Posts Tagged ‘citizen’

The American Dream — Alive and Well

Thursday, June 7th, 2012

United States of AmericaI had the pleasure to speak to a spirited group of homeowners a few days ago in Delray Beach. I was invited to address a group of homeowners associations, but the group of 70 plus could easily have fit in with the people who walk through my doors every day.

They were frustrated, tired of hearing excuses, and they wanted answers on how the housing crisis will ultimately right itself.

Often the opinion that they conveyed to me, either directly or simply by the expression on their faces, was this — “What happened to the American Dream? Is it gone forever?”

And the answer is no. You may have to look extra hard for it, but it still remains; and it can be reached by everyone.

I found someone who is living the American Dream, and it made me smile. And in his story you will see the problem, but at the same time I think you will find the solution.

Why? Because the man, Eddy Kauffmann, lives in Switzerland. He is not an American citizen. At least not yet.

He is a retired banker who has found a way to turn this horrible mess of a housing market and use it to obtain his goal of becoming an United States citizen. At the same time, his success could have a positive impact on entire communities.

I in fact, come from Swiss lineage, as my mother was Swiss. The Swiss are extremely observant and methodical in nature. (See Swiss watches and banks!)

Perhaps that’s why this story caught my attention.
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Foreclosure Clean-Up Gets Police Response, But Not Bank Fraud?

Monday, May 7th, 2012

A group from the Miami Workers Center clean up the area around an abandoned bank-owned house, as police officers wait nearby (Photo Courtesy:Miami Workers Group)

It never ceases to amaze me the glaring duality of the world I live in.

I am constantly reminded that we live in world where you and I have to play by one set of rules, yet the vast financial complex that resides on Wall Street isn’t held to even a fraction of those standards.

The latest example comes way of a small protest in Liberty City last week.

A few members of the Miami Workers Center, a grassroots organization, arrived at an abandoned foreclosed home, a property that like countless others is nothing more than a glorified trash dump.

Their nefarious plot? To clean the home up, and try to make it a little less of an eyesore.

Scary right?

And what did this group, which included a grandmother and an pregnant woman, encounter when they arrived at that home?

About a half dozen cops, who threatened to arrest any of them if they stepped foot on the Bank Of America-owned property.

The protesters, to their credit, didn’t give up and cleaned up the public areas around the home. Not once was a burglary tool spotted.

The officers watched over these men and women like mother hens as they picked up beer bottles and broken glass, among other fabulous ‘accessories’ the home had accumulated over the last few years. (Bank of America took the home in 2010.)

But when the banks not only trespass, but break into my clients homes? How many police officers can I get on the case? Not a single one.
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