A&E’s TV series, Duck Dynasty, is truly one of the most remarkable shows on television. Yes, it’s been controversial at times, but members of this West Monroe, Louisiana family appear fearless as they deal with personality differences, and walk viewers through the intricacies of their lives.
I also know, after a lifetime of working in television, that almost all of these ‘reality’ shows are heavily choreographed and orchestrated. Sorry if that pops your bubble, but those are the facts of life.
Still, there are some things that can’t be faked. Many of us saw a Duck Dynasty episode a year ago when the Robertson family showed up at their HOA board meeting after being dinged for owning chickens and for burning leaves. The faces in the room are priceless. The vacant far-away, shell-shocked expressions among homeowners should be given some kind of acting award. The matriarch’s repeated statement that she brought a casserole to the HOA meeting had me rolling in laughter. Faked or not, this episode was hilarious.
If anyone among our readership has contact with the Robertson family, or their producers, or the many actors and technicians who work on their set, please let me know. I want to send them some copies of Neighbors At War!
Glory me! Yes, HOA board members and managers are all jittery in Illinois because the courts have upheld the validity of the Second Amendment. Somehow, in their warped way of thinking the CAI (Community Association of Idiots) have figured out that by having a strong Second Amendment and conceal/carry laws, there might be more assaults and threats against HOA board members!
In fact, the CAI recently commissioned a study which ‘proved’ that 13% of board members, managers or homeowners had been physically assaulted and that 52% had been threatened with assault. It’s linked below for those of you curious enough, or bored enough, to want to read further.
Now folks, please understand that I’m a lifelong investigative reporter. I’ve traipsed through slums and I’ve plunked myself down on sofas in Governors’ mansions. I’ve shaken hands with murderers in jail cells and the highest officials in the White House. And you’ll just have to believe me when I say these numbers (13% and 52%) are as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. I could walk into any inner city neighborhood and not find that 52% of the population has been threatened with bodily harm. Unless the CAI produces their survey, I call “fake!”
If such a huge huge number of people are being assaulted or threatened, then it cannot be the people…it has to be the atmosphere. Create a village where all members are supposed to spy on and report the ‘illegal’ activities of neighbors and I might believe a large percentage of people are willing to use physical violence against the Village Idiots.
In the meantime, DO NOT believe the lies perpetrated by the Homeowners Association industry.
I forget which country singer delivered that line, but I do want to pass along some lines to readers of this blog.
There’s another good article on the national HOA scam that’s making its way around the country. This one is published in Naked Capitalismand it discloses what I’ve been saying for years: Homeowners Associations DO NOT protect your property values!
In fact, the column by Yves Smith says while the national housing market is improving, the HOA market is going the opposite direction. Improper foreclosures, declining revenue from dues, underfunded reserves are slamming residents of Homeowners Associations.
And yes, more and more Americans are learning about HOA Amerika. My ongoing prediction: Things are going to get a lot uglier on the HOA side of the wall.
Sometimes our seemingly hopeless cause can be frustrating. When you think you’re doing the right thing but get hammered by critics at every turn, just try to keep up your confidence. First of all, our group is growing. More people are boarding this ship every day.
Second, take a look at the famous ‘losers’ listed below. The higher your level of enthusiasm the more successful you’ll be.
Once again, this website has passed the 50,000 mark for people visiting us during the previous month. That kind of growth doesn’t come from me or my guest bloggers, although I love them dearly. It’s because YOU are spreading the word about the scam known as the American Homeowners Association Movement. And people are paying attention.
Some family members just got back from Spring Break week in Florida with stories about yet another family member who’s gotten his back up over a minor HOA dispute. An unmowed lawn, a too-high hedge, and the wrong kind of lamp in the window. He plans to fight the HOA. I plan to plead with him to pay all the fines, shut up and carefully plot his escape.
You will not, you cannot win a fight against your HOA especially in Florida. Just pay the fines. Once you have to hire a lawyer, the tens of the thousands or the hundreds of thousands you spend will pale in comparison to the amounts in the original dispute. In other words, you lose. If you lose you’re a loser. The HOA system is not built to protect property values or neighborly love. It’s a contentious, dispute-driven organism which creates losers. But as an organism it does have a life cycle. Its death is inevitable.
If you can make a clean escape, or change the system from within, or spread the word to other homeowners…then you’re a winner.
