America Has a Heart Problem

I’m old enough to have grown up hearing stories about WWII. My father was drafted with a wife and 4 daughters at home and yet he told stories proudly about his time served. He didn’t whine about being yanked away from his family at a critical time…he did what he did for our Country. Although he was divinely protected from harm, he returned home a hero right along with 2 of his brothers. They were thanked for their service not criticized for their “involvement”. Americans were proud and willing to fight to defend this amazing Country of ours IN SPITE of the fact that (on the average) over 400 Americans died every single day…over 400,000 Americans lost their lives in WWIl. Incomprehensible.

Some of our relatives returned home to talk about it….some of them died defending their Country, their families, their freedom and their liberty. America was united and proud at that time. Americans rolled up their sleeves and did what they had to do to support our troops. I have heard time and time again about the celebrations that took place when that war FINALLY ended. What a glorious time that must have been. America was energized and prepared to move on to become a stronger union…a united front. America had a healthy heart.

I’m also old enough to have grown up hearing stories about the war in Vietnam. Countless brothers and fathers of my friends served in this horrific war under unspeakable conditions. The draft was in full force and the dodgers were running marathons to avoid the requirement to serve. On the average 26 American lives were lost each day…almost 60,000 in total. Unimaginable.

Most Vietnam vets were not warmly welcomed home. This war had become a political platform and our troops paid the price. They came home to criticism and judgment…protestors spitting insults at them and a Government not prepared to deal with the emotionally and physically wounded warriors and the challenging after effects of this war. Veterans were made to believe that they weren’t worthy of praise for service. They were made to feel like traitors for their involvement in spite of the fact that most of them were drafted to serve…like damaged goods for serving the Country that many of us still love. Unbelievable. A major sign of a heart problem.

I used to believe that the difference in the attitude of Americans between WWII and Vietnam was that America was under direct threat as part of WWII so most Americans could justify the war while many Americans questioned our involvement in Vietnam in the first place. Clearly I was wrong. Our war against terrorism began with a direct threat and the loss of thousands of American lives on U.S. soil and yet there is a never ending flow of judgment about our involvement in this war. Apparently this isn’t a good enough cause to fight back for many Americans. I just wonder where we’d be now if America had taken a soft approach to a treacherous attack.

I’m old enough to have a son and son-in-law PROUDLY serving in the United States Air Force. Nobody forced them to serve…they didn’t join the military because they didn’t have other options or because the unemployment rate is high…they didn’t join with a “shoot ‘em up” attitude. They joined because they believe America is worth fighting for and they are willing to do their part for our freedom and yet I can’t begin to count the times that someone responded to news of my family in service by saying “I’m so sorry…I’d never let my kid do that”.

I’ve never prayed harder nor have I ever been prouder than I am today and yet my heart breaks for them every time I overhear someone question our involvement or criticize our efforts. Clearly a sign of a serious heart problem. Make no mistake about it, each time you have this discussion in the presence of one of our warriors it is like spitting in the face of those who have chosen to serve our Country for all of the right reasons. Disgusting.

Nobody likes war. I may not be happy with the current state of affairs or our perplexing political platform but I’m still proud to be an American and I stand behind every brave warrior defending the United States of America.

Yep, America has a heart problem. Fortunately it’s not an incurable one. We just need to focus on the problem and seek the appropriate “treatment”.

Let’s set aside our political platform surrounding this war and say a few kind words to our troops instead of questioning their efforts. I grew up hearing “if you don’t have something nice to say, keep your mouth shut”. Sounds like pretty good advice when in the presence of someone willing to die for you and me, don’t you think?

HOA's...Blessing or Curse?

If you don’t live in a subdivision governed by an HOA you may be shocked to learn about how much power they have over the property owner. So much power that the right to quiet enjoyment of your property can be stolen from you effortlessly. So much so that, IF you are unable to pay your dues they have the right, and don’t hesitate to, foreclose on your property. The HOA has no problem obtaining a “priority lien” to collect the fees. You’d be shocked to hear of how many homes across the country have been foreclosed on by community Homeowner’s Associations. As if life isn’t hard enough these days.

One Homeowner’s Association in Edgewater, Florida votes this week on banning children from playing outside! “No bikes, no…no skateboards, no skipping rope, no loud voices”…no childhood. They believe that they are justified because they don’t have a community playground so “the occupants should have made a better choice about where to live”. Sadly there is every possibility that the HOA will win. What would you do if you and your family were living in a community that BANS children from playing outside? If the HOA gets its way, the homeowner can do one of two things. Abide by the rules or move.

I recently read about a single mom in Texas who lost her job and was struggling to keep up with all of her expenses. She fell behind in her dues for a few months but was able to catch up on her payments minus the $100.00+/- added to her bill for “legal fees” incurred to collect the HOA dues. She believed that this fee was no longer applicable because she paid her dues up-to-date before legal action was forthcoming. Nope. They foreclosed on her property for less than $200! Her home was completely paid off…she hit hard times…she paid her dues…but she LOST HER HOME because of the power of the HOA. This happens far more often than you would ever imagine.

I live in a large lot subdivision in Virginia that has raised my HOA dues from $400 per year when I first moved here 12 years ago to almost $6,000 a year now. Amenities? NONE. Services? NONE. We get our road frontage mowed and the snow removed in the winter. That’s it. Quite a price to pay for little return, don’t you think? There are gated communities with 24/7 guards, a community pool, tennis courts, trash service, high speed Internet and snow removal that pay far less than we do in our small Purcellville subdivision. Where is the rationale in that?

My property has been forced into an unmarketable position. The ability to sell has been drastically impaired because of the amount of the dues that can’t be easily justified to the potential buyer. How can you explain away almost $6,000 a year? As if this market doesn’t have enough problems of its own…nobody in their right mind would willingly take on these dues for more control than return on investment.

Of course, there are some that would chose to live within an HOA at ALL costs. They are so focused on the “risk” that they might get stuck with a bad neighbor that could “devalue” their property because of an above ground pool or a dirt bike. How did we get sold such a bill of goods that we believe that we have to surrender ALL property rights so that we have someone else to fight our “bad” neighbor battles for us? Does that really make sense to you?

Most people believe that they are forever stuck in HOA jail. Most are not aware than an HOA can be abolished and the property rights and management can revert back to the individual property owners. Majority rules in this case, based upon the by-laws of the individual HOA. If the majority votes to abolish the HOA it gets abolished.

So, what would you do? Would you fight to remove the HOA or are you so paranoid about someone painting their door the wrong color or one too many cars in the driveway that you would quietly remain in bondage to the rules and the governing power of the HOA?

I believe that the Homeowner’s Association agenda needs to be addressed and the power needs to revert back to the homeowners at all costs. I’ll deal with the risk of a “bad neighbor” or a front door painted the wrong color. Frankly, $6,000 a year would buy me a lot of legal advice to battle the challenges…if they ever come my way.

Think long and hard about your next purchase. Consider the power that the HOA will have over you and your family if you buy into an HOA subdivision. Keep looking…it will be worth it in the long run.

Do you have an HOA story or want to provide input? Please write to: HOAfacts@gmail.com.