Up to two million march to US Capitol to protest against Obama's spending in 'tea-party' demonstration | Mail Online

Up to two million march to US Capitol to protest against Obama's spending in 'tea-party' demonstration | Mail Online: "Up to two million people marched to the U.S. Capitol today, carrying signs with slogans such as 'Obamacare makes me sick' as they protested the president's health care plan and what they say is out-of-control spending.

The line of protesters spread across Pennsylvania Avenue for blocks, all the way to the capitol, according to the Washington Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

People were chanting 'enough, enough' and 'We the People.' Others yelled 'You lie, you lie!' and 'Pelosi has to go,' referring to California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi."
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Must be quite a feeling for the Community Organizer in Chief to witness this.

Wilson’s Fundraising Tops $700,000 After Outburst - Roll Call

Wilson’s Fundraising Tops $700,000 After Outburst - Roll Call: "In the wake of the controversy Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) sparked by shouting “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, a Republican source said the Congressman had raised about $700,000 by Friday afternoon."
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Coming soon: the "You Lie!" bumper stickers, tee shirts, and coffee mugs. This may become the conservatives' rallying cry for the 2010 elections.

GAO Analysis Skeptical About Privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - washingtonpost.com

GAO Analysis Skeptical About Privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - washingtonpost.com: "Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage-finance companies seized by U.S. regulators last year, may be too difficult given the precedent set by the Treasury Department's financial assistance, according to a Government Accountability Office analysis.

'The financial markets likely would continue to perceive that the federal government would provide substantial financial support to the enterprises, if privatized as largely intact entities, in a financial emergency,' the GAO said in a report released Thursday. 'Consequently, such privatized entities may continue to derive financial benefits, such as lowered borrowing costs, resulting from the markets' perceptions.'"
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This is the opposite of "you break it, you bought it." We (the taxpayers) bailed them out, and now according to the GAO we have bought them.

Harvard's endowment drops sharply amid recession

Harvard's endowment drops sharply amid recession: "BOSTON (AP) - The total value of Harvard's endowment plunged nearly 30 percent in the last fiscal year as the Ivy League institution's portfolio was battered by the worldwide recession, the university's management company said Thursday.

The endowment stood at $26 billion on June 30, after distributions and donations, the university said. It stood at $36.9 billion 12 months earlier, at the close of the previous fiscal year."

Local HOAs get scammed | www.theacorn.com | The Acorn

Local HOAs get scammed | www.theacorn.com | The Acorn: "Daphne Ann Brenon, 53, a property manager working for a Westlake Village firm, pleaded guilty last week to stealing funds from two area homeowners associations.

From 1998 to 2004, Brenon was the property manager for the Spanish Hills Homeowners Association in Camarillo. Following an investigation by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the California Franchise Tax Board, Brenon was arrested for stealing more than $400,000 from the HOA. According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s office, she set up a scheme that allowed unauthorized checks to be written to her and her employer, Dahl Davis Inc."
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She didn't even wait for the recession to start.

Plan withdrawn for group home | Culpeper Star-Exponent

Plan withdrawn for group home | Culpeper Star-Exponent: "Shut out of a Griffinsburg-area neighborhood, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board may leave the door open for legal action against a local homeowner’s association that is fighting a proposed home for adults with developmental disabilities."
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Local HOA lobbying...

Troutman: Parking dispute in HOA's hands, for now

Troutman: Parking dispute in HOA's hands, for now: "Thursday night's Troutman Board of Aldermen meeting produced two rare tie votes that had to be broken by Mayor Elbert Richardson.

The most contentious of these concerned an ordinance the board passed at its August meeting that banned the parking of all non-passenger vehicles on the streets of a development called Barium Seasons Village.

Citing safety issues, residents of the development asked the board to pass the ordinance last month as a way of getting boats and campers from being parked on the streets there."
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More local HOA lobbying.

No wonder you can buy a house for $100

Getting away with murder is the norm in Detroit | detnews.com | The Detroit News: "The most generous interpretation of 2008 homicide warrants and convictions supplied by local law enforcement officials shows that in more than 70 percent of homicide cases no suspect has been identified, arrested, charged or convicted of a killing."

The Associated Press: Obama heckled by GOP during speech to Congress

The Associated Press: Obama heckled by GOP during speech to Congress: "South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted 'You lie!' after Obama had talked about illegal immigrants.

It wasn't the only interruption during Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives. Earlier, Republicans laughed when Obama acknowledged that there are still significant details to be worked out before a health overhaul can be passed."
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Maybe Wilson thought he was writing a comment on somebody else's blog. Good grief. Is there any civility left in this society?

George Staropoli takes off the gloves

CAI lobbyist firm espouses HOA secessionist, un-American views « HOA Constitutional Government: "The recent article(1) by the hired-hand, paid, Arizona lobbying organization for the CAI chapter, DeMenna & Associates, contains many of the points that I’ve been arguing relating to the attitudes and views of CAI and die-hard, homeowner association true believers: anti-democratic principles, anti-individual rights, secessionist philosophies, and a corporatism promoting the HOA state above everything else that recalls fascist principles."
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The keyboard must have been smoking hot.

Citizens United v. FEC to be argued Wednesday

Politics Magazine | show: "All you Supreme Court junkies buckle in: Wednesday is going to be a wild ride in the high court.

The Court will cut its recess a month short on Wednesday to hear a re-argument of a campaign finance case that could fundamentally reshape how elections are conducted. At the heart of the case is the central issue of campaign finance laws: Do corporations have different rights than individuals?"

CARPE DIEM: Average Home Price in Detroit Falls to $12,669

CARPE DIEM: Average Home Price in Detroit Falls to $12,669: "From the $97,850 peak Detroit home price in 2003, prices have fallen by an amazing 87%."
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The last person out needs to remember to turn off the lights.

Lake County dump site may finally be cleaned up -- chicagotribune.com

Lake County dump site may finally be cleaned up -- chicagotribune.com: "The home and the rest of his property sit like an island in unincorporated Wauconda Township, surrounded by sprawling ranch and split-level homes in the leafy Lakeland Estates neighborhood.

Tarkowski said the Lakeland Estates Property Owners Association long ago decided he and his home stuck out like a sore thumb. Members of the group used the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to force a cleanup in violation of his civil rights, he said."
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That is the view of crusty, 83 year old, Mr. Tarkowski. But the other side is this: "In the annals of eyesores, John Tarkowski's 16-acre spread near Lake Barrington occupied a league all its own. His property, some of it wetlands, was littered with thousands of tires -- many holding water -- dozens of 55-gallon chemical drums, the rusting chassis of old cars, decaying lead-acid batteries and construction waste, according to state officials. The feisty 83-year-old even used roofing shingles to build roads that meandered through the wetlands. For years, government officials say, Tarkowski ran one of the state's worst illegal private dumps, charging $10 for trucks to drop a load there.

But for decades no government officials would do anything about it, perhaps because Tarkowski is litigious. I say, good for the HOA that brought down the heat on him. This is one example of an HOA organizing for political action that made the area better.

Lagging condo sales could hurt housing market's recovery - cleveland.com

Lagging condo sales could hurt housing market's recovery - cleveland.com: "CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the housing market tries to crawl back to health, lagging condominium sales could temper the recovery.

Sales of single-family homes have improved, but analysts say condos could continue to see slower sales and lower prices as developers struggle to fill empty buildings.

Even in Greater Cleveland, where the condo market is more stable than in many places, skittish banks are making it tougher to buy or build condos."
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Condos are always hit worst by recession, but in every previous recession, condos were a much smaller part of the market. A weak condo market has more impact on the economy now than ever before.

China schoolgirl aspires to be 'corrupt official':state media - Yahoo! News

China schoolgirl aspires to be 'corrupt official':state media - Yahoo! News: "'When I grow up I want to be an official,' said the girl, whose face was blurred to protect her identity.

'What kind of official?' the interviewer asked.

'A corrupt official because corrupt officials have a lot of things,' she replied."

50 things that are being killed by the internet - Telegraph

50 things that are being killed by the internet - Telegraph: "1) The art of polite disagreement
While the inane spats of YouTube commencers may not be representative, the internet has certainly sharpened the tone of debate. The most raucous sections of the blogworld seem incapable of accepting sincerely held differences of opinion; all opponents must have 'agendas'."
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Internet addiction center opens in US

Internet addiction center opens in US
"The center, called ReSTART, is somewhat ironically located near Redmond, headquarters of Microsoft and a world center of the computer industry. It opened in July and for $14,000 offers a 45-day program intended to help people wean themselves from pathological computer use, which can include obsessive use of video games, texting, Facebook, eBay, Twitter and any other time-killers brought courtesy of technology."
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I'll bet they have a killer web site.

House Sharing Becomes More Common With Down Economy | KPBS.org

House Sharing Becomes More Common With Down Economy | KPBS.org: "Faced with shrinking incomes and home values, more people are opening up their houses to strangers. We're talking about the modern boarding house, where homeowners rent out bedrooms in order to keep making the mortgage payment."
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Haven't these situations been fodder for more than a few horror movies? Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link.

Northwest Herald | Homeowners association how-to: What buyers should know before moving in

Northwest Herald | Homeowners association 
how-to: What buyers should know before moving in: "“This is an organization that can hold power over you and your home and can decide what you can do with your property,” McKenzie said. “They decide if you can have a flag pole, or a clothesline, or swing sets. If you are not comfortable with that, then don’t move into one of these.”"
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Thanks to Bill Davis for sending me this link.

Mortgages: Brooklyn Judge Rejects Improperly Documented Foreclosure Motions, Shocks Banking Industry

Mortgages: Brooklyn Judge Rejects Improperly Documented Foreclosure Motions, Shocks Banking Industry: "There's a judge in Brooklyn, NY, who has tossed out nearly half of the foreclosure cases brought before him over the past year, because the lenders have such messy paper trails that they can't prove ownership anymore."
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Thanks to Mystery Reader for this slice of life in Brooklyn. As the article says, the judge isn't using some arcane reading of the law. "He's just forcing lenders to follow the rules." Imagine that. Wouldn't it be nice if we had more judges forcing institutions--such as HOAs and condo associations--to follow the law?