This Is Stimulus Money
by the Mysterious Flying Miser
From Sign On San Diego:
“Not many would believe this, but more than 400 cities want to emulate Chula Vista and more than 300 already are. Ever since the city began making lenders register and maintain homes that have gone into foreclosure, similar programs began popping up around the country. As a result, Chula Vista has been recognized with the 2009 Helen Putnam Award by the League of California Cities for its Residential Abandoned Property Program.
”Launched two years ago, the program requires mortgage lenders to maintain vacant, foreclosed homes to neighborhood standards. That includes keeping the lawn green, the fences and doors locked, and repairing broken windows. ‘You’ve got to make it look like the rest of the neighborhood so it doesn’t scream out ‘foreclosure, break in,” said Doug Leeper, the city’s code enforcement division manager, who created the program. ‘It was a preventative measure,’ he said. ‘I don’t want our newest neighborhoods to become blighted because people are losing their homes.’
”If a home is in default and vacant or has been foreclosed upon and is vacant, lenders must register the home with the city, which costs $70. Some aren’t registered until after the city receives a complaint that the house or property is becoming dilapidated. City Manager Jim Sandoval said Leeper’s program has made a difference in Chula Vista and throughout the country. ‘We’re one of the cities that has been hit the hardest because we grew so fast,’ Sandoval said.
”With nearly 9,000 foreclosures in the city over the last two years, Leeper said he has had to increase staff in his division. Since July 2007, more than 2,600 properties have been registered with the program, producing more than $183,000 in registration fees, Leeper said. Not all 9,000 properties have been registered because some lenders haven’t complied with the program and, in other cases, homes are still occupied. There have been 2,000 complaints about unkempt homes and $1.3 million in fines issued.
”But if banks make an effort to correct problems, then the fines are reduced, Leeper said. So far, the city has collected $500,000 in fines, which vary in amount from $100 to $500 per day, depending on the condition of the property. ‘This is my third housing downturn and by far the worst,’ Leeper said.”
From the East Valley Tribune (Phoenix):
“As people continue to lose their homes through foreclosure and eviction, sometimes leaving their pets behind, workers and volunteers of nonprofit pet rescue groups throughout the Valley are seeing record numbers of abandoned pets. And as they grapple for space to keep the animals in foster homes or shelters, they also have seen a decline in donations.
”The Valley-based Lost Our Home Pet Foundation, a no-kill pet rescue group that serves real-estate professionals who discover pets abandoned in back yards without food or water, saw calls double from 15 to 30 a day during the summer, according to Jodi Polanski of Mesa, president of the group.
”From 2007 to 2008, the Arizona Humane Society experienced a 100 percent increase in animal abandonment calls for cats, dogs and other pets and responded to about 16,000 calls last year, according to Kimberly Searles, AHS spokeswoman. This year, the calls are on track to match last year’s, Searles said.
”Many of those groups, such as Gilbert-based Friends for Life Animal Sanctuary and Phoenix-based Paws and Claws Animal Rescue, report they also have seen cash and pet-food contributions slow, attributing the downturn to a bad economy and people relocating for jobs.
”A number of fundraisers have been scheduled by the pet rescue groups in the coming weeks - where one can sip on a ‘Muttini,’ listen to live music at ‘Pet-a-Palooza’, or take a stadium stroll with your pet. ‘Everybody has been holding back,’ said Polanski, a mortgage broker whose pet rescue group consists of 25 volunteers, many of whom foster several pets because the nonprofit group does not have a shelter. ‘There’s been a big difference from last year to this year in the way of donations, and the economy has been playing a role in that. (Fewer) resources have been coming in as companies from around the Valley have cut back.’
”‘The one thing that is apparent is that our vet care costs have steadily gone up every month and the pets coming into us are sicker and need more medical attention,’ she said. ‘These pets often have gone without food or water for long periods of time and sometimes are emaciated and it takes some time before they are nursed back to health.’
”The Arizona Humane Society, which has about 300 pets available for adoption, does not receive any government funding and is struggling to keep up with the $300 cost of an average 10-day stay for an animal at its two shelters before they are adopted, Searles said. No pets have been euthanized at the Humane Society for space reasons since it added its second shelter …in Phoenix in 2002, according to Searles.
”We’ve definitely seen a drop in donations, and we rely on those,” Searles said. “Obviously, those factors are attributed to the economy because everybody is wanting to hang on to the money they have. People lose their homes to foreclosure, leave their pets behind and downsize to smaller apartments where sometimes larger dogs may not be accepted.”
Friends For Life Animal Sanctuary, a 16-year-old pet rescue group with about 150 volunteers at 143 W. Vaughn Ave., west of Gilbert Road, spends about $15,000 a month, but has received about $70,000 less than it received last year. Despite this, the volume of strays has gone up, said Barb Savoy, a spokeswoman for the group, who has three dogs and one cat of her own.
”Friends For Life has had to cut back some of its expenses, such as training and deciding what kind of health care they can spend on an animal, Savoy said. ‘The number of strays is discouraging,’ she said. ‘Animals are getting loose or turned loose. It’s a sad reality what a domesticated animal faces on the street. They can be targeted by another animal, they can easily get hit by a car, or face starvation. They’re used to getting fed and being in a home.’”
From KCBS News (San Francisco):
“Hundreds of East Bay families that face the possibility of becoming homeless will get help from the federal stimulus plan. $3.3 million in federal money is going to the nonprofit Shelter Inc. and seven partner agencies. Shelter Inc. has focused on homeless prevention in Contra Costa County since 1986.
”‘The idea, because this is stimulus money, the idea is to help families that are being impacted by the current state of the economy,’ said Shelter Inc. Executive Director Tim O’ Keefe. O’ Keefe also said he is seeing a growth in the number of people that are looking for help.
”‘What we’re seeing more and more of are people that maybe a year ago or two years ago would have called themselves middle class,’ O’ Keefe said. ‘And now, they’re finding themselves with hours cut back, they’re finding themselves in foreclosure.’
”O’ Keefe said the stimulus money will not help property owners who are in danger of losing their homes; instead, about 900 low income households will get help paying the rent so they can avoid eviction notices. Another 70 individuals and families who are homeless will get help with rapid rehousing.
”Last year, Shelter Inc. had to turn away 75 percent of those who called the agency looking for help.”
“…With nearly 9,000 foreclosures in the city over the last two years…”
San…DIE…GO
From The Urban Dictionary:
Urban Dictionary is the dictionary you wrote. Define your world:
6. Chula: sluts
7. Chula: 1) a girl with benefits, she gives it up
Doesn’t vista translate from Spanish to English as ‘view’?
So what is a Chula Vista?
“So what is a Chula Vista?”
Slut View? Would that be anything like Mountain View?
Speaking of Cali, sheesh, ‘nother wildfire. I’m tellin’ ya, between the wildfires, illegals, droughts, narco-traffickers, financial problems, etc. there won’t be much left of the state at this rate.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZ8Zlj-J4JAGBVX44URTwVV53E0QD9B4DD580
When does wildfire season end? Or is it a year-round event these days?
BUT one must applaud the final report of the (bipartisan) “Commission for the 21st Century,” which concluded that Calif’s salvation lies in REDUCING personal income tax rates, ELIMINATING the general sales tax, and creating a better business climate. (well, duh, we knew that, but I have to admire commissioners who can make sense despite their being appointed by politicians)
When does wildfire season end? Or is it a year-round event these days?
Year round when you have those who start the dang things. It isn’t like CA has alot of lightning thunderstorms.
“When does wildfire season end? Or is it a year-round event these days?”
It ends in December. Then mudslide season starts.
Beentheredonethat.
Chula means “prideful” in Spanish. Prideful view. Makes some sort of sense, I guess.
Actually, maybe it means “View of the prideful”. That would kind of make sense, since you can see the incoming ships trying to attack you from Chula Vista. I’ll bet that’s what it really means.
It just makes sense that the banks–the rightful owners of these homes–have to maintain them to community standards. I don’t see why legislation is needed….
It is a puzzle. But often the houses I take care of look a lot better than anything else nearby. And some look like crap cuz no one wants to spend anything on it.
Keep in mind that some of these outfits are bankrupt, and in others the securitization mess means the “owner” is unclear. One thing I’ve seen; the same corporation will take much better care of an expensive house and not do a thing for a house that is in an older, less pricey neighborhood.
I often wonder about getting a free and clear title to many of these repo’s and foreclosures Ben. Are these titles really good or is the true chain of these possession clouded despite title insurance companies see on MERS?
In many places,there was so and is much control of insider information and collusion between RE agents, developers, appraisers, bankers, lawyers, title companies and so on.
That plus securitizations and and MTG registration, electronic sales, switches, and swaps that are now commonly documented and dependant on MERS instead of the “origional” papers at closings, courthouses and title companies.
It’s a good policy. I also wonder if it’s an unintentional Trojan Horse to force those banks to sell the homes at firesale prices — which is what would usually happen in a normal market.
As it is, those houses are losing value from neglect anyway.
Wow. A big $3.3 million to help 900 people who have lost their jobs pay rent in East Bay. About the price of one house in Pacific Heights….
Those of us who are not in favor of subsidizing house purchases probably shouldn’t be in favor of subsidizing rent either. That said, I’d rather they use $3.3M at the rate of $3500 per family than in a more concentrated way.
Pet abandonment is a hot issue here in the Tampa Area. Turns out a shelter many thought was a ‘no-kill’ shelter, puts down 50%+ of received animals.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/spca-makes-policies-on-euthanizing-animals-clearer/1040221
We’ve got a huge problem with feral cats in South Hillsborough. The folks in the Sun City Center area got together and have been doing something about and have markedly reduced the problem. Apollo Beach, however, is another matter.
Feral cats seem to originate and thrive in areas that have a number of supermarkets, gravitating to the dumpsters.
When I first moved here I was attacked by a feral cat. I got scratched up good on one arm. I was really impressed by the response from Animal Control. They came right away and caged the cat. I didn’t know the process at the time, but they did the rabies quarantine and then euthanized it.
This was St. Pete Beach, and yeah, they were all over the place there.
That same cat ripped off a screen to our apartment, and we thought there was an attempted break in. SPB Police dusted the window sill and found nothing — they gave the impression that I was some nutbag trying to possibly scam insurance when they asked me about it. They backed off when I told them I couldn’t get renters insurance in Evac A.
Livin’ the Florida lifestyle, LOL…
Really?! You were actually attacked?
I got the crap scratched out of me by 5 feral cats, but that was because I captured them and rudely yanked up their tails to inspect their little fun-bits and then stuffed them into wire cages and hauled them in to get spayed and vaccinated. They didn’t appreciate this for some reason, the hairy ingrates.
Some wretched a*sshat just dumped off a litter of 5 little starving kitties. I didn’t want cats. I still kinda don’t, frankly, but whatcha gonna do? I couldn’t let ‘em starve or go to the county shelter, which does euthanize.
(The 2 boys are gone. In my heart I hope that they met up with people who unaccountably wanted to adopt savage, crazed, tick-laden feral tomcats, but I’m not terribly hopeful. See, we’ve got coyotes, raccoons, bald eagles, and over on Frye Cove a cougar was spotted last year…)
The 3 girls are still here. They thoughtfully leave wee mouse organs in any shoes I am stupid enough to leave outside on the porch. Lovely.
Also, I’m pretty sure they often draw little diagrams in the dirt as they plot out how to capture and eat me.
So far I’ve been too cunning and alert for them.
I’ve given this matter some thought. I think people who abandon animals should be flown to a remote desert, stripped naked and chucked out of the plane. I’m not a barbarian, though—the plane can be sort of close to the ground, plus they should be given a candy-bar and a sock and some cheery good advice first. That oughtta be enough, right? Right.
Then they can see how fun it is to try to survive.
Wow Excess Ann,
that scary mind of yours never stops, even with that self-medicated overdose of apple cider last night.
even with that self-medicated overdose of apple cider last night.
Type quieter, man! My head hurts!
Anyway, you used to jump out of airplanes, didn’t you? Although I imagine you didn’t do it naked. Or did you? And did you have a candy-bar and a sock?
Nah, not normally, but we did miss the drop zone off of Okinawa one night because of winds and I got nekked in the China Sea real fast.
I always loved skinny-dipping in the dark
we did miss the drop zone off of Okinawa one night because of winds and I got nekked in the China Sea real fast.
Wow. Tell us more!
I mean more about the excitements, not the nekkedness.
Although I suppose being nekked in the windy night-time China sea is probably pretty dang exciting.
“Really?! You were actually attacked?”
It always sat on the freaking window sill so I shoo’d it one day and it and leaped at me sugar glider/spider monkey style.
I know cats can be goofy, but this thing acted like a crackhead.
Mark Twain said:
“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”
Sounds like Muggy can tell is Mr. Twain was right.
Olygal,
God love ya for doing that for the cats.
Not to mention the feral snakes in Florida, LOL! Seven foot rattler caught in St. Augustine. I see several pair of new boots in this guy’s future.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/21162885/detail.html
Ha! There’s a KB ‘For Sale’ in that photo. Beware the feral developments, too!
Holy smokes! That thing must have found the perfect environment to get that big, i.e. Suburban USA where all the ladies have purse size dogs. Mmmmmm…mini dogs!
I was attacked by my mom’s cat when I tried to stop it from killing another one of my mom’s cats. The little guy just bit be straight out; didn’t even apologize for it. Sometimes I wonder if maybe they just see us as giant gophers, and figure we’re catering to them out of fear.
Sometimes I wonder if maybe they just see us as giant gophers, and figure we’re catering to them out of fear.
Well, I know D*MN well that’s exactly how my cats see me.
And I do cater to them out of fear.
Wait, no—-my cats have never seen a gopher. So they see me as a mole or else a vole. A giant, noisy pink vole that wears high-heels and will someday be an excellent dinner.
Once they get that net woven with their cunning little paws and learn to properly execute a pincer maneuver, man, I’m purely doomed.
lol
Your cats aren’t the problem. Some deranged lover is liable to smother you with a pillow just to get a decent nights sleep.
Some deranged lover is liable to smother you with a pillow just to get a decent nights sleep.
It’s unkind of you to point out my defects so cruelly, but I admit that that’s a distinct possibility. (Anyway, I bet YOU twitch and fidget like a freakin’ laundry-bag stuffed with 7 hungry weasels and one hamburger. I can somehow sense it.)
Hmmm. Maybe I better sleep with a hatchet under my pillow, just in case. Or else I could wake up—I mean, even more than I already do—and scream as loud as I can: ‘Lordy! You ain’t gonna kill me, are you?! Are you gonna kill me?! Huh huh? NoooOOOOOoooOOOOOO! Don’t!’ and then flop back down and go back to sleep in 5 whole seconds.
Yes, that definitely seems like a good plan.
Thanks for giving me such a good idea, man. You’re a real pal.
I just got back from looking at little boats. Last year at this time it seemed like not much was for sale, whereas this year it seems like quite a few more are for sale on craigslist and posted down at the marinas, etc. No hard numbers, there just seem to be more. Maybe I’m just noticing it more? I dunno.
But I bet I get a good bargain around Christmas time! Wheeee!
Pretends to be asleep, twitches and figets while he slyly smiles and reaches for a monster feather pillow.
Pretends to be asleep, twitches and figets while he slyly smiles and reaches for a monster feather pillow.
Is it a pink, tasseled pillow? Is there a bunny air-brushed on it?
Because if it is, it’s on MY side. So it’ll warn me in time.
You just keep that in mind, Mr. ‘I-Think-I’m-So-Sneaky-But-I-Could-Be-Wrong’.
Hahahaahah!
Actually I’m trying to not fiddle so much in my sleep. A hatchet under the pillow would be a super bad idea for everybody, especially me, and my head, and my whole person in general.
Why, the other day I went to bed super mad at some new sneaky trick for a project down south that slipped through my radar—why the FO0K are they still building!? No one is buying! We are on the verge of acknowledging this! Rochester? Are you sh%%%thing me?
…But I digress.
Anyway, when I woke up in the morning I had knitted my bedsheets into a giant pretty potholder, probably with my toes, because they hurt, whereas my hands felt fine.
I’m reading A Thousand Pieces of Paradise, Landscape and Property in the Kickapoo Valley by Lynne Heasley.
Lots of logging, farm frgmentation, RE swindles, conflicts and dramas for a small 13 x 16 mile western Wisconsin valley.
Lots of logging, farm frgmentation, RE swindles, conflicts and dramas for a small 13 x 16 mile western Wisconsin valley.
It don’t matter if it’s a zillion miles x a zillion miles. To the creatures that live in it, it is the Universe.
As it happens, I haven’t read that book, but I guess I’ll go order it on Amazon or eBay. Sigh….
Super! So then you know why I get so grouchy, then.
That’ll come in handy!
It don’t matter if it’s a zillion miles x a zillion miles.
Or else if it’s only 20 feet wide. It’s still a Universe.
That’s what I was trying to say the first time.
Anyway, I put the book in my queue. Thanks!
I think.
I recently rescued a 12 year old Yorkie that was found abandoned with 4 other dogs in a foreclosed house in Corona. CA. Her condition was terrible but has come back to life.
That’s good of you. I bet she’s pretty grateful, too.
There’s a special place in my heart for cats, right next to the mashed potatoes.
Don’t eat at a Thai restaurant near your house. Fluffy might be in the take out ! hahahahahaha
WoW, I nearly fell out of my chair when I read this one:
Bank’s refusal to refinance this couple’s loan is astounding
Lending rules that were once catastrophically lenient are now heartlessly strict.
David Lazarus
October 4, 2009
One reason we got into our current economic mess is because banks handed out home loans to pretty much anyone with a pulse, regardless of their ability to, you know, actually make mortgage payments.
Banks have subsequently tightened their lending practices, which is a good thing. But have they gone too far?
Glendora residents Angie Trujillo and Carl Heinzen think so. They’re still trying to figure out why they got turned down for a refinancing of their mortgage.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus4-2009oct04,0,2844447.column
I edited this. Please don’t post entire articles.
Do we infer from this that they could not have gone elsewhere for a loan after being rejected? Since the loans are backed by Fannie and Freddie with the exact same rules, I guess it wouldn’t matter where you went?
This couple has a high net worth as well as income from rentals . In fact they have the ability to buy down the loan amount . So,I wouldn’t exactly call this a charity case .
Just what I was thinking. They could PAY for their damn house.
Wow. Just. Wow!
I’ve gone very cynical in the last week. One of our posters, anycdj, has long been commenting plaintively on how difficult it is to get a job on one’s merits. Having been part-timing it out there, I can confirm what he’s been posting about for years. This seems to be a trickle down effect, coming from the very highest levels of business and industry. Be a loaf, be a stupid, incompetent, even criminal shyster, make lots of money. I even watched as one local company put a totally green person on a certain project, and she managed to pull it out of her butt and sweated to close a job their more “experienced” personnel couldn’t handle. What was the result? BOOM! Immediate demotion! No bonus, just a sort of sour “thank you, now back to what you were doing before”. What was the point, I wonder? And this is a company that pays over-the-hill hacks in Sans-A-Belt polyesters pants and strawberry noses (drunks) thousands a month to produce far less than this lady, who makes about 10 bucks an hour.
The lady did a good job. That was her big crime.
This behavior is not limited to recessions.
When I was just a young thing right out of undergraduate school working for a computer consulting company and assigned to a project for Digital Equipment Corporation, I almost got myself in very, very big trouble. I was rather junior in technical expertise and we were still in the project’s design phase, so I was analysing the old system when needed, doing a little admin work, worming my way into the hiring function, helping to make up the imaginary completion time table and other stuff like that. As we hired up, we had to move to a new location with more space. There was a special admin group that was supposed to do all the arranging for moves of technical groups, but they were short one person because of a nasty case of appendicitis. So, someone said, “Polly can do it.”
I had a lovely meeting with the head of this admin group who told me to contact her if I had any problems and gave me a list of contact people for the project. I went on my merry way and got a map of the new location, arranged for phones and missing cube furniture to be installed, arranged with the tech people to have our data moved to new servers, assigned people to offices after consulting the team leaders, got boxes delivered so we could pack, and, in a fit of brilliance, went to the new site a week ahead and talked to security who had no idea we were arriving until that moment but told me what I had to do to make sure all the contractors would be allowed in the building. Oh, and I made up maps and directions for everyone.
Well, a day or two before we were set to disappear, all heck broke loose. The head of the admin group was very, very angry that I had not been consulting with her. Evidently, I was being very disrespectful when I failed to bring her in on the process. Very confused, I explained to others that she had said to talk to her if I had any problems and everyone had been very helpful and there weren’t any problems to resolve. Move happened a few days later without incident.
Well, it turned out that the head of the whole project hated the head of the admin group and thought her “highly trained, completely essential” people were a waste of skin, oxygen and money. He thought it was hilarious that a 22 year old with a brain and a list had managed to arrange the smoothest tech group transfer in the history of the facility. His amusement was the ONLY thing that prevented me from getting tossed off the project and probably fired. If I had made a more important person angry, or one who the project leader actually liked, it could have been a whole other story….
Polly:
You do realize that you were given the admin’s job because you’re a female, right? Of course the actual admin was threatened by you. She was in competition with a higher-grade individual. That’s a position a dude would never find himself in. Competing with the head secretary. Geesh.
I was given the work because I was six months out of college and the only junior person on the team who spoke English fluently and could therefore interact well with other departments. Just about everyone else who was working on the project at that time was somewhere between 33 and 55 and working on the technical specifications, the software architechture and a few engineering tools. Also, someone had to do it - we had completely run out of space. New people were sitting around in the cafeteria without computers by that point. The admin group would have been delighted to let us wait around another two months if I hadn’t stepped up to the plate. Teamwork means something in a good workplace.
My other role major role was to edit all technical documents written by the people on the project from my company. Their English varied from pretty good but not up to business standards to barely understandable. In order to do this, I was allowed to schedule all our deliverables, decide when everyone else had to turn in their work to me for editing and send them back to rewrite stuff that wasn’t good enough for me to start on the final edit. The line between management and administration can be a very fine edge sometimes. I earned their respect in one project I did in the first two weeks I was there. Once I had it, I didn’t worry about whether one particular request was an insult or not. I transitioned to technical work as soon as it was available.
Yah know, sometimes you just have to pay your dues when you are young and it isn’t a big conspiracy thing. Besides, I got the opportunity to impress a heck of a lot of people by doing some of the admin/management work. If I had wanted to get hired on full time by the company, it would have been a snap and they didn’t do that for many people. Instead I went to law school with a little experience in office politics under my belt. It has stood me in good stead.
Now my salary was highly discriminatory. The company had negotiated a deal where they got the same pay for every person they staffed on the project, so I brought in the same revenue and cost a heck of a lot less in salary. My direct supervisor tried to get me a bit extra in bonus, but the head guy didn’t go for it. I didn’t find out about the terms of the company’s contract until it was too late to make a stink about it, but it was still a good job. One of the better ones I have had in my life.
Well, sexism doesn’t have to be a “big conspiracy” in order to happen. All that has to happen is a lot of acceptance. You assume you were given the secretarial role because you were new. However, fact is, “new” guys are not given secretarial roles. I’ve certainly never seen it happen. Only new girls (and even not-so-new ones) get that treatment.
There is a reason why women get paid 30% less than men to do the same job, and why it’s harder for women to get promoted than for men. Part of it is that so many women accept the treatment and convince themselves it’s not really happening.
Also, the technical editing job you did is normally very highly paid. Some technical editors get $100/hour. Just sayin’.
“I’ve certainly never seen it happen”
Then you have lived a very limited life without much variation in your work experience. It happens all the time when you are in a workplace where roles are not extremely well defined. They needed me on the spot right away to handle their writing issues even though they didn’t need me as a programmer for several months. I got hired to do the writing, but I had to have other things to do to fill up the rest of my time. This was one of many things that came up.
By the way, there were plenty of secretaries around. No one thought of assigning one of them to do the move. It was assumed to be much more than they could possibly handle.
Technical editors didn’t get paid $100 an hour in 1988.
You saw men doing secretarial work, even though they weren’t secretaries? Really? Are you sure you’re not just making that up in an attempt to defend all the sexism that is obvious for anyone to see? Can you think of a specific example?
I started working at 15, and I’m 33 now, so no I don’t think you can deride me as being “very limited” in my life and work experience, although the facts and data (widely available) do support my personal observation that guys have it easier at work than girls do. Never saw a guy do the secretary’s job and then act like he was grateful for it.
1988? Things were even worse back then! Do you seriously think you were being given a fair shake when they “let” you do admin work, even though you were a trained software engineer? Ya godda be kiddin me.
“……..not been consulting with her…….”
One of my first bosses told me that he wasn’t going to micro-manage us, but wanted to be kept in the loop on where we were, and what we were doing. (It was one of those places that had more work than there were bodies to go around). Mainly so he could tell anyone that asked where we were at, and what we were doing. A great way to work, as long as everyone plays their part. I’m betting that your boss got blind-sided by something that you were doing that they didn’t know about. A great way to make your boss look bad, intentionally or not.
When I became a supervisor later, I gave my crew chiefs and leads the same freedom; they could do their jobs the way they wanted, and I knew generally how/what they were doing, and could change their direction, if need be (sometimes, I was the recipient of information that they didn’t get).
Even now, I usually do a end-of-day summary of what’s been going on, especially when I’m off-site, with a plan of action for the following day, and send it by e-mail to the interested parties. Everyone who needs to know, knows what’s going on, and can call/e-mail with revisions, if they think I need to be going in another direction. (And, in the worst case, you have a record of who knew what, and when.)
The only downside is that some people may try to take credit for your work, but it’s been my experience that sooner rather than later, the PTB figure out who’s pulling the real load on the project.
Um law firms hire gay men….something to do with being very detailed oriented….
You saw men doing secretarial work, even though they weren’t secretaries?
Yeah, I have to admit that all (but one) of the male secretaries I’ve met have been gay men. But I’ve still never seen anyone ask a man (gay or straight) who was not a secretary to type something up or fix the printer jam or send a fax or whatever. Only happens to girls.
“But I’ve still never seen anyone ask a man”
Total BS
Blue Skye:
Could you expound on that please? I mean, really, do you expect to get somewhere by just coming out and saying “Total BS”? Since, as I mentioned before, the widely available data support my observation (and not your grunt), I think the onus is on your side here.
So, tell me, what exactly do you mean by “Total BS”?
Do you contend that you, as some sort of a trained person, have been relegated to secretary duty at some point in your life? Or do you just hate to admit that your status as a white man gives you an unfair advantage? Which is it BS, which one, you little conservative you.
I’ve gone very cynical in the last week.
Gosh, I’m sorry to see this happen, palmy. Before this last week you were so very credulous and dewy-eyed, too….
*shakes head sadly at the new loss of palmy’s innocence *
So why are they trying to refinance anyway? Surprise, surprise, the lender doesn’t want to reduce the rate on their existing loan.
Aha, there’s a diagnosis I hadn’t thought of. And very likely.
Will, yours is an interesting thought from a global perspective as well.
Could it be that all banks are avoiding making loans at current historically low interest rates? Are they holding off to avoid having a bunch of money tied up in 30 year mortgages when the Fed finally decides to raise rates? Better to have cash laying around to lend when/if we hit Carter era double digit interest.
My guess is that this very nice couple is leaving a few things out of their plaint; to wit, the $ 10K they get every month from the “rental properties they manage” goes straight into paying the mortgages on said properties, they have a lot of credit card debt and other loans which eat up more of their monthly income, even though Mr. “had” a FICO of 809 at the time of the application, and that the value of the house had fallen below the amount of the loan they were trying to refinance. Hence, no BofA loanie-poo refi for them.
To the underwater FBs in Chula Vista, may I suggest that if you decide you cannot or do not want to continue paying your mortgage, then DON’T abandon the home. With this new RAPP law, the lender will be very reluctant to complete the foreclosure process. You could easily stay in that home almost for free (just pay the utilities and taxes) for a year or more.
”With nearly 9,000 foreclosures in the city over the last two years, Leeper said he has had to increase staff in his division. Since July 2007, more than 2,600 properties have been registered with the program, producing more than $183,000 in registration fees, Leeper said. Not all 9,000 properties have been registered because some lenders haven’t complied with the program and, in other cases, homes are still occupied. There have been 2,000 complaints about unkempt homes and $1.3 million in fines issued.”
9,000 foreclosures, $1.3 million in fines? Those numbers seem way out of line.
Why don’t the Chula Vistas of the country put some teeth into their fines. If banks don’t take care of their foreclosure properties, municipalities should charge them a market rate of rent for the pleasure of ruining the surrounding neighborhood. If the lender stays out of compliance, the municipalities should confiscate the property and sell it at auction. I guarantee the problem of foreclosure blight would disappear overnight with a more aggressive approach.
I’ve been thinking the same thing, PB. But I’m sure, even at local levels, politicians get benefits from the financial interests. I’m sure there is also some sort of threat in terms of “we won’t invest in your communities” if you come down on us.
This is a huge mess. And it is government assisted fascism.
government assisted fascism
Is there any other kind?
Yes.
Govt assisted socialism.
I think he meant, what kind of fascism does not require govt assistance?
Yes. Corporate-assisted fascism, in the form of high-dollar lobbying, which results in the relaxation of regulation and allowance of semi-monopolistic behavior leading to companies which are too-big-to-fail. (not to mention private armies and wars-for-profit.)
‘I’m sure there is also some sort of threat in terms of “we won’t invest in your communities” if you come down on us.’
I see no problem here. Aren’t there laws against redlining (e.g., the CRA)
I agree, PB.
Most important thing is to get the banks to report which properties have been abandoned. I’d have a two tier system: very reasonable fee if you report it yourself and make sure it is kept up, and a much, much higher one if you let the property go to heck and someone else has to turn you in and their complaint is confirmed as valid.
You have to give the banks a really good reason to hire the bodies needed to the work, or they never will.
Why don’t the Chula Vistas of the country put some teeth into their fines. If banks don’t take care of their foreclosure properties, municipalities should charge them a market rate of rent for the pleasure of ruining the surrounding neighborhood.
Testify, Brother Bear!
Banks need much stronger incentives to get bad loans and abandoned properties off their books. They also need stronger disincentives to loose lending that feeds speculation and personal financial mismanagement. The sooner communities start forcing lenders to take responsibility for their mistakes, the sooner we’ll hit bottom and get on the road to recovery.
Agree 100%!
Ask the banks to be responsible and spend $$$ to stabilize a neighborhood they have an equity stake eh?
How could we? The poor banks!!!! They’re so honest and upstanding.
From one of our charismatic Verde Valley Realtors:
“With interest rates in the high 4%. So with great credit - you too could be one of the luckies! Home prices continue to be LOW! As I have said previously - we are somewhere in the trough - not
plummeting down like a meteor (Thank God) - the prices seem to be stabilizing. And the point must be made that if you are waiting for prices to drop and yet the interest rates go up - you will not see any gain because of the higher interest rates. It all makes sense to buy now. We are living in a golden opportunity. I myself have taken the plunge and have invested in this market - and I think you should
too!”
I corrected the misspellings for easier reading.
And…I bet she researched this, too.
lol
Not that there is any possible down leg this winter… for example the census bureau ‘correcting’ employment figures down (more unemployment)? Naaa….
To think, mortgage criteria is tightening… further. We’ll see sanity soon.
Got Popcorn?
Neil
Re: feral cats
Actually animals of all species, including humans, will display aggression displacement in times of increased stress (facing danger, starvation, abuse, etc). In the case of cats, they maintain high levels of cortisol to make fight or flight kick into gear quickly (as they usually do not have time to contemplate what behavior to take).
Feral cats simply seek what every other creature seeks, that is, food, shelter and safety. If a stressed animals such as a feral cat “attacks” you, it is likely because the animal is already in a hyper adrenal state and perceives danger.
Uncaring humans, other animals, stress, injury, disease, starvation can all lead to defensive behavior. Wow, just like humans! I think people already know this. There will always be unkind types who displace their own aggression and direct it onto animals or people they see as less powerful. Sad indeed.