April 3, 2007
by Robert T. Melaccio Sr.

Well have you ever heard that old saying that starts like this "I stand before, you to be behind you, to tell you a story I know nothing about? There are plenty of seats so sit on the floor". Yes, in my opinion we have now created the monsters of monsters. In my opinion these people are powerful, rich and wealthy and these are the ones making our laws.

In my opinion we have a leadership in government who knows little of the plight of us everyday Americans. I kind of resent "average" because that is more in my opinion descriptive of those we elected to office and their capabilities then ours. Our government leaders are now undertaking talking about the nations insurance woes. Taxpayers everywhere are screaming. The list of problems would fill volumes from disasters, to war, to security, to jobs, to benefits, to the economy, to retirement and savings to health care to illegal workers. However, my fellow everyday Americans do we really believe these rich, very rich and super rich who run our government have inkling about what it is we are experiencing or for that matter care?

As example many like me have owned multiple homes. When we purchased insurance we never insured the "full replacement of the home". We settled on a happy medium to protect our investor and us and accepted a certain risk. This had been the case for years. However, our legislators require us insure at full replacement value and to do it on inflated estimated values and replacement costs. I'll give you an example. I just had a realtor in to advise us what our home is worth. One year ago she stated it was worth $260,000 and now if I can get $220,000 I'd be very fortunate. I said I just got a bank appraisal in May for $230,000. She said unfortunately, there goes the word of the century again, that is because in her opinion unsavory appraisers were working with lenders to provide inflated values for lending purposes. She also said speculators who were also realtors and also lenders drove the prices up. As an everyday American I really don't know the truth or not about that and can't say. However, it is awful strange the prices of homes dropped so fast and so much in not even 6 months time.

Now that brings us to our local government. Those tax appraisers who tell you what your taxes will be. Well my fellow everyday American you have a home worth $230,000 so we have to increase your taxes significantly. No matter that in less than 6 months it is worth thousands less. Now comes the insurance lobby that mandates you must insure full replacement cost. Of course your local friendly builder who was squeezing every dollar out of you to purchase their home and who is now willing to throw in a new kitchen and one of his kids to purchase one, just might have been driving the cost up? Add that friendly building supply company who drove the price of materials sky high and now you have a mess. Of course no one had anything to do with it but boy they all are screaming now that it is a buyers market. Regretfully, the other word of the century, some are not in business anymore and left many everyday people holding the bag. Do you think the bank, realtor and government care?

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So do we regular people trying to hang in there and survive really think these people who make so much more then us really care or have a good answer for us? These same people who can't fathom paying anything and get the perks and deals can understand how it impacts us? Yes, these same people who have their wealth spread out in any number of ways, sheltered and who write off most of their wealth to the point their taxes are minimal if they pay any at all, do you really think they actually really care? Are you naive enough to think they have our well being in mind or perhaps that they have created a real problem and now need a backdoor escape? Mind you that they most likely will not have too much of an escape but enough to smell good after the day is over.

There are answers out there but they need to be leaders. Well there goes that idea! Change the law so that people are not forced to insure for full replacement value. Mandate that if you do business or have done business in any state you just cannot pull out of the market but must prove your closing your doors everywhere and getting out of the business. Perhaps if the "risk", something that used to be part of doing business but not anymore, is spread out, that will help rates. Provide for easier payment plans. Get rid of if you do not have insurance you are in default. Let those investors know their bucks are secured and remove the want it all approach. Place a severe fine and jail on those who estimate houses for lenders and real estate and are found exceeding realistic property evaluations. The government by nature of their own statistics and analysis can certainly know values and estimate accordingly and can set guidelines and recognize abuse. The same with Tax appraisers who can't estimate values properly and make unrealistic projections that impact all. They should be held legally responsible have to pay fines and get jail time when they impact a community. They may be a little more careful in their estimations on values and projected revenues.

Now finally, like my other articles spell out, this will not change until you act. Yes my fellow everyday American. We must boot them all out. The smiling faces, good dressers, warm and fuzzy types we seem to vote for. You know those incumbents and those supported by them. If we succeed in putting in all new faces it will send a tremor that will last for years. We may get the same types but the message will, as I said reverberate each and every time they say yes or no.

Get out and vote and take back what has always been ours America.

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Robert T. Melaccio Sr. [send him email] is a freelance writer.

Copyright © 2007 Robert Melaccio