Racial Discrimination filed in Katrina rebuild

[Left Seater]

A class action suit was filed in Washington by black home owners claiming they are being given less money than whites to rebuild their homes in NOLA. It seems these fine citizens don't like the way the Dept of Housing and Urban Development are giving out the money. The Department has very basic guidelines for handing out the monies. They will pay you the full 2005 tax authority value of your home, or the cost of repairs, which ever is lower. Up to a cap of $150K.

So you either got the full value of your home, or the rebuild cost as long as it was less than $150k. Nothing to complain about here, right? Wrong!

The lawsuit claims values in "black" neighborhoods are lower than those in "white" neighborhoods. Really? No way? And now these homeowners want to be compensated above the value of their home. Seriously who comes up with this stuff?

If you wanted the value of your home to go up, stop fighting the appraisal each year or move to a neighborhood with an HOA and/or help keep your neighborhood clean and free of crime.

Further, all of this is moot had these homeowners, both black and white been responsible and purchased the flood insurance. It floods, you don't have insurance, you have to face the facts you might be left with nothing.

Story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... titialskip

[Tom In VA]

It's been awhile, but I thought I read something where the insurance companies got to skate on Katrina and fucked homeowners throughout the area without even having to buy them dinner.

[Mikey]

...move to a neighborhood with an HOA...

Never again. All HOAs need to be napalmed.

What are you, some kind of socialist?

[Left Seater]

Incorrect.

This same group led by the same lawyer tried to sue the insurance companies and make them pay for damages due to flooding rather than wind. I am guessing that you understand that flooding isn't covered by any homeowners policies and therefore 95% of the damage in NOLA wasn't able to be claimed on homeowners policies. Instead you had to purchase a flood policy to be covered for the vast majority of the damage.

The insurance companies correctly pointed out that they were exempt from flood damages. People then tried to sue saying it was rain that flooded their homes, not storm surge, etc. They lost, as they should have.

The suit that then followed was one against insurance companies for not reinstating lapsed policies or writing new policies in advance of the storm. Insurance company policy is to not write new insurance or to reinstate lapsed policies when "named" storms are within 10 days of landfall. Some of those suing their insurance company had policies that were unpaid for 6 months or more. The insurance companies won again as they should have.

The final suit was against the Federal Flood Insurance Program which has a 30 waiting period. Some people purchased flood insurance a few days before the storm knowing it wasn't valid until the 31st day after signing, but then tried to sue anyway saying rules should be different in this case. Still pending.

So no, insurance companies have paid out a ton, but only to those whose claims were valid.

[Tom In VA]

I stand corrected, gracias.

[Left Seater]

Never again. All HOAs need to be napalmed.

What are you, some kind of socialist?

Hell, no. HOA's are some of the best forms of government. At their core they protect our home values. I don't want to see someone park 8 cars in the street in front of their home, only 1 of which works while the others are in some sort of repair status. I also don't want to see an 18 wheeler or other commercial vehicle in a driveway down the street. Don't want to mow your grass? Fine have the HOA do it and bill you.

I don't think I will live in another planned community without an HOA. Ours has been very good while not being intrusive.

[Mikey]

Never again. All HOAs need to be napalmed.

What are you, some kind of socialist?

Hell, no. HOA's are some of the best forms of government. At their core they protect our home values. I don't want to see someone park 8 cars in the street in front of their home, only 1 of which works while the others are in some sort of repair status. I also don't want to see an 18 wheeler or other commercial vehicle in a driveway down the street. Don't want to mow your grass? Fine have the HOA do it and bill you.

I don't think I will live in another planned community without an HOA. Ours has been very good while not being intrusive.

OK. Maybe it's the whole concept of "planned communities" that makes me break out into a cold sweat. But, if that's what floats your boat, then more power to you I guess. Are you and Rack Fu neighbors? Can you wave to the guy next door while you're standing in your upstairs bathroom taking a piss, and he's doing the same thing?

Last HOA I lived in was in Henderson, NV. One of the CC&Rs said that you couldn't have a clothesline in your yard. This is in the middle of the fucking desert ferkreistsake, where you can dry a pair of Levis outside in 10 minutes, or an hour in the dryer. I stuck a clothesline in a 5 gallon bucket of cement and moved it right behind the house where nobody could see it from the street.

I had an old car sitting in the driveway. And no, it wasn't a junk car. It was a classic black '69 Mercury Marquis Steve McGarrett Five-O book'em Dano luxury boat. I didn't drive it much, but it was in fine condition. I guess somebody didn't like me parking my own car in my own driveway because the day the registration ran out I got a notice that I was not allowed to have an "inoperable" vehicle parked on my driveway. And these blue-haired Nazi fucks had no problem parking their 600 foot motor homes on the street for weeks at a time.

Like I said, if that's what floats your boat then cool. But I prefer not to have a bunch of nosy retired assholes walking my neighborhood, peering into my yard every day looking for CC&R violations. Home values in my neighborhood have done relatively (considering the economic situation) well without an HOA "protecting" our property values. No foreclosures, no for sale signs, no bank owned homes with dead yards. And nobody worries about what their neighbor is doing in their own fucking back yard, either.

[Left Seater]

Well, that's what you get for moving to Blue Hair hell. Here our HOA is made up of non-blue hairs. The 600 ft motorhome is a non go here. Backyards are backyards and what happens there stays there.

Sure, I can see my next door neighbors house, but it isn't like Fu's. Our home is on a 1.25 acre lot. But I can understand the fear of having a bunch of blue hairs worried that some 30 and 40 somethings are going to turn the neighborhood to crap.

[smackaholic]

It's been awhile, but I thought I read something where the insurance companies got to skate on Katrina and fucked homeowners throughout the area without even having to buy them dinner.

Yeah, those evil ins. cos skated alright. It's called abiding by the conditions of the contract.

Those bastards!!!!!

You see Tom, these insurance companies got these magic things called actuarial tables where they calculate risk and change accordingly. Everybody in NOLA had the right to buy flood insurance. And they should have.

Those that were responsible and bought it are now doing what the rest of us are. They are telling their grandchildren "here's the fukking bill for stupid folks"

Unfortunately that seems to be all the rage these days in DC.

Mortgage companies fukk up? Here's your check.

Investment companies fukk up? Here's your check.

Domestic auto companies can't tell UAW to go fukk itself? Your checks coming soon,.

When the fukk do I get my check?

[Screw_Michigan]

UAW has nothing to do with the automakers asking for a bailout, but no surprise that suckaholic is about 20 years behind the times in GOP talking points.

Do you and wolftard get together and jerk each other off before engaging in yet another misguided hysterical liberal rant? Jesus fucking christ...

[Cuda]

But I can understand the fear of having a bunch of blue hairs worried that some 30 and 40 somethings are going to turn the neighborhood to crap.

Dude, Mikey is a bluehair- or would be if he had any left. Only one older than him is Wolfie, and the only one older than wolfie is Luther, or maybe Mace