Collateral Damage: Tenant Victims of Foreclosed Properties

Preposterous rules in Florida do not allow renters to pay water bills of foreclosed landlords who have closed accounts. The result is many surprised tenants wake up one morning, find their water shut off, and have no way to get it turned back on.

Please consider Collateral damage: Tenants of foreclosed properties

Whenever Michel Joseph wants to shower, cook or use the bathroom, he has to leave his Little Haiti apartment and drop in on a neighbor who has running water.

Water has not run in Joseph’s derelict apartment since his landlord abandoned the four-unit building to foreclosure, and skipped town in November. The landlord’s absence led to a water shutoff, and for the past four months, Joseph has not been able to turn it back on because of a long-standing rule at the Miami-Dade Water & Sewer Department.

That rule — which restricts renters from re-opening a closed account — has come under increased scrutiny as more landlords have fallen prey to the foreclosure crisis, some leaving tenants without basic utilities.

“The tenants have become the hidden victims of the foreclosure crisis,” said Purvi Shah, a Florida Legal Services attorney who defends tenants of foreclosed properties. “There are hundreds of tenants in Miami-Dade County living in really serious conditions.”

Earlier this month, the Miami-Dade County Infrastructure and Land Use Committee voted to create a bridge account program that would allow tenants to open a temporary Water & Sewer account. The full county commission is set to vote on the bridge account next month.

For Shah’s team at Florida Legal Services, getting to this point has been a long, difficult battle.

Her team defends tenants going through foreclosure, and has litigated issues like water and electricity shutoffs, illegal evictions, tenant intimidation and landlord abandonment. Of the various issues that tenants face during foreclosure, water shutoff has been the most problematic, Shah said.

Water service was discontinued at Hilda Bustos’ North Miami-Dade rental last year before Legal Aid lawyers filed suit in order to force the landlord to pay the bill. However, after the property went into foreclosure, the bank repossessed it and shut off the water, sparking another lawsuit from Legal Aid. The water was eventually turned back on, but tenant advocates do not have the resources to litigate against every landlord that abandons a property, Shah said.

In the past three years, more than 400 multi-family properties have had water service discontinued because a landlord defaulted on payments, county statistics show.

Imagine wanting to pay money for a service and being unable to do so. Imagine being without water for four months.

In other cases, in other states, tenants have been given as little as an hour or less to pack their belongings and leave.

Some states have passed laws to deal with these situations but this is 4 years into the crisis. How long does it take bureaucrats to think and act?

The answer obviously is 4 years an counting.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

XỬ LÝ… QUAN LIÊU

Nhà cửa vừa xây rộng rãi khang trang, Ngu Ngơ Mũm Mĩm mở tiệc khao bạn bè. Mọi người đến nhậu hết thảy đều khen nức nở, nói nhà cửa thế này sung sướng đời người rồi, không mơ gì hơn nữa. Ngu Ngơ nâng chén rượu tu một hớp, liếc Mũm Mĩm một cái, nói liệu có sung sướng được dăm năm không? Mũm Mĩm ngạc nhiên nhìn Ngu Ngơ, nói anh này nói gì lạ thế? Sao lại mơ sung sướng được dăm năm. Thế sau 5 năm anh định sung sướng chỗ nào?

            Ngu Ngơ cười khì khì, nói em đừng có nghi ngờ tao lao. Là anh nói sau dăm năm chả biết có còn được sung sướng nữa không. Cứ tình hình em chất rác đầy nhà thế này thì chả mấy hồi nhà này thành cái bãi chứa rác. Mọi người ồ lên, nói phải quá phải quá. Vợ là gì? Đó là người bảo quản rác nhà kiên trì nhất, kĩ lưỡng nhất. Có lẽ công ty vệ sinh thành phố phải cấp bằng khen cho các bà vợ vì đã có thành tích giữ rác giùm cho thành phố. Mọi người lại ồ lên, nói phải quá phải quá. Lượng rác thải ở nội thành Hà Nội tăng 10-15% mỗi năm, nếu không nhờ các bà vợ giữ rác giùm có khi tăng lên đến 150%.

            Mũm Mĩm chợt ôm mặt òa khóc. Mọi người giật mình trợn mắt, nói sao thế sao thế? Mũm Mĩm gạt nước mắt mếu mếu máo máo, nói các anh cứ hay chê đàn bà chúng em, nếu không tiếc của giời thì có còn là đàn bà nữa không. Với cả Hà Nội có còn chỗ chứa rác nữa đâu, các anh không nghe thông báo đến năm 2012 Hà Nội hết sạch bãi chứa rác đó sao.

            Mọi người ồ lên, nói thật không thật không, sao lại có chuyện kì khôi thế được. Ngu Ngơ  nói Mũm Mĩm nhà tôi nói đúng đấy. Đó không phải đồn đại đâu, Sở Tài nguyên và Môi trường Hà Nội vừa thông báo. Lâu nay việc xử lý rác chủ yếu là đem chôn, chôn mãi rồi cũng hết, đất chẳng có cho người làm sao có chỗ cho rác. Mọi người đập bàn kêu to, nói thậm nguy thậm nguy. Sao lại ra nông nỗi này nhỉ. Không lẽ rác cũng không xử lý được.

 Ngu Ngơ lắc đầu, nói các bác không nghe người ta giải thích à, nhà máy xử lý rác có đấy, việc xử lý rác cũng thường xuyên nhưng rác cứng rác mềm rất khó phân tách, nơi chứa rác cứng thì ở xa, trong khi dân lâu nay ưa dùng túi nilon, rác nhiều túi nilon không phân hủy được, khó lắm khó lắm. Mũm Mĩm cắt ngang, nói ối giời lý do với chả lý trấu. Những lý do đó chỉ có Hà Nội  có thôi à? Thử hỏi thủ đô khắp thế giới xem họ có gặp những khó khăn như thế không, tại sao họ xử lý được? Mọi người gật gù, nói phải lắm phải lắm. Mũm Mĩm nói với lại những lý do đó mới nảy sinh hay có từ cả thế kỉ nay rồi, tại sao không nêu giải pháp xử lý, đợi đến đến lúc này mới kêu lên? Mọi người gật gù nói phải lắm phải lắm. Mũm Mĩm nói cứ 10 năm Hà Nội lại lên qui hoạch Thủ đô, qui hoạch Thủ đô có gắn liền với qui hoạch bãi chứa rác không? Tại sao bây giờ nước đến chân chẳng biết nhảy đi đâu mới la làng. Mọi người gật gù, nói phải lắm phải lắm.

Mũm Mĩm ngửa mặt kêu trời, nói trời hỡi trời ơi, trước khi xử lý rác, xin trời xử lý quan liêu cho dân nhờ. Xử lý xong quan liêu thì cái gì cũng xử lý được tất, rác rưởi là cái đinh. Mọi người rập đầu kêu khóc, nói phải lắm phải lắm, nhưng liệu trời có xử lý quan liêu được hay không, hu hu.

Bài đọc thêm:

 

     Biết rồi, khổ lắm! Kêu ai?

Hà xuân

Tôi phải ghi nhật ký mới được! Nhật ký gì vậy? Nhật ký mất điện!

 Phải rồi, nói có sách, mách có chứng: Hôm nay ngày 19 tháng 4 năm 2011. Mất điện. Ở đâu? Ở nơi tôi đang ngồi viết đây? Có ai làm chứng? Có toàn dân xã Minh Phú, huyện Sóc Sơn, Hà Nội!

 Chuyện mất điện ở ta là chuyện thường ngày, cần ai làm chứng!

 Không, không, tháng 4 lịch sử này, chẳng phải trên ti vi đã nói là không cắt điện?

 Nói không cắt điện mà người ta cắt thì sao?

 Thì phải xử lý chứ. Cấp trên của ngành điện lệnh không được cắt điện, cấp dưới không nghe, thế hóa ra “ Phép vua thua lệ làng”?

 Ôi dào, cũng là chuyện thường ngày!

 Chẳng phải mùa nóng năm ngoái, vào lúc Hà Nội kỷ niệm 1000 năm Thăng Long, lãnh đạo thành phố lệnh cho ngành điện thủ đô không được cắt điện trong những ngày lịch sử đó mà ngành điện bất tuân thượng lệnh, vẫn cắt, làm gì nhau!

 Ừ, cũng phải, làm gì nhau, phê bình vài câu chứ gì, có chết ai!

 Mà không, ở Thái Bình người ta gan lắm, ấy là dân gan lắm, họ bắt mấy ông cán bộ ngành điện phơi ngài nắng đó sao?

 Bao giờ?

 Năm ngoái. Báo chí nêu ầm ầm. Năm nay liệu có …?

 Không? làm vậy không được, manh động, manh động …

 Vậy biết làm sao đây?

 Mất điện, đang viết, đang làm sổ sách là mất sạch …Lại ngồi ôm đầu? Kêu ai?

 Mất điện, con nhỏ nóng không ngủ được, nó ốm, kêu ai?

 Mất điện, người già lả dần rồi …có cụ quy tiên ! Kêu ai?

 Mất điện, nhà máy đang sản xuất, ngừng, hỏng hết rồi, kêu ai?

 Mất điện, không bơm được nước, chết cha, sống sao đây! Kêu ai?

 Ô! Bây giờ ngành điện thả nổi giá rồi, nhà nước không bao nữa, tha hồ mà trả tiền điện nhé! Dùng điện, phải trả tiền điện chứ? Kêu cái nỗi gì?

 Giờ cắt điện còn được báo trước, được nhắn tin qua điện thoại, lịch sự chưa!

 Mở điện thoại ra nào?

 Không thấy báo!

 Hại nhau chưa?

 Bao nhiêu điều vừa viết ra mất hết rồi!

 Hay điện thoại mình hỏng?

 Hỏi hàng xóm, hàng xóm nói nhà tôi cũng mất, cũng không thấy báo cắt điện?

 Người ta đang sửa đường dây?

Người ta đang cắt điện cả làng để làm đường dây riêng cho ông A, ông B nào đó?

 Kêu ai?

 Biết rồi, khổ lắm, nói mãi!

 Biết rồi, khổ lắm! Kêu ai?

(Theo Tầm nhìn)

President Obama's Slave Trade; Senator DeMint Says Team Obama Acts Like Thugs; Death of Right-to-Work?

Suppose you own a profitable, legal in all 50 states, business and want to expand or reorganize your operations.

Now let's suppose that someone came up to you and said "Sorry boys, but you cannot do what you want with your business. You cannot go anywhere you please. See those balls and chains on your feet, boy? I have the key and I say you are staying right here. I am the slave master and don't you forget it."

That is exactly what President Obama said to Boeing.

Labor Board Seeks to Halt Boeing Move to South Carolina

Inquiring minds are reading Labor Board Tells Boeing New Factory Breaks Law

In what may be the strongest signal yet of the new pro-labor orientation of the National Labor Relations Board under President Obama, the agency filed a complaint Wednesday seeking to force Boeing to bring an airplane production line back to its unionized facilities in Washington State instead of moving the work to a nonunion plant in South Carolina.

In its complaint, the labor board said that Boeing’s decision to transfer a second production line for its new 787 Dreamliner passenger plane to South Carolina was motivated by an unlawful desire to retaliate against union workers for their past strikes in Washington and to discourage future strikes. The agency’s acting general counsel, Lafe Solomon, said it was illegal for companies to take actions in retaliation against workers for exercising the right to strike.

It is highly unusual for the federal government to seek to reverse a corporate decision as important as the location of plant.

But ever since a Democratic majority took control of the five-member board after Mr. Obama’s election, the board has signaled that it would seek to adopt a more liberal, pro-union tilt after years of pro-employer decisions under President Bush.

Although the board has not yet issued many major decisions reversing Bush-era policies, it has proposed requiring private sector employers to post a notice about workers’ right to unionize, and Mr. Solomon has begun moving more aggressively to win reinstatement of union supporters fired illegally by management during unionization drives.

In a statement Wednesday, Mr. Solomon said: “A worker’s right to strike is a fundamental right guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act. We also recognize the rights of employers to make business decisions based on their economic interests, but they must do so within the law.”

Correction: April 22, 2011

An article on Thursday about a National Labor Relations Board complaint seeking to prevent Boeing from moving some airplane production to a nonunion plant in South Carolina misstated the status of a rule to require private sector employers to post a notice about workers’ right to unionize. An N.L.R.B. proposal for such a rule is pending; it has not been made final.

Fundamental Rights

Rights work both ways.

1. No one should have to work for a company if they don't want to. People can quit, or they can strike.


2. Likewise, no employee and no labor board has any fundamental right to tell businesses who they can hire, who they can fire, or what states they can do business in.

Violation of either point above is slavery. There is no other way of looking at it.

Labor Relations Board Acting Like 'Thugs'

Senator Jim DeMint says Labor Relations Board Acting Like 'Thugs'

“I thought I’d seen it all, but now the administration is acting like a bunch of thugs,” DeMint told Fox News’ Neal Cavuto Thursday. “They are really trying to bully and intimidate — not just Boeing — they are attacking every right-to-work state, and in effect warning every employer in the country, if they happen to decide to move to a state where workers are free not to join a union, that they are going to be harassed and harangued by the National Labor [Relations] Board.

Cavuto noted the White House said it is not involved and it is NLRB issue. DeMint replied, “the president could stop this it in a second — if he wanted to.”

“And, frankly, he’s the one who packed this board, he’s the one who’s responsible for the way they’re behaving,” DeMint continued. “And this is very much like some of the other agencies — attacking, intimidating, bullying the people who are creating jobs in America today.

“But this is the worst of the worst,” he added. “Like you said [Boeing] announced this two years ago, but they are forcing Boeing to spend millions of dollars in legal costs to try and defend their right — they didn’t move a facility, this is a new one, they’ve added jobs in Washington [state] since they started building this plant in South Carolina.”

Obama the Head Slave-Master

Senator DeMint is incorrect.

The National Labor Relations Board is not acting like a group of thugs. Rather, the NLRB instead acting like a group of slave-masters attempting to put balls-and-chains on Boeing.

Some will point out that Senator DeMint is biased because he is a senator from South Carolina, where Boeing wants to move.

However, bias has nothing to do with it. You either are in favor of slavery or not.

No one should support slavery, and DeMint doesn't. That the senator is from South Carolina is irrelevant.

By packing the NLRB with proponents of slavery, President Obama is nothing more than the head slave-master.

Death of Right-to-Work?

The Wall Street Journal says the actions by the NRLB mean the Death of Right to Work

The WSJ is wrong. People will see this act by the NRLB for what it is: forced slavery.

I believe it will give a boost to Senator Rand Paul's national Right-to-Work proposal. Hopefully it gives the next Congress reason to get rid of the NRLB altogether.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Portuguese Budget Deficit Revised Up Second Time to 9.1%

Courtesy of Google Translate, please consider Portugal again revised upwards the deficit in 2010

Portugal's public deficit stood at year-end 2010 to 9.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), five tenths above the 8.6 percent reported three weeks ago.

Early estimates on the Portuguese executive deficit in 2010, which received clearance from Brussels, they set a decline in the deficit to 7.3 percent, which Portugal is ranked as one of the countries of the European Union ( EU) with a greater reduction.

But last March 31, the caretaker government rose to 8.6 percent deficit for the loss of large public transport and a nationalized bank, which had not been included in the accounts submitted to Brussels.

The new upward revision is that the harsh adjustment measures implemented in the country Luso during the past year to reduce the public deficit-increasing tax burden, reducing public spending, cuts in salaries of civil servants, etc .- are having a more limited effect than expected.

These changes also had an impact on the level of public debt, which rose from 92.4 per cent of GDP to account for 93 percent, equivalent to 160,470.1 million.

Shortly after the INE making the announcement, from the Social Democratic Party (main opposition group) considered that these figures prove "financial incontinence" practiced by the Portuguese government for the past six years, when current Prime Minister Jose Socrates came to power.

The original link (in Spanish) from my friend Bran who lives in Spain: Portugal vuelve a revisar al alza el déficit de 2010 y lo eleva al 9,1 %

Portuguese 10-Year Government Bond Yield 9.5%



Spanish 10-Year Government Bond Yield 5.47%



Italian 10-Year Government Bond Yield 4.76%



Irish 10-Year Government Bond Yield 10.48%



Greek 2-Year Government Bond Yield 23.01%



The 2-Year yield on Greek bonds says a haircut on sovereign debt is coming regardless of daily denials from Greece by the Finance Minister and Prime Minister.

For more on Greece, please see Next Phase of Sovereign Debt Crisis; Greek 2-Year Yields Top 20%; Greece Denies Restructuring Plan; Why the Denial?

Some have an eye on Spain. I have an eye on both Spain and Italy. For a recap on Italy, please see Italy The Invisible Elephant

A crisis in Spain or Italy would more than consume all the Eurozone allotted bailout funds.

Italy is the granddaddy. It has nearly as much debt as Germany. So far, Italy has been able to roll over its huge pile of debt over at reasonably attractive rates.

Eventually, I believe that the debt of both Italy and Spain will be called into question.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Portuguese Budget Deficit Revised Up Second Time to 9.1%

Courtesy of Google Translate, please consider Portugal again revised upwards the deficit in 2010

Portugal's public deficit stood at year-end 2010 to 9.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), five tenths above the 8.6 percent reported three weeks ago.

Early estimates on the Portuguese executive deficit in 2010, which received clearance from Brussels, they set a decline in the deficit to 7.3 percent, which Portugal is ranked as one of the countries of the European Union ( EU) with a greater reduction.

But last March 31, the caretaker government rose to 8.6 percent deficit for the loss of large public transport and a nationalized bank, which had not been included in the accounts submitted to Brussels.

The new upward revision is that the harsh adjustment measures implemented in the country Luso during the past year to reduce the public deficit-increasing tax burden, reducing public spending, cuts in salaries of civil servants, etc .- are having a more limited effect than expected.

These changes also had an impact on the level of public debt, which rose from 92.4 per cent of GDP to account for 93 percent, equivalent to 160,470.1 million.

Shortly after the INE making the announcement, from the Social Democratic Party (main opposition group) considered that these figures prove "financial incontinence" practiced by the Portuguese government for the past six years, when current Prime Minister Jose Socrates came to power.

The original link (in Spanish) from my friend Bran who lives in Spain: Portugal vuelve a revisar al alza el déficit de 2010 y lo eleva al 9,1 %

Portuguese 10-Year Government Bond Yield 9.5%



Spanish 10-Year Government Bond Yield 5.47%



Italian 10-Year Government Bond Yield 4.76%



Irish 10-Year Government Bond Yield 10.48%



Greek 2-Year Government Bond Yield 23.01%



The 2-Year yield on Greek bonds says a haircut on sovereign debt is coming regardless of daily denials from Greece by the Finance Minister and Prime Minister. For more on Greece, please see Next Phase of Sovereign Debt Crisis; Greek 2-Year Yields Top 20%; Greece Denies Restructuring Plan; Why the Denial?

Some have an eye on Spain. I have an eye on both Spain and Italy. For more on Italy, please see Italy The Invisible Elephant

A crisis in Spain or Italy would more than consume all the Eurozone allotted bailout funds.

Italy is the granddaddy. It has nearly as much debt as Germany. So far, Italy has been able to roll over its huge pile of debt over at reasonably attractive rates.

Eventually, I believe that the debt of both Italy and Spain will be called into question.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

FHA Mortgage Squeeze

In response to Jumbo Mortgage Loan Squeeze: Will it Affect Home Prices? Dan, a loan officer for a mortgage broker, pinged me with ...

Hello Mish

Perhaps even more important than the Jumbo Squeeze is the coming "FHA squeeze". Enlarged FHA loan size also expires in October.

For example, in Minneapolis, the current FHA max for single family loans is $365,000. On October 1, that reverts back down to about $275,000. While some buyers of homes in the $290,000 - 380,000 range who could have done FHA loans will be able to switch to conventional conforming loans, some will not.

FHA loans are a lot easier to get: higher debt ratios are allowed, lower credit scores are allowed (without rate upcharges), and the down payment requirement is a mere 3.5%.

The reduction in max FHA loan size will take some buyers out of the market.

Once again, government does not belong in the mortgage business. If it was up to me (but it's clearly not), I would shut down Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHA entirely.

Nonetheless, with these changes, fewer people will qualify loans and the qualifications amounts will be lower and/or the down payments higher.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Interest on the National Debt: "Brother Can You Spare a $Trillion?"

Several people have asked me to comment on the YouTube video "Brother Can You Spare a $Trillion".



Link in case the embedded video above does not play: Spare a Trillion?

I already have, in advance. I have been harping about interest on the national debt for years, and explicitly brought the subject up twice recently, most recent of which is Interactive Map: Paul Ryan vs. Obama Budget Details; Path of Destruction

Interest on the national debt is a serious issue and unfortunately far too many ignore it.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List