Homeowners Assn censors "peace sign" holiday wreath

[Andy9o8 3]

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You wouldn't complain about a HOA if it prevented or stopped a neighbour from destroying the atmosphere of a community and demanded that they remove their 2 broke down cars, 3 washing machines and piles of garbage in the front yard.

Uh, I already addressed that in post #7:

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Hey, I'm not unreasonable. If HOA regs would stick to reasonable stuff like "no cars on blocks on your front lawn, douchebag", and "mow your lawn, for cryin' out loud", that wouldn't bother me. But when they cross the line like the example in the OP, that's the kind of harrassing horseshit that makes me chafe. I can't have a political sign on my lawn, or let little kids sell lemonade in my driveway on a hot summer day? In America? Screw that.

[shropshire 0]

Doesn't seem that voluntary... just because you want to buy a particular house in an area that you like... why should anyone in that area dictate to you?
But some would say, buy elsewhere, but why should you?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[freethefly 6]

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Kearns (the association president) ordered the committee to require Jensen (the homeowner) to remove the wreath, but members refused after concluding that it was merely a seasonal symbol that didn't say anything. Kearns fired all five committee members.

As well as this nazi prick Kearns firing those who went against his totaltarian rule.
ALL FIVE MEMBERS

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[Richards 0]

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Meh, it's no big deal. No one has to join a HOA. Just get a house elsewhere. I like city living, no HOAs to deal with.

That, and I hate cookie-cutter housing subdivisions.

I'm the exact opposite. I love the burbs and hate city living. I would prefer however to avoid overly militant HOA's.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[Richards 0]

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Reading this thread has really surprised me.... A lot of the stuff that we read on here says how Free America is and the lack of external intervention that there is, compared to some other countries.... Yet I really can't see any of this HOA crap flying at all over here in the U.K..... Talk about schizo

In reality the HOA's started as a good idea but like so many good ideas it gets taken to extremes.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[steveorino 7]

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Doesn't seem that voluntary... just because you want to buy a particular house in an area that you like... why should anyone in that area dictate to you?
But some would say, buy elsewhere, but why should you?

Its a matter of choice. Not all rules are a violation of freedom.

steveOrino

[kelpdiver 2]

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Meh, it's no big deal. No one has to join a HOA. Just get a house elsewhere. I like city living, no HOAs to deal with.

You keep repeating that as if it were factual.

I live in a city (San Francisco) in a heavily populated region (Bay Area) and there's plenty of HOAs. And if the number is "only" 50%, that is a serious restraint on your choice of living arrangements. Hell, we're just now to the point after nearly a decade where you generally have to outbid a half dozen other buyers by paying 10-40% over asking price to even earn the right to pay 500-1.5million to live in an HOA neighborhood.

HOAs are slightly more voluntary than real estate taxes.

[mr2mk1g 10]

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some say is an anti-Iraq war

Why on earth would a Homeowners Association have a clause in it about whether or not you must support a particular war?

Or do these things give carte blanch power to those who run the scheme to rule on anything they see fit?

[Andy9o8 3]

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some say is an anti-Iraq war

Why on earth would a Homeowners Association have a clause in it about whether or not you must support a particular war?

Or do these things give carte blanch power to those who run the scheme to rule on anything they see fit?

Silly Brit. What HOA bylaws often have are restrictions on things having (ostensibly) to do with "aesthetics" - allowable colors of your house (i.e., no neon purple), maximum length of grass, not having a '47 Studebaker on blocks in your front yard, etc. But then they take it to the next level - decorations, signs, etc - and the next thing you know, your Christmas display or political sign are banned by the HOA. That's where even I put on my camos and ask JohnR to let me borrow his gun, cuz I'm gonna defend my rights.

Edit: My experience is that some HOA bylaws specifically spell out what is and is not permitted, while others more simply grant the authority to make such decisions to the Board of Directors, and/or certain officer(s) and/or committees. The latter, as you can well appreciate, has the greater potential for abuse.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Forgive me - I'm evidently too used to thinking of my home as my castle.

A "yes" to my second question, (the non-facetious one), would have sufficed.

[Royd 0]

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Reading this thread has really surprised me.... A lot of the stuff that we read on here says how Free America is and the lack of external intervention that there is, compared to some other countries.... Yet I really can't see any of this HOA crap flying at all over here in the U.K..... Talk about schizo

it's becoming harder to even find an individual piece of property to do with as you please.

Large developers buy up huge tracts of land and everybody gets their cookie cutter home with 500 sq.ft. of lawn.

[shropshire 0]

Sure that's true here too, but even though a develolper builds, it still belongs to the home owner (if Freehold), so pretty much noone tells us what we can and can't do to our houses (within the law).


Actually come to think of it, that's not 100% true, homes within say a national park or if the home is a listed building, there can be some regulations... but there aren't imposed by your neighbours, but the council or government body.

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Andy9o8 3]

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Forgive me - I'm evidently too used to thinking of my home as my castle.

Me, too - that's got a lot to do with why I viscerally dislike HOA's.

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A "yes" to my second question, (the non-facetious one), would have sufficed.

But the answer isn't "yes"; it's "sometimes" - it depends on the specific provisions of the particular bylaws.

And I don't really think you're a silly Brit. That's why the " ".

[Squeak 17]

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A voluntary set of rules (like a HOA) is a lack of freedom?

When it's imposed like in the OP then yes it is, it's also hardly voluntary

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Andy9o8 3]

The little guy (gal) wins! The HOA board rescinded its order.

I credit this thread on DZ.com with making this happen.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/homeowners-association-oks-peace-wreath/20061128070109990002

Power to the people!

[NCclimber 0]

You're a hero, Andy.

[freethefly 6]

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The little guy (gal) wins! The HOA board rescinded its order.

I credit this thread on DZ.com with making this happen.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/homeowners-association-oks-peace-wreath/20061128070109990002

Power to the people!

YES!!! We are an extremely powerful lobby.
Now, let's see what we can do about arming those bears in the National Parks

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[wildfan75 1]

Warning...president of my townhome association...

Everyone has a choice in whether or not to buy a home that is part of an HOA. Period. It is a choice.

When you buy into an HOA you are told up front what rules and regulations you must abide by. Whether or not you chose to read them or just blindly sign on the dotted line is again, your choice. But quite frankly, it's a vast waste of my time when we have to spend time at meetings talking about reimbursing Johnny Dipshit for having his car towed out of guest parking when 1)there are signs that clearly state that guest parking is for guests only, owner's will be towed, 2) he was told up front that owner's can not park in guest parking and 2) after parking there, he received a warning that said, "Park here again, it's getting towed" because Johnny Dipshit didn't read the rules and regulations.

I hardly doubt that this HOA president "fired" all the members of the committee. How many times have we read an article on a skydiving incident and the facts are all wrong or incorrectly reported? My guess is that this is some liberal newspaper trying to stir the pot. Just because it's in black and white doesn't make it true. I hardly doubt that the covenants and bylaws give authority to the president to "fire" people. I would guess that in order to remove a board member, they would need a vote of more than 50% of the membership. That is standard. And if homeowner's don't like the rules, regulation, bylaws and convenants, all they have to do is get together and get whatever percentage the bylaws require of owner's and get them changed.

I wonder what percentage of the membership actually attend board meetings. My complex is 156 units. We have five board members. You know how many people show up for monthly board meetings? FIVE (the BOD). You know how many people showed up for our last annual meeting? 11 (including the board). That's 11 out of 156. Do I like the fact that there are five people making decisions about our complex for 156? Absolutely not. Do I wish that we'd have more input from homeowner's? Absolutely. I would make my volunteered, non-paid position a hell of a lot easier. So before we go bashing the board, we would need to find out how many people are actually actively involved in the HOA. If you're not involved and didn't read the rules, don't go bitching because we took down your football field sized political sign on your postage stamp lawn! And this is the second HOA home I've owned, and participation was pretty much the same there.

As for the wreath, it all depends on what the rules are and interpretation. But I can't help but think this newspaper is trying blow things out of proportion in order sell copies.

[ExAFO 0]

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The little guy (gal) wins! The HOA board rescinded its order.

I credit this thread on DZ.com with making this happen.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/homeowners-association-oks-peace-wreath/20061128070109990002

Power to the people!

YES!!! We are an extremely powerful lobby.
Now, let's see what we can do about arming those bears in the National Parks

What about the kittens? We must save the kittens! Won't someone think of the kittens?

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[Andy9o8 3]

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My guess is that this is some liberal newspaper trying to stir the pot.

It slays me when people toss out the "L-word" to discredit something they disagree with, even if it's not a political discussion. Yeah, I know, it was reported in the news media, so it's that damn liberal agenda. Please. Fact is, this story was by the Associated Press, and then newspapers and websites (like AOL news and Yahoo news) picked it up and re-printed it nation-wide. Some local newspapers reported it, too. You want to blame the libs hiding under your bed for stirring sedition? Knock yourself out.

Nobody said that HOAs don't have some positive aspects. Nobody said that HOA board members don't have to deal with annoying, disinterested or pain-in-the ass residents. Of course, since we're talking about choices, nobody forces anyone to serve on their HOA or condo association BOD, either. But I digress. What the complaint is here is when HOA officers act like petty little dictators and harass residents over stupid shit. But that's already been discussed, rebutted, sur-rebutted, etc. in the posts above.

Finally, didn't you read what they said? My side won, and I'm a hero. Stop killing my buzz.
No soup for you.

[wildfan75 1]

If the directors are acting like petty little dictators, then the homeowners should and CAN do something about it. Fact is, is that it's easier for homeowners to whine and cry about something and not do anything about it. I chose to do the opposite. I volunteer to be on my board because I want to do something about it, I want to make my home a better place, not just sit on my ass and let someone else do it and then bitch when they don't do it to my liking.

And congrats!! I did read what the article said, and my beef wasn't with the article or the situation. It was with all these poeple attacking HOA's without a clue. Well, that's pretty harsh to say that but I can't think of a better way to say it right now...I'm at work..I'm busy!

[jcd11235 0]

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Finally, didn't you read what they said? My side won, and I'm a hero. Stop killing my buzz.
No soup for you.

Stop using racist Seinfeld references, please.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[kelpdiver 2]

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If the directors are acting like petty little dictators, then the homeowners should and CAN do something about it.

the problem is there really isn't a mechanism to say - stop being a jackass. Your only recourse is to try to replace said jackass and become one yourself.

BTW, it's not the rules coming in that would worry me, it's the ones that get voted in later (even if it were 51% of all residents).

[masterrig 1]

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For the most HOA's cannot be enforced legally

Actually, they can be - general rule: as long as you are deemed to have voluntarily joined the HOA, then you are bound by principles of contract, and the HOA can file a lawsuit to judicially enforce the terms and conditions of the contract. That's not to say you cannot defend against such a lawsuit, but it can be filed, and you'll have to defend against it if you don't want a default judgment entered against you.

Now, I did say for the most. The last neighborhood that I lived in could do nothing about the shorty dragpipes that I ran on my bike nor could they do anything about my 57 or my 80 El Camino. They sure did bitch a lot though and I sure did rap the pipes every time I passed the house of the complainers.

__________________________________

A small act of defiance! Reminds me of my Mom, before she passed. My Dad had died and my Mom sold our house and moved into a nice little condo out in the 'country'. She read through the HOA's rules and regs. She turned livid when she read the part that said... "NO ROSE BUSHES!" She had always had roses at our house and loved them. That spring, she planted rose bushes around her condo. About early summer, they all bloomed and were absolutely gorgeous. some of the roses were the size of cup-saucers. My Mom was in her yard one day and the president of the HOA was out for a walk and stopped to visit with my Mom. The first words out of the HOA president's mouth were how beautiful those roses were and how she wished more condo owners would plant them! My Mom just politely thanked her for her words and just gave the woman a big smile! Obviously, the woman hadn't read the 'contract'!


Chuck

[KidWicked 0]

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My guess is that this is some liberal newspaper trying to stir the pot.

Hilarious. You really know how to discredit your own argument.

Coreece: "You sound like some skinheads I know, but your prejudice is with Christians, not niggers..."