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Further Contemplations

Update: welp, it’s 2017 and things are even worse. This country is in decline. I am ashamed to call myself American. It’s sad to watch a country spiral down. Hopefully I’ll be dead before it gets unbearable.

The mortgage info was such a bummer. It’s made me so ashamed of our country. The politicians and banks do NOT give a FUCK about anything but themselves. Hell, why should they? they are treated like royalty! Politicians make VERY good salaries, get free healthcare, free transportation, even free stamps fer chrissakes! They also get lots of money from banks and large corporations in payment for funneling the country’s money back to these coporations.

The TARP money was basically shunned by the banking industry and is sitting around waiting for them to use it. So what they did was work out a plan to “help” borrowers by allowing the borrowers to default, throwing them out on the street, then getting paid IN FULL for the loan from the TARP money. Um. ‘Scuse me, but I don’t think that was the intention of those funds? I’m pretty sure the intent was for TARP (and the myriad other programmes) to be used to RESTRUCTURE a borrower’s loan to more closely reflect the market value of the home. As in: CRAM DOWNS.

But, no, instead it’s basically more free money for the banks/mortgage industry to continue its annihilation of the American Dream™ and America’s neighborhoods, one foreclosure at a time. It is so completely defeating.

Why is this happening? Well, it’s because politicians are treated like royalty. They don’t have to play by the rules they lay out for the peasantry – you and me.

Corporations are the court jesters who entertain and collude with our royal government to keep the money flowing.

The only way to stop this collusion and destruction of our country is to VOTE THEM OUT. Not Obama, obviously, since having a Republican in office would be even worse (the candidates are nutbags), but the rest of them. We need to start local and work our way up to state legislature, then federal representation. Vote out every incumbent on the ticket. Don’t look at party, just look for INCUMBENT. Vote for the other one. County commissioners, state reps, governor, US senators and reps. ALL OF THEM. Vote out everyone you possibly can. This is our ONLY power against what is happening to our country.

So, for a change, can the citizens of America put aside partisanship and race? I doubt it. But it is so easy to just vote them all out. And keep voting them out until we get people who really represent US, the peasantry, rather than the royalty. If the French can pull up cobblestones to get their revolution, then I think Americans should be able to cast some votes. Right?

RIGHT?

To be outdone by the French is a sore point for lots of Americans. Well, we have been outdone. What happened to American Pride? What happened to participating? I just don’t know.

And it makes me sad that I live in a country that can’t even control its government. ;_;

Thomas Jefferson said: “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”

I think we should ALL take this to heart. And read more Jefferson.

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Mortgage Saga Finale

After my experience with Wells Fargo, getting denied by other borrower assistance programmes and not even getting a call back from the asshole lawyers I was referred to (Tom Stubbs and Mike Froman, to name names) today I decided to call a lawyer from the internet. Why the fuck not?

I start by doing some research about principal mortgage reduction – which turns out to be a pipe dream. The banks do NOT have to do it, so they don’t. I began to see that the banks have no incentives to work with anyone since it appeared that the mortgage bailout plans were all geared for the BANKS, not the borrowers. I was right. The banks WANT the borrowers to default. Why? Because they get paid in full by our illustrious government. Even as I read this, I was thinking “No way, this is surely not right! Why would the banks PROFIT from default? Why would anyone NOT just walk away? This makes no sense!!”

With those thoughts in my head, I decided to try another tack. I did a search for “principal balance reduction lawyer” and ended up at georgiaforcedloanmodifications.com. I called them up and got a CSR who immediately started soft selling me and telling me how great this lawyer was. First red flag. I told him our situation and after reminding me again that this lawyer was most excellent, he told me that our loan amount was “less than the payment to us would be”. Second BIG red flag. I said, “WHAT payment to you? Is this not a regular lawyer that you pay and he does a job?” Dude said, “Well, you see, you pay us a retainer that starts at $795/mo for us to find an irregularity in your loan so we can then force the bank to re-do the loan”. WUT? I told him, “That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!” and hung up. SCAM!! SCAM!! SCAM!! The fact that this shit is allowed to go on AND the banks get paid for defaults is making me nauseous.

Disgusted, I then called up the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance to see if THEY had any ideas. The nice lady advised me to go to the Georgia Bar Association and find a REAL lawyer to talk to. So I did. I ended up at the Atlanta Bar Association’s search engine and I called up The Roberts Law Firm, P.C., which listed real estate as one of their specialties. The lawyer I spoke to was very nice and very sensible. I told him where we were with this mortgage (we are technically not responsible, but we pay it to keep living here, and we’re interested in getting a principal reduction to keep the property) and he told me flat out what I’d already surmised: there is no way that’s gonna happen.

It’s in the bank’s best interest to ignore pleas of borrowers so they can cash in with the government and get 100% paid on the defaulted amount. In our case, they make 100% profit, since the property is worth half of the mortgage amount.

The lawyer also told me that stopping payment is the best option when we are ready to go. Stopping payment will give you 6-12 months of living there without payment before the bank will get around do actually filing to get you evicted. Since we are technically not responsible now, it’ll probably be closer to 6 months than 12 in our situation.

So, yes, our feeling that we were being pushed into a corner by the bank is 100% accurate. Why should they bother with us? They can collect $93k from the government on a property worth $50k if we just walk. It’s better for them if we do! Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

The fact that we are not obligated on the loan in the first place is irrelevant. The bank *can* toss us out any time they like, but again, it’s in their best interest to keep collecting payments from us on a worthless property. And it’s in our best interest to keep paying until we are within 6-9 months of moving away. Then we just stop payments.

Is your head spinning yet?

Our government is paying the banks to continue destroying the housing market and tossing homeowners out on the street. It is severely fucked up and I think a clear indicator of this country’s ultimate demise. When the rank and file no longer have anything of value, they have no economic stability. When economic stability is gone, where’s the incentive to invest in communities?

I don’t know why the fuck things are like this, but I can tell you that it’s wrong. Every fibre in my being is telling me that it’s wrong for a government to destroy people’s lives in the name of corporate interests.

But what do I know? I’m just a rank and file citizen who will walk away from a perfectly good home, leaving it to the scavengers to rip out the copper and take the A/C unit. WTF ever. I hope Wells Fargo enjoys the spoils of their conquest. It just makes me SICK.

I am now grumpy and sad. And really despairing for this country. ;_;

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Weather, politics and comics

The weather has finally broken and sweet relief from 90º days has arrived. AH! Even today, at 62º and rain is wonderful! I’ll take it! It’s always this time of year when I think that the NW wouldn’t be bad… But then I realise that it’s like this most of the time and MEH. It’s gotten too hot down here in general, but I like having 4 distinct seasons. I do wish La Niña would give us a break in summer.

Politics in the mornin’! It astounds me that so many dumb people (as represented on FB) STILL think Obama is doing a good job. WUT? How completely stupid do you have to be to believe that? Magical thinking much? He is a president who has accomplished exactly jack and shit. He has reneged on undoing the Patriot Act – twice. He can’t speak in front of a crowd at all without his Teleprompter. He’s never had a job fer chrissakes!! He wants to “tax the rich” to “even the field”. Oh, really? No, it sounds to me like take from the rich and give to the poor. Rich people do play the system, no doubt, so why do we not change the system? Fair Tax would stop that happy crappy. But this is not about leveling anything. This is about creating a nation of takers who don’t work and live on the dole (or who work for the government, same thing). UK, anyone? This is about crippling small business, making a hostile corporate environment and celebrating being a lazy fucker who lives on welfare.

While on the subject of lazy useless people, I’d like to piss off all the “disabled” assholes out there who have been “disabled” their whole lives and refuse to work. You know who you are. When I was growing up, I never knew anyone in their 20s who didn’t work. Now, it’s commonplace to see TEENS on disability. WTF? Hells bells, I had a BLIND friend who worked at Wachovia until he got too sick and had to go on disability – which he hated. When did being a lazy fucker on the dole become fine? When did it lose its stigma as a bad thing and something you tried to avoid? I must have missed the memo.

On the other hand, I know someone who has a real illness and is currently on disability while he goes to college online. He’s about to graduate. Which shows gumption and pride in his abilities. He’s not going to let his condition limit his choices in life. Bravo!

So do not tell me you “can’t” work. That is bullshit and you know it. Do something. Open an Etsy shop. Go to school. Find a way to be productive. Hell, even being a blogger is something! Geeze.

We have a convention next weekend (Oct 1 & 2). It’s in Nashville. It should be low stress. We’ve got our booth pared down to just a few totes and we’ve got the Square set up, so we’re good to go. I hope we make at least a little money. The comic is trundling along. We are in a slow period with dwindling ideas and lack of motivation. I hope the convention will get us cranked back up.

In other news, I’m working on a site for a local animal rescue group. I hope they like what I do and I hope they make lots of money for the pets. I’m also going to start volunteering for Centennial Olympic Park one day a week. Nick thinks I need to get out more. I probably do, but MEH. ;)

We are also planning a trip to CA to see Nick’s family in October or November. I look forward to seeing them, but not to the plane ride. Fucking TSA. ::sigh:: I’m gonna end up in jail if they fondle me, I just know it. Grr. Fucking useless harassment security theatre violation of my fucking rights… grumble, grumble.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on around here. What’s going on with you guys?

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Responsibility IS a choice!

And again, today I’m reminded that responsibility is the core issue for SO many things. The hole that the government has dug itself is, at its root, caused by irresponsibility – that mirrors the complete lack of responsibility its citizens feel about, well, everything.

The word “trifling” has come up a couple of times recently and I think it’s safe to say that Americans have become disturbingly trifling in the last decade. The government is increasingly expected to nanny the populace with food laws, smoking laws, stupid warnings on everything and more. And the populace is demanding more, more, more. More entitlements, more laws “for safety”, more invasive behaviour monitoring. It never stops!

The populace elected a young, inexperienced man because he looks good, is black and can talk some good shit. ADMIT IT, he was elected for his skin colour and his pandering promises that have just about all evaporated – but the populace doesn’t want to hear that. No, way! It’s just the Evil Republicans messing everything up. And if Omama was a Republican, it’d be the Evil Democrats messing everything up. Americans have come to the sad place where there is no middle and it’s always someone else’s fault. It’s Evil Right or Evil Left. It is because that irresponsibility is easier than being responsible citizens and READING UP on what these asshats are actually doing on Capital Hill.

Which is nothing. Your elected officials do as little as is humanly possible with as much shit talking as possible to make it SEEM like something is happening. Sheeple buy it every time. Hence our current circumstance.
Continue reading “Responsibility IS a choice!”