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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
A Most Callous
Vote
by
Greg Paulson
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Greg Paulson is the
campaign manager for the Bruce Slater for Congress campaign. He was
Lois Herr's campaign manager in 2006.
Greg
is an attorney and Past-President of
Lancaster Bar Association.
You may contact Greg
Paulson at greg@slaterforcongress.com
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I can no longer
contain myself. The general rule of political campaigning is that the
staff of a candidate should not be involved in writing letters to the
editor and similar writings which criticize the candidate’s opponent.
I need to disregard that rule. The opinions below represent my
observations while representing homeowners and borrowers over a span
of 36 years as an attorney. My clients are people, not corporate
entities or lending institutions.
Congressman Joe
Pitts’ vote against the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure
Prevention Act, HR 3221, legislation aimed at helping homeowners
facing mortgage foreclosure, is as callous an action as any
congressional representative can possibly make.
Who does Joe Pitts
represent anyway?
Certainly not the
borrowers who need to refinance their homes. Certainly not those who
have been victimized by heavy-handed mortgage brokers. Certainly not
those who face bankruptcy, including many elderly persons who have
suffered medical emergencies or who must borrow against their equity
to pay increasing real estate taxes. Certainly not those who cannot
pay their mortgage because they have lost their jobs.
Here in Lancaster
County alone, hundreds of homeowners are facing foreclosure because
one scam artist – now a convicted scam artist – used deceitful tactics
to threaten the security of homeowners’ greatest investment.
And does our
“Representative” Pitts care? Obviously not. His voting “NO” on
helping homeowners is consistent with his voting “NO” on the Mortgage
Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act earlier in 2008. That
legislation would impose criminal penalties on those engaging in
mortgage fraud. And when Senators Casey and Specter and other
elected officials held public hearings on the issue of mortgage fraud
that was occurring right here in Central Pennsylvania, our
“representative,” Joe Pitts, did not even show up. He was nowhere to
be found.
The sub-prime
mortgage crisis is hitting Lancaster County like everywhere else.
Borrowers are not the culprits. The deregulated lending industry is
the culprit. It is no secret, among the number of civil lawsuits
filed in Lancaster County each year, many are mortgage foreclosure
actions. Just look at the Sheriff Sale notices in our
newspapers……hundreds each year. HR3221 will help many of those who
deserve help to save their homes from foreclosure.
But Pitts doesn’t
care, does he?
Well, why should he? The poor
folks facing mortgage foreclosure obviously cannot afford to make
political contributions to Joe Pitts’ re-election campaign committee
like mortgage lenders can. According to records maintained by the
Federal Election Commission, Joe Pitts has received nearly $30,000
from political action committees (PAC’s) representing the mortgage and
lending industries since 1996. See:
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00310136/
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Having practiced
law in the real estate world and having had to deal with real estate
investors and mortgage brokers, I am more than convinced that the
percentage of careless investors and crooks is far greater in the
those businesses than the percentage of innocent borrowers who are
victims of those crooks. And yet, Joe Pitts would assign the blame to
the innocent borrower, the new home purchaser, the elderly person who
must refinance. He has openly voted to protect the crooks and liars.
It is unconscionable for him to blame the victim.
I am really tired
hearing about Joe Pitts’ so called Christian values. It is obvious he
doesn’t have a whit of compassion for those who deserve to have their
homes protected from foreclosure.
It is time we send
Joe Pitts home! In his 37 years as a “representative,” has not
learned enough about the people he claims to represent. He has no
idea of what our needs are. He has forgotten his constituents. The
security of our homes is threatened because of Pitts’ callous
disregard for real life circumstances. We, his constituents, have
gained nothing by his representation.
For someone who
once said he would only serve in Congress for ten (10) years, it is
time we reminded him: Mr. Pitts, your time has long passed. It is
time for you to leave.
It is time for the
voters of the 16th Congressional District of Pennsylvania to vote for
a true representative of the people, and we have that opportunity on
November 4th. His name is Bruce Slater. He lives among us. He works
in our neighborhoods. He has suffered financial hardships like we
have. He has the same worries about healthcare and education and the
costs of gasoline and heating fuel oil, just like we do. He is
concerned about our homes, about our well-being, about our physical
and emotional security. And he will not take political contributions
from special interest groups or trade associations.
Gregory Paulson
Attorney at Law
Past President of Lancaster Bar Association
Campaign Manager, Slater for Congress
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