Let’s throw good money after bad

“It’s often said that Democrats are more about making people feel good, as well as making themselves look good, than actually doing something constructive to fix problems. Thus is the case these days regarding the rash of homeowner foreclosures in Nevada.”

—Chuck Muth

You will note that this particular Place frequently points out the insipid, inane and downright stupid. (My expectations that fully grown adults should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time are routinely denounced as “mean-spirited” by the conservatively challenged crowd and by those who are under the mistaken belief that if a particular message makes one “feel” good, then it must be OK.)

Along those lines, allow me to introduce to you one Assemblyman Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas. Thanks to him and his subcommittee, a measure to introduce funding for—get this—a toll-free 800 line to assist those in “crisis” may soon become a reality. The crisis, lest you missed it, is the rising tide of housing foreclosures, of which the Silver State currently ranks No. 1 in the nation.

According to Conklin, this 800 number is “a critical first step” in giving people a trustworthy source. This, if I understand it, means there are no other trustworthy sources available to homeowners or perspective homeowners. According to Conklin, “Individuals in trouble may not know about them or may doubt their reliability.”

Which begs the question, at what point are fully grown adults expected to take responsibility for themselves without the nanny state stepping in at the expense of other fully grown adults and paying the bill?

Anyway, come Nov. 14 at a meeting of the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee, said committee will approve (or not) the requisite funding needed for the toll-free line.

Oh yes, and did I mention the cost of this trustworthy information source is expected to begin at $400 large? (That’s $400,000.)

I say “begin” because, as we all know, government programs, once started, rarely go away, so expect it to be an ever-increasing budget item come the next few legislative sessions.

And on a side note, why is it OK to take resources from the productive and give everyone else a free pass? (Particularly when our politicians continue to find such idiotic ways to spend the money they take?)

Now, before I am once again labeled a rodent of questionable parental lineage, allow me to offer some free advice from some previous personal experience. (The very same advice I suspect this toll-free government line will provide.) Should you be in such a “crisis,” may I suggest that you contact your lender and work with them? You may just find that most lenders are loathe to foreclose, particularly these days. Many offer forbearances or other programs that will allow you to tack on your past-due amounts to the end of your mortgage—but only if you talk to them before you get too far in arrears. Also note that communication, honesty and persistence is the key. You may also note that this is the way an adult thinks and handles problems—upfront.

Considering one must go through a ream of disclosures at the close of escrow on any home, one must correctly wonder why a toll-free line at additional taxpayer expense is needed.

For that matter, one may wonder how people as obtuse as Conklin can get elected. Perhaps spending other people’s money in furtherance of your own political aspirations makes one a genius.

Although that perhaps brings us back to Mr. Muth’s assertions.