George is one of the early champions, and one of the great minds in the Homeowners Rights Movement. This email made the rounds this week, so I’m posting it to try to bring more people into his fold.
From George:
I’ve been following your emails and blogs reflecting your activism in your state. It’s refreshing. Keep the dialogue up you guys and remember:
Illegitimati non carborundum (Don’t Let The Bastards Wear You Down) — Gen. Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell (WWII)
I am pleased with the criticism and exposure of CAI and its puppet associations of HOAs and managers. I refer to CAI as the Evil Empire, because its miniscule majority of HOA members is less than 1% yet it dominates and shapes all state legislation. The question becomes: how to effect favorable HOA legislation in your state?
Talking between ourselves is great for unity and a better understanding of the extent of the “virus.” And by doing so we can better reach out to the legislators and educate them to offset the years of the Ministry of Propaganda and National Enlightenment, which in today’s world refers to CAI (was Goebbels’ NAZI agency). In my mind the broadest impact lies in reforming the 5 issues contained in my HOA Common Sense: rejecting private government. Of course, we must also deal with the existing unjust laws that affect HOA operations on a daily basis.
But, we cannot lose sight in all of our debates, discussions, statements and emails where we want to be, and that’s getting HOA reform legislation enacted. That is the only place where change can come about (note how the AZ legislature ignored the court decision on the unconstitutional HOA statutes of last year and has allowed them to remain un-repealed). It would be nice if policy can be set through your efforts under the name of some national unity group.
I urge you to try to include this awareness in your battles with the Evil Empire.
-George Staropoli
HOA Common Sense: rejecting private government (pdf)
HOA Constitutional Government (commentaries)
Constitutional Local Government (HOA information)
HOA Constitutional Government (commentaries)
Constitutional Local Government (HOA information)
One thing Mr. Staropoli doesn’t bring up, under the heading of contracts, is that in many cities and areas today, the numbers of homes that are controlled by HOAs make it problematic, if not essentially impossible, for a homeowner to be able to purchase a home NOT controlled by an HOA.
This further supports the contention that HOAs are a contract between the municipalities and the developers, with the homeowners being given NO opportunity to decide if they wants homes with an HOA. No demonstration of democracy there.
Actually, Leo, George Staropoli does bring this point up over and over again in his voluminous writings. But generally, you’re exactly on target. If you want to buy a new home anywhere in America, you are almost forced to buy your home in the New Communist America. We lost our Democratic Republic a long, long time ago. It’s just now that a few people are waking up and asking, “What happened?”
That’s how we got into this mess of HOAs. Buyers kept handing over their money for HOA properties. Had they refused to buy into these nightmares thirty years ago we wouldn’t be facing this massive problem today.
At the same time, when HOAs started people respected each other, neighbors helped neighbors, and we did not live in such a litigious society.
Times have changed and it’s time to stop building housing communities that have long ago proven they failed.
Does anyone know if a homeowner has tried to purchase a home in an HOA and NOT agree to the CC&R’s and been successful? It is basically contract law, right? If a homeowner currently living under the CC&R’s wanted to sell their home to a buyer who was not willing to live under the CC&R’s, could it be done? My HOA board doesn’t have oversight or approval of subsequent property buyers.
Holly, I have never heard of that happening since the covenants are part of the deed and run with the land.