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Remember Chicken Little (a.k.a. Henny Penny)? She was the one running around warning that the sky was falling and spreading panic all around. In the end, the heavens were not, in fact, plummeting, and we now use the phrase “Chicken Little” to describe those who spread myths about danger that are ill-founded.
Last week, Canadians learned of an “imminent” plot by four men in Quebec, including two members of the Armed Forces, that probably came as a bombshell (no pun intended) to those tuning in.
This “anti-authoritarian militia” had weapons, planned to seize land, had engaged in “training,” and appeared to be recruiting like-minded people online.
I'm not sure if the NYT has always been this bad. Maybe, growing up eventually made it impossible to ignore. And it's not talking about misinterpretations. It's made up BS much of the time. So, how do they continue to be seen as a real news outlet if their accuracy is no better than the tabloids and their 3 headed alien stories.
Even their "expert" penned op-eds suck. I remember Trump's tariffs, per the NYT, would destroy us. Pretty much anything Trump related brought out the naysayers promising our ruin. We were headed toward the next great depression. Apparently, DU types just eat it up. And once they read it, even when it doesn't happen, its still true.
It just seems somebody over there would eventually notice. But, they're still on board with Russia collusion. So...
In hard-hit Altadena alone, the rebuilding process six months later is sucking the lives and hope out of people.
And every dime they ever had.Quote...Addressing the concerns of homeowners at a recent community meeting, Barger told them, "You have lost so much, you shouldn't have to worry about permitting fees getting in the way of rebuilding your home. For most families, these fees may have exceeded $20,000. That's a barrier we cannot allow to stand."
The deferral of fees only applies to people who lived in their own single-family homes before the fire. It does not apply to non-owner-occupied rental properties, multi-family housing units or commercial structures.
The county estimates that if 60% of homeowners in Altadena and elsewhere in unincorporated Palisades rebuild, it would amount to $84 million in building permit fees.
Permitting is only one hurdle. For most, state and local building codes have changed in the decades since many of these homes were originally built, meaning the house has to have changes and extras that insurance covering a like-to-like rebuild does not account for.
"It adds expenses that we didn't expect. Like, solar is required on all new builds, and so is the easement from the property line. It's got to be five feet now and ours was only three," says Toomey, as she stands under a backyard oak tree that survived.
"And insurance doesn't pay for that stuff. That's on us," Silvernail adds.
Soil sampling is now required, and that tacks another $5000-$8000 onto the process.
The very long and tedious process, which is beginning to look as if it's specifically designed to soak as much money out of the homeowner as possible before they give up in disgust and move elsewhere.
President Donald Trump demanded on Tuesday that California Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff be “brought to justice” following allegations of mortgage fraud tied to his Maryland property. The statement came after a federal housing agency reportedly referred the matter to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation into Schiff’s real estate dealings.
...
These aren’t wild allegations plucked from thin air; the evidence is pretty clear.
According to records, Schiff claimed his main residence was a spacious 3,420 square foot home in Maryland, a move that conveniently secured him better mortgage rates — rates designed for people who actually reside in those homes as their principal dwelling. Simultaneously, he grabbed a homeowner’s exemption on a much smaller 650 square foot condo in Burbank, Calif., handing himself a tidy cut of about $7,000 off his tax bill by also insisting that the property was his “primary residence.” Two homes, both allegedly his principal residence, in two different states, reaping benefits from both ends. Is that some kind of bureaucratic miracle? Or a calculated abuse of the system he’s sworn to oversee?
Schiff’s own paperwork — mortgage forms, exemption claims, and that curious personal check he used to pay California property taxes (listing his Maryland address, no less) — tells a story of someone playing the system with both hands. Adding insult to injury, Schiff only made that personal check payment once, in 2017.
The evidence is serious enough that a senior administration official confirmed to The New York Post that the Federal Housing Finance Agency, responsible for overseeing Fannie Mae, has submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, calling for a full investigation.
“It is extremely serious and [Schiff] is not taking it seriously,” the official told the Post. The source added that Schiff had a criminal count for each time he paid his monthly mortgage.
Posting on Truth Social Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump accused California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of committing mortgage fraud.
"I have always suspected Shifty Adam Shiff was a scam artist. And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud. Adam Schiff said that his primary residence was in MARYLAND to get a cheaper mortgage and rip off America, when he must LIVE in CALIFORNIA because he was a Congressman from CALIFORNIA," Trump said.
"I always knew Adam Schiff was a Crook. The FRAUD began with the refinance of his Maryland property on February 6, 2009, and continued through multiple transactions until the Maryland property was correctly designated as a second home on October 13, 2020. Mortgage Fraud is very serious, and CROOKED Adam Schiff (now a Senator) needs to be brought to justice," he continued.
Last year Schiff was hit with an ethics complaint over allegations he committed mortgage fraud.