Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)-Guest Blogger
Just the other day we learned of the proposed foreclosure abuse settlement between the Attorney Generals of almost all 50 states and the Big Banks. In that pending settlement, the Banks will be depositing up to $26 Billion dollars into a fund designed to help homeowners whose homes are under water and who have been foreclosed upon. “Federal and state officials today will finally announce that they’ve reached a settlement with the nation’s biggest banks over the banks’ various foreclosure fraud abuses, such as “robo-signing” foreclosure documents and submitting falsely notarized documents to courts. The settlement has been in the works for several months, as a few key states — most notably California and New York — were holding out for tougher terms against the banks.” Think Progress While some still think the settlement does not go far enough, there is evidence that the settlement could provide real relief for homeowners and for the real estate market. But the concept of helping the market and homeowners gets lost, at least in the mind of Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin!
Gov. Walker and his Wisconsin Attorney General have decided that the lions share of any settlement funds heading to Wisconsin are not going to be used for their agreed upon purpose, but to help balance his ailing state budget! “However, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) — whose high profile assault on workers’ rights has prompted a recall effort against him — isn’t planning to use the money to help homeowners. Under the terms of the settlement, Wisconsin is set to receive $140 million, $31.6 million of which comes directly to the state government. And Walker is planning to use $25.6 million of that money to help balance his state’s budget: Of a $31.6 million payment coming directly to the state government, most of that money – $25.6 million – will go to help close a budget shortfall revealed in newly released state projections. [Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen], whose office said he has the legal authority over the money, made the decision in consultation with Walker. “Just like communities and individuals have been affected, the foreclosure crisis has had an effect on the state of Wisconsin, in terms of unemployment. … This will offset that damage done to the state of Wisconsin,” Walker said.” Think Progress
Somehow, Gov. Walker and his AG are trying to make us believe that funds that have been tentatively agreed upon to be used to help individual homeowners and former homeowners, will be better utilized to balance his budget that has been criticized for making gifts to corporations at the expense of the individual citizens and public education. Journal Sentinel Did Gov. Walker think that the big blow-up over contraception the last few days would hide this story of outright theft from the homeowners who need it the most?
Notwithstanding your opinion of the proposed settlement, what good at all will this proposed settlement be to homeowners and the real estate market if individual Governors are allowed to raid the funds and use them in ways that they were not intended to be used? Is this just one more example of politicians attempting to line their pockets or to service their “base” and leaving the taxpayers in their dust? Will this attempted theft by Walker be one more nail in his political coffin with his pending recall election later this year?
In this writers opinion, the Feds and the majority of Attorney Generals from across the country need to make sure that when the agreement is finalized that individual Governors cannot be allowed to defraud the public and steal the funds delegated for homeowner relief. How do the state Attorneys General prevent this kind of deception what weakening the impact of this settlement? What do you think?
Blouise,
Your quickness astounds me.
Re´ Augustine, as Carver says, wrote his own memoirs, in pursuit of sainthood perhaps.
As for greatest saints, does that prove that Hitler has become a jewish one?
I mean, that’s an odd way to attain sainthood, hating women or jews. Had the Christian ones no other characteristics? Pederasty? It can’t be just a modern phenomena. Recite the litany for us. No, just kidding.
There is today a modern equivalent to the Medieval “succubus”.
They are the muslim wives of the Maldive islands. Check it out.
The husbands are all tuckered out from trying.
Idealist707 — what are you talking about? The dispersion you cast on Saint Augustine we know about because he himself told us about them. That was the only point I was making. And if you are going to use his words to slam him, or the Church (presuming HRCC is the Holy Roman Catholic Church), then get your context right. Trust me, Saint Augustine provides plenty of evidence in his writings for attacks on the Church, is that is your druthers. But as a rhetorical device, using inaccurate or ahistorical examples to prove your point undermines the entirety of your argument.
There is a line between “folk wisdom” and “believing what I want to believe, contrary to all available evidence”. You seem to be off on the Tea Party end of that spectrum, regardless of what your ostensible politics are.
DHMCarver,
You seem to know a lot. But do you rely on the tidied writings of the HRCC?
For example, the chief information we have on Gnostics was written by a few Christian opponents
Be that as it may. This is a perfect example of how talking points from the right thrive (ie the pop version), whereas truth (if there be such) does NOT viralize, nor survive in the popular mind or become legacy. Who wins?
We’ll find out in November, or in a few hundred years if we’re here then.
At any rate, the popular version functions very well as a parable, carrying greater wisdom than perhaps the “truth” does.
Am saying simply that your version has about the same claim to historiticity as those about the life of Mohammed.
“Facts” don’t always trump folk wisdom.
Lotta,
I can’t imagine that Congress would do anything to help homeowners. Especially the House. I was contemplating federal regulators or a real independent commission.
Rafflaw: “In this writers opinion, the Feds and the majority of Attorney Generals from across the country need to make sure that when the agreement is finalized that individual Governors cannot be allowed to defraud the public and steal the funds delegated for homeowner relief.”
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I’m not sure who is meant by “the feds”. Is that Congress, because the originators of the law could make a list of exclusions that would prevent diversions of the funds. After Walkers statement and the recent example of bailout funds used for bonus’ (or to fill the hole in the bottom line that bonus’ left) it’s not like Congress doesn’t know what danger lies in a poorly worded allotment. Unless Congress wanted to make grants to the states since so many of them are in trouble and wanted to do it on the down low.
To amplify what Blousie wrote, that quote of St. Augustine’s was uttered when he was a callow youth (late teens, possibly early twenties) — a “prayer” surely uttered in similar form by many young boys and girls of spiritual bent. And it was one child (Adeodatus), not two, that he had by his mistress — and this was before his conversion. And the only reason we know any of this is because St. Augustine himself told us — in his work aptly titled “The Confessions.” Far from abandoning his son, he and Adeodatus were baptized together when Adeodatus was a teenager, and were together when St. Augustine’s mother died.
I realize this is off the point of this thread, but I have heard the “give me chastity, but not yet” (in full: “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet”) thrown around ahistorically one too many times…
id707,
In order to make a good Saint one has to have been one hell of a sinner.
As Annie Besant, a Theosophist, said … “For centuries the leaders of Christian thought spoke of women as a necessary evil, and the greatest saints of the Church are those who despise women the most.”
One report says that the settlement offers those whose homes were foreclosed (certain qualifying conditions) the munificent sum of Two, repeat TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. If acceptance was coupled with abstention of right to pursue the matter further was not mentioned.
Surely this reminds of so many attacks of this mosquito type:
Spread out the outrages and no concerted nor effective counter-attack is possible.
It’s like here, we have so many taxes, we lose sight of them, and the stings are translated into a generalized ache. Finally cognition and reaction is totally impaired. Ultimate result: Morbidity and mortality of the body politic.
Well said Dredd, I couldnt have growled better myself. One person could put Walker in the hotseat and several could make it hotter. A plaintiff who is targeted as the recipient of the settlement and denied it by the Governor should sue the Governor in simple conversion (Count I) and theft (Count II). Since the case can be filed in a county circuit court, pick a good victim, one who lives in a city somewhere with good jurors who hate the Walker for stealing their money. Do not file it as a class action. File many as individual actions. All over the state. He is not immune from suit for conversion or theft. Let the courts of appeals deal with the niceties. There are better theories but I think that conversion and theft sound about right. Groooowwl.
Just a dog talkin.
Did St. Augustine realize that could apply to the HRCC?
With all due respect to his humanity, he had (Wiki) a mistress for 10 years, abandoned her with two children. and went to Rome to fulfill what his prayers earlier had prevented him from doing. Re chastity: “Help me, Oh Lord, but not now” (If my memory serves me well)
Dredd,
Well done!
I am always amazed at the creativity exhibited by those who think up new names for new condoms.
I mean there was foresight, foreplay, forelorn, and now foreclosure.
Good “bleau job” guys.
Carver,
That is one possible way to deal with the funds, but states still used those funds to supplement their general budgets. I think it has to be reduced to law or executive regulation somehow. If Walker is allowed to do this, what will stop other Governors whose budgets are in trouble?
Walker and Santorum: Astral Twins, except Santorum is slightly more sincere and slightly more stupid.
Wouldn’t the handling of the tobacco settlements provide a model for how to put brackets on the use of these monies?
One thing that can be said about Oklahoma is the Attorney General refused to sign off on this “Settlement Agreement” as it will only benefit a few…. and of course the banks by limiting liabilities….
Why are Rethuglicans always such miserable Mother-Forkers????
In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery? ~St. Augustine
You could be right Blouise. I think the AG’s need to set up a fool proof process to keep the pols out of it.
The key to the success of this agreement will be in the administration of the funds. If there is little oversight then this agreement will be no more successful than the previous effort.
Walker wants this effort to fail and is the point-man other Republican Governors have put forward and intend to follow.