Despite FCC rulings that support amateur radio hobbyists and the installation of ham radio antennas, Homeowners Associations have mightily resisted. Hobbyists have been harrassed, fined, and sued by HOAs which insist that neighborhood covenants don’t have to pay attention to federal law.
But there’s a new bill introduced in Congress which could prove interesting if it gets wide support. Republicans and Democrats are signing on to the bill. Hobbyists are mounting a nationwide campaign to get it passed into law. Of course, the HOA industry is fighting it tooth and nail, claiming such nonsense as “this is a bill that would invalidate all CC&Rs.”
But as our frequent guest blogger and commenter, Deborah Goonan, says, it’s an example of how going federal can bring results.”
One of my brothers is an attorney in Washington State. He and I don’t quite see eye to eye on the national disgrace known as Homeowners Associations.
So I was sort of stunned this afternoon after listening to him being interviewed on a Seattle radio station. I never knew that he was a historian and expert on the American Revolution. And I didn’t realize how articulate he was on the importance of revering and respecting the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
I have a link posted below to his interview. You’ll have to wade through about 13 minutes of babble about restaurants and cuisine. You can quickly skip ahead to the second section to hear my brother’s interview.
But as you listen to Gregory Lucas talk about what led to the American Revolution and the formation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, try to compare some of that to our current revolution against the abusive and fascist HOA movement.
Our anti-HOA movement is all about the rights our forefathers reserved for us and how in recent years we’ve allowed our homes to be swallowed by massive corporations which don’t have to honor any of our traditional rights.
If you end up listening to this interview, please give me some advice on how to steer my brother over to our side in the HOA fight.
Frequent readers of this blog know I have five family members buried at Arlington, two more at the National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. This post isn’t HOA related, and I apologize to any of you who are put out by that. But the video linked below really moved me. It would be a crime for me not to pass it on to you.
This is one you may want to show your kids or grandkids, too. If you’re an American who reveres our troops and their sacrifice, this may bring forth a tear or two.
What if I told you that a town in Pennsylvania had intentionally ignored federal ADA standards on nearly half of the homes built in a major development, would you believe it?
If you were told that this builder was allowed to intentionally ignore federal standards requiring wheelchair access to 100% of the new condos in this township, would you find that acceptable? Would you feel that a federal lawsuit might be justified?
Well, that’s what’s happening in a Bethlehem Township, where city inspectors intentionally ignored federal rules mandating wheelchair access on new condo developments. Developers have been allowed to run roughshod over laws that require protection for the handicapped. And yes, a lawsuit has been filed.
We discussed this recently: the California bill to forbid Homeowners Associations from fining homeowners who allow their lawns to go brown.
The drought in the Southwest is historic, with water to Southern California all but going dry. The Central Valley is dry, the Colorado River is almost a dry basin. Commercial irrigation in much of the state has evaporated. People in Los Angeles County who suddenly can’t get drinking water from the tap are going to be astonished.
Despite the water disaster, arrogant HOA boards have been fining homeowners who don’t water their lawns enough. It took a state law to forbid HOAs, their management companies and their lawyers from ordering homeowners to ignore drought warnings. And now all those board members are whining that they have a new law they have to obey.
Strange that HOA boards can be so short-sighted. No concience, I guess.
