*****WARNING OPINIONATED PERSON SPEAKING HER MIND!****


To be poor in america means that one ceases to be a human being on any level and must accept their complete eradication as a person. To be poor in america means you become an object of ridicule, extreme cruelty, judgment, derision, scorn, and as much humiliation as possible. You don't count, you aren't human. you're thought to be nothing but a leech, a lowlife, dishonest, thieving, lazy, conniving and manipulative. for all these sins, you must be punished, preferably for eternity, and any children you may have must also be punished for your sin of existing, if you're not wealthy. No matter what circumstance has led to your hard times, it's your own fault if you are struggling. That this is what america has descended into is a shocking and shameful indicator of the incredible extent of our national schizophrenia, selfishness and insanity. The same people who pass such ridiculous judgments on others are the same people who blindly believe that the extremely rich are *entitled* to all they have, assuming that such fortunes must be their nature, even though they are predicated on the outright *theft* of the labor of others, regarded as the worst possible crime by the founder of the republican party.

The fact is that in america today, the cheapest foods, the only thing it seems that many self-righteous americans believe the poor deserve, yet they admonish for their "junk food quality" are in fact, the most inexpensive because they're the most unhealthy. Cheap processed food, full of fillers, ingredients barely above being condemned for human consumption, inevitably leads to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. according to some estimates, by 2020, fully 25% of americans will be diabetic. Good quality food is very expensive. Meat or other quality protein sources are very expensive. Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive. The average american has come to think, or has been indoctrinated by media sources to think that, because tax dollars are used to give assistance to individuals in need, that somehow those individuals no longer have any rights at all, and are now the property of the tax payers! Yet corporations, and wealthy individuals who shelter their vast wealth offshore to escape taxes, themselves the beneficiaries of a far greater amount of governmental welfare, are seen as "deserving" and to be treated with the utmost deference. The insanity of this cannot be overstated or over exposed. But its clearly a NON-ISSUE to the hard hitting conservatives who have the war on the poor politicians in their pocket!

People receiving food stamps don't have enough money to waste it on buying things like crab legs and filet mignon. they know that if they do, they'll go hungry for a few days by the end of the month. Yet the media and the public staunchly proclaim FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD at every indiscriminate flimsy account of "surfing lobster boys" The bigger question should be WHO IS PAYING THEM to throw the poor under the bus with the totally unfounded LIES of the Regan era "welfare queen" mentality. Until the PEOPLE of the United states of America stand up and take notice of the REAL FRAUD, we will forever be doomed to turn ourselves into a third world country single-handedly. Who needs terrorists when you have a government hell bent on taking out its one people. We as a nation need to band together and get off this ridiculous kick of creating problems where there aren't any. Treating those who are already struggling with such contempt, loathing, disrespect is SHAMEFUL.


I hate that the Government ninnys look down on HONEST americans who are just trying to get by. I am by all means poverty level income! I lost a dang good job in 2007 because of a car accident and then the recession hit. No one takes into consideration all the time i have worked when making jerkface assumptions about why i need services to get by. My son and husband are also disabled, (my son is partially blind, my husband was hurt on the job when a forklift backed into him crushing several vertebrae in his back. ) Its not like we LOVE scraping by! i dont understand why people have to place unfair biased stigmas onto people who are already hurting. It boggles my mind right outta my head. Anyway... I just wanted to post this hopefully people will understand where i come from and many others. I know i didnt have to go into personal details but i felt it was necessary to convey the sheer level of pain it causes people to be hated on and stigmatized against for NO reason. With NO proof, and i srsly mean NONE check the facts! If you cant i can link you several data records proving the falsities of government accusations against the poor. (IE: Lobster boy from Hawaii *FAKE*! He was on GOV payroll alright -_- but not like you think. He was paid to pull the stunt. SSI people who owned a 2Mil mansion, Foodstamps buy trips to Hawaii?!) Its literally crazy lies that no one can understand until they have BEEN THERE.

Sorry.. just wanted to speak my mind... <3 Dont hate, Dont judge, Who knows when YOU will need help?

I have my bachelor's degree in Political Science and I concentrated in Comparative Politics. Meaning, while I was going for my undergrad degree, my main focus was on comparing countries and all that stuff. I mainly focused on Social Policy which is where this stuff actually falls in.

An article a professor had my class read when I was taking a class on the European Union actually had a point that made sense. If you think about the values the US was founded on, and those in some European countries (like Finland for example- I studied Finland). The values in European countries: Oh, you lost your job? Here is some state (as in country) funded money to help you, oh and a bunch of other programmes to help you in general. Like, oh you want to have a baby, here is a bunch of stuff for you and a book to help you since you're first time parents. Oh, you're worried about what will happen to your kid when you go back to work? Don't worry, you don't have to go back to work for at least a year if you choose, we see that it's important for the well being of a child to have a parent home during the first years. Oh, mom wants to go back to work? Dad, you stay home then (yes some countries in Europe actually do have paternal leave so if mom actually would like to go back to work, dad can stay home). And don't get me started on the education in some EU countries.

Ok, lets go to the US:
Oh, you're unemployed? F-you, your fault. Don't give a f**k that your job was downsizing because your boss is a self-righteous asshole who didn't want to keep paying you the pay you actually earned by working your butt off by sending your job over to a 3rd world country where they can get away with paying a poor CHILD 2cents an hour. Or your asshole of a company decided to let go of you because they didn't need your job any more. Somehow it's your fault that everything bad is happening, so we don't wanna bother to help you get by and pay for your bills. Oh, but we feel nice, here's $310 a week for you to live off of. Oh, you can't afford to live in your apartment that costs you $700 a month plus your bills? Oh, sure, go to the Department of Social Services and sit there from 8 in the f-ing morning with your daughter, filling out f-ing paperwork after paperwork, stand in line after line. FINALLY get to go into a room and talk to a social worker sometime after NOON, only to be told by this social worker (who actually fells bad somehow) that you cannot get emergency funding to help you for a bit, and that you didn't get approved for any form of aid to help you pay your bills while living off of $310 a month when you have a $700 rent, a cable bill (my dad needed one vice, he doesn't smoke or drink- hasn't in over 10 years), PAST bills from a house that you were made to get out of because your mother fucking sucks at bills and you got foreclosed on. ALL because your 21yr old daughter was actually doing something with her life and going to school instead of being an idiot mooching off the system and spreading her legs open for guy after guy getting pregnant and having baby after baby.

Yes, the America was mine and my father's life back in 2008-2010. My mom left my dad and I in March of 08, my dad and I moved into our apartment in May of '08, my father lost his job exactly 1 month before my 21st birthday (he got let go in Sept 08). He is a blue-collar worker working in manufacturing companies. I had to take a semester break the Fall of '08 and didnt start at my transfer school till the Spring of '09 because we couldn't afford it. We lost the house officially in Jan of '09 and lost everything we weren't able to get.
The situation I described was in the Summer of '09 when our neighbour at the time (whom we are still friends with), drove us to the Monroe County Department of Social Services in Rochester, NY at 8am. My dad and I just sat there most of the day having to fill out a crap-ton of paperwork where we filled in all of our information, our Electric bill, etc, stand in a line, and then sit there for hours till we finally got called in sometime after noon. We go into the room and we find out from the social worker that not only did we not get accepted for aid in general, but we did not even get accepted for Emergency aid... Aid we needed badly. The reason: I was enrolled in university at the time. This was in the Summer of '09 and I did go to school in the Spring of '09, and we were waiting for my mom to finally get around to pay off the rest of my community college bill so I could have my transcript sent to my Uni, which didn't happen in time and I had to take the Fall '09 semester off... -.- As far as they were concerned, I was enrolled at the time since I didn't get forced to not go back till Aug and I think this happened in late June.
Anyway, because I was enrolled in an institution (that was starting my debt in life), they didn't consider me into the equation. As far as they were concerned, my father lived there by himself in the 2bdrm apt and his $310 a week unemployment check was just enough for HIM to live off of.
My dad got upset at the woman and vented the whole "so because my daughter is actually doing something with her life and isn't being some low-life whore getting pregnant and mooching off the system" thing. The woman felt so bad seeing me holding back tears and both of us actually sitting there verbally venting about it. But, we both told her that we understood that she was only doing her job and that she didn't make the decision, that it's the whole system that's fucked up.

Sorry this turned into a venting thing for me.. But basically, that was my life for a couple years. This government gives no shits about the people who are down, the people who actually need the help. As far as they're concerned, a worker like my father who has lost his jobs in the past because of some b/s of outsourcing, the government thinks of it as his fault and barely give any help. And they won't give help to the family that needs it because one of the people is doing something about their life and going to school.
And for those who do get some form of help, it's very little and not enough. Or with unemployment (like my dad was), it's for a short amount of time and it's not always enough.

Though it sucked, we always look back on those 2yrs fondly as one of those "holy shit, we made it through" moments in life, and it was one of those moments where you saw how kind people can be with helping you.

I am so sorry for all you went through! That sounds horrible and oh so true. I am sick to death of ignorant people trying to make the poor out to be lazy scumbags who dont WANT to work, who dont WANT a better life ect. Mostly because they have kids, I hear that so much! If you are so poor why did you have kids? UM... Lets see... Because i had my kids after i was married for a few years to a great guy who had an awesome job but then was crushed by a forklift and lost that awesome job just to be home on SSI ever since? What business is it of anyone's WHY i have kids and i am poor? Back in the "old days" Super poor families had 10-12+ kids!! To help run farms and work for the family unit.

I had kids when my life was going well! Then i developed a heart condition, massive thyroid disorder (nearly killed me) and a HUGE wight issue. But you know what i cant get SSI! Nope, they said in my county unless i have ONE significant debilitating issue thats on their "chosen list" of acceptable disabilities then i am SOL. Basically you have to be blind or missing a limb... thats pretty much it. -_- My heart condition makes it so i cant over exert myself. My Thyroid makes it so i cant stay awake for more than a few hours a day and my weight has caused me to have sleep apnea (which exhausts me before i even get up!) and all kinds of back pain ( i was also in a bad car accident) But there is no help for me at all. So i have to be on State Aid until my last child is 18 then i "may" qualify. -_- My son is blind in his left eye and my second son is blind in his right "O Ironic i know, my older son has ambleipoia. Which is lazy eye that made it so his brain doesnt recognize his left eye at all. We didnt find out until he was 8 though. So it was irreversible. So he is on SSI as well until he is 18. My second son was diagnosed 3 days ago with total right eye blindness. I may put him on SSI as well (they are both special needs the older has autism spectrum disorder and the younger was born at 6 month and had some distinct delays, including sensory delays ect. )

But again i am not sure what to do because as you said if you make to much or have to much you lose everything! We are on section 8 and could not make our $1100 a month rent if we didnt have it. Not only that but its a guarantee of at least partial rental payments. So its like insurance when we go to apply at places to live. BUT if we make 2 times the rental amount then we lose all help. We would have to be making under $2200 a month. Right now we are at $2160... If he got SSI ($767 in cali for a child) We would have to pay over $600 more in rent... -_- How is that helping? Its not!

We also receive Foodstamps and that would go down another $157 leaving us with $475 for 6 people... for an entire month. Its crazy. You cant live on the system like people say. Thats another thing that pisses me off, all these LIES and out right judgmental @$$holes who know less than NOTHING about the programs they hate! Newt Gingrich said that he PERSONALLY knew someone who used Foodstamps to buy a plane ticket to Hawaii... Well HOT DAMN sign me the hell up! I would LOVE to get outta cali and if it takes Foodstamps to do it, Lets go!!! -_- unfortunately the reality is that could NEVER happen. EVER. Secondly... i doubt newt knows any poor people personally at all.

The whole system is so @$$ backwords its offensive. Why do we are HUMAN BEINGS treat others so terribly with so much contempt? WHY? I dont get it. If someone offered me a job right this second doing something within my abilities ( i was an assistant manager for a local retail chain until my car accident) Like an office assistant or a real estate assistant or SOMETHING thats doable i would jump on it like a hobo on a hotdog! But its out of my reach because the second i have a thyroid flare up or i have to call in sick because my heart is having issues or any other reason i would be fired. Its sad. There is no country for poor people.

You know i also thought about it.. i know its also unrealistic but if the Gov would have given the PEOPLE of this country 1 million each (and then capped the economy so there could be NO inflation) then we would have been able to turn ourselves right around. But instead of giving the 2Bil people of America 1Mil each... They gave the Automotive industry like 5Bil.... Because that makes sense... OR how about instead of spending $144,000 in the last 9 years on Section 8 RENTS... Why not BUY the poor a PERMANENT house? The landlords are getting rich off of the "free money" its very sad, because once the program does end all those dependent people will be right where they were years before. No home, no money, no hope. Is that what we want for Americans? Or anyone? We the poor, are PEOPLE too.. The government doesnt seem to realize that. At all. Whats even sicker is that all the poor people i know are so blue collar hard workers that they actually vote republican not realizing that they are voting for their own torture and demise! I am not saying that we need EVERYTHING to be free and that poor people need everything on a silver/gold platter. What i am saying is that we need to reform in a way that is beneficial for EVERYONE. But it wont ever happen. And its breaking us as a county. I want to work, put people to work in jobs they can do. I am qualified and alot of poor people are. There just arent enough jobs for people who need them. On a last note i applaud people who strive and work 2+ jobs to get an education. BUT its horrible for those who have learned via hard work or on the job experience with little to no educational background (college+) because they cant compete with those who have earned the education. Though they may be just as good at something or knowledgeable as the fresh out of college kid. Education is very important and i think we obviously need it for alot of jobs (nurses, doctors, police, teachers, ect) but when it comes to being a secretary or an assistant or something like that for which there is no actual schooling needed. Dont make up a degree for it just to make it harder to get the job. It helps no one!

Anyway i am also turning this into a rant.. (sorry!) but the poor people need a voice too. Just for the record Democrats are not were its at either. I am non affiliated at this point though i used to jokingly say i am a democratic republican because i picked and chose what i liked from each party and put them together... It makes it really hard when voting. But i do know that i NEVER vote for republican parties based on their ignorant hate and discontent for poor people. I hope none of you do either... BUT if you do.. please be aware of your parties stance on how they treat citizens of this country and be aware of the TRUTH. Dont ware blinders and be shoved off a cliff with the rest of the sheep.

People might hate me for this, but I just want to say that there's two sides to everything. Yes, the two of you are great people that have been faced with horrible challenges, but there are those out there that are not like either one of you. And, before you judge me as being a judgey person, let me explain.

I'm friends with a total of 5 people that receive assistance. Of those 5, 2 were met with unfortunate circumstances and the other 3 flat out chose the paths they're on. Not to say that any one of those 5 people are not good people. They are. If they were any other way, I would not be friends with them. The 3 that I say chose their paths can all be described the same way. People that were doing decent in life. Ok jobs, not great, definitely a struggle, but no more or less than most people. Then those 3 had kids and the whole thing went out of whack. On WIC and other forms of assistance since baby number 1. And that's ok too. Things happen. Babies are born and I have no issues with supporting babies. Here's where I start to see them negatively, they keep having babies. No mater how much I rationalize it, I can't see that as anything other than both selfish and irresponsible. I love those 3 people to bits and their kids are all awesome people in the making but, I can't help but think they're the reason why people have such horrible views of people that need assistance. Yes, it sucks, they struggle, they're good people but their choices almost disgust me sometimes. Assistance is like a bandaid on a bullet wound. Their kids pay more than anyone else. They're underfed, lack needed school supplies and that was what it was like for my friends on WIC from kid number 1. Then they have kid number 2 and kid number 1's needs are stretched out even moreso than they were before. But it doesn't stop there. The 3 I say chose their path are now on kid number 4. One is on kid number 5. I just find it disheartening, and I'll never admit it to them, but I am disappointed in them and sad for their children that I know will struggle until they're 18 and when they are ready to go to college the financial support they'll need so that they get the good debt-free start they could really use, will not be there.

I've seen other friends struggle to support their stereotypical 4 member family and they don't qualify for help of any kind. In fact, helping other people hurts them and their ability to take care of their family. One of my friends pays 200 weekly to have her 2 kids taken care of for 1 hour before and several hours after school. The friends that qualify, spend 30 to acquire the same service. Is that fair? No. I don't think so. But I also don't think its fair that anyone needs to pay so much to make sure their children are in safe environments while parents are forced to both work just to get by and break even when all is said and done.

I'm not anti assistance/support. I am anti I don't even know what you would call it. I feel like I see EVERYONE struggling. I see poor people hating on the "non-poor" but I am one of those "non-poor" and all I can say is it's HARD. Yeah sure, I don't qualify. But each month is still a break even for me and sometimes even a wondering if I WILL break even. I can see why both sides resent one another.

I will say this though, those bailouts kept thousands employed. Look at areas like Detroit where the auto industry crashed and you'll see nothing but poverty. I don't think handing out a million would change anything and here's why...

It's another group. This is the group that is just like me. Well enough off, but not well enough to afford the newest iphone every year. Yet, this group insists that they need it and buys it anyway. This group also includes the people that complain about being broke and refuse to stop going out for drinks, or smoking. There are a LOT of people in this group. And I can see those people burning through a million like if it was nothing. They'd by self gratifying items like apple products and big flat screen TVs with that money instead of paying off student loans or investing (the one thing that would actually help).

Also, my mother is a landlord. Its not all sunshine and rainbows and it isn't free money. SOMEONE owes a mortgage on that property or owed it an one point. And as a landlord there are other fees and issues. You have to constantly worry about this home you almost never see because if just ONE thing goes wrong, your ass is sued. It means sending out paid inspectors, appraisers, fixing electrical and plumbing, painting, stucco, EVERYTHING. to the point where this house you rent to people who sometimes don't care is nicer than the one you actually call home. If someone misses a payment, you have no power. You file paperwork and more paperwork and seek attorneys to get the bad ones evicted. Then the bad ones decide to break all the glass in the place because they're angry they're being evicted. Then its more attorneys or cutting your loses and eating the cost of the damage they caused. Then you get sick of it, you get too many families in your house in a row that are all the same and mistreat the house you still remember calling home at one point. So you try selling the place thinking it could be some new family's home and they'll treat it right and actually do something about a slow trickle of water rather than keeping it quiet and letting it become something much bigger. But guess what.. you owe tax on every penny you ever made off of that place which amounts to earning nothing on selling a property. It's not fun being a landlord either.

For me, the bottom line is that I don't think it should be this hard for an overwhelming majority of people to survive with a decent quality of life. By that I mean people. Those on assistance as well as those not on assistance.

I see where you are coming from as well Empresso, BUT i also know both sides of the coin very well as i have said. I see what you are saying about people who are out having kid after kid... But did you know that in many states there is a "breeding clause" Seriously. After ONE child you are no longer eligible for aid. You would have to go off of aid for 2 YEARS to get MORE aid. OR.. You would go totally off aid for 2 months BEFORE the child is born. (not something many people can do) That is the law in more states than i can name at this point but i KNOW from experience that California (the biggest handout state) is the top enforcer of this rule. I do see it as being selfish and struggled with it immensely when i found out i was pregnant with my 4th child (literally a week after i was in a car accident and lost my job) I thought how can i bring another child onto this planet and not have a job or any security net because we too were barely breaking even. If you can even call it that! However abortion is never an option (IN MY OPINION). I had 3 boys and i honestly thought it would be another boy. My parents were dirt poor and had 4 kids. I knew it would be hard but i was going to make the best of it. At 30 wks my Prenatal Doctor told me i was having a little girl. I thought i would die from happiness. I had wanted a little girl for 9 years! Only to have boys during my "uptime" My little girl was meant to be a part of our family and i was sure as hell going to give her every chance and opportunity that i could. I know we struggle but we are so rich in love. I know it sounds cheesy but out family was not complete with out our little SeraLilly girl. She is AMAZING. I dont regret any of my children but especially not my last who was born at the worst time imaginable. I no longer see it as selfish because she has returned more to us then can be imagined. She is worth more to us than any amount of money in the world and if you ask my kids they would gladly give up an extra gift on chirstmas and birthdays ect just to keep her lol.



About Landlords getting shafted..There are always two sides of those stories and after you read my side its kinda hard not to sympathize with how i feel in regards to "poor little landlords". My landlord had hooked his laundry facilities up to our units electrical outlets and guess who had to pay $6700 for PGE for 3 months? ME... THEN We gave him a 30 day notice, he tried to get us to move into his slumlord condo next door that had stairs and was unsafe (the entire ceiling was missing in the bathroom... I am NOT kidding. The old tenant was a contractor and decided to raise the roof and add some lighting but he got board and moved before he was done) Anyway after we refused to move he went to massive lengths to have us thrown off of Section 8. On our move out day he went to section 8 and said we had just dissapeared and he didnt know where we went... he had refused to sign our 30 day notice but i took pictures of my husband trying to give it to him in the parking lot!) With that evidence we were able to keep our section 8... BUT... the story is long from over. He ended up suing us for $5000 in damages to his unit. (WHICH DID NOT EXIST!) He charged us $100 PER a tack hole x8 (to hang pictures) He charged us for the replacement of our brand new stove ( we went without a stove for 3 weeks before thanksgiving and then the day before he shows up with one) He charged us for screens ($175) x4 on every window even though we never had them to begin with. He charged us to change the entire toilet out because it had a calcium ring ($570) He charged us for carpet replacement for over $2800 ( we had lived there for 5 years and the carpet was baby blue and white when we moved in.) Cali law states after 3 years the tenants are no longer responsible but you know what? The carpet was still in great shape! It had a few stains but was easily cleaned with a carpet cleaner ( i know since i had one i used weekly!)

Anyway we went to court over it because i demanded our $875 deposit back. He refused to send me an itemized statement for 4 months. Then when i served him court papers he return filed against us. When we got to court he wanted mediation because he knew that we had video proof as well as pictures and estimates (we got them before we moved) We had JUST passed section 8 inspection with flying colors (no damage and the unit was very clean) We had so much against him! But the judge demanded that we go to mediation. We spend over 6 hours in mediation refusing EVERY offer and asking over and over to see the judge. We were refused every legal right. They brought in some guy whom we had never met and allowed him to sit in on a privet confidential meeting with the mediator. But my mom who was a witness to his abuse and lies was refused entry. So she sat in the lobby with my 9 month old baby. After all was said and done they refused to let us leave and refused to let us talk to anyone or re-scheduled the court date. We were FORCED into signing an agreement to pay him $1000 on top of the $875 he had stolen. The mediator as it turns out was a personal friend of the landlord and as such told us candidly that we should "take the offer" or face being ran out of town. His exact words were "This is by far a fair deal, take the offer or you can be sure to never rent in this county again, i know Greg, he wont stop" We still refused for hours on end and told them we had a solid case and would like our turn in a court of law. They brought in pictures of the calcium ring (which was not bad) and of one spot of toothpaste in the lower corner of the mirrors with a child's finger print. He said based on that evidence alone he can prove we were scum tenants and that the judge would agree. He said if we didnt sign we would be there all night and the judge would award him $5000. So finally we agreed, but ONLY so we could see a judge! The stipulations were that we did not have to admit to guilt or take responsibility for damages but we would in turn lose our $875 deposit AND we would pay back $300 in court fees. We would also have to pay an additional $700 in cleaning fee's for his "professional team" (a child molester who has since been sentenced to 10 yrs for trying to preform Falito on a 7yrs old in the laundry room of the complex across from us he was caught on camera!) We found it very offensive that he would sue us for $5000 but then turn on a dime and say he only really wanted to keep our deposit and $1000. If there was 5k in damage i would want every penny! But you see, there wasnt. Not even close, he realized all too soon that he had broken the law and would lose alot in the process if we were able to get a fair hearing. So he fast tracked everything and since he had friends in high places and was constantly in litigation with tenants he was the one who had the right cards. Once it was signed i told the judge that NO we had not come to a fair agreement but that it was the only way to talk to him and he became very irritated and told me it was a legal Document and that it would be enforced. I begged him to look at our evidence and he refused.

After court was over and we lost our rights as human beings because we were poor and the landlord was smirking in our face i went home totally at a loss for words, emotion, i was so confused as to how the justice system could fail us so miserably. I went onto Craigslist and wrote a heartfelt post about how he had treated us from top to finish. About the court proceedings and about how we felt victimized and terrorized. We were worried about the $1000 because if we didnt pay it we would lose our housing. We tried to file an appeal but we were told that it would cost us dearly if we lost. Not only would he win $5000 but we would be forced to repay the court costs for him as well as for any witnesses and the jury's gas compensation. It came out to nearly $7000 if we chose to fight it. Something we could never repay. At this point it felt as if we were being raped by this degenerate low life slumlord. We had followed the law to a T we had done everything possible to protect ourselves and yet here we were... No hope, no choice, no help. Once i posted what happened i felt much better and i thought if i could save even one person from the 5 years of hell and BS that we went through it would be worth it...

But you know what... 2 weeks later his lacky (the one who had been able to be there for our closed mediation) was on my doorstep with ANOTHER lawsuit against me for slander and breach of court confidentiality. :O Yep! He saw the post and immediately filed against me. So we went to court AGAIN and guess how much he wanted... $5000! What a coincidence? I think not. He wanted 5k originally but knew he would lose if he pressed it so he took the 1k and then sued me again on different charges for an additional $5k... How sick can he be? I took the printout of what was said in with me to this new court hearing and i told the new judge everything that had happened. She ordered an investigation into the Mediator. We came back a week later and the investigation had been ruled "within reason fair and unbiased" So it was upheld as well.

So then it came down to me calling him a slumlord in the posting and telling people to stay away from him and his apartments if they valued their life/sanity. Granted it did sound a little extreme to put it that way but at the time i was distraught over how we had been royally railroaded into paying this disgusting excuse for a human being far more than we ever could hope to have. We paid with out dignity, self worth, beliefs in the judicial system. We lost our sense of what was truly right and wrong. If he could win against us and totally disregard the law... Then whats to say others wouldnt as well? How could he so thoroughly sweep through us an a mass of evidence without a single pause? What judge would be able to help us now? As it turns out NONE. The judge said that i violated the contracts confidentiality clause that said i was not allowed to discusse the terms of the agreement with anyone. (something i didnt read when i signed the contract for payment) But now i can understand why it was included. If i told people what he and the mediator had done then it could bring him grief. Lucky for him he check mated me long before i even wrote the post. He had his backup plan. I told the judge that i didnt agree and that i didnt realize there was a clause in it because the entire time we were in there a second party whom we didnt know and didnt agree to speak in front of was there. I was then told that person had a personal interest in buisness with the appartments. So i pointed that out. I told the judge this person who had a personal interest was the one who SERVED me papers to my HOME! (its illegal) She refused to do anything about it. It should have been thrown out and re-filed. But it wasnt. She said that i was a vindictive bane on civilized society and that i should consider moving our of state! She also told me that she finds my claims and accusations to be malicious in nature and that i was not to ever post on CL again. She threw the book at me and awarded him $5000 with interest that would renew for a 20 yr contract. If i get a job in this state i will lose a portion of my income to him every month until its paid.

So after ALL OF THAT... which i am sure was a huge pain to read -_- I know full well the "hardships the poor landlords" face. I am not trying to hate on you or even convince you of our plight but the proof is in the pudding as they say. I could link you statistical review and data page after page proving that there isnt rampant fraud or misuse in government aid programs. (and what IS in there is 2% TOTAL fraud for EVERY single program available which also includes Workmans comp claims, and unemployment) Also proving that there isnt increased crime, wife beaters, crackheads on section 8 ruining the poor landlords properties. But what would that serve? we would still both think we are right. But it goes to show no matter how much proof you may have in any given situation you can be a victim. I was victimized by my slumlord landlord who felt he could steamroll us out of the system for not jumping at the chance to move to another of his units. When his deception was discovered at the section 8 office he went out of his way to ruin our lives. I hardly sympathize with "poor little landlords" They have more rights then tenants on every level. Anyone who says otherwise is very ignorant of reality or is simply lying.

The mediator was right about one thing. If i hadnt gotten this house BEFORE he sued me i would have no place to go. I have lived here for 5 years and i tried to apply at other places last year because we wanted to live in chico again... I was refused at EVERY place because of the judgment again me. As i said before if i get another job i will also have to pay him... So he really did show me... I wont be able to "work or live" in this community again. Mission for the "poor little landlord" a total success.