HOBB Community

Forced arbitration is so very clearly a legal loophole to let big business break the law, I can’t even believe there’s a credible or legitimate argument against reform. Federal government created the arbitration act, and they are accountable for any harm it has, and will continue to cause. Granted some companies will get hit with class action suits the minute they reform it, because they’re well entrenched with habits of committing scams and fraud with impunity, under arbitration protection, and tort reforms.

Corporate America and Government seem to be hand in hand right now, in acting without adequate accountability to consumers and the public. This is beneficial to them only in the short term, and weakens us globally as a nation. Even with exaggerated terrorist fears that demand we blindly trust our leaders, people have to fight back.   

It is nearly impossible for a common man to address our justice system against a big corporation today, no matter how heinous the crimes against him are. I know this first hand, as do millions of others. We have to stop reversing Democracy for the sake of radical Islam, and big Corporate interests. The radicals are effectively breaking down our form of democracy, because they really are subverting our system where greed and fear over ride the founding fathers design of checks and balances, and inalienable right to individuals. Islamic extremist are correct, our system is so greed based, it will consume itself if not held in check by accountability and genuine rule of law, and constitutional bound reasoning.

Even if lots of frivolous lawsuits ever existed, it is no less a travesty that even a single individual loses access to justice, no matter how many lawyers before them may have abused the legal system. Protecting big business may help our free economy in one way, but it’s been made abundantly clear, it’s not the responsibility of big business to protect American’s civil liberties; though they have been granted this power though forced arbitration.

There isn't a credible, legitimate argument for what corporate America has done; there is just the corporate money and therefore influence.  If Americans were not so poorly educated they would never have fallen for corporate spin like tort reform, etc.  But there is also a lot that goes on in law making that gets under the radar.  Who the hell has time to research every piece of federal and state legislation so they know what it's really about, and who's really behind it, or if it's a good bill?  Practically no one.  By the time we find out what a mess our govt is, it seems an insurmountable task to change it.  One thing that could fix that problem is the internet, hence the corporate effort to make it far less free than it is, especially in terms of free speech.

Of course you’re right, money has the last word in most every public policy decision. Even our elected officials often don’t completely know what’s really going on in their own house. I think earmark funding, and no-bid multibillion dollar contracts removes any reasonable accountability.

The pro-builders type people and other scam artists like to say, “You should have read the contract” when consumers gets ripped off now. They have several such standard statements, that make them very identifiable when they post in forums like this. Legalizing fraud through a contract doesn’t rectify the effects of scams. A free market economy can’t function without some trust, or as some might call it, consumer confidence. It’s short term thinking to operate that way, even if you bury your scams as long as possible. It’s made many millionaires, and many more homeless with little voice.   

Since big American builders don’t compete directly in global markets, they seem oblivious to the fact we live in a global economy. What’s good for them is not always best for America. Granting them favoritism in legislation is part of what has made the U.S. dollars nearly worthless IMO. The legal lies and legal fraud may have worked in those “read the contract” scams, but still may send us all down the path of a deep recession when all is totaled.

It is very possible this purely greed based motivation that keeps the NAHB at Washington’s doorsteps will snap back on them, even without desperately needed consumer protection legislation. But that’s the hard painful way to correct the situation. As has happened, millions lose their homes, their life savings, and cracks in the economy become gaping holes.

Things will change, I have no doubt. It’s just which forces will cause change. As you say, there is no doubt few people understand what our government really does. I was once confident I had a handle on it, and after much research found I had misinterpreted so many things, in just they way they meant for me to. We all have our political views, but that's in some space where truth has become only relative. 

Who was it that said, anybody willing to do the things necessary to become elected president of America, should automatically be disqualified for that job? That has never seemed so true. :(