While I honestly believe the approaching mortgage and housing collapse will be the biggest in our history, I still respect well-written satire of economic fatalists like me.
Yes, China might someday be the biggest holder of American homeowner debt, but in the meantime I’ll always be able to smile at such wonderful prose:
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/big-book/how-survive-next-economic-collapse
I’ve been accused by one of our forum members of doing a ‘bait and switch’ in my recent offer to discount book sales during the month of June. My original intent was to discount bulk purchases of my book Neighbors At War. But my wording was poorly thought out and it led to some bruised feelings among some. The misunderstanding was my fault and I apologize to anyone who felt deceived.
While Amazon frowns on authors who discount books below their online price, I still need to correct my error. So If anyone wants to purchase a single copy (or more) for $5 per book I will respect and fulfill your order while my stock holds out. If my supply of books gets low I will instruct my fulfillment house in New Hampshire to honor the same arrangement. I am out of town until later this month, but when I return I will gladly fulfill any requests.
Again, my mailing address is:
Hogback Publishing
151 Summer St. #463
Morrison, Colorado 80465
It’s with deep emotions and a heavy heart that I write this blog about D-Day.
On that beach, dressed in the United States Army military fatigues with a rifle and a helmet was the man that ten years later would become the most influential person in my life. He was six feet tall, slender, beautiful blue eyes, thick dark brown hair with a wave on the side, a grin that melted everybody’s heart, and a sense of humor that could turn the toughest situations into one that made me laugh. Mom’s girlfriends said he was so dreamy looking he could have been a movie star. By the grace of God, I was one of three lucky girls that got to call him Dad.
He wasn’t a war hero, he was my hero. From my earliest memories in life, he was always my best friend. He was a very successful businessman, but first and foremost he was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, friend, and employer. He never missed my dance recitals, or a chance to make latrines for my Girl Scout camp. He was at every event I was a part of in school even when he was sitting in the freezing cold on concrete bleachers while I was cheering for our team until I lost my voice. He taught me about life, people, money management, construction, honesty, integrity, motivation, ambition, problem-solving, decision-making, project management, and taking good care of customers. He lived by his motto of “Work hard and play hard but never do too much of either one!”
We went to air shows and boat shows, car races and rodeos, the circus and ice skating performances. We went to Disneyland and Fairy Land, and coast to coast in the family station wagon. We ate well and lived comfortably in a beautiful HOA-FREE neighborhood. We had nice cars, boats, clothes, and a vacation home.
I’ve been extremely fortunate. And, my Dad told me to never buy a home with an HOA. I didn’t listen to his advice and I’ve paid the price. I fight every day to educate others about the horrors of HOAs and try to protect them from this misery. My Dad is my driving force, the wind beneath my wings, and the angel on my shoulder. He knew this HOA battle would grow ugly and brutal and I fight it to honor him.
He fought for our country to protect our freedoms from being destroyed by our enemies. When WWII was over, he returned to Kansas and never shared a word about what he saw on June 6, 1944. I just always knew we would take no vacations where we slept in a tent or away from American soil. And rice was never served on our dinner table. I did not know where my Dad was on D-Day until after both of my parents were gone and a family friend told me. I cried for hours.
Many men lost their lives. Wives lost their husbands, children lost their dads, mothers and fathers lost their sons, and brothers and sisters lost their brothers, and families lost loved ones seventy years ago on this fateful day. May we pause to remember each of them. And, pray that the citizens of our country and especially those of us in HOAs will recognize they did not make the ultimate sacrifice so we could turn against and battle each other on American soil today.
Beyond words…I love you and miss you, Dad.
Thank you for your service to our great country.
Elmer L. Ridings, 1922-1988
Sorry. I guess my strike through function doesn’t work on headlines
But Arizona’s Bimbo eruptions are the new American Vesuvius. First comes the gas, then the pumice, finally the lava. And that’s how you make a volcano (take that, L. Ron Hubbard!)
Yes, it seems Michelle Ugenti, the Arizona Legislature’s permanently enshrined Bimbo, is now up to her lashy lush eyebrows in steamy sex mail with another, shall we say b-i-g fellow lawmaker. He must be big, because he doesn’t want any of this steam being released to the public. Divorce lawyers on both sides are going nuts, or at least crazy, trying to keep the lid on this simmering scandal. The Bimbo’s husband wants his hands on those emails but her attorney is arguing it’s personal business, and privileged legislative business to boot! Heck, we all know that legislators are constantly screwing the public. But these lawyers think that kind of activity is a private affair. Not so fast, wise guys! You can screw your lawyer, screw your paramour, BUT DO NOT SCREW THE TAXPAYER!
Take a bit of advice from an old investigative reporter who’s been through the courts in search of cell phone records before. Bimbo Ugenti’s lawyer is blowing, uh, er, smoke. Yeah, smoke. He’s wrong about Legislative privilege preventing the release of the Bimbo’s sexy texts. We proved that in Colorado. Our good old governor, our good old Denver Mayor both learned the hard way (ahem) that if a single dime of taxpayers’ money paid for cell phone bills or text messages, the voters had a right to see those records! An absolute right! They’re not private records if they traveled over a taxpayer funded phone system or if they traveled over a Legislative issued phone or device! Bimbo Ugenti is too much of a dumbo to keep her legislative account separate from her personal account. Forget the divorce arguments. Forget privacy arguments. FOLLOW THE MONEY! Use a newspaper or a TV station to sue for the Bimbo’s messages on behalf of the taxpayers of Arizona! We won in Colorado. You’ll win in Arizona.
Take my advice, and you’ll soon be able to officially name Arizona’s new Pompeii something like “Mt. Pompous-ass.”
(Link to Bimbo Ugenti’s troubles)
Sicily Kolbeck built her dream home, lost her best friend in the midst of building, and gave a TED Talk. How old is she? 13. What did she learn? Many lessons about construction but even more about life, loving, losing, and living on.
Her story really touches my heart. I was 13 when I built a lake home with my dad, who was my best friend, too. I miss and think of him every day. I know if he was still here, I never ever would have purchased in an HOA.
I wish Sicily all the best in her new home whether she takes it to college, lives in the wilderness, or hooks up and pulls it around Alaska. Most of all, I hope she’ll always remember her dad’s loving hands helped her build not just a tiny home but confidence that will take her many places that she has yet to dream of.
I also hope she will inspire other young people to build a tiny house so they won’t fall into the condo concentration camp. Or the maintence-not-provided scam. If it takes a few feet of living space on a trailer to protect the younger generation from the nightmares of HOA living, I’m all for it!
Enjoy both videos as Miss Sicily shares her story!
