His book sits on top of the New York Times best sellers list while he sits in a wheel chair.
Millions follow Charles Krauthammer's observations and opinions on political, economic or social issues, yet his training was in medicine. Rather than roll over and play dead or 'end it all' because of his serious accident, he decided to move forward and make the most of his life.
When he sits in that wheelchair and is speaking on TV, do you see that chair, despair or his “disability?“
It is not my purpose to comment on his best selling book, Things that Matter, as at this point, I've not read it.
My point is to highlight a man who did not let accident-caused paralysis of much of his body stop him!
Life handed over a big lemon and Krauthammer made lemonade. What life lessons does he hold out for you or me, personally and professionally?
What's Your Paralysis? – Or – What's Your Goal?
I know people right now who:
> are facing cancer, but rather than moan and groan are tackling their life head on, still in the saddle, still plowing ahead, or
> coming out of a difficult break up in their personal life, but are putting the pieces back together, or
> are in their 60s, 70s and beyond, yet are learning new methods to advance their career, location or business, and
> people that span the age groups who have undergone major, unexpected life/career changes, but are making the most of their circumstances.
In fact, if we reflect for a few moments, odds are good that we all know people who would not stop and would not let life's challenges overcome them! So do we routinely let their drive and spirit inspire us when we need it?
Clearly, we should.
Manufactured Housing's “Cancellation Notices”
This is purely observational. A month ago, not even the risk of default would allow the Democrats to make the slightest change to ObamaCare. But this past Friday, 39 House Democrats signed onto a bill that is a serious change to the ACA aka ObamaCare. It might have been 100 D votes or more, but the president took his signature legislation and offered to (unconstitutionally, some say, ineffectively others say) “amend it” himself via executive fiat.
Why their sudden tactical shifts?
Because over 5 million Americans have had their insurance policies canceled, in spite of the president's promise to the contrary! Those citizens are mad, they've let their Congressional Representative and Senators know it! My point is not ObamaCare per se, but to draw a possible parallel between ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank.
Perhaps more than 5 million mobile-and-manufactured-home owners face 'cancellation' in January 2014 of their ability to refinance their home, due to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regulations brought on by provisions of Dodd-Frank.
That also means that prospective buyers of low cost mobile and manufactured homes are cut off from the ability to access financing too.
Fears over regulatory agency fines are causing some in our industry who previously offered a 'lease-purchase' option to stop doing so. How does that help consumers? How does that impact on new manufactured home building and job creation?
Those millions who own factory-built homes and prospective buyers of lower cost manufactured homes are having their practical access to financing “canceled.” But just as the effects of ObamaCare are known and are being felt, so too are the provisions and impact of Dodd-Frank KNOWN to professionals like you.
We need to advise and mobilize those millions of home owners about what's coming, that Dodd-Frank/SAFE Act and the CFPB are causing it and that we have the legislative fix that already has 102 co-sponsors needed in HR 1779.
The point is that the fiasco of the roll-out of ObamaCare has its parallels in Dodd-Frank. Nor is our industry alone in being impacted by it; which is why this warning from Yahoo! Finance shared at this link is one of the ways we can bring this to issue to the attention of MH home owners, Congress and a broader audience.
Democrats said they would never budge on ObamaCare. Now they're moving towards legislative fixes by the dozens. We have a similar bi-partisan opportunity to connect with our customer base today via HR 1779.
We could either look like heroes – or might become scape goats or accomplices – in the eyes of those home owners, based upon what we do in the next few weeks on sounding the warning and mobilizing them and others.
All we have to do is note the lightening speed with which Representative Fred Upton's, “The Keep Your Health Plan Act,” was brought to the floor of the House and passed! Will we seek to emulate that in concert with others?
Life and Political Lessons
Let the lessons from both of these examples be taken to heart by professionals, home owners and other people of good will. Let's not roll over and die, just because we've had an undesired and unintended “accident.”
Let's close by tipping the hat to all those who – such as Charles Krauthammer – overcome their life's challenges daily.
Then let's take their lesson in courageous action and mobilize the voices that can make their looming problem in manufactured home financing – and ours too as professionals – go away. ##
PS: Check our many Exclusive and Red Hot Featured Articles for November and see the other new stories at MHLivingNews.com too.
L. A. 'Tony' Kovach
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