"You Asked and We Listened"
Friday Forum - August 27, 2010
According to an Associated Press poll, 65 percent of voters know someone who has lost his or her job. Streets are blanketed with ‘For Sale’ signs as home sales saw their worst month-to-month loss in history in July.
Has a family member, a neighbor or you lost a home? Tell us your story.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Virginia Langen on
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My story is almost as bad. We've been hit with Katrina, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and a crash in the housing market -- and we REALLY need to sell our home. Fortunately we have an income to keep us afloat but are into hardships nonetheless.
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Permalink Reply by Andye Daley on -
As I run my campaign in Delaware, ( for our New Castle County Council) knocking door to door, I encounter resident after resident who has lost his/her job. One of the most commonly asked questions I get is..." Can you get me a job?" to which I am at a loss most time. However, I do have an answer, which is that we need to have better incentives for small business owners to both make their homes in Delaware but to also hire more individuals.
Of course, with the Obama Health Care plan, most small business are not likely to hire new folks. We need a see change here in Delaware. with almost a 9% unemployment rate and practically no new job being created, something drastic has to happen. We need to focus on areas where job retention and growth are more likely, Tech and the Health Care industry. Giving businesses incentives to manufacture here in the States rather than over seas is yet another way we can get jobs here. All suggestions are welcomed.
Andye Daley
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Shanaveon Pious on -
As president of Entrepreneurs University, I have taught more than 10,000 students over the past ten years. I funded more than $28 million in micro and small business lending with less than 2% default. My average student was 47 with spouse and children, home, car and a small savings. They were what we typically call "comfortable". However, beginning in September 2007, entrepreneurs and small business owners began to experience access to capital challenges. Then came the credit line restrictions and customers began experiencing challenges with paying the small business owners fo products and servies rendered. As 2008 produced a full scale financial crisis, the small business owners were impacted the most because they held the futures of their employees in addition to their homes. Meeting payroll was becoming the major concern. The slower the payments coming in the less likely staff could get paid. One of my students, let's call him Donald, has always had great credit 780 for over 25 years. Donad is 62 years old and lived in his beautiful home where he raised his children for the past 46 years. Donald has run a successful business for 35 years and has survived many fiancial challenges. However, Donald and his wife decided to refinance their home mortgage and took out a second to pay their daughter's college tuition. Unfortunately Donald's business started to experience slow payments from customers an just when he thought it couldn't get worse, ShoreBank cancelled his $300,000 line of credit. Donald's home loan was owned by countrywide and now Bank of America. They are refusing to help him. He can't refinance because his once stella credit is now 500.
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Permalink Reply by Tani Zarelli on -
My husband worked in land development and was successful at finding large pieces of land, negotiating fair prices and he found investors. One thing we discussed during the high building times was the greed we witnessed even in our conservative friends. Things were good but sadly came to a screeching halt. Many people lost out on the sale of their properties, they had taken the initial funds and spent it, companies went bankrupt. Personally, my husband wasn't paid for most of the work he did, and some of his friends lost their investment. Here is the good news: My husband is also a State Senator and the lead Republican on our States financial committee. In 2007, I became very active in taking people over to Israel, hosting conferences locally and speaking out on issues that face America and Israel. This has been a constant in our life these last few years and I have made several trips to Israel. While everyone around us has lost most everything, we have been able to survive. Why? As my husband declares, because of all I do for Israel.
While our nation is in hard times, and yes some are losing homes, jobs are hard to find and craziness is ruling in our leadership. I encourage you all to not look to what the country can do for you but what you can do for our country! We are a strong and vibrant people, we are entrepreneurs, designers, manufactures and activists. We need to return to the values of God, Family and Truth. So, don't give up! Today my husband is working on a new business plan and we see bright things ahead. If it can happen for us it will happen for you! Get plugged in with Israel.
Tani Zarelli
http://tanizarelli.com
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Permalink Reply by Andye Daley on
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Thanks Tani for sharing... As a Jewish American, who once lived in Israel and now is active in Politics, I feel very much the same as you! Protecting our relation with Israel and Protecting Israel itself, should be high on our list of priorities.
Thanks again
Andye Daley
www.daleylistens.com
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Permalink Reply by Terri Lee Donohue on -
I walk my mother's dogs three times a week in an upper middle income area. It is very easy to recognize the houses that have been abandoned. There are no signs in the yard but the lawn and yard are no longer kept up, no cars in the drive and ads and phone books stacked up by the door. This area has an association and is usually very well kept. It's very sad.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy Diaz-Clarady on -
Obama's inability to make a sane, educated decision regarding the future of NASA is starting to take it's toll on the area south of Houston. Our once booming neighborhood (and the last well-sustained housing market in the US) is now covered in "for sale" and "for lease" signs, with desperate former NASA contractors dropping prices well below what they paid for these homes only a year ago. So far, the change initiated by this administration has brought nothing but hopelessness to Houston. The house across the street from us, once the dream home of a very sweet accident-victim and her NASA-contractor husband, has been sitting empty since early June when they moved up north to chase one of the few jobs available to someone with most of his experience centered around aerospace. There aren't many looking at it since you can now buy a ground-up custom build for less than what they owe thanks to our current administration's pioneering efforts to single-handedly destroy some of the last few successful sectors of our economy. I wonder who'll they'll be collecting taxes from in 2 years when there is no middle class left to fund their pet projects?
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Permalink Reply by Roxine Leighton on -
I see empty homes all over my neighborhood. I often wonder what is the story behind the empty home. Did someone lose their job? Did the bank approve a house loan to someone they new would not be able to sustain the payment? How many dreams have been cut short over the last few years?
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Permalink Reply by J V on -
Jan, thank you for asking this all important question and here’s my reality. A couple of years before the smack-down, I left my job to care for my ailing elderly father. Work and taking care of him was no longer working. He died about 9 months after I left. It took a year to get the house on the market, which stayed on for another year. During this time, I was frantically looking for a job, but the bubble was starting to burst and the job market was tight. I managed the best that I could. Right before the crash hit, I was actually in AZ looking for a job. That’s when I knew something was about to hit. All of a sudden, the job boards dried up. I even continued with volunteerism.
The house was on the market, I was sleeping on a blow-up bed, and I continued to look for a job. A person I knew needed part time help, so I worked part time and continued to look for a full time job. I moved cross country for a full time job (whole other story), the house sold, monies were divided, and the estate was settled. I managed to pay down some the debt I incurred while taking care of my Dad (Mom passed 5 years before Dad).
I was paying high rent for a decent place and working my tail feather off, and advised by my immediate manager that my job was endanger (after I moved cross country to take it). Continued to look, found another job, worked a ton of overtime (this one was hourly), but was allowed to declare only 4 hours and the threat of layoff continued to loom.
Found another job with more stability, moved cross country again. Found a place with a rent structure that was more affordable. Since the area had experienced an unusually large volume of rain and people were having water issues in their basement and the fact that I’m allergic to mold, I made sure I asked, “Has this place had any water issues?” I was informed they did not. Though I did not see anything, or smell anything (there’s a product that temporarily masks the odor), I continually asked. You see, Jan, the previous tenant had a nebulizer next to the bed so I wanted to make sure his respiratory issues were not attributed to mold. I was assured the property did not have any water or mold issues.
Apparently, the day I looked at the place and signed the lease, the property owner was cleaning up major water issues not only in my basement, but also in the basement of the tenant renting the other side of the duplex. The day I moved in guess what was on the floor of the basement, water.
I called the property owner who came over, looked at it and said, “It’s coming up from the floor. I can’t do anything about it.” I then said, “Look, I rented this place because I was informed there were no water issues. Had I known there were water issues, I would not have rented it. I want out of the lease.” He then replied, “I’ll have to talk to the leasing agent.” My statement, “You do that and I’ll talk to my attorney.” The next day, unbeknownst to me, he came over and cleaned up the water. I even asked him to have a mold test done to make sure there were not any hidden issues. He stated he “talked to someone and there is mold everywhere due to the water issues. It would cost me 500+ to have the tests ran.” T I thought this was a good thing, until I started getting sick.
Since he is in his 70’s and completely appreciate the tight budget our seniors are on, I went out and bought a carpet cleaner, cleaning supplies, dehumidifier, and vacuum to clean the duplex so I can move the rest of my belongings in. I continued to get sick so I went to the dr and am know on an inhaler and antibiotics.
I shampooed one room that I kept closed due to the smell so that was the first room I cleaned. The carpets were filthy and I decided to lay off until the smell went away. I’ve also informed him of this.
Tonight I learned from the person on the other side that she too has mold issues in her basement. She purchased tilex, etc. I asked if I could look at her basement and, sure enough, the mold is starting to come through again. I checked my basement and, sure enough, there is black stuff showing up on the walls that were pure white three weeks ago.
I checked the air filter (which was clean when I moved in). It’s coated with crap so I had to buy a new one (which really has not helped much). This week, I’ll be forced to start the formal process of getting this taken care of (I’ve also uploaded the pictures that I have taken to document all of this).
There is a lot more going on with this, but this is the high level of the situation. To top it off, my health insurance canceled on me even though I paid my cobra!
How am I supposed to budget?
The only thing I’m trying to do is get my life back. Again, I’m trying to be sensitive to the fact that this is a part of his retirement income, but enough is enough!
Great plan this administration had.
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Shanaveon Pious on
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I am curious to know if there is a republican agenda item for the housing crisis this is of course steming from th lack of access to capital, the withdrawal of the financial institutions and mortgage investors, non support for small businesses and the clear disregard for supporting "real" job creation. Where do the Republicans stand on the issues? It is difficult to tell at times.
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Permalink Reply by J V on
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Dr. Pious,
I've been in this boat a lot longer than most and watched helplessly as both sides of the aisle determined my future. Yes, that includes the party of no way, we won, as well as the party of 'no way'. What I know is:
A) The republicans are listening and extremely responsive to individual's concerns
B) The republicans have had several plans they brought to the table that will actually lead to job creation, which inevitably leads to access to increased capital as consumer spending will start to rise - the majority of which are pushed aside.
C) The republicans are blocked by the dems just as much as the perception of blocking by the gop.
D) If I made 1/2 of what I make right now, I'd be living in a really nice, new construction, income based 1 bedroom town home managed by a large company.
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