TAllen's Blog

At one time in the not to distant past one could make a valid argument for the need of a HOA in a new community. Among its strongest arguments was the idea that a good HOA keeps the home prices from falling below value simply because homeowner are required to maintain their homes. It protected those in the community and insured that the home you were buying was a valuable asset when it came time for you to sell, BUT....

Now that the housing industry has tanked and homes are below mortgaged value in many cases I believe we need to re-evaluate the benifits of these HOA's. In a market where selling is a difficult thing already, is it not concievable that a buyer would pass up a home where they are required to pay a monthly or yearly fee to an HOA? Does this then mean that those who COULD HAVE sold their homes and NOT faced a forclosure are being FORCED by the STATE into forclosure simple because they DEMAND there be HOA's. Is it not at that point that the HOA become a liability and no longer an asset??

Should we as faithfull homeowners who are struggling to make our mortgage payments really be faced with the added stress and worry that we can be pushed into losing our homes BECAUSE WE DON'T PAY OUR HOA DUES?

I propose that it is high time that the State of Florida gets the heck out of the housing industry and stops requiring new developments to have HOA's, as well as giving the right of home owner ship back to those of us who do own a home by allowing us to OPT OUT of existing HOA's that are now causing more problems than they are solving.

Bottom line...i signed a contract with my MORTGAGE company to purchase my home...NOT the STATE OF FLORIDA and I think I should have the right to OWN MY HOME without a bunch of bored individuals wasting my money every month or threatening to take my home from me.

Ok so this may be a totally stupid question but since the election I have continued to wonder why I am seeing so many "blacks" laying claim that Obama is the first BLACK President? Yes, it is true he is PART black but he is also PART white and to my way of thinking that makes him actually the first BI-RACIAL President. So why is that not the claim? This man was raised by a white mother and white grandparents. His black father had little to do with his upbrining as did his black grandparents. He was educated in white school and white colleges yet now he is ONLY BLACK. It just does not make any sense to me at all....is this the Michael Jackson syndrom at play??? Are we only black when we need an excuse and white when it suits our needs? How in the world can a man who doesn't even lay claim to what he REALLY is...effect any kind of positive change in a country that see in BLACK AND WHITE?

  Yesterday my oldest daughter and my grand daughter flew in from Richmond Va. They will be here a week because my daughters best friend is getting married and my grand daughter is in the wedding. Of our 4 girls this is the one that lives the furthest away, and for some odd reason (with the exception of the one still at home) she is the one we see the most of. Yes, we are a typical American family, all with busy lives and problems making time to spend together, so when we do get a few moments they are usually like "Christmas" morning, filled with excitement and laughter and everyone all talking at once while trying to catch up with one another’s lives, but I stray from my original thoughts here.

  I do miss being that "needed" Mom on occasion but thankfully even with them all being adults now they, every now and then make it a point to "need" me. Today I had the pleasure of spending the entire day with my grand daughter who is now 18 months old. Having mastered the skills of running, jumping, screeching and laughing with pure abandon, she enjoys such pure delight in the world around her it is hard to not be affected. Rather than spend the day locked in a Condo, I decided to take her to see the Aquarium in Tampa, and I have to tell you that even though I have seen this place a dozen times, I have never seen it quite like I did today! Holding the hand of this little girl and dashing from tank to tank as we pressed our noses to the glass and gazed in wonder at the creatures on the other side was an adventure like none I have had in a long time. Every new sea creature brought peels of delight as they peered back at us from their world as curious about us as we were about them. We would giggle and laugh and tap on the glass which would send them dashing away in swarms only to return a moment later. From the tiniest of fish to the biggest of sharks each one made our eyes light up, but the best of the adventures was putting out hands in the water and being able to touch what we saw. I am sure we drew some attention with our hand clapping applause when a fish would do a trick, or our dashing from tank to tank to see them all at once but I really didn't care. I was having the time of my life and recording every second of it in my memory.

  On the trip home, she was still excited about all she had seen today and for the first 30 minutes she was gazing at the world out the car windows as it passed us by with much the same excitement. Giggles and laughter filled the air as big trucks passed by, and then in the blink of an eye the car grew quiet. I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw that she had finally given into sleep. She was cuddled up as much as possible with her new stuffed sea horse tucked under her chin with a tiny smile on her face. She was at complete peace and it reflected in everything about her. I drove on listening to the "Disney" channel on the radio, and reviewing the day I had just spent with her. It was then that it dawned on me. Today I let myself actually enjoy life on a level I had forgotten existed. Not once did I worry about money, the state of the country, who would win the election, how many illegals there are, the price of gas or a loaf of bread, taxes, politicians, or Wall Street! Some how this tiny little girl had pushed all those things from my head and filled it with such love and enjoyment that nothing else really mattered, and the truth is...nothing really does. I as one person have no ability to change any of those things, yet I allow them to interfere in my life. The only thing I can change is the time and energy I put into my family and my personal life and thanks to this tiny tot I was given that chance to remember that today. Lets face it in 40 years (if I am lucky) all these man made problems will still be around, but if I fail today to make a memory and an impression on my grand daughter as the kind of person I am then no amount of time will ever be enough to correct that. All I have to insure that I am not just taking up space during my stay here on earth is to insure that the family and friends in my life get to know me and not as some "to busy" to be bothered person but as the loving wife, mother, and friend I am. It is that which will carry them through their lives and it is that, that will make my life so much better.

  It really is that simple. When you make the choice to put family and friends above all else then you are given the chance to see life as a tiny tot does and feel the excitement each new day brings. What a way to live!

I sit here night after night watching the endless parade of campaign ads and wondering to myself if people in this country REALLY DO what things to get better for us all or if they are actually content to let the mess remain so they have something to BLEEP about?

IF we are to see real CHANGE, which seems to be the major campaign promise these days, then don't you think you should consider the following MORE than which guy your gonna put in the BIG HOUSE come November?

IF you want to LEVEL THE FIELD then turn your attention to the ones who are playing the game your SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN!

I propose the following:

1. TERM LIMITS of 8 years max. If we do not allow our President more time than this why on earth do we allow those who DO have the power a life time? History shows us that those "new and eager" members work the hardest for their States because they are trying to prove something, while those who have held seats for years become less and less interested in bettering the States they represent in favor of their OWN gains. New blood every 8 years keeps the NEW IDEAS, NEW OPINIONS, NEW COMMITTMENTS and NEW ETHICS FLOWING! It also goes a long way to keep the "lobbiest in check" because they have to start all over gaining allies!

2. WAGE AND BENIFIT LIMITS: Ask yourself, "what is the real purpose of having Congressmen and Senators for each State"? The answer is: To have the people of each State represented by one individual whos main focus is to improve their State and their lives by submitting, voting, and working for the betterment of all they represent. So why then do we allow them to earn salaries and benifts that most of the population of their State will never share? I believe to LEVEL THE FIELD and get the most good out of those that represent us we need to limit their earning and benifits to the SAME LEVEL AS THE AVERAGE FOR THIER STATE! What better incentive would there be for them to then WORK TO IMPROVE the lives they represent? It would increase their earning and benifits the more they could increase the earnings and benifits for others. Instead we see them sitting on their butts passing yearly pay raises for themselves and FORGETTING those back home. POLITICS SHOULD NEVER BE A GET RICH QUICK OPTION!

3. PRODUCTION ACCOUNTABILITY: Why do we allow those we trust to avoid accountability when they are speaking on our behalf? HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR WORD AND DEED! If they are not doing anything (voting present) wasting time and money on things that have no benifit to their State, abusing the "perks" of office and in general selling their State for Personal Profit...HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE by REVOKING their nomination and banning them from holding public office again. Should we not send the CLEAR MESSAGE...YOU WORK FOR US, WE DO NOT WORK FOR YOU and unless you ARE working for us then you better find a new field.

4. RETIREMENT LIMITS: When they have served their time and return to the comfort of Civilian life then they should not be allowed to benifit for those years served in the form of HUGE LIFETIME RETIREMENT PLANS. Let them be responsible like all those they represent to provide for their own futures in the form of Retirement Accounts, 401K's and savings. If they choose not to prepare for their own futures then that is their problem and they should have to deal with it in the same manner those they represent do. No special retirement packages with "perks" for life!

There you have it America...A plan for REAL CHANGE. The question is now...do you have the guts to DEMAND it or are you content to point the finger, mumble, bi*ch, and groan then shake your head and walk away? When will you as a colletive nation take back what is yours and stand up for your rights, demand accountablility, insure those you place your faith and trust in are worthy and say LEVEL THE FIELD!

If your not part of the Solution....YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!