OPINION
Judith L.  MD: Living in an HOA was the worst

                               

                Billboard sign Dr. Gary Solomon has put up on Boulder Highway, NV

Living in an HOA was the worst thing that ever happened to me - that I could have avoided. As a physician, although not a psychiatrist or psychologist, I absolutely believe in the validity of 'HOA Syndrome'.

 

    Lost sleep, extreme stress and anxiety that permeates every aspect of your life and harms your family repeatedly...if you find yourself in the crosshairs of a vicious, dishonest and greedy Tyrant on the Board , then you can  pretty much kiss life as you know it 'goodbye' for up to a decade. I'm in my 6 th year of HOA Helll and there's  still no end in sight.

 

     There seems to be little or no help for those of us already sucked into the maw of the monster. I've never even received a form letter 'blow off' in response to my letters to our Louisiana politicians... But we do have a responsibility to warn others away and to try to save those still so at risk. I forget who said it and the exact quote but I've never forgotten the gist of the quote 'When they came for the teachers I was silent because I wasn't a teacher...when they came for the Jews I didn't object because I wasn't a Jew....etc'

 

     I'm a busy mother, wife and physician. Never thought I'd have time or even be too interested in social problems, politics or activism.  Happy to pay my taxes and feel privileged to live in this great free  country, and to donate to Feed the Children and other worthy causes to help my fellow man, especially helpless children...that was life before being blatantly terrorized by an HOA.  Now I am frankly pissed. It's unbelievable that the government I have supported with all my heart for all my life, and that so many of my family for generations  have served as soldiers and sailors, has just stood back and ignored the mental and financial abuse of it's citizens while sucking up every fallacy and donation the Community Association Industry lobbyists tosses to them. It's surreal.
   

   I have never before been exposed to the level of anti- American, amoral and just frankly reprehensible tyranny that flourishes with wild abandon in my HOA. They figuratively thumb their nose and drop their pants to wag their asses at their 'captive audience'. And the only 'right' the audience members have is the right to dishonestly sell the vile 'HOA - encumbered' home to some other potential victim.... which of course  necessitates lying thru omission by not disclosing how extremely damaging to their quality of life and their finances it will be if they somehow blunder into the crosshairs of the Royalty of the

Board - or one of their minions.

 

     I applaud Dr. Solomon and Mr. Staropoli -  these wonderful, brave Americans should be eligible for the domestic version of the Nobel Peace prize. They've been the strongest light in the dungeon my HOA has imprisoned my family in for years...But I really fear that since they don't have the billions of dollars to fight, like the CAI industry continues to fleece out of the homeowner victims, then they don't have the necessary monies to 'buy' the real attention of our legislators.

 

      Because this country used to be about democracy, justice and equality.  Sadly it now seems  that those are commodities for sale to the highest bidder, no longer inalienable rights.

 

       Tell me where to start, to work around our silent legislators, and I'll  certainly pitch in.

     

  Judith L.  MD

   New Orleans, LA