Our litigious society

Sometimes the system makes me sick. We have these laws in place, but they really don't mean anything because of LAWyers. I'll give you a few examples.

In my own experience, I have a 4 unit property that I bought for $312,000 and spent over $400,000 rehabilitating it from the previous owners' "deferred maintenance" (to be polite). Actually they were scumbag landlords of the worst kind. But I took the property from the run down $#!+hole that it was, remodeled each unit and did structural repairs as well as resolved drainage issues to make it nice and liveable.

Two years ago, I got these tenants who, because of their poor lifestyle (not to mention their poor habits in housekeeping) coupled with the fact that they are hypocondriacs who want to lay their problems on me got sick while living in the apartment. (The medical reports bear this out... the woman has had some form of "disease" over the past 10 years, either real or imagined, and was probably on disability more than she was at work!)

So one evening on the 26th of the month and said they can not live there anymore because they have toxic mold in their apartment and are moving out immediately. They demanded first and last month's rent, their deposit, moving expenses and replacement of their furniture. And all of this was caused by the fact they were pack rats and had stuff stacked to the ceiling against the walls. And they apparently never opened a window or door for more than a few minutes because they were always sick. With the reduced ventilation, they created the mold. I have had renters there before them, and after them, none of whom have had a mold problem.

Here's where the law comes in. The law says I have to be notified of the problem and be given time to resolve it. Never happened. It also says they are still responsible for the rent and normal 30 days notice to vacate. Again, never happened.

What did happen is this; the woman (let's call her fat-assed bitch for purposes of this story) takes her case to a scum-sucking attorney (who has more money than God), and he agrees to take her case to arbitration for no fee and demand a quarter of a million dollars... Sound fair to you? If it does, then you're probably a liberal living under rent control and "the man" has been doing it to you for years... that's why you can't get ahead!

At the time of this writing we are down to within several thousand dollars, much closer to the $5,000 dollars I offered her originally to settle the case than the $250,000 she originally demanded. With the help of my fantastic insurance company, Allstate, (who did not have to represent me because they don't cover mold) I think we are close to finalizing the number.

The only relief I can feel is that, at least the case will go away. And what makes me smile more is that she'll be broke again within a year. She's a victim and will always be one.

So here's a case where the law is one thing, but reality is another. What, we can pick and choose which laws apply and which don't? What happens if I want to obey one that you don't and vice-versa?

This is happened everyday. Look at the illegal immigration issue, for example. We already have laws on the books for years, telling people how they must enter the country legally and that it is against the law to cross our borders without the property paperwork. Yet it happens everyday, and our brilliant leaders in Washington are trying to pass a bill that basically says, "Screw the law. We'll just make a new law and make you all legal." It's like in football where they keep pushing the team down the field getting first downs every couple of plays.

And what about Gay marriage in San Francisco? Now let me say up front that I don't think government should be involved in this decision... but it is! It's a state law, in fact. But Mayor Newsom chose to ignore the law (break it) and marry gays anyway because he thought it was the right thing to do.

So here I am, I disagree with the IRS. I think taxes should be abolished. They are getting too much money from us already in income taxes, gas taxes, inheritance taxes and so on. Then the state has to get its cut in income taxes and sales tax along with the county and city getting their property taxes. Then you have the federal government tacking on taxes to all our utilities bills. When does it stop? Well, I don't want to obey this law. Friends of mine don't want to obey the seat belt law. Many drivers don't want to obey the insurance law for their cars. And why should we? If our government doesn't have to, then why should we? Think about it.

Mick O.