There are some things you simply can’t make up. There are times when you find that the truth is more interesting than fiction.
The following are direct quotes from the Delaware Online, by a gentleman named Robert Weymouth from Rehoboth Beach. He identifies himself as a resident of a Hometown America property.
By way of disclosure, Hometown is not, nor have they been, an advertiser for MHProNews.com. So the Daily Business News’ focus is not for or against the allegations made by Weymouth and others about Hometown. Rather, this is a critical analysis – much like those that we use with Berkshire Hathaway or MHI – too look at the logic of and core issues the concerns that Weymouth raises in numerous articles, plus a legal action he and another launched.
Note too, that as believers in the First Amendment and the U.S. Constitution as written and intended, we respect the right of Weymouth to express himself in the following fashion. His writing appears to be sincere and respectful, even if one can take issue with his points.
Under the headline, “Manufactured housing tenants: vote Democrat”
Weymouth begins by saying, “The manufactured housing tenants must unite to effectively stop landowners from continuing predatory pricing practices.”
It should be noted that Delaware is a deep blue state, which BallotPedia identifies as a Democratic ‘trifecta.’ Their state House, Senate and the Governor’s office are and have been held by Democrats.
Weymouth obliquely says the same. His letter to the editor continued, “In 2013, then Governor Jack Markell signed the Rent Justification Act sponsored by Democrat Bruce Ennis and co-sponsored by several others in his party. The law was enacted to finally give over 70,000 tenants in almost 200 manufactured home communities protection from unscrupulous landowners that have been using predatory pricing practices against defenseless low cost/low income tenants.”
Weymouth then laments, “The new law’s intent is to provide protection to tenants from landowners that continue to believe they have the right to raise rents for basically any reason…
Unfortunately, over the past few years since the law was enacted, various actions or inaction by our state’s legislative, judicial and executive branches and by some landowners has effectively rendered the law useless. While the law enacted was extremely vague and ambiguous, one thing that was clear was that landowners needed to actually justify their rent increases in writing and that tenants are protected against unreasonable and burdensome rent increases.”
Let’s sum up to this point. Weymouth says there’s a problem. Democrats united to legislatively ‘solve’ that problem. But a Democratic dominated state executive, legislative and judicial process has rendered – in Weymouth’s own words – “…the law useless.”
So the solution this gentlemen says is to do what? Blame Republicans, and cheer on more Democratic votes. What? Are we kidding? After in his own words, he says the Democratic efforts failed?
Here’s exactly what he said next.
“Historically, the Democratic Party has championed the working class while the Republican Party favored big business and the rich. I know some of you actually believed Republicans when they said they would help you. However, if you look at their tax bill, the Congressional Budget Office has said over 80 percent of the savings will go to the rich. So look in your pocket, how much has actually trickled down to you?
If you want legislation that will protect you, you must unite to vote more Democrats into office because they are your best hope for actually saving you money.” ##
—Robert Weymouth, Rehoboth Beach.
Delaware is a state that desperately needs affordable housing. But rent control is demonstrably not the answer. Who says?
MHProNews has reported for years, the evidence that indicates that rent control, rent justification, and other efforts to ‘regulate’ site fees backfires over time.
In fairness, as political independents in our analysis and editorial positions, when you violate the common sense ‘laws’ of free enterprise – such as the law of supply and demand – it doesn’t matter if the party label is Democratic or GOP. When Republican President Richard Nixon attempted ‘wage and price controls,’ that failed, just as rent control by Democrats fails, and for similar reasons.
Business Insider said in 2015, “No, rent control does not work — it actually benefits the rich and hurts the poor…”
Forbes said, “What’s unfortunate is that there is broad consensus among economists that rent control doesn’t work…” in December, 2017.
A leader in manufactured home resident owned communities, Paul Bradley said something similar. He believes there must be a better way than rent control. Several community owners and associations made similar points to MHProNews over the years.
As a pro-homeowner, pro-business trade publishers, we believe that win-win-win is achievable in an honest, sustainable fashion.
An example of how rent control fails is found in an interesting video from a Canadian province where rent justification exists. They found out that construction of new sites dried up due to rent control, and existing mobile/manufactured home sites are slowly vanishing, much like they are in the U.S.
NMHOA, MHAction and the Delaware Manufactured Home Owners Association
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“I hope his recent Letter to the Editor appearing in today’s edition of the Delaware State News, inspires home owners to use the power of their votes to support candidates who will protect the primarily low income and Seniors who own these affordable homes,” Neil told MHProNews.
“In case you think I am a flaming liberal, you should know that I seek to bring businesses to the City of Dover, and I wish my neighbors on leased land will have the money to spend in those for profits business. They can’t spend it if the money is taken out of their hands and concentrated in businesses which dilute the local economy and not add to the State economy,” said Neil, who concluded by saying that “For the record, I live on leased land, but ethically I resigned an appointed position with DMOHA when elected to the Dover City in 2015 and re-elected in 2017.”
In a follow up, Neil says he was raised Republican, that city races in his town are non-partisan, and that he “was a register Republican when I served as Press Officer for Democratic Baltimore Mayor WM Donald Schaefer. I didn’t switch affiliations until I was elected President of a Baltimore Democratic Club at the behest of a friend.”
“I don’t believe political affiliation should have anything to with protecting the vulnerable,” said Neil. “I believe the culprit in Delaware politics are the campaign contributions which can affect elected officials on both sides of the aisle. The heaviest community owner donations go to Republicans, Frankly, landlords hedge their bets with donations to both parties.”
“The only thing that tops money are votes from the public. It is the reason I don’t accept contributions,” Neil concluded.
MHAction – Paving The Road to Hell…
MHProNews published an article about MHAction in 2017 entitled “Paving the Road to Hell…” Anyone and everyone can, has, and does make mistakes. But the mark of character is arguably what happens after the error is discovered and understood.
Perhaps no one in the industry in recent years has done more in depth-analysis of NMHOA and MHAction than MHProNews.
MHProNews reported that Tallahassee FL Mayor Andrew Gillum (D), a self-proclaimed socialist and the Democratic nominee for governor. Florida has been the number 3 state in the nation for new manufactured home sales, and has one of the higher communities counts in the nation.
Epic Battle for MHVille Mainstay Looms, With “Not the Most Popular Guy” and His Rival
Gillum is supported financially by such big-money billionaire donors as George Soros and Tom Steyer.
Gillum is said to have a slight lead in the Florida gubernatorial race, but within the margin of error, over Congressman Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
Gillum is supported by Bernie Sanders and billionaire Democratic donors, as noted and linked above. DeSantis has the support of President Donald J. Trump, and others in the GOP.
Summary of Part 1 RE: NMHOA, MHAction, et al…
Manufactured home owners, for whatever reasons, are being led to believe that Democrats are their best bet in the upcoming midterms. But is that true?
What is obvious, per DMHOA’s Weymouth’s own letters, is that Democrats have postured solutions, but have solved nothing. So why should NMHOA, MHAction, DMHOA or others support proven failures at the issues they claim to care about?
Rent control doesn’t work as intended, as ROC USA President Paul Bradley and other industry professionals have said.
The solution? It isn’t to lurch further left, and turn Delaware, Florida, or any other state or parts of the nation into Venezuela. 8 years of President Barack Obama’s administration failed to achieve the kind of economic growth, or growing wages and profits that have occurred in under 20 months of former Democratic-turned-GOP President Donald J. Trump.
MHProNews publisher L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach invited Ishbel Dickens to debate rent control or other issues in public. She and her successor have consistently ducked that invitation, saying she would consider it, but in fact has not acted on that in some 3 years. In that respect, she and her successor have arguably done what MHI and the Berkshire brands in MHVille have done. Duck, dodge, distract, detract, and defame.
NDAs, Warren Buffett, Richard ‘Dick’ Jennison, Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), and MHVille
MH homeowners have arguably been as misled by their associations, as many manufactured home industry professionals have been by MHI.
The solution may be to create a new resident association, which MHLivingNews is going to explore that in the days ahead. MHProNews will continue to explore the creation of a new pro-independent business association.
MHAction, per our sources, have some level of ties to George Soros.
We’ll close by saying that Weymouth, Neil, Constance and William Kinnick may well have their hearts in the right place. But the solution isn’t to lurch left. That’s proven to fail time and again. The solution is to use enhanced preemption, open up more lending for manufactured homes, and open up more communities and zoning for manufactured home sites. That would in time keep site fees in check.
Resident groups need to be informed, reformed and/or supplanted, just as MHI needs to be reformed and or supplanted.
The next 72 hours will reveal some interesting things about the leaders of NMHOA and MHAction. They’ve been advised of a series of troubling issues that impact residents, allegedly perpetrated by a community operator that’s reportedly in legal hot water. Will they act? Time will tell soon. We’ll let residents and the industry know. “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News, analysis and commentary.)
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