Blue Skies and Green Yards, All Lost to Red Ink

The New York Times ^ | April 11, 2003 | MICHAEL MOSS and ANDREW JACOBS

[Lion Den Dan]

People too stupid to understand the consequences of a daily 200 mile round trip commute, fresh out of bankruptcy, minority status and they fail again. If the lender had refused them, the lender would be "Red lining" or racist.

It is, of curse, ALL BUSH'S FAULT.

[pageonetoo]

The only response I can think of is ..."wahhhhh"... stupid people will never be anything,... but stupid people!

[raybbr]

Also, Pennsylvania, unlike most states, had no building code to set standards for critical matters like foundations, plumbing and insulation; only this year did state officials finish writing such a code to become law this month.

This can't be true. Anyone know about this?

[sarcasm]

Statewide building code on way

Starting April 9, all residential and commercial construction throughout Pennsylvania will be subject to the Uniform Construction Code, a set of regulations that covers everything from basement insulation to rooftop elevators.

Pennsylvania was one of just three states without a statewide building code before the Uniform Construction Code was signed into law after a decade-long lobbying effort by the Pennsylvania Builders Association and others.

[Glenn]

stupid people will never be anything,... but stupid people!

So they had it coming? Someone made a good buck off of them. Taking advantage of the stupid isn't exactly an ethical thing.

[pageonetoo]

So they had it coming?Someone made a good buck off of them. Taking advantage of the stupid isn't exactly an ethical thing....

Yep!

You really have to be gullible/stupid to drive for more than two hours to look for a place to live! It is not someone taking unfair advantage, it is a marketplace where people are responsible for their personal decisions. All I read, in this article, just reinforces a statement attributed to PT Barnum, "there's a sucker born every minute!" These people do not deserve a house!

[pageonetoo]

BTW, I sell land to people. It is rural land, about 2 hours from Washington DC, and Baltimore, in panhandle WV... and people buy there, buildthere, and commute to their g'umt jpbs, by choice! (and some ride the trains!)

[Glenn]

It is not someone taking unfair advantage, it is a marketplace where people are responsible for their personal decisions.

The stupid, by definition, generally allow someone else to make their decisions. That the unethical (do you agree they exist?) make them for them is problematic.

[Shane]

It is unfortunate that people increasingly refuse to take responsibility for their actions.The government has convinced the people that they are there to protect them and consequently they (the people) do not have to preform any semblance of due diligence.

I am continually amazed at the complete lack of common sense displayed by folks. This presents a whole new perspective on the dumbing down of America.

[Jhensy]

The Poconos have been a sucker magnet for NYers for generations now.

[sarcasm]

The NYC subway is full of ads for homes in the Poconos.

[JOHANNES801]

This is true in part.PA did pass much tougher standards this year.

[Hardastarboard]

Th reason these folks can't afford housing in the city is taxes and regulation, plain and simple. That drives up the cost of housing beyond the means of an ordinary wage earner, ironically enough in the name of making their lives better through social programs.

Anybody who makes what is the investment of a lifetime without doing a lot of research is very likely going to end up like this. And, really, what does minority status have to do with it? I work with a lot of "minority" folks who are just as smart (a lot of them smarter), and just as employable as I am.

What this really refers to is the working class, which is any color of people. They want a better life, but often don't have the judgement as to how to obtain it. Hence they vote for the D(emon) party, with their unrealistic promises of how you, too, can be a rich man - all I have to do is take it from the rich guys and give it to you. And then we all end up broke and oppressed.

[pageonetoo]

The stupid, by definition, generally allow someone else to make their decisions. That the unethical (do you agree they exist?) make them for them is problematic...

There are unethical people.

There are stupid people.

Are stupid people unethical?

Are unethical people stupid?

Is it problematic that there are stupid people, or unethical ones?

I watched a kitten go up and steal food from a doberman. Was the doberman stupid, or was the kitty unethical? Or, is it just the way it is...

Life is neither fair, nor is there any promise of balance!

[laredo44]

A fool and his money are soon parted.

The stupid, by definition, generally allow someone else to make their decisions. That the unethical (do you agree they exist?) make them for them is problematic.

It is the home buyer that made a decision and no one else. The stupid serve as bad examples. Always have always will.

What we have here is a story of some who tried and failed. We've all done it; it's one of the ways we learn.

[pageonetoo]

What they don’t tell you is that taking your money is about all they’re interested in. They care little for player complaints, and less about player suggestions and requests. They’re in this to milk you for all you’re worth, and that’s the first thing you have to know. -excerpted from another thread just now... "Everquest: The Real Story Behind Sony's Addictive On-Line Game

No difference! There is an old saying..."Let the buyer beware!"

[bert]

....Taking advantage of the stupid isn't exactly an ethical thing......

Why introduce ethics when the topic of discussion involves greed. The get something for nothing types greedily sought status beyond their means and are now whining because of Paradise Lost.

[SamAdams76]

People too stupid to understand the consequences of a daily 200 mile round trip commute, fresh out of bankruptcy, minority status and they fail again. If the lender had refused them, the lender would be "Red lining" or racist.

Amen. And add to that the utter stupidity of signing a mortgage with payments that will exceed half of your gross income.

So many stupid people in the world. But like you say, it's hard to get between a fool and his folly, especially if he (or she) is a minority.

[woofer]

There was the $3,000 in annual school and property taxes, a $3,600 yearly heating bill, and $500 in homeowners' association dues, which she says she had not expected.

Well, that pretty much sums it up.

Lack of doing your homework, investigating prior sales in the area, believing a salesman (who, by the way, are not on the buyers side, or else they'd be called buysmen). What did these people expect?

Sounds like they had absolutely no idea what home ownership really costs. And its awful hard to prove fraud because the questions you didn't ask weren't answered.