I’ve lived in five states since my divorce and have rented a place to live in each one, mostly with a year lease and I have not violated one. I have had the property manager try to shaft me on several, and all attempts failed. I lived in Grapevine, Texas when I moved there when the company I worked for was trying to expand. I moved in with the stipulation that if my employer decided to cease operations, I could break the lease without repercussions.  Sure enough, seven months later the jobs went dry and I was forced to move back to Colorado. Three months later, I received a letter from a lawyer stating that I owed X number of dollars for breaking the lease and damage to the apartment. As expected, it was a different property manager, they change so frequently, and the agreement I had made with the original one was null and void. Luckily, the original property manager and I had written out our agreement and it was signed by both of us as an attachment to the lease agreement. It seems her husband had also been in construction and she knew about jobs evaporating. The lawyer called me several times, called me a few names, threatened me a lot and demanded even more money or he’d see me in court. After a call to the Texas regulatory agency, I found out that the lawyer was the property manager’s husband and wasn’t licensed to practice law in Texas. The next time he called, I mentioned this to him, stated that I had recorded our phone conversations and was planning to turn to over to the Texas Attorney General. I never heard from them again.

Now I have another property manager’s lawyer calling me demanding $3,500 for breaking the lease, not giving notice of moving and payment for replacing  a carpet plus other minor damage. For one, the townhomes refused to sign another one year lease so we were on a month to month rental agreement. The carpet was thread bare but clean, I don’t know what he means by other damage. He’s supposed to be sending me documentation to prove his points. These townhomes have tried sung several other tentents and have lost every time, all for several tousands of dollars each. This lawyer doesn’t have a very good track record with lawsuits. If he produces a signed lease, it will be a forgery for we didn’t sign a renewal lease. They had posted a notice on the door giving us ten days to vacate the place. I also had taken pictures of every room before I left so I know there wasn’t any damage, except normal wear and tear.

I had a small place near brush, Colorado for two years. I gave the owner, she lived right across the street, two weeks notice, cleaned the place really great and took pictures of the ceiling hanging down in the bedroom, the leaky hot water heater and the rotten porch before I left. I also left her my forwarding address so she could return my deposit. A month later I received a letter from her lawyer demanding thousands of dollars for damages. I just copied the pictures and sent them to him with a demand for return of $350 deposit or my lawyer would contacting him. A week later I got a check in the mail, no letter, just the check. End of story.

If there is one thing I’ve learned from renting and leasing, keep every scrap of paper for at least a year. Anything agreed to must be in writing, no handshakes. Take pictures when you move in and when you move out. I’ve learned that no matter how nice the property manager is when you move in, they turn into a demon from hell when you move out with selective memory loss. The think that a call from a lawyer will have you turning over and begging for forgiveness; my advice — don’t turn into a sheep. Stand your ground, if you’re right and don’t let them threaten you into submission. If a lawyer calls, ask politely for his license number and then check it. If he won’t give it to you, that’s a point in your favor, shady lawyers don’t have a license. I’d check with your local bar association just to be sure but they won’t give you information as to past complaints but the BBB might.

Don’t let a lawyer threaten you into submission, they count on that to keep from having to show up in court. keep your paperwork and document everything and above all, don’t trust the. They are in it for the money and must answer to their investors.

Are you fuckers happy yet?

The Democratic National Committee and the media Propped a lying Novelty in front of the American public and they jumped on it like it was going to help get their sheets and colored laundry brighter and more shiney than EVER before.

You, as in the American Public, are the stupidest set of fucking retards on the planet because you fall for this shit over and over again. You were promised that 5 million people that were about to lose their homes would be helped by Novelty Presidential Candidate Obama.

In MAY 464,983 foreclosures occurred out of 3.2 million possible. 19,041were modified and saved from foreclosure. That is 15% foreclosed upon and a WHPPING 6% that weren’t. One quarter of those 19,000 actually had their payments GO UP!!

Literally for every ONE dollar saved by modifications, there are One hundred and Fifty Dollars lost to foreclosure because the parameters of the modifications that the Government will allow are not condusive to the reasons that people are behind in the mortgage to begin with.

You cannot get a loan modification if:
• You have lost your job
• You owe more than 5% above what your house is worth
• You are already in default
• You have not yet missed at least one payment
• Your lender does not want to participate
• Your mortgage is not one of the half of all mortgages insured or owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
• The reworked mortgage payment would come to more than 31% of your income
• Your mortgage is over $759,000
• The home is not your primary residence

Sweden’s Government actually BOUGHT the mortgages of their citizens that were in distress and reworked the payments to reflect what the owner COULD pay them. The people will have to pay the government back once the economy is mended or sell the house. If they do neither then of course the government would then foreclose of course. The Democrats will NEVER entertain this type of program since it would actually SOLVE the problem without any COST to the taxpayers or throwing money at their friends. THEY would be the ones foreclosing on the houses eventually instead of being able to blame the banks and proliferate the EVIL Corporations lie.

*Hint* have you heard another word from the Obama Nation about mortgages? I doubt that you will either.

Is this the kind of Change YOU can believe in?

MOUNTAIN DUDE’S MOSTLY OVER THE TOP REASONS WHY PEOPLE LIVING IN DRY STATES SHOULD CONSERVE WATER:

10.  Couples that shower together stay together.

9.   You won’t have to spend as many hours beating drums during Indian rain dances.

8.   People living in wet states won’t welcome new arrivals with open arms if there are too    many refugees moving in from the dry states.

7.  Your cat is happier getting fewer baths.

6.  A glass of wine is more romantic than a glass of water.

5.  If you get yelled at for not flushing the toilet, you now have a legitimate excuse.

4.  Watering your lawn after 6:00 p.m. and before 9:00 a.m., will attract fewer bohemians who enjoy running naked through sprinklers during the hot, sunlight hours.

3.  Steamed vegetables are healthier than boiled. Raw vegetables are healthier than steamed.

2.  Giving your sexy girlfriend a candlelight sponge bath in her apartment so she can conserve bath water is a pleasure.

1. Your dog prefers drinking from a water bottle instead of his bowl of water which evaporates.

You can see more photos by Mountain Dude at :  www.dporterdvd.com

AS SENT VIA EMAIL TO FORBES.com regarding an Article they penned about Chciago being the 3^RD Most Miserable City in the USA

TO THE STAFF AT FORBES:

Let me start out by saying: In these troubled times, I don’t know how smart it is to TELL IT LIKE IT IS. It’s like the old phrase my Mom would tell me about NOT hurting anyone by ‘putting SALT into their Wounds.’  Their ‘already open’ wounds. Now, I nearly feel like I’m using your Quotation Book there, reciting.

However, I like the fact that YOU ARE TOTALLY HONEST and that’s where you should be applauded, not hammered. What I’m commenting on is your latest Disposition (or as some Chicagoans are saying:  DISS-ing of The Windy City) about Chicago ranking as #3 on the MOST MISERABLE List.

Back on September 15, 2008 of last year, you said Chi-Town was amongst the most stressful; now it’s amongst the top ones as the most miserable. Actually, I’d rank it as #1.  My dear boss when I worked at the AMA: American Medical Assn., always told me to ‘MAKE NICE’ - when I typed her reports back in the early 80s, which I did and was proud of those. She was THE BOSS, after all, what else could I do…

However, with this eNote, I just wanted to tell you that I do not firmly agree with some of the Chicagoans who have been complaining about your Evaluation ‘on Chicago.’  I totally agree.

AN EXAMPLE IS: I have no idea how Kids date.  $100 bucks won’t get a guy & a gal into the movies, dinner.  They’d have to walk to the theatre as parking downtown is a week’s pay.  I commented on this very topic not too long ago (as a matter of fact). A friend of mine (a nice young man of about 23) is a banker. I said: “Eric, I have no idea how boys date these days. $100 bucks won’t get a couple far and it doesn’t guarantee that the ‘guy’ will automatically get laid! After all, you’re spending THAT kind of money…’ Although that sounds crude, he laughed so hard and turned so many shades of pink, I knew I had hit his funny bone. I don’t think he thought anything like that would come out of my mouth – the Mouth of a 56 year old woman. I then wrapped up our Conversation by telling him that when I first moved to Chicago in June of 1974:

The CTA (our train/bus system) cost 45 cents a ride. It’s now $2.25

&

my Studio Apartment was $155 and I lived ON Lake Michigan. That was considered prestigious because of the LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

CAPTURING THE PULSE OF THE HEART-LAND: Early this AM on NBC/Channel 5 local news (comparable to yours with Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Al Roker & Ann Curry), the 2 Anchors, Zoraida & Rob’s question of the morning was the FORBES’ Latest Summation on Chicago. Oh, people were mad – seething from the sounds of their comment(aries). They email their Thoughts in and then the better ones are read on-air. The first thing I thought was: “Whoops, FORBES’ Subscription rate is going to fall.”

From the Outside or taken from a Birds-eye View, the Cityscape, Skyscrapers, etc. looks nice, but if you can’t afford a night on the town (no matter what your age and MUST decide (if you want medication (even for high blood pressure – which many Seniors need – even if they don’t have real Ailments or Medical Problems where their Meds is much more costly), Chicago is a very uncomfortable place to be. As a 35 year resident, it has changed since the turbulent 60s… And it’s all based on GREED.

Other COMPLAINTS I have are:

1) Now, bus tour guides are ‘milking’ The Obamangle ® (what I named as the OBAMA ANGLE) although he’s not done anything FOR THE PEOPLE yet…

2) We have an Ex-Governor who would rather fly into NYC and do your fast-tracked, celebrity Talk Show Circuit in order to secure himself a SPOT in prime time after he serves a few years in soft-cell or Club-Fed. That’s my thought on that.

3) Our Flagstaff Newspaper, The Chicago Tribune has filed for bankruptcy. The horrible part about Publishing is that Writers have no where to turn to get their Big Break. If Papers are folding, who is going to GIVE them the exposure or article(s) they need to get those sales? I often discuss this with a friend of mine, Lowell Thompson who painted a lovely Portrait of Barack…and we just don’t seem to arrive upon an answer.

4) CONTINUING: The Chicago Tribune has problems selling The Cubs. One of our bigger malls on Michigan Avenue – the Magnificent Mile is totally empty.

5) The folks (Chicagoans) I know do not want the 2016 Olympics here. We don’t want our property taxes to go up ANY more. It’s bad enough we have the highest sales tax in the nation.

6) Even pets are ending up in Pounds or at the Humane Society because their owners cannot afford them. They are moving; their homes are in foreclosures and they have to ‘cut down.’ Even the Animal Kingdom is suffering here in Chicago. Nothing CHIC about Chicago these days.

What I ask is: WWMD? What Would Malcolm Do?

Oh, I could go on some more with homes, foreclosures, a failing school system where ½ the High School Kids don’t graduate, but your Reporters have already tackled that.

What bothers me moreso is the Double Standard of course.

What bothers me moreso than that is the Mixed Signals we are getting.

About 2.5 weeks ago, a 14 year old Black Kid impersonated a cop and rode in the squad car with one of the officers for several hours. He evidently had always wanted to be a cop and just TOOK THE INITIATIVE. He sauntered into a uniform shop, bought the appropriate uniform and went to his local police station.

The Mayor (Richard M. Daley) thinks this is horrific! The kid is being reamed over the coals. I think the Kid is an absolute hero and a fine example. I’ll tell you why. The Stats for Black Kids (mainly boys) is that they will be in gangs; moving drugs and breaking in. Many will end up behind bars. Here’s a kid that wanted to SERVE HIS COMMUNITY. He could have been out on the street, assaulting an old woman for her purse; breaking into an apartment or raping a woman. If he was found in a line-up for murdering a Pop Princess’ (ie: Jennifer Hudson’s) Mother, Sister and her Nephew, then the Chief of Police and Mayor could rant and rave as much as they want. He was working on his Profession. Cut the Kid some slack and let him develop his Skill. He could definitely impress his friends by going into a Life of Law Enforcement, instead of Breaking the Law. When I created Cartoonists Against Crime ©1991, I did a lot of research on Crime Prevention besides taking in all that Artwork and the term used was:

BLACK ON BLACK CRIME,

which I found to be un-understandable, but that’s another disturbing story.

I hope the Story you at FORBES released about Chicago gets our Officials to think about how to KEEP its Creative Citizens. I definitely think a BRAIN DRAIN where People leave (and estimates say about 75,000 people have already LEFT Chicago) for ‘easier living’ will make sad mark on Chicago History in the years to come.

BTW: I’m still reading FORBES! I happen to like HONESTY…which reminds me of Abe Lincoln – our 16^TH Pres(ident) is 200 tomorrow! In 1809, they surely didn’t have the COMPLAINTS we have today.

FROM:

ADRIENNE SIOUX KOOPERSMITH

Koopersmith’s Global Communications

“People read what Adrienne writes about…”

Chicago, IL USA

Posted: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 – 12:14 PM CST

I hate HOA’s! I hate my HOA. God forbid you have a complaint or want to see the budget!! You request something (by phone) they tell you to put it in writing. So you put it in writing and wait for a response. Nothing! Then you attend the board meetings and they give you some lame excuse well I was out of town, or on vacation so i didnt have time to respond to your request! PLEASE, WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE! And if you do go by the office, you get ignorant, excuse-making, pathetic excuse for a human being that doesnt know how to tie their own shoes and proceeds to talk down to you, like they know more than you!

W recently received a letter in the mail from the ATTORNEY, that our yard isn’t up to standards. WHOSE STANDARDS??? My yard and garden, flower bed is as equal to my neighbors and they will tell you there is nothing wrong with my yard, there are NO WEEDS EITHER! Its just the lazy, arrogant attorney trying to beef up his business and justify his expenses to the HOA. I can walk down my neighborhood and take photos of all my neighbors and there are people who have not been in compliance for months!!! Are they getting letters and FINES FROM THE ATTORNEY???

As for the “Public Access” sidewalks, why should I have to pay someone to pressure wash the sidewalk in front of my home that hundreds of people, kids, golf carts and even COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPERS run their HEAVY, DIRTY EQUIPMENT across my property and leave it sit there!! If my driveway is any dirtier than my neighbors, yes I will clean it (and i have a few months ago). And I park in my garage, which is more than i can say for most of my neighbors!!!

Oh, and when we have called the property managers office numerous times, they didnt return our calls and then trying to get them to come out and inspect our yard and the surrounding property is like squeezing blood from a stone! Here it’s guilty until proven innocent!

AND FURTHER MORE, I AM NOT PAYING FOR ANY ATTORNEY FEES, WE DID NOTHING WRONG! WHY DONT YOU GO AFTER THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN DIRECT VIOLATION!AND WHO ARE DEGRADING THE VALUE OF MY HOME!!

I hate my HOA (homeowner association). There are more incriminating violations going on than my garbage can, on my driveway near my garage door. What about that guy who keeps parking in the street near the entrance! Blocking delivery trucks, buses and cars! When he has a driveway! What, is he afraid of getting his driveway dirty? What about the other man on the corner who blows his lawn debris and tree branches and dumps them in the street?? Did you do anything about that! No, they stayed there for about 4-5 days. My relatively clean garbage can isn’t bothering anyone. I think HOA’s feel they need to justify their salary by driving around in a golf cart and arbitrarily sending out letters with no value! What a waste of time and money. What value am I getting for you to raise my HOA dues year and year more than 10%??? What about those kids who drive wrecklessly around the neighborhood on their golf carts? Or the guy down the street who brings his boat in and leaves dirty water all over? The pavement is still stained. Where’s their respect or our property value (real estate)? Maybe they are renters.Yes I know the HOA has some value but I’m not seeing it. Oh, lets not talk about wanting to see the budget. You have to request it in writing. Oh, then she’s on vacation. Oh, she didnt have time to prepare it before the meeting. Oh well. I just don’t open those nasty grams anymore. Bah humbug!