rssBachmann, Foreclosures and the Limits of Representative Democracy
Monday, April 06, 2009 at 2:16 pm
- 6 Comments
“Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” — George Bernard Shaw
At The Minnesota Independent, TWI’s sister site, Andy Birkey points out an odd discrepancy between state foreclosure rates and the priorities of lawmakers who represent the various districts.
Take Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), for example. Her district just north of the Twin Cities, Birkey found, suffered an estimated 5,227 foreclosures in 2008 — the most of the eight congressional districts in the state. And yet:
Bachmann voted against five key foreclosure relief bills, including the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, which would set standards for mortgages and reduce predatory lending, and the Neighborhood Stabilization Act, which would provide funds for buying and rehabilitating foreclosed properties in affected neighborhoods. She also opposed the Expanding American Homeownership Act, which allows more people to qualify for FHA-backed mortgages, and the Expand and Preserve Home Ownership Through Counseling Act, which aims to improve financial literacy. Bachmann additionally voted against the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, a law signed by President Bush that contained many provisions to assist struggling homeowners and also the only one of the bills to become law.
In fact, Birkey writes, “Bachmann hasn’t authored or sponsored any legislation to assist homeowners facing foreclosure, but she has co-sponsored 14 bills to restrict abortions and five to promote Christianity in government.”
Birkey then compares this track record to that of Rep. Keith Ellison (D), who represents Minneapolis. Residents in Ellison’s district suffered 4,413 foreclosures in 2008 — second only behind Bachmann’s district. In response, Birkey says, Ellison has authored legislation to prevent predatory lending practices and to help renters living in foreclosed buildings.
Ellison is also a co-sponsor of 12 other bills aimed at providing relief to individuals and communities impacted by the foreclosure crisis. His voting record in Congress on housing is virtually the opposite of Bachmann’s.
Shaw, it appears, might have been on to something.
6 Comments
Comment posted April 6, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
But isn't this the essence of the deep exurb and their leaders in the Republican Party?
Deep exurbs are the land of the unrealisitic – land is cheap, gas is cheap, and real estate prices are always going to rise. I”m free and independent out here in the country, and I don't need nuthin' from the government. Unless of course gas stops being cheap, or real estate prices stop going up…..
And MIchele Bachman is their high priestess
Pingback posted April 6, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
[...] in Business, Congress, Daily life at 12:19 pm by LeisureGuy Mike Lillis in the Washington Independent: “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” — [...]
Comment posted May 6, 2009 @ 8:10 am
Show me proof that any of the bills Bachmann opposed would have done any good. The fact is that anyone going through foreclosure has many easy ways out if they have the wherewithal to pursue their rights and sniff out the massive amount of fraud that has been perpetrated on them. If they believe that blanket government “regulations” are going to swoop in and save them from a process that is fraudulent at its very core, then they are getting what they deserve for their own laziness. People need to start realizing that they funded the loan with their own signature on the loan docs, allowing the bank to create money out of thin air in the process, and this is only the beginning of the fraud. There is enough fraud in the average mortgage contract to fill volumes. Get wise America, you've been taken over by the bankers and their attorneys. Fight back!
http://www.americaindistress.com
http://www.tpuc.org
Comment posted May 6, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
Look, the bills she will not support are more of the same kinds of legislation that created the problem leading to all these foreclosures. If we follow the government bailout plan, we will just prolong the inevitable, and compond the problem. 5,227 foreclosures now on folks who can't afford the homes they bought, or 10,000 later on the same people plus another 5,000 that will get mortgages even though they can't afford it. Stop the madness. People do not have a “right” to own a home. The government is not responsible to ensure you get one. Grow up, work hard, and enjoy the fruits of your labor, not someone elses labor.
Comment posted May 6, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
Show me proof that any of the bills Bachmann opposed would have done any good. The fact is that anyone going through foreclosure has many easy ways out if they have the wherewithal to pursue their rights and sniff out the massive amount of fraud that has been perpetrated on them. If they believe that blanket government “regulations” are going to swoop in and save them from a process that is fraudulent at its very core, then they are getting what they deserve for their own laziness. People need to start realizing that they funded the loan with their own signature on the loan docs, allowing the bank to create money out of thin air in the process, and this is only the beginning of the fraud. There is enough fraud in the average mortgage contract to fill volumes. Get wise America, you've been taken over by the bankers and their attorneys. Fight back!
http://www.americaindistress.com
http://www.tpuc.org
Comment posted May 6, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
Look, the bills she will not support are more of the same kinds of legislation that created the problem leading to all these foreclosures. If we follow the government bailout plan, we will just prolong the inevitable, and compond the problem. 5,227 foreclosures now on folks who can't afford the homes they bought, or 10,000 later on the same people plus another 5,000 that will get mortgages even though they can't afford it. Stop the madness. People do not have a “right” to own a home. The government is not responsible to ensure you get one. Grow up, work hard, and enjoy the fruits of your labor, not someone elses labor.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
