oh, really? He "meant no offense"?
Here is what Steele said, in the real world where most of us reside: Steele told CNN host D.L. Hughley in an interview aired Saturday night: “Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh — his whole thing is entertainment. He has this incendiary — yes, it's ugly.”"
I completely understand Steele's original point of view--the one he is trying to crawfish on--and his frustration. His party has been identified with a certain kind of discourse that is often so harsh and uncompromising it turns off groups the party needs in order to win elections, at least outside the South. Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, Ingram, Coulter, and others are louder than any voice that comes from within the party organization or even elected Republican office-holders. They are "branding" (Steele's word) the party in a way that makes it hard to win over the non-ideological center of the political spectrum.
The media's conservative flame throwers disagree with that strategy, and want the party to fight Goldwater/Reagan-style from the hard ideological right, which (they believe) is a winning strategy because of an inherent conservatism that they discern in American political culture. Steele is frustrated because he thinks he knows how to win, but these folks are standing between him and the media and electorate.
I don't know what the Republicans should do. I don't have an ideological axe to grind anyway. But I do know the leader of a national political party can't shoot his foot off this way. Even Howard Dean was more circumspect. Whatever you do, you just don't alienate your base.
Coming on the heels of conservative delight at Limbaugh's speech at CPAC, Steele's timing couldn't have been worse. There is nothing Steele can do to erase the effect of what he said. It will never be forgotten, much less forgiven, by the conservative base of the GOP. That resentment will translate directly into an unwillingness to contribute, and exacerbate the existing division within the party over ideology and electoral strategy.
Teen shows gun is safe by shooting self in foot | 10connects.com | Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater
Teen shows gun is safe by shooting self in foot | 10connects.com | Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater: "The Manatee County Sheriff's office says a 15-year-old boy shot himself in the foot. The boy had been playing around with a loaded 9mm Ruger while at a friend's house. The 17-year-old friend warned him of the danger and asked him to put the gun away. The 15-year-old wanted to show his friend that the gun was safe by pointing it to the ground and pulling the trigger. The gun went off and teen now has a hole in his foot."
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Maybe he should take over the leadership of the Republican Party.
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Maybe he should take over the leadership of the Republican Party.
CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Limbaugh fires back at Steele « - Blogs from CNN.com
As Emperor Rahm Emanuel Palpatine said, "Everything is unfolding as I have foreseen."
Emanuel set this up brilliantly, if obviously, by saying that Limbaugh was the leader of the GOP. That predictably ticked off the newly-elected leader, Michael Steele, who proceeded to insult Limbaugh as nothing more than an entertainer, ugly, etc. That was an incredibly stupid thing to do, and it makes me think he isn't as smart as advertised, but it is too late to take it back. Of course, Limbaugh blasted back using his gazillion-watt national blowtorch. And now the conservatives, all of whom love Limbaugh, are furious with the GOP, which they see as directionless, leaderless, and devoid of principle. Steele's main job as head of the RNC is raising money, because McCain was grotesquely outspent. Insulting Limbaugh and by implication the conservative base is the best way to make the money dry up.
The core dispute in the party is that the conservatives always hated McCain, who has been RINO-in-chief of the US Senate, but they supported him in the general election anway. The result is the most leftist presidency in US history. The right is furious at what is coming from Obama and they believe a real conservative would have won the election.
I don't know about that, but I do know that the Republican party is coming apart at the seams. I think one-party systems are inherently awful (take a look at Illinois), but I guess that's where we are headed.
When I was in graduate school, I took a political theory course from Mark Kann, one of the best teachers I ever encountered. One day, somebody in the class argued that we needed a real socialist as president, because then we could have socialism in the US. Kann responded by asking, rhetorically, what the student thought would happen if a president and congress started enacting European-style social democratic policies in the US. Kann said that the stock market would crash, and that's why nobody would try it. Looking at today's Dow Jones average--plummeting another 300 points or so and plunging well into the 6000s--I think maybe Mark Kann was half right: that's what happens, but somebody is trying it anyway.
Texas Legislator Aims to Limit Power of Homeowners' Associations
Texas Legislator Aims to Limit Power of Homeowners' Associations: "Texas State Rep. Burt Solomons (Carrollton) has announced plans for a sweeping reform of the state's homeowners' association laws, including a constitutional amendment that would prohibit foreclosure of a homestead by a homeowners' association.
Solomons, a real estate attorney in the North Texas area who served for fourteen years on the House committee with jurisdiction over homeowners' associations, said the legislation is necessary.
'It's clear to me that while homeowners' associations are valuable' said Solomons, 'things have just gotten out of control with some of them. I think it's amazing that in Texas the courts, not the legislature, have allowed homeowners' associations to foreclose on a homestead.'"
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From Fred Pilot--sounds like the annual HOA wars have gotten underway.
Solomons, a real estate attorney in the North Texas area who served for fourteen years on the House committee with jurisdiction over homeowners' associations, said the legislation is necessary.
'It's clear to me that while homeowners' associations are valuable' said Solomons, 'things have just gotten out of control with some of them. I think it's amazing that in Texas the courts, not the legislature, have allowed homeowners' associations to foreclose on a homestead.'"
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From Fred Pilot--sounds like the annual HOA wars have gotten underway.
World stocks fall on US economic slump, bank woes - Yahoo! Finance
World stocks fall on US economic slump, bank woes - Yahoo! Finance: "Wall Street headed for another big drop, one that could hurl the Dow Jones industrials below 7,000, after American International Group Inc. posted the largest quarterly loss in U.S. corporate history. The Dow Jones industrial average has dropped for six consecutive months, and is worth less than half of its October 2007 record high of 14,164.53."
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FTSE, DAX, CAC, GAAACK!!!!
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FTSE, DAX, CAC, GAAACK!!!!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Westside race for 5th District City Council seat is wide open - Los Angeles Times
Westside race for 5th District City Council seat is wide open - Los Angeles Times: "Although neighborhood councils and labor unions have expanded their reach into other parts of Los Angeles, homeowner associations remain a potent political force in the 5th, at times hiring their own traffic engineers as they fight the district's many multistory development projects.
Many of those neighborhood groups joined forces in 2007 to mount a recall campaign against Weiss, who is now running for city attorney. Although that effort fizzled, several of the same activists have coalesced this year around neighborhood council member David T. Vahedi, who lost to Weiss in 2005.
Vahedi, 42, made a splash by promising not to accept any contributions from real estate developers who do business with the city, a dramatic break from the current councilman. He also courted neighborhood activists by promoting a constituent bill of rights, one that includes 'the right to have local homeowner association leaders and residents present at all meetings where development projects are discussed.'"
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Many of those neighborhood groups joined forces in 2007 to mount a recall campaign against Weiss, who is now running for city attorney. Although that effort fizzled, several of the same activists have coalesced this year around neighborhood council member David T. Vahedi, who lost to Weiss in 2005.
Vahedi, 42, made a splash by promising not to accept any contributions from real estate developers who do business with the city, a dramatic break from the current councilman. He also courted neighborhood activists by promoting a constituent bill of rights, one that includes 'the right to have local homeowner association leaders and residents present at all meetings where development projects are discussed.'"
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Brown woos Obama on global deal - Times Online
Brown woos Obama on global deal - Times Online: "Many US politicians believe economic policy should put America first, and have shown little interest in concerted global action. Brown will argue for a renewal of the transatlantic relationship, with the two powers working together to solve global economic problems.
The prime minister will borrow from the rhetoric of Franklin Roosevelt, who introduced the government-financed New Deal to tackle the US Depression of the 1930s. He will argue that his 21st century “global new deal” will also require public spending on a huge world-wide scale."
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Spending? Spending what, exactly? How can the US, with or without Great Britain, save anybody by spending money we don't even have?
The prime minister will borrow from the rhetoric of Franklin Roosevelt, who introduced the government-financed New Deal to tackle the US Depression of the 1930s. He will argue that his 21st century “global new deal” will also require public spending on a huge world-wide scale."
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Spending? Spending what, exactly? How can the US, with or without Great Britain, save anybody by spending money we don't even have?
L.A. budget gap could hit $1 billion - Los Angeles Times
L.A. budget gap could hit $1 billion - Los Angeles Times: "Los Angeles could face nearly a $1-billion shortfall by 2010 because of a mammoth bailout needed for the city's employee pension funds, which have seen investments tank in the spiraling national recession, according to a city budget report released Friday.
The grim forecast of a $983-million budget gap came as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa already was considering widespread city layoffs and deep cuts to services because of the worsening financial crisis. The mayor is also exploring whether to privatize the Los Angeles Zoo and leasing city parking garages and meters, which could raise hundreds of millions of dollars. The total budget this year is $7 billion."
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You know it is bad when a socialist mayor is thinking about privatization.
The grim forecast of a $983-million budget gap came as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa already was considering widespread city layoffs and deep cuts to services because of the worsening financial crisis. The mayor is also exploring whether to privatize the Los Angeles Zoo and leasing city parking garages and meters, which could raise hundreds of millions of dollars. The total budget this year is $7 billion."
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You know it is bad when a socialist mayor is thinking about privatization.
Buffett says U.S. Treasury bubble one for the ages | Reuters
Buffett says U.S. Treasury bubble one for the ages | Reuters: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) (BRKb.N) sits on $25.54 billion (17.8 billion pounds) of cash, said worried investors are making a costly mistake by buying up U.S. Treasuries that yield almost nothing."
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After the '82 recession the economy got going with what I would characterize as a defense spending bubble and leveraged buyout bubble and the savings and loan bubble. Then after the USSR collapsed, and the 1991-92 recession, we had the dot com bubble, and when that crashed we had the housing bubble. Now that crashed. So apparently we are now on to the Treasury bubble.
My question is: when is the US once again going to have an economy that is based on producing something real that people get paid to make, and that people actually need and will pay for?
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After the '82 recession the economy got going with what I would characterize as a defense spending bubble and leveraged buyout bubble and the savings and loan bubble. Then after the USSR collapsed, and the 1991-92 recession, we had the dot com bubble, and when that crashed we had the housing bubble. Now that crashed. So apparently we are now on to the Treasury bubble.
My question is: when is the US once again going to have an economy that is based on producing something real that people get paid to make, and that people actually need and will pay for?
Recordnet.com: Bankruptcy talk derails city bond sale
Recordnet.com: Bankruptcy talk derails city bond sale: "STOCKTON - The city was trying to sell $31 million in bonds last week when, in an unrelated meeting of the City Council's budget and finance committee, Councilman Dale Fritchen brought up bankruptcy.
It made the news the next day, and investors who were prepared hours earlier to buy Stockton bonds at an average interest rate of just less than 7 percent became skittish, perceiving an increased risk and demanding a higher rate of return."
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Yes, that would tend to depress the market for buying the city's bonds.
It made the news the next day, and investors who were prepared hours earlier to buy Stockton bonds at an average interest rate of just less than 7 percent became skittish, perceiving an increased risk and demanding a higher rate of return."
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Yes, that would tend to depress the market for buying the city's bonds.
Door tags let residents play water cops
Door tags let residents play water cops: "“Dear neighbor,” the hanger reads. “Our region is facing a serious water shortage. This makes eliminating water waste more important than ever. While passing your home, I noticed the following:”
Five check boxes allow you to identify a variety of offenses, including sprinklers that run every day (instead of two or three times a week), broken nozzles that leak and irrigation systems that turn on even when it's raining.
Leaders of the San Diego County Water Authority hope that residents will act as self-appointed hydro-cops and hang 1.75 million of these tags on the doors of water-hogging neighbors."
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This should do wonders for neighbor relations in the gazillions of HOAs all over San Diego.
Five check boxes allow you to identify a variety of offenses, including sprinklers that run every day (instead of two or three times a week), broken nozzles that leak and irrigation systems that turn on even when it's raining.
Leaders of the San Diego County Water Authority hope that residents will act as self-appointed hydro-cops and hang 1.75 million of these tags on the doors of water-hogging neighbors."
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This should do wonders for neighbor relations in the gazillions of HOAs all over San Diego.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Saturday elections likely last for homeowners groups > Woodlands Villager > News > Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town
Saturday elections likely last for homeowners groups > Woodlands Villager > News > Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town: "Voters heading to the polls for Saturday’s The Woodlands Association and The Woodlands Community Association elections could be casting their final ballots for the homeowners groups.
Six WCA and two TWA board of directors spots are up for election, as well as about 100 seats on village association boards and residential design review committees.
An action plan for a community governance transition from the homeowners groups to The Woodlands Township -- outlined in a document authored by township President Don Norrell -- calls for the bulk of the initiatives to be carried out in 2009, and completed by January 2010."
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Fred Pilot sent this link. Woodlands goes public.
Six WCA and two TWA board of directors spots are up for election, as well as about 100 seats on village association boards and residential design review committees.
An action plan for a community governance transition from the homeowners groups to The Woodlands Township -- outlined in a document authored by township President Don Norrell -- calls for the bulk of the initiatives to be carried out in 2009, and completed by January 2010."
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Fred Pilot sent this link. Woodlands goes public.
Investigation: Homeowner's Hell
Investigation: Homeowner's Hell: "DALLAS - Trumped-up charges, excessive interest, intimidation, and threats of foreclosure: that is what lawsuits filed by some residents claim is happening at a north Dallas condominium complex they say has become a homeowner’s hell.
Russell Hoff bought his condo at Casa Blanca Condominiums in 2007 thinking it would be a great investment. Instead, he says, it’s been a curse. “It’s been hell,” says Hoff. “You don’t even want to come home.”"
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Another horror story--thanks to the anonymous commenter who forwarded the link.
Russell Hoff bought his condo at Casa Blanca Condominiums in 2007 thinking it would be a great investment. Instead, he says, it’s been a curse. “It’s been hell,” says Hoff. “You don’t even want to come home.”"
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Another horror story--thanks to the anonymous commenter who forwarded the link.
Queens tenants at condo had to pay fees and fines to Mafia thugs, feds say
Queens tenants at condo had to pay fees and fines to Mafia thugs, feds say: "Gambino gangsters controlled a condo board in Queens and extorted tens of thousands of dollars in bogus and inflated fees from owners when they tried to move, the feds say.
Testifying at the trial of reputed hit man Charles Carneglia, former residents of the Greentree Condominiums in Ozone Park said they were slammed with steep last-minute charges for 'failure to comply with condo bylaws.'"
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Imagine that. The mob looked at the way condos are organized and figured out that you can use a condo board to milk the owners.
Testifying at the trial of reputed hit man Charles Carneglia, former residents of the Greentree Condominiums in Ozone Park said they were slammed with steep last-minute charges for 'failure to comply with condo bylaws.'"
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Imagine that. The mob looked at the way condos are organized and figured out that you can use a condo board to milk the owners.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Burris' son got state job from Blago :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Roland Burris
Burris' son got state job from Blago :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Roland Burris: "The son of embattled Sen. Roland Burris is a federal tax deadbeat who landed a $75,000-a-year state job under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich five months ago, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Blagojevich's administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state's housing authority Sept. 10 -- about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house."
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It isn't just that Burris Jr. got a job in the Blagojevich administration. He got a job with the agency "whose mission includes overseeing mortgage programs for low-income home buyers and anti-foreclosure initiatives."
A person could get the notion that here in Illinois clout is just about the only thing that matters.
Blagojevich's administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state's housing authority Sept. 10 -- about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house."
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It isn't just that Burris Jr. got a job in the Blagojevich administration. He got a job with the agency "whose mission includes overseeing mortgage programs for low-income home buyers and anti-foreclosure initiatives."
A person could get the notion that here in Illinois clout is just about the only thing that matters.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Kenosha News | No date set for Ealy trial
Kenosha News | No date set for Ealy trial: "WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Defense attorneys were given more time Tuesday to gather their case for an Illinois man accused of killing a Trevor woman.
A judge did not set a trial date after the defense team asked for more time to submit motions on behalf of James Ealy, 44, of Lake Villa, Ill. Ealy is accused of killing Mary Hutchinson, 45, of Trevor in a Lindenhurst, Ill., Burger King in November 2006.
Ealy is charged with first-degree murder. Hutchinson was killed at the Burger King she managed as part of an apparent armed robbery. She was strangled with the bow tie from her uniform and stabbed 16 times."
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Two and a half years ago, this monster murdered the manager of a Burger King here in Lindenhurst, a few minutes from where I live. He had worked there previously and lied about his background to get the job. In 1982 he was convicted of murdering four family members. He strangled them right in front of the two little boys he didn't bother to kill. An appellate court turned him loose because his confession wasn't taken quite perfectly enough. He committed another rape or two along the way and did more time. But eventually he settled in this area and strangled and stabbed this poor woman as she was opening the restaurant.
Two and a half years ago. And he still doesn't even have a trial date. What kind of justice system do we have in this state? What, exactly, remains to be investigated about this psychopath?
A judge did not set a trial date after the defense team asked for more time to submit motions on behalf of James Ealy, 44, of Lake Villa, Ill. Ealy is accused of killing Mary Hutchinson, 45, of Trevor in a Lindenhurst, Ill., Burger King in November 2006.
Ealy is charged with first-degree murder. Hutchinson was killed at the Burger King she managed as part of an apparent armed robbery. She was strangled with the bow tie from her uniform and stabbed 16 times."
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Two and a half years ago, this monster murdered the manager of a Burger King here in Lindenhurst, a few minutes from where I live. He had worked there previously and lied about his background to get the job. In 1982 he was convicted of murdering four family members. He strangled them right in front of the two little boys he didn't bother to kill. An appellate court turned him loose because his confession wasn't taken quite perfectly enough. He committed another rape or two along the way and did more time. But eventually he settled in this area and strangled and stabbed this poor woman as she was opening the restaurant.
Two and a half years ago. And he still doesn't even have a trial date. What kind of justice system do we have in this state? What, exactly, remains to be investigated about this psychopath?
ACLU Backs Florida Bait Shop Ticketed for Displaying U.S. Constitution | ABA Journal - Law News Now
ACLU Backs Florida Bait Shop Ticketed for Displaying U.S. Constitution | ABA Journal - Law News Now: "At first, it was a painting of game fish on an exterior wall of a Florida bait and tackle shop that drew adverse attention from sign code enforcement officials of the city of Clearwater, who said it violates a ban on a business displaying a depiction of the product it sells.
But, when by the city ordered the Complete Angler to paint over it, the shop instead covered it with a banner providing the text of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—and was cited over the banner, too, reports the St. Petersburg Times."
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Maybe Florida has so many CIDs the governments think they need to act like homeowner associations.
But, when by the city ordered the Complete Angler to paint over it, the shop instead covered it with a banner providing the text of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—and was cited over the banner, too, reports the St. Petersburg Times."
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Maybe Florida has so many CIDs the governments think they need to act like homeowner associations.
Ex-Valley lawmaker wants to split Calif. - Local - fresnobee.com
Ex-Valley lawmaker wants to split Calif. - Local - fresnobee.com: "'Citizens of our once 'Golden State' are frustrated and desperately concerned about the imposition of burdensome regulations, taxation, fees, fees and more fees, and bureaucratic intrusion into our daily lives and businesses,' declares downsizeca.org, the movement's Web site.
Under Maze's plan, 13 coastal counties from Los Angeles to Marin would split from the remaining 45 counties, which the Web site calls 'the new revitalized California.'"
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I see why people living inland would want to do this, but it won't be easy. Here is Article IV, Sec. 3, of the US Constitution:
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
So, the California legislature and Congress both have to approve this, and given that Democrats rule the state legislature and Congress, why should they let the California breadbasket go its own way?
Under Maze's plan, 13 coastal counties from Los Angeles to Marin would split from the remaining 45 counties, which the Web site calls 'the new revitalized California.'"
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I see why people living inland would want to do this, but it won't be easy. Here is Article IV, Sec. 3, of the US Constitution:
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
So, the California legislature and Congress both have to approve this, and given that Democrats rule the state legislature and Congress, why should they let the California breadbasket go its own way?
FOXNews.com - Russians: Mosquito Survives in Outer Space - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News
FOXNews.com - Russians: Mosquito Survives in Outer Space - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News: "The buzzing bug was part of a larger experiment in which bacteria, barley seeds, small crustaceans and larval insects were placed in a container strapped to the exterior of the space station, which orbits in zero gravity about 200 miles above the surface of the Earth."
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Cut to: Charlton Heston lying on the ground, looking up at a big mosquito riding a horse and pointing a rifle at him.
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Cut to: Charlton Heston lying on the ground, looking up at a big mosquito riding a horse and pointing a rifle at him.
Markets Digest Obama Speech, Open Lower | The Market Story | Financial Articles & Investing News | TheStreet.com
Markets Digest Obama Speech, Open Lower | The Market Story | Financial Articles & Investing News | TheStreet.com: "After a rollercoaster start to the week, stocks in New York were lower out of the gate Wednesday, as investor sentiment appeared little-altered by President Barack Obama's Tuesday-night speech."
--------It is 10:35 eastern and the Dow is down 157 points.
--------It is 10:35 eastern and the Dow is down 157 points.
The Associated Press: Bunning says he might sue if GOP backs another
The Associated Press: Bunning says he might sue if GOP backs another: "FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning on Tuesday said he would have grounds for a lawsuit against his party's national campaign arm if backed a GOP challenger to him in the 2010 primary.
Bunning made the comments during his weekly media call a day after Republican Kentucky state Senate President David Williams said he would not rule out a possible run in the primary. The discussion also came a day after he apologized for comments made about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's fight with cancer."
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That would be strike one and strike two for Senator Bunning, within a single week. One more swing and he will definitely be challenged in the primary.
Bunning made the comments during his weekly media call a day after Republican Kentucky state Senate President David Williams said he would not rule out a possible run in the primary. The discussion also came a day after he apologized for comments made about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's fight with cancer."
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That would be strike one and strike two for Senator Bunning, within a single week. One more swing and he will definitely be challenged in the primary.
Lake County News | California - Hidden Valley Lake Association concerned about medical marijuana growing
Lake County News | California - Hidden Valley Lake Association concerned about medical marijuana growing: "HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE – Hidden Valley Lake's leadership is looking at how to address the cultivation of medical marijuana in the gated community."
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There's an HOA issue I haven't run across before.
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There's an HOA issue I haven't run across before.
Neighborhood watches are on the front lines in bad economy - CNN.com
Neighborhood watches are on the front lines in bad economy - CNN.com
Nice picture of McGruff the Crime Dog, but who is the other character on the left?
Nice picture of McGruff the Crime Dog, but who is the other character on the left?
Landowner's 'in your face' antics rile Lake neighbors -- chicagotribune.com
Landowner's 'in your face' antics rile Lake neighbors -- chicagotribune.com: "LEESBURG - The oak trees are gone, and a scruffy-looking man -- perhaps homeless or perhaps paid to appear that way -- occasionally wanders the shadeless parcel near the Royal Highlands subdivision.
These recent changes have residents of the gated community outraged at their neighbor, Joseph Dougherty. They blame him for creating an eyesore at the entrance to their community and inviting the homeless to set up camp there.
Dougherty's property, which fronts U.S. Highway 27, now sports a tent, a grill and spray-painted signs welcoming the homeless."
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"Eyesore" is a good word to describe this little tableau that Mr. Dougherty has erected.
These recent changes have residents of the gated community outraged at their neighbor, Joseph Dougherty. They blame him for creating an eyesore at the entrance to their community and inviting the homeless to set up camp there.
Dougherty's property, which fronts U.S. Highway 27, now sports a tent, a grill and spray-painted signs welcoming the homeless."
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"Eyesore" is a good word to describe this little tableau that Mr. Dougherty has erected.
Yes We Can: Obama Thinks America Invented The Automobile
Yes We Can: Obama Thinks America Invented The Automobile: "In tonight's mini-State of the Union, President Obama said the 'nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.' One problem. We didn't. That would be Karl Benz, in Mannheim, Germany."
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It isn't a big deal, but what would have happened if Bush had said that?
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It isn't a big deal, but what would have happened if Bush had said that?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Vancouver condo sold to developer against owner's will
Vancouver condo sold to developer against owner's will: "An investor was allowed to purchase the entire building at 1029 West 7th Avenue for the land value, approximately $1 million, following a July 23, 2008 court decision by Justice Victor Curtis. By contrast, the court estimated the building would have been worth about $2 million fully repaired.
'It's appalling,' Fraser said. 'I am just absolutely appalled.'
Fraser has the biggest unit in the building, which the court said would have been worth an estimated $800,000 after repairs. Instead, the self-employed single father with a three-year-old daughter said he will get a cheque from the sale for approximately $350,000. He has to be out by March 12."
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Fraser said, "I will probably never recover financially." Tragic.
'It's appalling,' Fraser said. 'I am just absolutely appalled.'
Fraser has the biggest unit in the building, which the court said would have been worth an estimated $800,000 after repairs. Instead, the self-employed single father with a three-year-old daughter said he will get a cheque from the sale for approximately $350,000. He has to be out by March 12."
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Fraser said, "I will probably never recover financially." Tragic.
Obama Job Approval Dips Below 60% for First Time
Obama Job Approval Dips Below 60% for First Time
And the trend line doesn't look good. See for yourself on this Gallup graph. He comes in with a favorable/unfavorable of 69/13, and a month later he is at 59/25.
He inherited one heck of a mess, and that wasn't his fault, but let's face it--he has not handled things particularly well so far. He is trying to do a whole series of big things as fast as possible, before his honeymoon is over. That strategy may be backfiring.
And the trend line doesn't look good. See for yourself on this Gallup graph. He comes in with a favorable/unfavorable of 69/13, and a month later he is at 59/25.
He inherited one heck of a mess, and that wasn't his fault, but let's face it--he has not handled things particularly well so far. He is trying to do a whole series of big things as fast as possible, before his honeymoon is over. That strategy may be backfiring.
Home prices post record annual decline in 4Q - Yahoo! Finance
Home prices post record annual decline in 4Q - Yahoo! Finance: "NEW YORK (AP) -- Home prices tumbled by the worst annual rate on record in the fourth quarter, two housing indexes showed Tuesday, and the slope of decline steepened in all but a handful of battered cities."
The Texas State Senate: Sen. Royce West's Questionnaire
The Texas State Senate: Sen. Royce West's Questionnaire
And, as Fred Pilot notes, the Senator has a whole series of questions on HOAs.
And, as Fred Pilot notes, the Senator has a whole series of questions on HOAs.
Houston may pay credit card bills for some homebuyers | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Houston may pay credit card bills for some homebuyers | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Houston taxpayers could start footing the bill to help first-time homebuyers pay off debts and improve their credit scores, under a proposal before City Council this week.
The “Credit Score Enhancement Program” will give up to $3,000 in grants to individuals who are trying to qualify for mortgages through the city’s homebuyers assistance program. City officials say some applicants fall short of eligibility by only 10 or 20 points on their credit scores, and paying off some debt balances can quickly improve their numbers.
The proposal has aroused critics who say the city should not use public funds to help people pay down car loans, credit card balances, or other debts — even if the slight credit bump would help them realize the dream of home- ownership."
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When I first saw this I thought I was reading The Onion. But no...this is a real government program.
The “Credit Score Enhancement Program” will give up to $3,000 in grants to individuals who are trying to qualify for mortgages through the city’s homebuyers assistance program. City officials say some applicants fall short of eligibility by only 10 or 20 points on their credit scores, and paying off some debt balances can quickly improve their numbers.
The proposal has aroused critics who say the city should not use public funds to help people pay down car loans, credit card balances, or other debts — even if the slight credit bump would help them realize the dream of home- ownership."
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When I first saw this I thought I was reading The Onion. But no...this is a real government program.
Collateral Damage - February 24, 2009
Collateral Damage - February 24, 2009: "A group of young Floridians invaded a foreclosed home over the weekend and threw a raucous bash that caused about $75,000 in damage and resulted in the arrest of 17 party-goers. According to police, the trashed Fort Myers home, now owned by Wells Fargo Bank, was overrun Friday night by party-goers who broke windows, punched holes in the home's walls, and spray painted graffiti inside the residence. Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrested 10 juveniles and 7 adults (aged 18 to 25) on loitering and prowling charges."
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That must have been some party.
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That must have been some party.
FT.com / US / Politics & Foreign policy - Obama promises bipartisan action on deficits
FT.com / US / Politics & Foreign policy - Obama promises bipartisan action on deficits: "Although Lawrence Summers, head of the National Economic Council, fell asleep on the podium, most attendees, including Republicans, appear to have appreciated the exercise."
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I listened to Obama after the summit conference. He asked for statements by the heads of the various breakout sessions. It was the most vapid, content-free, touchy-feely, bunch of nonsense you can imagine. It sounded like one of those mission statement retreats that non-profit corporations are always doing. I don't blame Summers for falling asleep...or the Dow for plummeting another 250 points. What the heck is going on? I get the impression that this administration is flying by the seat of its pants and blaming Bush (as well they might) while Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid run roughshod over the economy, rewarding friends and punishing enemies. Time to take the controls, Mr. President. Wake up Larry Summers and the rest of your advisers and get this show on the road.
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I listened to Obama after the summit conference. He asked for statements by the heads of the various breakout sessions. It was the most vapid, content-free, touchy-feely, bunch of nonsense you can imagine. It sounded like one of those mission statement retreats that non-profit corporations are always doing. I don't blame Summers for falling asleep...or the Dow for plummeting another 250 points. What the heck is going on? I get the impression that this administration is flying by the seat of its pants and blaming Bush (as well they might) while Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid run roughshod over the economy, rewarding friends and punishing enemies. Time to take the controls, Mr. President. Wake up Larry Summers and the rest of your advisers and get this show on the road.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Crisis of Credit Visualized on Vimeo
The Crisis of Credit Visualized on Vimeo
If you haven't seen this yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. This is where the Academy Awards should go.
If you haven't seen this yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. This is where the Academy Awards should go.
BobKrumm.com » Proving Reagan wrong
BobKrumm.com » Proving Reagan wrong: "“Why are they doing all this when they have to know that it isn’t going to work?” was the question my wife asked about the stimulus package. My answer to her: “It’s not about fixing the economy; it’s about proving Reagan wrong.” It’s about proving that an enlightened government is superior to a country led by tens of millions of individual sovereign decision makers."
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That's an original perspective. It would take a committed ideologue to do what Krumm says the Obama administration is doing. A pragmatist would just try whatever worked last time, and would change tactics immediately if the first approach didn't work. An ideologue would just keep doing the "right" thing even though it wasn't working.
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That's an original perspective. It would take a committed ideologue to do what Krumm says the Obama administration is doing. A pragmatist would just try whatever worked last time, and would change tactics immediately if the first approach didn't work. An ideologue would just keep doing the "right" thing even though it wasn't working.
Stocks plunge, end day at decade-plus lows - Stocks & economy- msnbc.com
Stocks plunge, end day at decade-plus lows - Stocks & economy- msnbc.com: "Investors unable to extinguish their worries about a recession that has no end in sight dumped stocks again Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 251 points to its lowest close since May 7, 1997, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index logged its lowest finish since April 11, 1997. It’s as if the decade’s dot-com surge, collapse and subsequent recovery never occurred."
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Yes, and it is also as if President Obama's much-touted summit meeting on the economy never occurred. But it did. Today. The day the Dow fell another 251 points.
I get the sense that the investor class isn't overly-enthusiastic about the new team in Washington.
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Yes, and it is also as if President Obama's much-touted summit meeting on the economy never occurred. But it did. Today. The day the Dow fell another 251 points.
I get the sense that the investor class isn't overly-enthusiastic about the new team in Washington.
The White House - Press Office - Executive Order: Establishment of the White House Office of Urban Affairs
The White House - Press Office - Executive Order: Establishment of the White House Office of Urban Affairs: "Forward-looking policies that encourage wise investment and development in our urban areas will create employment and housing opportunities and make our country more competitive, prosperous, and strong. In the past, insufficient attention has been paid to the problems faced by urban areas and to coordinating the many Federal programs that affect our cities. A more comprehensive approach is needed, both to develop an effective strategy for urban America and to coordinate the actions of the many executive departments and agencies whose actions impact urban life."
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This got just about zero attention from the media. The new Director of Urban Affairs is Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion. Don't look for suburbs to get much from the Obama Administration except to the extent that they throw in their lot with the central cities.
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This got just about zero attention from the media. The new Director of Urban Affairs is Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion. Don't look for suburbs to get much from the Obama Administration except to the extent that they throw in their lot with the central cities.
2009 National Cohousing Conference; Growing Community | The Cohousing Association of the United States
2009 National Cohousing Conference; Growing Community | The Cohousing Association of the United States
Got this info in a comment to the post I did recently on co-housing. Seems there is a conference coming up in Seattle from June 24 to June 28.
Got this info in a comment to the post I did recently on co-housing. Seems there is a conference coming up in Seattle from June 24 to June 28.
Two people shot during home invasion |West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Treasure Coast local news, weather, live radar, investigative from Newschannel 5 | WPTV.com
Two people shot during home invasion |West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Treasure Coast local news, weather, live radar, investigative from Newschannel 5 | WPTV.com: "BOYNTON BEACH, FL -- Two people were shot in the face during a home invasion. The shooting happened in the Mirabella neighborhood just off of Federal Highway south of Woolbright Road around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Police say a man and woman were both shot in the face by an intruder in the gated community. The two were taken to Delray Medical Center as trauma alerts. Their conditions have not been released.
Police are investigating who committed the crime."
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Shouldn't people have a bit more private security than that? Home invasion? Gunshots? Nobody in custody?
It makes you wonder what those gates and walls are good for.
Police say a man and woman were both shot in the face by an intruder in the gated community. The two were taken to Delray Medical Center as trauma alerts. Their conditions have not been released.
Police are investigating who committed the crime."
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Shouldn't people have a bit more private security than that? Home invasion? Gunshots? Nobody in custody?
It makes you wonder what those gates and walls are good for.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Raw Story | Glenn Beck scares Fox host into hiding under table: "Beck's greatest fear -- which he suggests is shared by his friends in the military and the FBI -- is clearly not the prospect of widespread poverty, hunger, or homelessness. Rather, it appears to be the notion that worldwide civil unrest could precipitate a civil war between what he calls the 'bubbas' and the United States government."
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As Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) might say, "They told me if I voted for McCain we would have martial law, and they were right."
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As Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) might say, "They told me if I voted for McCain we would have martial law, and they were right."
"I Don't Care", David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
"I Don't Care", David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty: "That's the message President Obama is sending to those who have saved their money and waited on the sidelines to buy a house. One intended effect of his mortgage bailout plan is to support housing prices and the unintended effect of this is to make it harder for those who want to buy homes."
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I don't know who cares about whom, but people who don't own homes yet and have been waiting for prices to fall lower may be disappointed. However, I suppose those who said "screw it" and just lied about their income to qualify will be ecstatic.
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I don't know who cares about whom, but people who don't own homes yet and have been waiting for prices to fall lower may be disappointed. However, I suppose those who said "screw it" and just lied about their income to qualify will be ecstatic.
The Associated Press: Vegas, Midwest seek the $8 billion for fast trains
The Associated Press: Vegas, Midwest seek the $8 billion for fast trains: "The Republicans attacking President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package point to a project they dub the 'Sin Express' — a high speed rail link between Anaheim, Calif., site of Disneyland, and Las Vegas.
Not so fast.
In fact, competition for the $8 billion in mass transit construction is just beginning. Backers of numerous other planned high-speed rail corridors around the country are making their case for the money.
They notably include a Midwest initiative long supported by someone with even more clout than Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who strongly supports the Anaheim-Las Vegas line. That would be former Illinois Sen. Obama."
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I like that midwest proposal, especially because I believe it puts Chicago at the center.
Not so fast.
In fact, competition for the $8 billion in mass transit construction is just beginning. Backers of numerous other planned high-speed rail corridors around the country are making their case for the money.
They notably include a Midwest initiative long supported by someone with even more clout than Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who strongly supports the Anaheim-Las Vegas line. That would be former Illinois Sen. Obama."
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I like that midwest proposal, especially because I believe it puts Chicago at the center.
Foreclosures spur neighborhood ghost towns -- chicagotribune.com
Foreclosures spur neighborhood ghost towns -- chicagotribune.com: "Two streets that have little in common—Wilcox on the West Side and Farwell on the North— illustrate the latest chapter of the housing crisis: a surge in vacant homes that is sinking property values and blighting swaths of the city.
As foreclosures soar to historic levels, the infection has spread beyond places of perennial concern, such as West Garfield Park and Englewood.
Condo ghost towns replete with granite and stainless steel have emerged on stretches of the North Side, leaving a pox of hollow buildings dotting the landscape."...In the past when banks auctioned off foreclosed homes, buyers lined up to snatch real estate at bargain prices. But given the states of the housing and credit markets, almost 99 percent of homes lost to foreclosure in 2008 went back to lenders
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Condo ghost towns. Now, there's a concept. The North Side of Chicago is the nice part.
As foreclosures soar to historic levels, the infection has spread beyond places of perennial concern, such as West Garfield Park and Englewood.
Condo ghost towns replete with granite and stainless steel have emerged on stretches of the North Side, leaving a pox of hollow buildings dotting the landscape."...In the past when banks auctioned off foreclosed homes, buyers lined up to snatch real estate at bargain prices. But given the states of the housing and credit markets, almost 99 percent of homes lost to foreclosure in 2008 went back to lenders
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Condo ghost towns. Now, there's a concept. The North Side of Chicago is the nice part.
ABC News: America's Top 15 Emptiest Cities
ABC News: America's Top 15 Emptiest Cities: "Las Vegas edged Detroit for the title of America's most abandoned city. Atlanta came in third, followed by Greensboro, N.C., and Dayton, Ohio."
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Based on rental and housing vacancies. I can see Las Vegas making a comeback once the economy picks up again, but I have no idea what could save Detroit. You can send them all the federal dollars you want. Some cities are so far gone that there is no way to lure people back.
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Based on rental and housing vacancies. I can see Las Vegas making a comeback once the economy picks up again, but I have no idea what could save Detroit. You can send them all the federal dollars you want. Some cities are so far gone that there is no way to lure people back.
Cohousing blends environmental concerns and a 'Hi, neighbor!' vibe | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Cohousing blends environmental concerns and a 'Hi, neighbor!' vibe | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press: "Picture a neighborhood where doors can be left unlocked, where 20 families gather to eat in a common home twice a week, where solar panels help heat homes, where everyone relies on each other and determines the fate of the community together. Sound like an Amish farm? Actually, this is life in more than 100 cohousing communities from Massachusetts to Washington state, places to live where neighborliness and environmental sustainability trump isolationism and consumption."
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Fred Pilot sent this along. These cohousing developments are real intentional communities where people actually decided to live together, unlike condos and HOAs where the "voluntariness" is basically a legal fiction that is used to justify the authority system.
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Fred Pilot sent this along. These cohousing developments are real intentional communities where people actually decided to live together, unlike condos and HOAs where the "voluntariness" is basically a legal fiction that is used to justify the authority system.
HOA Abandoned, Homeowners Upset - House And Home News Story - KPHO Phoenix
HOA Abandoned, Homeowners Upset - House And Home News Story - KPHO Phoenix: "The company which built the homes at Annecy, Trend Homes Inc., declared bankruptcy in 2008. It reformed as a company called T2 Homes and still manages the Annecy. T2 Homes President Reed Porter said there is no money available to keep up the property. Porter said, 'Of course we feel responsible, we feel bad. We feel everything. I don't know if you're aware of what's gone on in our industry, but we've lost everything.' Porter said the company that owns the vacant lots that still remain at the Annecy also went bankrupt and has failed to pay its portion of HOA dues. He also said about a hundred homes in the development are in foreclosure. Those owners are also not paying their HOA dues."
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Fred Pilot sent this--yet another collapsed HOA where the owners who remain and try to keep things running get hammered.
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Fred Pilot sent this--yet another collapsed HOA where the owners who remain and try to keep things running get hammered.
Extent of Bankruptcy Reform Hinges on Details - washingtonpost.com
Extent of Bankruptcy Reform Hinges on Details - washingtonpost.com: "How the administration chooses to define several parts of its plan will impact whether tens of thousands of homeowners are excluded, said Henry Sommer, a past president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. 'It could affect a lot of people or very few people, we don't know,' he said.
The details will ultimately be hammered out on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have been wrangling with the financial services industry for years about allowing bankruptcy judges to lower the principal owed on home loans. Now, bankruptcy judges are precluded from modifying mortgages on primary residences, a practice known as cramdown. The House, where bankruptcy reform has already been approved in committee, could take up the measure as soon as next week, a Democratic aide said."
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This may turn out to be a huge issue. Of course, as usual the Democrats are winging it with the entire economy at stake, so maybe it will be small, maybe it will be big...nobody knows yet.
The way I understand the law as it exists now, bankruptcy discharges the debtors personal obligation under the home loan, so the debtors personal assets are no longer reachable. But the loan is still secured by the mortgage and the mortgagee's lien remains in force. State law may protect the owner's equity, but the bankruptcy judge can't modify the mortgage terms on a principal residence.
That is the very thing Obama wants to change, and that is a very big step to take. But he hasn't said exactly how, or for how many loans or people. The bottom line is that Obama and other Democrats want to allow judges to reduce what the bank gets on their secured loan whenever somebody goes bankrupt. They want to make life easier on the bankrupt creditor.
Given that the overriding fear has been a collapse of the financial industry, I fail to see how this is a good idea. Why would the federal government introduce yet more uncertainty and risk of loss into the home loan business? Why are we bailing them out with one hand and pulling the rug out from under their feet with the other? (Sorry about the mixed metaphor.)
My guess is that Obama and the Democrats will help out the people who got into insane mortgages in the hope of getting rich quick on home flips. They seem to view these people as victims of predatory institutions that made offers they couldn't turn down, instead of seeing them as gamblers who lost very risky bets and deserve the consequences of their own behavior.
Maybe we should have a bailout program for people who went to Vegas and lost money playing double zero on the roulette table.
The details will ultimately be hammered out on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have been wrangling with the financial services industry for years about allowing bankruptcy judges to lower the principal owed on home loans. Now, bankruptcy judges are precluded from modifying mortgages on primary residences, a practice known as cramdown. The House, where bankruptcy reform has already been approved in committee, could take up the measure as soon as next week, a Democratic aide said."
----------------
This may turn out to be a huge issue. Of course, as usual the Democrats are winging it with the entire economy at stake, so maybe it will be small, maybe it will be big...nobody knows yet.
The way I understand the law as it exists now, bankruptcy discharges the debtors personal obligation under the home loan, so the debtors personal assets are no longer reachable. But the loan is still secured by the mortgage and the mortgagee's lien remains in force. State law may protect the owner's equity, but the bankruptcy judge can't modify the mortgage terms on a principal residence.
That is the very thing Obama wants to change, and that is a very big step to take. But he hasn't said exactly how, or for how many loans or people. The bottom line is that Obama and other Democrats want to allow judges to reduce what the bank gets on their secured loan whenever somebody goes bankrupt. They want to make life easier on the bankrupt creditor.
Given that the overriding fear has been a collapse of the financial industry, I fail to see how this is a good idea. Why would the federal government introduce yet more uncertainty and risk of loss into the home loan business? Why are we bailing them out with one hand and pulling the rug out from under their feet with the other? (Sorry about the mixed metaphor.)
My guess is that Obama and the Democrats will help out the people who got into insane mortgages in the hope of getting rich quick on home flips. They seem to view these people as victims of predatory institutions that made offers they couldn't turn down, instead of seeing them as gamblers who lost very risky bets and deserve the consequences of their own behavior.
Maybe we should have a bailout program for people who went to Vegas and lost money playing double zero on the roulette table.
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