Anyone else have their home auctioned off on the courthouse steps today?

We did. Now we are Homeless. Thanks Mr Bush, thanks one helluva lot.

Shouldn't have spent 200 thousand fighting these bastards in better times.

Hope your Christmas is better...

Sorry, had to tell someone, and believe it or not this IS Politics..

Appreciate the DU keeping us sane over all these years, but I'll not be posting any more, hopefully we'll get it together, but it's time for me to go.. This is too Grim.

Thanks to all.

Oh how we should all feel so proud to help and take help. What an amazing time. Great love to you all.

http://www.takebackthemedia.com/pepperobama1.html

It's just a bit but every bit helps!

Thanks for the link ...

Symbolman will be getting the money that would have gone to various politicians from now on.

We're in this thing together, 'kay?

We donated. We'll put them on layaway, just as we did Obama.

DU will get them through this.

Sorry for the last pointless 8 years, sorry for the world, sorry for you, sorry for anyone this is happening to, and sorry that what's being called a "ripple effect" if the Big Three fail will be more like a tsunami.

Sorry to hear that!

I'm sorry this happened to you.

I am not even going to attempt to write what I feel about this.

But I will wish you luck and tell you how terribly sorry I am.

Tom

No punishment is adequate for the BushCo Bastards who ruined so many lives and sold out this country.

I hope things improve for you.

There is so much that has to be healed all over the world because of this jerk.

I'm so sorry!

I sure am sorry for you, this really sucks. We have all been had. Great time of year too! Good Luck To You.

I hope you and your family are OK.
Trying to find something useful to say or suggest but can't right now.

My thoughts are with you though.

and thoughts for you and your family. So incredibly sad to see this happen to anybody.

If my rental apartment was empty, I'd offer it to you.

I am hoping to file for bankruptcy on Saturday and forstall the sale, at least for the time being. I am so sorry to hear that. All the best to you and your family.

You possibly already have all the help you need, but just in case you aren't...

Are you working with a local HUD Counselor? I heard an interview on Thom Hartmann with someone who warned people to stay away from anyone who wants to charge you for helping them stop a foreclosure and to talk with a HUD-approved counselor.

HUD Counselor
http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcc_home.cfm

Federal Housing Administration
http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page?_pageid=33,717348&_da...

I am so sorry...

I know the terrain... not quite there yet but in a matter of weeks I will be - preparing mine now. to you. I hope you're in time to head it off.

and I can't help but believe far better times lie ahead for you.

I do hope you'll check in again.

I don't know what else to say except sorry.

This is why we fight.

Who's next?

I may be joining you in a few months.

Things have to get better for us, they just have to.

this is a small sampling of what we have George W. Bush to thank for . . . if he and his ilk aren't prosecuted, then there truly is no justice . . .

good luck . . .

.. I am so sorry this happened to you guys.. Are you still in Hawaii, or back on the mainland? I hope you have some family close by to help ease the transition..

and I left DU for a long time when my husband and then my son passed. I know what trauma does.
so, do what you have to do, but know you are loved. I understand.
Sending you love now.
mari

I HATE repukes.

All I can think of is swear words. Shit! Symbolman, I am so fucking pissed off to hear this happened to you. For what it's worth, know that someone far away is really sickened to hear this.

Aw, geeze. That's a "rip your heart out" thing to go through. I'm not far behind you either. Struggling to hang on against all odds now, with the guiotine raised. If my roof was secure you'd be welcome here if you could get here.

I know you have immediate concerns on your mind, but please check in when/if you can, symbolman. God, I hope some miracle finds you now!!! You deserve one!

There go four damn good essays (not to mention your life) down the tubes. (Like we say in NOLA, "Ain't my fault, ain't my fault, ain't my fault...")

Perhaps if you contact this woman:

http://www.haikuhelen.com/contact.htm

Yes, she bills herself as "Maui's Cyber-Psychic" , but she does have an extensive email distribution list (reaching at least as far as the island upon which I am now marooned), which frequently features requests for housing and the like. (Before you even ask, a friend over there put me on the list. )



edit: spelling. And while I'm at it, I hate Boosh with the white-hot intensity of ten thousand suns.

re-edit: A thousand apologies, but there's no way the three of you are fitting into my palatial 364-sq. ft. studio.

I am so so so sorry. It's what I fear the most (I was homeless as a child and I'm TERRIFIED of being there again). Good, positive vibes to you and your family.

I hope you have the best of luck recovering from their latest assault.
And if you find your way to CA you can have a place to stay here (if I still have it!).

You have been a treasure here!

so sad

I wish there were something I could do or say - other than -

I am so very sorry for your loss and thank you for all that you have done and that you will do in the future.

so sorry to hear this.

I'd could be living under an overpass myself soon enough.

Leave no child behind. But dump their parents under the overpasses.

I wish you some sort of improvement and soon.

Wish there was something I could do.

Please take care of yourself and your family.

Wow, if we could kill two birds with one stone. ...

this is why we love it. And you

I laud you for your intention.

PM and/or email him posthaste!

edit: if all else fails, the media contact number at the bottom of this page:

http://www.winmauihome.com

should work.

I feel sad, resigned, and strangely inexplicably calloused. I hope you find something that works well.

I have no idea what to say.

How can we all send you something. Money is crazy now. But some of us have a little extra for a moment.

Hope your days brighten soon.

So terribly sorry. Hope things only go up from here!

Did that not go through? Sorry about having your home foreclosed on, that sucks.

Symbolman its a crying ass shame the way this dickhead of a pResident has royally fucked everything up. Damn I wish we could get overs on these last eight years. Let us just wake up on 1-21-09 and it all be rolled back to jan of '01. Man I wish I had some encouraging words for you other than we share in your pain. Another homeless Vet and his family, should be a crime in itself and not on your part either.

Damn it to hell anyway...

Be sending good vibes your way.

Ours was sold at auction in April, and I know just how you feel. Prayers and good vibes - wish I could do more...

inspired by your dedication to the cause and willingness to fight for what is right. I wish I knew how to help. I think there are many here who would help in any way possible. Please don't hesitate to let us know what you need. Community is what is necessary in these times and DU is part of your community.

I am so sad to see this farewell post.

http://www.takebackthemedia.com/pepperobama1.html

If you make your way to the hell that is the south, I'll get the kids to bunk together and try to make room for you.

Tell me why we have to pay the difference because of failed policy that took our jobs away from us! There were no full time jobs in Florida for the last 2 years that my husband and I tried to find one. It is dirty to think that a-holes like AIG get bailed out and the little working guy has to pay their taxes after their life savings and everything they worked for over 40 years is gone!

This boat is big honey - just try to look ahead to the Obama years!

The lender "forgives the debt" and then sends in a 1099 showing the loss as income. And you have to pay taxes. And they don't care what they get for the house. Often an "insider" gets it and flips it. Congress of course knows this. But does nothing. There should be some provision somewhere that if your house is sold at auction and then flipped within a two year period, you get the profit from the flip.

The problem is the money. Congress is nothing more than a bordello at this point. And they sell themselves to the highest bidder. Don't forget Harry Reid took money from Jack Abramoff. I wonder if anyone ever bothered to look at who else he has taken money from or who Nancy Pelosi has taken money from and then compared the list to the legislation they push through. They really are no different from Tom De Lay.

I still am so appalled by Nancy Pelosi and her first act as Speaker of the House. Pushing through a minimum wage bill that included an exemption for Starkist Tuna. The voters in San Francisco should have stuffed her in a tuna and tossed her into San Francisco Bay last month.

I am really interested in anything that can be done about this.

You are so right on about Reid and Pelosi - they have not been the leaders we have needed through all this! I hope they can be replaced quickly!

It sucks.

My condolences.

I hope things change for the better for you as well.

I'm not around here too much, so I don't know the back story on what happened to you and your family. What happened that caused you and your family to lose your home?

...as a documentary filmmaker. That's the short version. When patriots choose to fight tyranny over preserving life, fortune, sacred honor, this is what it means.

We all owe him a tremendous debt -- he has shown us the price of liberty.

for the backstory. I'm sorry that it looks like his passion for politics cost him his home. We do owe him a great debt, that's for sure. But I think we all need to learn a lesson from this. We need to keep our finances in perspective and make certain we are taking care of our families at the same time that we are taking care of our duties as citizens.

to take a risk, while they still have something to lose. I think that's why our media, our government, and our society is in the shape it is.

K&R.

The Constitution with the words, 'Void Where Prohibited By The PATRIOT ACT'
Thanks for the shirt, and I hate the bastards that did this to you.

Have got an alternate place to live, fortunately, but the home I was hoping to sell is going to be foreclosed sometime in the next few weeks. I hung onto it as long as I could against all odds. Yes, the Bush economy screwed us all. Wishing you the best.

and just the beginning
My prayers are with you and better times ahead

I sure wish there was something I could do to help

These times are fucking ridiculous

This is so seriously fucked up. Criminals get rewarded while the good go down.

perhaps two months without holiday shopping..

I've revered the posts I've read of yours. You are the first person I know of to go through the criminal process of eminent domain.

its looking bleak...cant believe this is happening me and to so many...

I remember reading about the raffle...the House in Hawaii, right?

Damn, it!

I'm just so sorry!

I feel like I know symbolman...because he had pictures of his house and of his
family here on DU, when the house was up for "sale" in the raffle.

Symbolman, you are good people. You are family....part of the DU family.

I hope you can stick around. We all need each other and every single one
of us knows...that it could be any of us next. It will be many of us next.

You are cherished here, and always consider DU a refuge.

Thinking of you and your family.

I wish you better days ahead.

sw

n/t

Godspeed, my friend.

Hekate

Praying that a door opens for you somewhere soon...Take care, and stay safe...wb

I know how hard it is.

There's something I've been wanting to say for a while now. Something I don't think many people realize is that if you are 2 or more months in the rears the bank (at least in my case) would not accept anything other than a full payment for the past due amount. I couldn't continue to make monthly payments or add extra every month to catch up. They stated that it had to be a money order for the entire amount, anything less than that or a personal check would be returned. Let's face it, if you're anywhere near the edge there's no way you're going to ever be able to cough up that much money. After 2 months if you can't sell it, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion. If you try to sell it you have to divulge that it's facing foreclosure. Once a potential buyer sees that you can forget about getting market price, the only offers you'll get are insulting.

I guess my point being that if you're a typical middle class family it's a very short fall from solvency to losing your house.

and outrageous --

Terrible to hear what is happening, but we very much need to hear it --

And understand exactly what is happening in America --

Eight years of terrorizing the world and Bush/Cheney walk off wealthy and carefree --

But, still, I'm sure no one of us would ever want to be them.

I would not want to wake up any morning with what they have done on my conscience.

Big change is needed.

inspiring posts over the years.

Good luck to you and your family, symbolman.

I see above that 1776Forever's home is about to be auctioned off, and Symbolman's was done yesterday.... how horrific.

B*sh has vacuumed the working class away to foreign lands for riches for his buddies and him! We were sold out as we all kept saying - the Obama Adm. will hopefully do major changes as we feel he will enact and the DEM Congress hopefully will stand up unlike how they behaved the past 2 years as a whole. There's some serious payback/blowback that needs to happen to the corporation crime syndicate involving giving back billions they owe this country and getting jobs back in this country that are sent overseas!


NOT SURE ABOUT THE REST OF YA, BUT I HATE TALKING TO FOREIGN CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS FOR MY CELL PHONE, COMPUTER PROBS, ETC...

These designs on dozens of different shirts, button, stickers, mugs & more! http://www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable/1434671

Sending a hug.

The GOP has ruined the country for 98% of the people. I hope things get better for you soon.

know you're not alone. you have a place to stay, right?

What a terrible situation. The new America, in full Republican glory.

And we never had 200K to spend, if there's a DU wide fundraiser going on I'll put out my hat with shame.

I have had our place auctioned off a half a dozen times. At least in this state you don't get tossed out in the streets.

Here is how it works. First off you owe property taxes and that is why the auction was held (they are held in November here). The 'reserve' at the auction was the tax due and if no one had bid the state would have 'purchased' the tax lien from the county but generally an individual will bid the price of the sale up higher than the actual tax bill.

The buyer of the delinquent tax lien then has to hold the lien for 1 year. Anytime during that year the owner of the property can contact the lien holder and repay them the amount they paid at auction plus 1% of that amount per month from the time of the sale. The lien holder must accept payment but if they refuse you may return to the courthouse, sign a paper saying you couldn't find them or they refused payment and you may pay the original tax, plus the interest due, right there on the spot and remove the lien from your property.

So that's the bottom line, you still have to pay your taxes, you have an additional year to do it, and you have to pay interest on what has become effectively a loan to you for your tax amount with possibly some added on.

So don't get all upset and move to the back seat of a Toyota about this, just go find the money and pay what you owe.

Of course your state may be different but in at least the last 3 states we've lived in you haven't hit the wall yet.

has to do with them wanting $35 thousand dollars TODAY (Yesterday), telling us that if we paid the next three months mortgage without fail, that they'd do a workout, sort of refinance, and we'd be fine, back in the saddle, and they told us not to WORRY, there was no action as far as auctioning the property off, they were going to send papers.

a Lie. they never did, think "Bait and Switch", think my wife, a realtor who's versed in this, lawyers hanging up, while some prick said that we couldn't talk to his supervisor and "Is there anything Else I can HELP you with.." WHILE the auction is going on at that MOMENT.

They NEVER notified us of the auction, they LIED. It was a sleazy scam and now we're SCREWED.

And it has nothing to do with Taxes in the least.

SOrry, I can't go on about it..

But I would like to THANK everyone for their generosity, you're all in our hearts.

I'm broken, can't even keep going here, sorry. But still grateful for my friends trying to get me beyond at least this much of the HUGE hump.

Gotta go lay down, haven't sleep, may not for a while.

Love to all, can't get over this sleazy rip off by these asshats.... sorry.. can't maintain right now.

I misunderstood your post. Normally when you say a property is being auctioned off at the courthouse steps it means for taxes, the banks normally do it at the property itself and in fact I've never known of a property auction at any Courthouse for a property being sold after a private transaction has failed.

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I wish you better luck next time. I know that sounds harsh, but having lost a house to forclosure when I was young I have a longer term view of it now than I did then or you do now.

But our HOME WAS AUCTIONED OFF this afternoon ON the Steps of the Court house, our realtor was a witness..

It is GONE.

We are destroyed..

ON EDIT: I reread what you'd written and apologise for going off on you.. different states doing it different ways.


For all my friends who understand that what I say is REAL and who have been so kind, for those who feel my pain, I thank you profusely, you are in my heart..

Here in Minnesota, where the Sheriff's sale is held on a foreclosure (the auction on the courthouse steps.) the borrower (you) has 6 months to redeem. This means they have 6 months to come up with the amount due under the loan. AND EVEN IF THEY CAN'T COME UP WITH THE $, they get to stay in the house until the 6 months is up. And they don't have to pay mortgage or rent during this time.

Usually it takes literally months and months for a foreclosure to finally go through, particularly to the point of an auction.

Too involved to go into, but believe me they screwed us and we were NOT 90 days in arrears on our house payments...we were like 59.

I don't think what they did was even legal, but if you are having trouble paying your mortgage, you don't typically have the cash to hire a crack legal team either.

These criminal sons of bitches that bush has let run amuck for 8 years should be drawn and quartered.

sold to corporations ---

Not that I'm a lawyer or anything, but I am a renter in Hawai'i, and even to evict a lowly renter, you must first post notice on the front door.

Try Volunteer Legal Services of Hawai'i, 800-839-5200 or http://www.vlsh.org -- or just throw the bastards into the nearest volcano!

process of foreclosing on my last home and NEVER EVER NOTIFIED US! Legally, it sounds like they don't have to, although it's a common assumption that papers must be served. Btw, Symbolman, my heart goes out to you and yours.

I hope you get back on you feet quickly.

Don

it seems more than a few DUers are going through a similar experience. I'm so sorry and wish you all the very best, as impotent as it feels to say. God damn Bush and his merry band of thieving criminals.

But like a dying phoenix, I hope you all can emerge from the ashes stronger and on your way to a more fulfilling life. Things that cost money are only things, but your lives are priceless. God bless.

in the greatest country in the world.

My heart aches for everyone facing such a horrible situation.

Symbolman, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Symbolman- thank you for all your great works on DU over the years. You and yours will be in our prayers and thoughts. PLEASE KEEP POSTING. We need each other.

I still remember watching the very powerful flash videos you produced, you reached a lot of people and it is so sad to hear what is happening to you now. Please know however that you have a lot of support, and I have no doubt that things will get better for you soon.

Wishing all of us........

Lost a business, then the house -- there are no words to say to somebody during what you are going through that will help (I know)but don't beat yourself up or "what if" yourself to death...this situation is not your fault.

Sending best vibes!

Newt Gingrich's 'born again' Evangelical Right Wing
Zip Code, 3005:

294 homes set for Auction

377 homes Bank Owned

29 For Sale (Immediate Occupancy)

Is there a web site which gives directions
to the 'out of sight' Bushvilles....?

With bail-out money ....????

Preposterous ... bail-out money should have gone to homeowners and re-structuring

their debt/mortgages --

I'd slam the door on these banks and their sleazy practices --

everything when our house burned down a year ago. Everything. Had to fight the insurance co, the lender, pay taxes on a burned down house...you name it. We were homeless--but our neighbors helped.

I'm hoping that the many good people who know you will be able to help you through this. Sending good vibes.

Democrats should know what is happening to Democrats. And everybody else. But we're their votes. Their fundraisers. And we're being destroyed.

....so about the best thing I can hope to say is that you have modeled the meaning of patriotism. When the question came to you that comes eventually to every citizen under oppression, you answered duty's call.

The question is this: Do you choose liberty, or tyranny? And, if you choose liberty, what are you willing to do to defend it?

Your answer was clear and courageous. In the face of danger, you didn't blink.

Be safe.

Always enjoy your work.
Your talent is well-respected and will soon open a door for you. I just feel it ...
Don't give up!

So sorry to learn you have lost your home. This is tragic and should not be happening.

I'm so sorry that this happened to you and your family, symbolman.

I wish there was something we could do for you. Take care.

you'd be taken care of. Most likely you'd be living on some of these billions if not trillions that have been lost by the defense dept.
I wish you and your family well.
Donated.

and we may not be the only ones. They stole our home under the guise of Foreclosure. There are others that are noticing this trend, and we are going to follow it. I believe that what they did was ILLEGAL and they did it with FULL Knowledge, and it took MANY in their Organization, INCLUDING LAWYERS to pull it off.

We are going to go after them, they are shysters, and WE are not the only ones they are pulled this trick on. It's SO SIMPLE, but Obvious on it's face.

I ain't going to take this sitting down, we may be able to help a LOT of people if we can blow this scam out of the water.


Meanwhile here's what Mark Crispin Miller posted on his Blog - the DU has REACH:

***********************

TWO HEROES ARE NOW HOMELESS

Micheal Stinson--a/k/a Symbolman--and Julie Sigwart, the couple behind
Take Back the Media, are now homeless. Like millions of their fellow citizens, they
lately had the hideous experience of watching as their house was auctioned off:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Although they're not people of means (obviously), over the years they've spent at
least $200,000 on their work against the Bush regime; and that work has been
invaluable. It was they, for instance, who first interviewed Don Siegelman, on
video, about the theft of his re-election in 2002; and they've done lots more in
the same bold investigative spirit (much of it with a certain piercing humor).


So if there's any way to help them out, even if it's just by helping spread the
word, please do so. (People can now donate directly at http://www.takebackthemedia.com )

MCM

http://markcrispinmiller.com

We're in little better shape here. Anyway, address book reporting for duty.

And he put it up right away. He's a fan of yours, symbolman, and he knows all the good you do! xxS

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/gmac_mortgage.ht...

No wonder the GOP was working so hard to overturn class action suits

etc ...

These crimes are given license from the top --

and by a Congress sold to NAZIS ...

And good on MCM.... he's a great guy.

It is easy to track activists and their activities. It would be easy to punish you. I will bet my life that that is what happened to you.

our loan had been sold to Citimortgage. I had the letter telling me where to send payments on my desk
and it burned up. When I finally discovered where to send new payments, I did. (Yes, we were required to continue making payments on a burned down house until the insurance paid off the loan.)

When our insurance co tried to buy us off (another story) with a check that was 2/3 of our insured value,
we sent that check to the Citi and asked that they apply it to reducing our loan balance (interest only loan) and give us a new payment. They ignored us. I called every 800 number I could find--to be transferred to India--finally getting someone in the U.S. who called back to tell me to call the number that connected me to India again. We were on major "ignore".

I called our attorney, who contacted Citi. They ignored her. She told them under NC law they had to
refigure our loan. Nothing. I finally discovered I could file a complaint with the NC Commissioner of Banks because they had jurisdiction over lenders in the State. All of a sudden, I got a phone call from Citi saying "gee, they didn't understand why our loan hadn't been refigured"!

I hope you have a similar agency with teeth in Hawaii. You might be able to get somewhere if GMAC
hasn't followed Hawaii law.

Good luck.

Many people are rooting for you and looking for ways to help you out. I don't think you will be left hanging on a wire.

Very sad news. It brings what is happening all over your nation into perspective. If you do feel able to write more about what happened then Scoop Independent News would be keen to publish about the circumstances of your loss as I think that it is only in telling these stories that we are able to learn from them.

I get the feeling that your experience is just part of the opening of what is going to be a long drawn out battle. At the moment the system is imposing the worst of its excesses on the weakest in the community. But when we get to a more extreme phase in this transition then I think real change in the underlying structure will finally be put on the table. And then we will have the poetic revolution that we have been fighting for.

Kia kaha
Alastair