Tag Archives: Washington

Crazy, Crazy Dixy

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Since Dixy Lee Ray’s name was brought up on my FaceBook page, I thought I’d share a fun memory of her. I knew her while I was working as a reporter and news anchor on KIRO-TV in Seattle.

Dixy, who was then running for office as Washington State Governor, was actually kind of a wild lady. She did an occasional TV show on KIRO, always wearing the same faded canary-yellow jacket. One day just moments before the show went live, a floor director suggested that she put on a different colored jacket which he had in his hands.

No problem. Right on camera with seconds to go, she stripped off the yellow jacket (wearing absolutely nothing underneath!), and put on the green one. Jaws dropped in the studio, the director’s booth, and around all the TV monitors in the newsroom. The future Governor of Washington State just didn’t have inhibitions. She wouldn’t have hesitated for a second, even if she was actually on the air at the time. She was much wilder than her staid reputation as a scientist ever hinted at. She was also a good person.

Miss you, Dixy!

My Typos

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I usually write these blogs in the middle of the night when I’m barely awake. So I’m constantly finding embarrassing typos. Of course, I realize you’re never supposed to admit these things publicly, but after forty years in a TV newsroom I’m used to having others correct my spelling and grammar. We’re all on the same team, here, right? And we all want to be credible, right? So please don’t hesitate to point out errors that need correcting.

I’m easy to reach at Ward@NeighborsAtWar.com.  And I will correct any and all errors when I get the signal. Egads, I love the Internet!

 

We the People, Screw the People

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Across this grand country of ours, people are waking up to the massive corruption scheme known as the Homeowners Association Movement. This cash cow has transferred billions of dollars from the assets of homeowners into the pockets of the tort industry. No lawyer can afford NOT to represent Homeowners Associations against individual homeowners. And lots of HOA board officials get slipped cash for going along with the program.

Is this writer really serious? Isn’t he a little off his rocker? Organized crime? Didn’t we all think all members of the Mafia were either dead or in prison?

Well, RICO statutes (racketeering) were certainly aimed at the Mafia. But RICO laws were also aimed at any and all white collar crime that crossed state borders and was therefore subject to federal law. It’s under these very statutes that FBI agents raided scores of Homeowners Associations in Nevada, and under these statutes that the U.S. Attorney was able to indict at least forty lawyers, police officials, HOA board officials, political figures, management company executives and others in the last four year’s worth of Federal Grand Jury investigations.

I started this blog off by talking about how people are waking up. Well, so is the massive tort industry. It’s working madly to smash down any legislation aimed at stopping the organized and profitable abuse of homeowners. The latest proposed HOA tort reform is in North Carolina. But it appears from the article linked below that yet another attempt to restore the Bill of Rights to homeowners is being sucked down the tube.

Do you feel ill, yet? You should.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20130326/ARTICLES/130329770/1177

 

Massive HOA Fraud Discovered in Oregon

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You don’t hear many stories about HOA nightmares in Oregon and Washington. Well, folks, that’s changing.

Here’s a story that claims 31 Homeowners Associations in Oregon were ripped off by their management company. Homeowners are facing huge special assessments to make up for the loss. The management company employee embezzled up to two million dollars. HOAs from Portland to Forest Grove are struggling under the weight of the financial disaster.

Stunned homeowners were heard saying, “Gosh, you just don’t hear about this kind of thing happening.” to which our only comment should be “HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!”

But heck, lets unload some more comments. The victim HOAs in Oregon are the rule, NOT the exception. HOA embezzlement by board officers and management companies may be the most underreported financial crime in America. One problem is that embezzlements embarrass Homeowners Associations. They do everything in their power to cover them up. It’s hard to sell homes in a neighborhood that has a track record for ripping off the homeowners.

Second, if you’re an HOA president or treasurer there are amazing ways of stealing from your neighbors so they never actually know they’ve been robbed. Hmmm, if there’s enough interest, I might even create a list of 101 ways to steal HOA funds and not get caught. I’d hate to further educate the bad guys, but it might provide some important information for future victims.

Last, it’s my belief, based on some pretty good evidence, that the vast majority of Homeowners Associations in America have already lost money to HOA corruption. That’s what the FBI is discovering in the massive federal investigation of HOAs in Las Vegas.

Although life in some HOAs is rather pleasant, each homeowner may as well have a huge bull’s eye tattooed on his or her backside. It’s just a subtle reference to a famous Gary Larson “Far Side” cartoon, “Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.”

BTW, the link below contains the whole story on the Oregon theft, along with the 31 HOAs that got ripped off. Good reporting by Mara Stine and Jim Clark of the Gresham Outlook. Now, if they’d just expand their investigation to the rest of the Pacific Northwest!

http://portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=134013470305516200

Jesus Christ, What Happened To Us?

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One of the saddest stories out of Washington this Christmas is that Congressmen are forbidden from wishing their constituents “Merry Christmas” if they’re using Congressional franking privileges. In fact, the newest rules accept “Have a happy new year,” but do not permit “Happy New Year!”

It seems the PC crowd doesn’t want tax dollars used for anything that even hints at any connection to religion. The First Amendment doesn’t mandate that life in America be absolutely secular, it simply says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” But 200 years of Supreme Court rulings have decided that the First Amendment doesn’t say what our common sense tells us it does.

Jesus warned his followers that “all men will hate you because of me.” But who knew that such hatred would be so virulent?

And yes, the PC movement has also hog-tied the Homeowner Association movement. Even though HOAs claim they are not government agencies, across the country they are falling in line, banning Christmas lights, religious displays, Mezuzahs, crosses, figurines of Mary.

Most Christians are not offended at Hannukah greetings from Jewish friends, Jews are generally not emotionally shattered if someone wishes them, “Merry Christmas.” Presumably, as other religions are more widely recognized, greetings connected to their own holidays, celebrations and customs will gain additional traction.

But it’s a sad, sad world that doesn’t acknowledge the mysteries and majesty of God.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

No offense.

Ward Lucas
Author of
Neighbors At War: The Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association