Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

SlopeFest East | September 18, 2010

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SlopeFest East

September 18, 2010


Slopefest east

Myrtle Beach South Carolina

 

(Leisa here…..) With
the SlopeFest pioneers of Las Vegas having had a grand ole time, SlopeFest East was
quickly in the making by our Iguanadon–technician, travel logistician and all
round good guy.  I think that I speak for many of us at SlopeFest Las
Vegas, that meeting fellow Slopers was enjoyable beyond our collective
expectations. (Though bears battled by the bull market may have held low
expectations!)  I know that my time with fellow Slopers was one of the
most memorable times of my life–it solidified what I know will be enduring
friendships.  Now turning it over to Iggy….

The East Coast SlopeFest
is on!!  Everyone is invited! No matter what part of the world you inhabit, take this opportunity to meet fellow Slopers in beautiful Myrtle Beach South Carolina. 

Here’s the scoop, I’ve
chosen an oceanfront hotel/resort, the Caribbean Resort, where Mrs. Iggy and I have stayed before.  You may certainly choose another hotel. Dinner will be at a nearby restaurant and brewery:  Liberty Steakhouse.  

This time period is perfect because it is outside of prime season.  Simply put:  Rates are low, weather is tolerable and crowds are GONE!   Plan your visit for as long or as short as you like BUT make sure you are there for the 18th! In addition to the beautiful beaches, Myrtle Beach is a golfer's paradise. Click here for more information on this area. 

Here are the logistics–easy for any technician to handle:

  • →Don't over analyze this….just say "Yes"
  • →Make your own reservations at the resort or another of your choice
  • →Adult guests are welcome for dinner–you'll have a chance to show them that your on-line friends are normal.
  • →Dinner will be $60 per head (dinner, a couple of micro-brews, taxes+tip)–payable in cash at the door or via Paypal (e-mail for instructions).  Any leftover money will be applied to after-party on the beach provisions
  • →RSVP with the head count AND your on-line name to iggyslopefest@gmail.com 

Iggy


Leisa here….Tim has
agreed that whomever’s expectations are NOT met by SlopeFest East, he will
fully refund his subscription fees to his site. 
Now what are you waiting for?  




 

Deadbeat Nation

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I mentioned this article from the New York Times in the midst of a very active comments section today, and it's already garnered a lot of reaction, but I wanted to dedicate a post to it.

The article is about how hundreds of thousands of people who bought homes have stopped paying their mortgage and are taking advantage of the fact that the banks are overwhelmed by continuing to live in these houses for free. They just stay there for years, abusing a system that ostensibly was created to prevent abuse by the banks.

The featured family in the article – – who, incredibly, gave their full names - consists of a couple (Alex Pemberton and Susan Reboryras) who stopped paying their mortgage last summer and Mr. Pemberton's mother who, having stopped paying two years ago, is setting the bar higher as an example for her son. Here's her picture; it's hard not to have your heartstrings tugged as you see the anguish of a woman who is unable to afford her mortgage payments:

0601-cheerful
 

Alex 'n' Susan, self-relieved of the moral baggage of paying their mortgage, instead use the cash – – according to the article – – to dine on steak at Outback, take their "gas-guzzling airboat out for the weekend", and visit the Hard Rock Casino. Blowing off their mortgage payments has "become a life raft" according to the man of the family.

The older Pemberton explains away her not paying the bank by stating "They're all crooks."

These people represent 650,000 households that stopped paying their mortgage for at least 18 months. Both elder and younger Pemberton took cash out of their houses with refinancing, spending the winnings on such things as a new truck. Mr. Pemberton, proving the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, also puts the blame at the bank's feet: "They went outside their own guidelines on debt to income……..they put themselves in jeopardy."

Not to put too fine a point on it, these people make me sick. My wife and I bought our house with a down payment earned with hard work. We filled out all the paperwork honestly and with complete documentation. We haven't missed a single payment, or even been a day late, not even once. Never in a million years would I consider flipping off the bank and just hanging out in this house for free until I was thrown out onto the street.

The value of our house did indeed decline after we bought it (quite a few years ago), and the only "recourse" I took was filling out the paperwork to the county so that our taxes could be adjusted for the lower value, which is certainly fair. Anyway, I found the topic in the article outrageous.