Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

How People Can Steal Your House Legally

... via a Homeowners Association.

I wish America would stop legalizing theft.  It encourages people to do evil things because they will not be punished, and it harms the victims who are often trying to be good citizens.
Tags: economics, news
Subscribe

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 4 comments
wilhelmina_d

wilhelmina_d

June 30 2010, 16:59:49 UTC 10 years ago

I *hate* HOAs. Maybe in theory they're ok, but they ripped out my garden to plant vinca (which looks dreadful and is dying at all of our condo buildings). Of course, if my HOA wasn't such a group of asshats I probably wouldn't have the farm, so maybe they're not all bad!
ysabetwordsmith

Well...

ysabetwordsmith

July 1 2010, 02:33:05 UTC 10 years ago

In America, people are often handed power or allowed to grab it ... with little or no training in how to use it responsibly. The result is that many people have poor examples and bad experiences with power dynamics. So a homeowner's association, which could be useful, often does more harm than good.

For people who can avoid HOAs, it may well be prudent to do so.

If you're already involved in one and the power dynamics are causing problems, take a different approach and work on the dynamic. Don't just argue: you're playing their game on their court. Change the game. You might ...

* Learn about consensus decision-making.
http://www.npd-solutions.com/consensus.html

* Hold a workshop on teamwork.
http://www.businessballs.com/workshops.htm

* Hire a speaker to teach the group about sharing power responsibly.
http://treegroup.info/

* Explore native landscaping, wildlife gardening, xericulture, permaculture, and other alternatives to conventional yards.
http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/
http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Outdoor-Activities/Garden-for-Wildlife/Create-a-Habitat.aspx
http://gaiatribe.geekuniversalis.com/2009/02/26/what-is-xericulture/
http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/classroom/

These can be fun activities that get more people involved in more positive ways, rather than just a bunch of dull meetings and angsty politicking.