To the next jealous asshole who uses the phrase "million-dollar houses:"

[Redstone]

I have a friend in California who owns one of those "million-dollar houses."

She and her husband bought that house in 1985 for $150,000.00. They worked their asses off for over ten years, doing renovations THEMSELVES, and because of the general increase in property values there, now their house is worth over a million.

It's not a fucking McMansion. It's a ranch house that's pretty nice because they WORKED to make it nice, and happens to be on a really attractive piece of land.

Is it THEIR FAULT that property values in their town increased in the twenty years they've owned that house?

I'm getting goddamned disgusted with this jealousy and envy and callousness.

On edit: Furthermore, since I'm on a roll, even if someone DOES have enough money to buy a "million-dollar house," what skin is that off YOUR back? Did they TAKE MONEY FROM YOU to buy that house? Is is less of a HOME to them and their FAMILY, because it's expensive?

Redstone

[Mountainman]

1. Most people who don't live here understand the price of housing in CA.

The last real estate boom really pumped up the volume. A lot of people were speculating and trying to make money by flipping houses. So you have just what you are saying. Houses that once sold for hundreds of thousands now selling for millions.

on edit: of course now no one is buying or can get a loan unless you have good credit. I am selling my house and soon it will be on the market for a year. It ain't a mansion but I have it listed for near 1/2 million.

[Fresh_Start]

24. Its barely understandable to those of us who live here

forget about someone who's not familiar with the area.

Its unbelievable. Even with the recent decline in home prices, in this area home prices have increased more than 70% in 6 years.

While the 'expansion areas' (exurbs) in California are looking at high foreclosure rates, this area has foreclosure rate well below US average. Housing is scarce due to strict zoning and safe growth rules on the books.

[minnesota_liberal]

48. Agreed. It's C-R-A-Z-Y!

Not sure how anyone out there gets started.

[Booster]

53. You're so right. I have a tiny (1400 sq ft) house that I paid $200,000

for 10 years ago. There is not much of a yard, maybe 5 ft from my patio to the fence. Today it's worth $600,000. I can tell you that it is not worth that, but that's what the market says. So anyone saying I live in a house worth half a million dollars just don't know what they are talking about.

[NashVegas]

228. That's Where So Much of the Resentment Comes From, I Hope You Don't Take It Personally

I can tell you that it is not worth that, but that's what the market says.

It's great that you can say this. The problem is those who bought in midway through, who are stuck with the notion that they are owed a return on their investment.

Good financial advisers tell investors to divest of a losing stock, but peeps get that refusal to let go, they want to hold onto it thinking it will eventually roar back and they'll come out ahead.

[LakeSamish706]

2. Sure hope they had Insurance.... n/t

[Redstone]

4. Yes, they do, in fact. Your point being exactly what?

Redstone

[LakeSamish706]

12. Then they will be a whole lot f***ing better than those in NO is my point...

Sorry, but my heart doesn't bleed real big time for the people that can afford million dollar homes when the people of NO can't even afford to relocate... End of Conversation...

Am I upset and stressed about the people that lost in California? You bet your ass I am indeed... Am I comparing them to those that lost in NO? You bet your ass I am....

And if you wanta make something outta that, bring it on....

[Redstone]

15. Is New Orleans THEIR FAULT? Jesus, I can't believe what I'm seeing here. There, it's

"brought on."

Let's see if I get this straight...oh, fuck it, I give up. I simply cannot comprehend that kind of mindset.

Redstone

[LakeSamish706]

21. Look pal, I have no idea what your social status is... I am devastated that California is...

having the problems that they are... But and you know what I am saying, and I know that you do... No one gave a shit about NO... (Some may have, but most didn't) Yes, I feel bad about California... but I bet that neither Bush or Cheney could give a rats ass about your problems... Hey, it didn't affect them.. So why should they give a crap?

[Redstone]

31. "No one gave a shit about NO?" That statement right there tells me I don't need

to be tryng to discuss anything with you anymore. The GOVERNMENT didn't do its job, but for Christ's sake, "No one gave a shit about NO?"

LOTS of people gave a shit. And if you didn't notice that, you were either living in a cave or are seriously deluded.

Redstone

[Dorian Gray]

162. I believe that everyone here gave a HUGE shit about New Orleans.

And anybody with any conscience would also give a huge shit about California. It's not a comparison or competition. People are losing their homes.

[Carolina]

168. NO wasn't about real estate, it

was partially about race. Many didn't care because they saw all those "thems" (the poor and the black) on TV.

Bottom line, it's ALL HORRIBLE! Losing your home (your neighborhood, your life as you know it...) is devastating regardless of your socioeconomic status. PERIOD

Floods, fires, drought. We're going to hell, y'all.

[Bluebear]

184. 'No one gave a shit about NO' - I see you just joined DU.

Many, many people here "gave a shit" about Katrina. I won't go into the ways that our hearts and wallets were opened here, but stick around.

[shanti]

23. don't stress, redstone

just put this sorry poster on ignore. you'll feel better - i know i do.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Redstone]

41. Oh, so let's accuse people of being paid for posting their opinions. Nice. Real nice.

Redstone

[Redstone]

49. AHA! He or she caught us! Found out about the money I've been paying you to post in

agreement with my posts! (Burn your bank-deposit statements, would you? We don't want anyone to know about the Big Bucks you've been getting from me.)

Redstone

[KitchenWitch]

58. I hear both of your banking records have already been subpoenaed

:eyes:

[Redstone]

62. Oh, booger. It's also against the DU Rules to pay people to post, isn't it? I'm screwn.

Redstone

[shanti]

95. yep, screwn

screwn, i tell ya! :hi:

[kmla]

195. Dude, you crack me up.

:D

[robinlynne]

88. subpoenas aint no big deal in merika.

[shanti]

92. yeah

gotta pay me for these opinions! :eyes: good grief....i live here too, a cal native, in fact. we know what it's like...california is like any other state, more poverty than wealth. we shouldn't even have to explain this, should we? :shrug:

[KitchenWitch]

94. But we do - because the MSM only shows pictures of Britney and Paris

And fires in Malibu.

[shanti]

99. makes no sense, does it?

so by that account, florida and new york are all populated by millionaires too? hokay.....

[Redstone]

117. But explain we must, as long as the ignorant are with us.

Redstone

[aquart]

18. People in NO had insurance.

The insurance companies reneged and the courts backed them.

I am not allowed to tell you what I think of you. Your high standards and low humanity.

[Redstone]

32. Well-said.

Redstone

[LakeSamish706]

42. Yeah ok... The people of NO were mostly Blacks... as in low income folks...

Sorry, but your not bleeding my heart out here.. If those in California didn't have Insurance... duh... Why not?

[Redstone]

44. What specific axe is is that you're grinding here? I'm curious, because I can't discern

any real point that you have to make. All I see is insults. Or am I missing something?

Redstone

[LakeSamish706]

60. Your missing the point that most of the people that have losses in CA...

have funds to spare as opposed to those in NO that most could give a shit about and they did not have replacement funds... So, you folks lost homes that were valued at what? A million plus? Duh... if the folks in NO could even dream of that kind of money..... Give me a break.... Like I said earlier... I am very upset for loss period, but if comparison has any effect....

[KitchenWitch]

67. I beg to differ here

A lot of people who are not rich celebrities here are in debt past their eyeballs, and do not have "replacement funds", and are, quite frankly, underinsured, because the cost of full insurance is extremely prohibitive.

You are talking out of your ass, and it needs to stop.

[Redstone]

68. No. There is an undeniable streak of bitterness in your posts. Should we not be compassionate

for ALL of our fellow human beings?

This is a question for which the answer is either yes or no.

No qualifications, no exceptions, no bullshit. Either yes or no.

Redstone

[Carolina]

169. Dear Redstone

That poster just doesn't grasp the magnitude and depth of LOSS. Losing your home (your result of your life's work and dream, your memories, your neighborhood, your life as you know it in fact ...) is devastating regardless of socioeconomic status.

It's ALL HORRIBLE! PERIOD.

[devilgrrl]

110. Wow! It's a regular Three Ring Circus in here lately...

[tandot]

222. You are so right about us in CA. Right now I am sitting in my exorbitant McMansion

(700 square foot, 2 bedroom, 1 bath) and am enjoying the beautiful view and sounds of the rail yard. I had a comfortable drive back home from work in my 1998 luxury Toyota Corolla. I poured myself a glass of nicely chilled Chateauneuf du two buck chuck and am feasting on some risotto e fagioli ... or as the lower class people would call it ... rice with beans.

[Dorian Gray]

165. There is something very inherently racist

about your post. Seriously.... did you think about what you wrote:

"The people of NO were mostly Blacks.... as in low income folks...."


When did "mostly Blacks" come to equal low income folks. One word is NOT a substitue for the other.

As for those in California who don't have insurance.... why do you ask? Can those who don't have insurance mayby NOT be from a low income family? And NOT everyone there is white, either. Which, in your mind obviously equals NOT low income. x(


And it's obvious from your post that this is an ingrained racism. It's not like you don't care about those who are less fortunate, but the fact that you equate "mostly Blacks.... as in low income folks...." says a lot about where you are coming from.

[Dora]

179. WOW.

according to your post:

black = poor

poor and black = dumb

Californian = rich



It must be hard being you.

[aquart]

186. How utterly racist that statement is.

And you don't even notice.

[kmla]

196. Wow. The lack of empathy is stunning.

Are you always this fun?

[Jack109]

136. Why compare?

Does there have to be a contest about who suffers the most? Why not just feel some empathy for all of those who have lost their homes/

[KitchenWitch]

146. A fine question - Welcome to DU!

[Kajsa]

204. Excellent point, Jack!

Welcome to DU.

:hi:

[truedelphi]

219. Jack thank you. It's really not always like this.

Welcome to DU.

And there is a "lounge" for days when it is like this. I go there when I need to be treated nicely or to get a laugh.

[Baby Snooks]

161. Put it in perspective

A house on a half acre of land in New Orleans that is worth $1 million would be worth at least $10 million in some areas of Los Angeles. If it were in Bel-Air or Beverly Hills, it would be worth at least $25 million. As our cities have grown, the value of property that is closer to downtown or other major business districts, or are simply in "exclusive" areas, have gone through the roof. There are a growing number of homes in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills that are worth over $50 million. Several are worth over $100 million. It has nothing to do with the houses, really, just the land. And the location.

The economic disparity that supports what really do seem to be outrageous property values is what is obscene. But some who have the wealth do share the wealth. Others don't. The ones who don't are the ones who I have a problem with. But you have to put it in perspective and keep it in perspective.

Which is sometimes hard to do when you look at New Orleans. But in a way, even the wealthy in New Orleans have suffered. We are, in the end, all one. As the economy in New Orleans continues to decline, the wealthy are just as affected as the poor.

Direct your anger where it should be directed. At the White House and at Congress. Not at the residents of Malibu.

[Hekate]

8. We can't really afford all the insurance it would take to fully replace our home...

...at today's prices. Builders in our area charge out the wazoo. We carry what we hope will be enough, and that's the best we can do.

Hekate

[OzarkDem]

154. Worrisome

Hope they don't get screwed over by insurance companies like those in NOLA.

Why is it so difficult for Bush and Congress to enforce existing laws and make insurance companies pay up?

[Hekate]

3. Thank you from Goleta/Santa Barbara. Just thank you. nt

[Ellen Forradalom]

34. I was in SB for a year myself

and am now in Agoura/Calabasas. Thank you.

[mike_c]

5. million dollar houses out here are often no great shakes....

It's often hard for folks from other parts of the country to comprehend that. Hell, it's hard for lots of Californians to comprehend that!

Oops, I used the phrase.

[Redstone]

19. Forgiven.

Redstone

[incapsulated]

6. The fire started in Malibu

Which is full of multi-million dollar houses.

I think that is where this started, god knows, even I privately made that joke.

Most people realize this is way beyond the "fantasy castle" getting burned down, now.

[Garbo 2004]

22. There are several fires in the south state. It's not just one fire that started in Malibu. n/t

[Gold Metal Flake]

25. No, ONE fire started in Malibu.

The fire that went behind where I live started some other fucking place many miles away and far to the east of Malibu. As the fire worked it's way from Agua Dulce to Santa Clarita the working class neighborhood that I live in, with our old boats, old cars, old campers and old houses, were spared. Meanwhile, our fellow Santa Clarita Valley residents, many of them working class and middle class, were evacuated or driven away by smoke, they prevented from retuning. Some lost their houses. Since we are surrounded by scrub, it could have been us if the winds were headed in a slightly more southerly direction.

When you have winds like this blowing high-tension power lines around, the fire can start anywhere. It's got nothing to do with home values. Nothing at all. Anyone is at risk.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. That is ONE of the many fires in the state

and by the way it has zero to do with the Witch Creek fire or the Harris fire to mention just two

Jesus age, can people look at a map and comprehend it?

[incapsulated]

59. It didn't start in Malibu?

Look, like most people I am following this via the cable news. It's not a life or death issue for me as it is for people in southern California, so I'm not paying attention to all the details, I'm telling you what the coverage was like if you were watching CNN.

They started covering the fire in Malibu and then it spread everywhere.

Those first hours of coverage were nothing but Malibu.

I'm trying to give you an idea of why some people got it into their heads that this is all "rich people's houses".

Honestly, I don't see many people saying that at this point, it is obvious this is a state wide problem.

[Redstone]

71. I think you may have misinterpreted his post. He meant well.

Redstone

[incapsulated]

81. I think everyone is upset

I wish people would just ignore remarks that are offensive or stupid, right now. For your own state of mind, there are much more important things to worry about if you live in southern cali right now.

I hope everyone stays safe and comes out of this ok, although I know at this point, that is impossible.

[Redstone]

89. That was my point: Worry about the PEOPLE, not what their houses are worth.

Redstone

[John Q. Citizen]

126. There are like a dozen seperate fires.

[incapsulated]

138. And there are like 3 responses of mine, jesus

You clearly didn't read. Including the one you are responding to.

[SoCalDem]

231. There are NINETEEN fires burning..

the Santana winds/downed power lines/firebugs.. many fires.many causes

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Thank you so much, my dear Redstone...

It means a lot...

[Whisp]

10. Peggy! I was thinking about you. are you okay? nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

30. My dear Whisp...

I am fine, thanks...

Nowhere near the fire....

[rusty quoin]

9. I lived there and had many friends, none who were rich.

Economically it is diverse, and the best area I have ever lived. I miss it, but it was too expensive for me, which doesn't mean it is made up of rich assholes. The people there were some of the best people I have ever met.

And you are right. A million dollar house in Rancho Bernardo would go for $300,000 where I am now.

[hisownpetard]

11. I understand why you wrote the OP. Isn't it a shame, though, that it seems necessary to explain

to some people on DU that they shouldn't just blindly hate or condemn others
about whom they know absolutely nothing? These are just innocent human beings,
who are presently in danger and therefore merit our concern. Period!

It shouldn't matter if the homes that are burning are mansions or huts. It shouldn't matter
if they have 5 full baths or one outhouse. The important thing here is that...they are burning!
People are being evacuated and moved. Firefighters are in danger.

There are people who live in these homes with their cats and dogs and pet parakeets, for God's sake.

Does all this need to be said? WTF?!

[Redstone]

28. How can someone not understand that a house is a HOME, and when you have to drive away

from it, be you rich or poor, and not know if it will still be there when you return, that such an experience is a life-changing event?

Outrage at the aftermath of Katrina is NO excuse for callous disregard of fellow human beings. It's truly disgusting.

Redstone

[Common Sense Party]

118. Hey, if *I* can't afford a million dollar mansion then no one else

deserves to...so if theirs becomes tinder, too freakin' bad.

/extreme :sarcasm:

I will NEVER understand that kind of us vs. them, have vs. have-not, zero-sum mentality.

Humans are humans, wherever they live, and whatever their net worth.

[hisownpetard]

199. Yeah. That kind of response just sounds so... so... well, lemme say it - Republican.

[rockymountaindem]

13. There's a ton of haters out there

who will emerge whenever the circumstances suit them. It's impossible to get rid of them but you can get a feeling of satisfaction knowing that you don't spend your whole life going around envying other people that way.

Everybody's got their own issues and I'm no exception, but they don't go to the level that I have to scream out my dissatisfaction in peoples' faces, as it were, in the hour of their greatest plight. At least I can pride myself on that :)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

14. Even urban Texas is getting to be expensive.

Texas used to have real low prices.

There is a house down the street from me that is a brick-clad one story ranch style,
built in 1956, has not been improved, is on a 32,000 sq. foot lot (100 by 130 counting the utility easement in the back), has a 2 car garage,
2,000 square feet, and is on the market for $345,000.

It has NOT been improved.

[durrrty libby]

16. So-called dems can sometimes behave like freetards. That's a fact and sad

[rusty quoin]

26. Yes. No party's perfect.

[begin_within]

17. The nurse who comes to our house 3 days a week to help me take care of my Mom has to evacuate

her house in Crest tonight. I offered to let her and her son and their dog stay with us, but she wasn't sure if she is going to or go and stay in her mother's garage tonight. Not everyone who is or may be losing their house is rich, and not every house that burned is a million-dollar house.

[walldude]

20. You and I have been at odds on occasion Redstone but

I'm right behind you on this one. I'll never understand how people can see the victims of a natural disaster and immediately start judging them because of their class or political views. For fucks sake if people want to be pissed off at someone be pissed at the politicians who have cut funding for first responders. This is just sad.

[Redstone]

51. Good to hear that from you, it is. See? There's always SOMETHING we can agree on.

Redstone

[Gold Metal Flake]

27. Thanks, man.

It's like the fucking freepers attacking the s-chip kid's family.

[Adsos Letter]

29. Upstream somewhere, someone raised the point of insurance...

many people forget to increase their insurance as the value of their house rises...we bought many years ago for $150,000...it increased 5x in value, and if our agent hadn't reminded us to increase the replacement value we would have been well and truly screwn in a situation like their facing down south...I do hope most kept their insurance up with their increasing value, to speak in purely materialistic terms.

In the bigger picture, I sure hope they get these under control soon...fires like this happen too often here.

[Redstone]

39. Same happened to us, and we were lucky to have a good insurance agent who

raised the alarm and had us change the numbers.

Redstone

[Adsos Letter]

45. Yeah...a good agent is worth a lot...on another note...

I spent 30+ years painting some of the most expensive estates in the Napa Valley...some of those people were butt-heads, but many more were engaged in quite a bit of philanthropy and funding of service to others...wealth doesn't dictate character.

Just thought I would add my voice of agreement to your OP...

[Redstone]

52. And it's appreciated, believe me.

Redstone

[Ellen Forradalom]

36. That's "envious," not "jealous"

:hide:

[Redstone]

55. No need to duck; you're probably correct.

Redstone

[SeattleGirl]

37. Amen, Redstone. Amen.

I don't recall anyone robbing me so they could buy a multi-million dollar home.

I don't have millions of dollars, but even if I did, there would still be things in my home that had value above and beyond money.

Some folks need to get over themselves.

[WatchWhatISay]

38. I have known rich people in my area that have kept our local democratic party

from being more than an answering machine. Having money doesnt make you heartless. Being heartless makes you heartless.

I also know plenty of people around here who cant afford health insurance but vote Republican everytime.

Use your head.

[KitchenWitch]

40. Redstone - thank you for this post.

I am so tired of people making judgments about the housing situation here.

[Swamp Rat]

46. Are you ok?

:hug:

[KitchenWitch]

50. I am, thank you for asking!

The fire has moved away from us. At last check, it was about 30% contained, but the winds do come up a bit in the early morning, so things could change.

It is now about 6 miles from us.

If I were a drinking person...

[Swamp Rat]

56. Thank goodness!

I haven't been able to keep up with all the threads today, as I have been busy looking at raw satellite data all day. Are there any DUers in serious peril?

[KitchenWitch]

57. I am not sure.

There is a "check in" thread somewhere here in GD.

I think kpete had to evacuate.

[Kajsa]

212. Stay safe, KW.

I'm glad the fire has moved away from you.

Please call me if you need any help, OK?

:hug:

[FredScuttle]

43. Amen

People are losing their life savings, memories, possessions, etc. tonight and all some assholes around here can do is celebrate. Disgusting.

[Name removed]

47. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Chimpy McCokespoon]

54. Jealously and envy?

Wow, I had know idea this kind of class warfare existed on a democratic board. It's fairly obvious who's side you come down on. You are woefully ignorant, nay willfully ignorant of the conditions poor people live under so that you can maintain your life style. Don't let me stop you though, just continue your dance on the backs of the opressed. 'Nother martini?

[walldude]

63. "Just continue your dance on the backs of the oppressed"

Maybe you ought to read the OP again. First of all Redstone was talking about a friend not himself. Second, He mentioned how his friend got lucky when property values soared where they bought their house. And third, as a fucking American you are better off then most of the rest of the world and if you are looking to blame someone for "dancing on the backs of the oppressed" then you better get to a mirror fast. There is plenty of guilt to go around.

[Chimpy McCokespoon]

66. I fully acknowledge my responsibility.

And am working to remedy it. How's your karma?

[walldude]

75. My Karma is just fine, thanks for asking

And I know my faults as well, thankfully one of them isn't lipping off to someone who is showing a bit of compassion for people who are losing their homes thanks to a natural disaster.

[Chimpy McCokespoon]

93. Yeah, you're right.

Those poor folks have to now move into their second homes. How the fuck will the gardeners(Mexicans) know where to report to tomorrow? Oh, the humanity.

[uppityperson]

105. You didn't get to answer, too bad.

troll is gone.

[walldude]

107. Your crushing logic has brought me to my knees

You are so right, fuck all those rich assholes. Especially the ones who actually worked for their money. They are getting what they deserve. I hope all of San Diego goes up in flames. Fuck humanity, fuck compassion and fuck the rich.

You are a real sanctimonious piece of work. Sitting there posting messages on your computer, probably with your broadband connection drinking fucking Starbucks and saying fuck the rich. Seems like you aren't doing too badly, how many backs did you climb on to get where you are? Or did mommy and daddy buy your 'puter?

[uppityperson]

113. It be gone.

[Redstone]

124. Thank you, Mods, yet again!

Redstone

[Kajsa]

205. Yay!

Thank you, dear moderators!

[tkmorris]

123. Oh my dear Gawd

I give up. What the holy fuck is WRONG with you people?

[Redstone]

91. Whoa. That was good. Damn good, in fact.

Redstone

[Redstone]

87. Oh, all the poor people whose backs I dance upon!

Yes, I've taken food from the mouths of their children. Yes, I've stolen what pittances they have, to enrich myself. I cackle as I gorge myself on Lucullean feasts, and cast my leftovers to the guttersnipes, and roar with laughter as they scramble for my scraps.

Yes, I, the Royal Redstone, sneer at their entreaties for just one more crust or scrap from my groaning table, even as I belch with my satiety, and reach for just one more succulent morsel with my bloated fingers, encrusted with fine jewels as those fingers are. I demand their tithes, and woe betide any of the poor who do not pay, for I shall seize their pitiful belongings and cast them into the street, because it's MINE, all MINE!

Because, you know, I'm just that kind of guy.

Redstone

[Chimpy McCokespoon]

97. You've posted pictures of the interior of your house.

You do pretty well.

[Redstone]

100. And that's a problem for you, exactly why? How much of YOUR money did I use

to renovate my house?

You're sounding awfully trollish, right here. Tell me, what was your DU username before you got tombstoned last?

Redstone

[gateley]

106. I think you scared him away. Trolls are such wimps. nt

[Redstone]

115. Oh, wouldn't that be nice. I hope it's true.

Redstone

[gateley]

127. He's been tombstoned - I posted the link below. nt

[Adsos Letter]

108. Being successful doesn't necessarily equate with the crap

Mr. Cokespoon is trying to off...I've known people who had more money than God hisself, and their efforts at improving the lot of others is exemplary.

I am not wealthy, but I'm quite comfortable, thankyou, and I got that way by producing excellent paintjobs...and I charged for it. And...I paid my guys very well, even though our shop was not union.

Some people don't understand that it is possible to make a good living without "dancing on the backs of others" or whatever phrase it was he used to characterize legitimate success...

[Redstone]

104. I have to add this: Yes, I do pretty well. And every single dollar of that doing well was made

by taking it from a poor person.

Does it make you happy to hear that? I hope so, because it doesn't seem like you have much happiness in your life. But I do, because I'm livin' large on the backs of the po' folks.

Redstone

[Virginia Dare]

156. I wouldn't feel the need to justify anything Redstone...

don't let the turkeys get you down...:thumbsup:

[ronnykmarshall]

213. Same here.

What I do is go down to the hardware store and "hire" some of the poor latino men. Work them to almost they are dead and then call INS on them.

I just LAUGH, LAUGH, LAUGH when the haul them off.

Added an entire new wing on the mansion and didn't have to spend a dime.

Gotta run.

My bottle of Dom is chilling.

Care to join, me?

:sarcasm:

[ContraBass Black]

141. That's quite a step there.

Let me go get my peasants, bend them over, and leap upon them in my dancing shoes so that you can teach it to me.

[LanternWaste]

155. "The peasants are revolting..."

"The peasants are revolting..."




Sorry, Red-- couldn't resist. :evilgrin:

[JVS]

224. Wow. That picture reminds me: it's good to be the king

[Raejeanowl]

246. And To Think I Almost Missed This One

Redstone, you're da man, and you've made my day. :rofl:

[Redstone]

98. Oh, and by the way: It's "whose," not "who's," and "lifestyle," not "life style." Or am I showing

my richness and classism by pointing out your errors?

Look up the demographics of Holyoke, Massachusetts, if you're not to lazy to do so, and remember that I went to school THERE. A real bastion of the rich and privileged, Holyoke is.

But you know what" At least I learned basic grammar.

Redstone

[NMDemDist2]

112. listen you, my aunt is in a nursing home in San Diego right now due to a stroke

2 weeks ago. her husband and son had to evacuate from their 1200 sf home that it took them their entire lives to pay for, that they can barely maintain on their gutted pension and social security.

why don't you tell THEM about dancing on others backs eh??


edited to take out a personal attack, although ...

nevermind

[devilgrrl]

128. It's clown central!!!!

[flvegan]

189. Oh, how you'll be missed.

Buh bye.

[Naturyl]

241. Thank you

Just because there is a disaster happening, people shouldn't be abandoning progressive values. The OP repeats the extremely destructive charge that the poor are "jealous and envious," which is a right-wing talking point. Sorry, but that's what it is.

[Cronus Protagonist]

61. I think everyone could agree to allow others to have their success

and support them in keeping it. If we can't do that, how fucked up are we? What's the point in even trying to succeed in any endeavor, if people might resent you in a time of need?

Anything else would be a dim future for all of us.

[MedleyMisty]

64. I get what you're saying

but try to get what they're saying too.

What class are you in? I'm just wondering if you are or ever have been poor.

Humans are not saints. Jealousy is natural. Especially when you don't have much of anything and no hope of ever getting anything better while other people spend hundreds of thousands just on a birthday party. Also especially when you have been raised in a culture that values money and material possessions over everything else and you continually get the message that you don't matter because you're not rich.

It goes both ways, too. I'm sure you remember the vile and nasty things that people said about Katrina victims based on their class, as well as their skin pigmentation.

Also, like racism - I admit that I find it hard to get as outraged when the oppressed say bad things about the oppressors as when the oppressors say bad things about the oppressed. And I know that probably quite a few of the rich people who are affected by the fires are probably quite nice and give a lot to charity. And there are a lot of white people who aren't incredibly racist - I know, I'm one of them. And there are men who are decent and don't hate women. And straight people who have no problem with gay people. And on and on and on. But when someone who feels oppressed gets angry, they don't always make room for exceptions in their generalizations - and considering that the prejudice is institutionalized I don't expect them to. And situations like the fires and like Katrina bring that anger and/or hatred out for display.

I'm not you, but my suggestion is just to put the people who are personally bothering you on ignore for now and breathe and let it out. You can't change human nature and you're just making yourself needlessly upset. We're not going to end the class war tonight on DU, and surely there are more important things for you to worry and care about right now. I haven't seen the posts that you're talking about because I stayed away from that thread after posting in it once because I didn't see how bringing class into our discussion about the fires would help. I knew it'd end in a big flame war and posts like this.

If it helps at all - I imagine that most of the people expressing the misdirected anger don't mean it personally and aren't thinking of the rich people affected by the fires as individuals and probably aren't thinking about the people who aren't rich at all. They're just striking out against the unfairness in their life in the only way they know how.

Maybe when we've all calmed down we should talk about this more - finding constructive ways for people who feel oppressed to deal with it. Like, say, running candidates they can vote for who will actually help them. But until then, my advice is to just let it go and not worry about it right now.

[Redstone]

109. 1) What class am I in? I grew up poorer than you would fucking believe.

2) You want to discuss racism? I am half American Indian, and my wife is half African. Don't presume to lecture us about racism.

However, I do appreciate the tone and content of your post. I really do.

Redstone

[LakeSamish706]

65. Ok.. Now I will make my apology to all... I really am having a bad time...

with what is going on in California, and I really mean that! I guess that stress is setting in for me and probably many of us with respect to what is going on in this country. Don't want to fight, and I really want to try and make things better... I am sorry Redstone and others that I may have offended...

[KitchenWitch]

69. I am going to be honest here, I am not ready to accept your apology.

[LakeSamish706]

72. I can live with that, but I would wonder why that is? n/t

[Marrah_G]

74. Because you have behaved like an asshat while she is trying to save her god damned home

Do you get it?

No, you probably don't.

[KitchenWitch]

76. I happen to live in an area that was on the razor's edge of being evacuated last night

We are not rich, we do not have any reserves, and we are damn lucky the wind moved the flames away from us.

Painting with a broad brush ends up splattering all over the person trying to paint.

I gave a lot of money to Katrina relief (at least 10% of my income that year) so your premise completely pissed me off.

[Marrah_G]

80. I've got a candle going for you KW

Blessed Be and please take care tonight. It's bedtime for me. I wish I could help.

[KitchenWitch]

84. Your moral support is help enough!

Thank you for the candle.

I would do a candle right now, but...you know.

[Marrah_G]

85. Heh.. yeah, wouldn't be a good idea

Good night

:hugs:

[KitchenWitch]

90. Blessed Be!

:hug:

[LakeSamish706]

86. Listen to me KitchenWitch I know that my comments were out of line with respect...

to what you and many are going thru and I really am sorry for my comments... I am so on your side and my disgust is directed more to this disgusting Administration and my love and hope is for you and your lot... I really am not a bad person and am not wishing you anything other than my love and help... My pissed off position is for those that didn't give a rats ass about NO and I had not right to take that out on my (family/friends) of California... I am so sorry...

I guess the post by Redstone about the jealous thing got me going...


Sorry, sorry and sorry big time.

[KitchenWitch]

125. I can accept that.

We are all on the same side. I am sorry for being snippy, it has been hell the past 36 hours.

[Indi Guy]

149. KW

Given the personal stresses you've been under and the mis-characterizations you've been dealing with, I think it's perfectly understandable that you might have a short fuse right now. ;)

[Dorian Gray]

167. KichenWitch

Good luck to you. It must be so frightening being where you are right now. All my best to you and your family. I hope that the winds die down and the fires are able to be put out.

[Riktor]

101. Well, I'll accept it.

I'm hunkered down in my over-priced two-bedroom central San Diego apartment, waiting to hear if the office complex in which I perform my underpaying job is still standing. I'm not rich, and I could very well be in mortal danger if these fires aren't brought under control in the most ricky-tick. In short, the residents of San Diego County, rich and poor alike, are seriously fucked unless things improve, and fast. The roads are blocked, and there's nowhere to go but west... into the ocean.

I can see how you would react as you did if you were under the impression only the rich folk in the hills were losing their homes. That doesn't mean I share your point of view... just because some of these people are assholes doesn't mean we should wish them harm, as that would be naked hypocrisy. Nevertheless, I must assert it is not only rich people losing their homes... they merely lost them first. I already know a few people, all of them graduate students (living off graduate student pay), who have lost their homes. This is an honest-to-god clusterfuck of Biblical proportions, and San Diego needs help, not condemnation.

At any rate, I accept your apology. I just hope you can think things through a bit more before you say anything like that again.

Take care.

[ContraBass Black]

133. How far are you from Qualcomm?

Is there room on the islands for another mass evacuation from the city if the ring of fire closes in?

Can people escape past the southern fires into Mexico?

[Riktor]

140. Answers

I am a few minute's travel due west on the 8 to Qualcomm. I'm packed and ready to go at a moment's notice.

As for the Islands, I am uncertain. Something tells me Coronado would be less than willing to open their doors to nearly a million evacuees. That's just speculation, on my part.

Can we head to Mexico? It seems unlikely. Last I checked, they were speculating the southern fires would soon sweep across Chula Vista, cutting off travel down the 5 South into Mexico. Furthermore, Mexico is busy fighting the same fires we are. Tecate and Otay and have, to the best of my knowledge, been evacuated as well.

[ContraBass Black]

143. Thanks for answering. I have a friend living on caminito del Pizza

who's volunteering at Qualcomm now. The trolley stops in a few minutes, so she'll probably stay there for the night. I'm trying to keep up so that I can make sure she gets the warnings she needs. I know she's not about to swim to Hawaii, so if the fire makes it into the heavily paved downtown, I don't know where she'll go.

How thick is the smoke? She said it had penetrated her home.

[Riktor]

172. It depends

Up near Mira Mesa, the smoke is terrible. Central San Diego doesn't really have much smoke to speak of, you can just barely smell it in the air.

[Marrah_G]

73. I doubt the genuineness of it, frankly.

He and the chimpy person are lower then dirt in my opinion.

[LakeSamish706]

79. Well sorry that you feel that way.. Not much I can do about that... n/t

[Redstone]

120. So now you're going to apologize? Guess what...I'll accept that apology, and with thanks.

It takes true guts to issue a public apology, and I appreciate you having the courage to do to.

I've done it myself, more than once.

Redstone

[nam78_two]

145. Apologies take guts

:thumbsup:
We could use more of them on the internetZ in general :).

[Name removed]

164. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[merh]

77. As someone who knows what it is like to lose all you own in

a natural disaster, let me thank you for the OP. :hug: :loveya:


It still stings when I read that I deserved to lose it all because I made the choice to live on the coast.

My prayers go out to all in Southern California. :grouphug:

[KitchenWitch]

78. ...

:hug:

:grouphug:

:loveya:

[merh]

102. Why don't you get in the car and head this way

by the time you get cross country, they may have the floor done and it will be cooler weather and there is not smoke in the air here. You can bring MrKitchenWitch and the whole family and animals and be safe (hurricane season ends the first of December ;) )

Take good care, please, please, please :hug: :loveya:

[KitchenWitch]

103. I will stay safe.

I promise.

[DeepModem Mom]

82. K&R

[Sukie1941]

83. My home loses value every year

I paid $27,000 for it three years ago (when it was six years old). It has everything I need, a nice living-dining area, an ample office, a big bathroom and master bedroom, I own two queen-sized beds, I have loads of bookcases, kitchen has more cupboards and drawers than most homes I have lived in, a huge pantry, seven sets of blinds just in the main part (three of which are 5x5 ft wide), central air and heating, front and back lawn and nice-sized patio. I could go on!

I live in a fire-prone neighborhood (and floods too) in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mtns on the Rogue River in So. Oregon.

I don't have to sit and watch my place float down the river (although I came close once) or see the fires top the hills on either side of me (which happens every ten years or so). I don't have to worry about driving away to save life and limb.

All I have to do is spend an hour to pack up and then drive my home away to safety!

To boot, if times are rough, I can live in my home for at least a week with all the necessities I need.

It won't be long before my place won't be liveable because it decreases in value and eventually things won't work, just like a car.

THAT is what I worry about, because I had to sell my home three years ago because I became a retired senior female with too small a pension and only social security to live on--my insurances get most of my monthly income.

I am not jealous of anyone who has more, I am just damn glad I have a roof and my three cats and a good landlord (yep, I pay rent, too).

Hopefully some of the folks in So. California who are burned up and burned out will consider a simpler way of life--I wouldn't trade this for anything!

[understandinglife]

96. Well stated, friend.

Peace.

[gateley]

111. ATTENTION!! CHECK THIS OUT: Chimpy McCokespoon is DOA

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=209308



Edit to add no WONDER his avatar disappeared and he finally shut up. That was quick.

[devilgrrl]

129. They're out in droves!

Don't tell us TinT, it's another sockpuppet for a "favorite DUer" :eyes:

[Redstone]

135. Let's not be attacking a fellow DUer who is going through a rough patch right now, OK?

Please. I'm asking this as a friend, and you know that.

Redstone

[huskerlaw]

114. Thank you, Redstone!

:applause:

[tinrobot]

116. Thank you.

When the average home in Southern California is almost $600K, a million dollar home is not that big of a deal.

[Mutineer]

200. And for $600K, you don't get much.

Ever watch one of those "flip" shows on TLC or HGTV or A&E? It's incredible what people have to pay out there for what are run-down homes or just little shacks. It's just what houses cost out there. I have no idea how anyone can afford to buy there but it's what real estate costs, just the way that a one-bedroom apartment in NYC costs an average of $1 million-they aren't mansions people. They are ordinary middle-class homes, just with astronomical pricetags attached.

And if someone has worked hard, invested wisely, fixed up their homes, and seen it grow in value why exactly are we supposed to hate them again for that? Are we Democrats or are we Socialists/Communists who want to see the rich destroyed? Man-up, apologize for those of you who've bashed, and grow up why don't you? You don't know what the fuck you're talking about when it comes to "million-dollar homes" there. Here--go to this website: www.themls.com that's the link to the greater LA property search--take a look at what you get for 500K there. It ain't much.

[Name removed]

119. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[davekriss]

121. "For every dollar the boss has and didn't work for...

...one of us worked for a dollar and didn't get it."
-- Big Bill Haywood

You say, "Did they TAKE MONEY FROM YOU to buy that house?" Well, in some schools of (valid) thought, the answer is yes. Capitalism is founded on the principle of exploitation. For profit to accumulate, by definition someone else was not fully paid for the value they contributed.

[Redstone]

130. Yes, I'll say it again, I bought my house by stealing the sweat of the working man,

I didn't work a bit myself, just sat back and TOOK from the working man.

All those 16-hour days I put in (and all the ones Mrs R put in as well), all I was doing was taking from the working man, it's not like I was WORKING myself...

Redstone

[bluestateguy]

148. Don't worry about it

Some people read a little too much Chomsky, and think that the real world is just like a graduate seminar on Marxist theory.

[davekriss]

151. Wha' it's not? O my :) (nt)

[davekriss]

152. BTW, Big Bill Haywood was an anarchist...

...not a Marxist. And though Chomsky has influenced my thinking, it was Manufacturing Consent and Necessary Illusions, which if you've read them you'd know have nothing to do with my teasing words with Redstone. And, rather than Marx, I recommend you read Harry Braverman's Labor and Monopoly Capital, a true two-feet-on-the-ground classic (from the seventies).

[davekriss]

150. If you work for a paycheck...

...and pay a mortgage to a bank, you're one of us. Working class. Value has been taken from you, not the other way around. You weren't paid for all of the value you contributed, some was siphoned off to feed the owning class.

You may like that arrangement, appreciate the need for capital formation to invest in entrepreneurs that innovate and bring novel products to market. I kind of like it too (I like my notebook and MP3 player and my safe, comfortable car). But the fact remains that at the beating heart of capitalism you'll find exploitation.

I therefore am in favor of using our democratic institutions to rein in the excesses, capture some portion of that siphoned off value to plow back in to our infrastructure, our schools, our hospitals. Redistribution is a good thing! When marginal FIT rates were 70% and higher the great historical abberation known as the sizeable middle class came into being (albeit not because of tax rates alone); with Reagan and beyond we see a reversal of redistribution and, no surprise, we're watching the great unravelling of the middle class. The choice is ours. The more we cede the commons to private markets, the less we have to say about how our lives and the lives of our grandchildren will unfold. Instead, the robberbarrons and their magistrates act as "deciders" for us.

Where the law of the majority ceases to be acknowledged, there government ends; the law of the strongest takes its place, and life and property are his who can take them.
-- Thomas Jefferson, to Annapolis Citizens, 1809

[Midlodemocrat]

202. Heh. I stole my house.

From all the folks who worked their asses off to build it.

[Naturyl]

243. Thank you. n/t

[Gelliebeans]

122. Thanks Redstone

as a San Diego area resident I thank you for speaking up. We don't have a lot of money but we have been here for years and the property value just goes up. My husband and I joke that if we hadn't bought when we did we would never be able to afford to live here.

The few people that have made the comments today on DU are pathetic and I pity them that they live in such a bitter envious little world.

Thanks again!
:hug:

peace

[Redstone]

131. "if we hadn't bought when we did we would never be able to afford to live here."

Amen. We bought our house about six months before it became impossible for a "normal family" to be able to afford a house in our town.

I know EXACTLY what you're saying.

Redstone

[tinrobot]

142. And most can't afford to buy again...

I bought my house 10 years ago and it has quadrupled in value. A lot of people would look at that little fact and say I hit the jackpot. But it's only paper money. Perhaps I could cash in that paper money should I choose to leave the state, but my love for my family and career will keep me here for quite a while.

I didn't spend a million dollars on this house, and I certainly don't live like a millionaire. But if I were to sell my house and move within Southern California, then I would have the property taxes of a millionaire. I simply can't afford that. So, in a lot of ways, I'm stuck in this little house until I decide to leave the state.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

132. Thanks Redstone

I am in the middle of the fires here in San Diego. There is one to the north, one to the south and one to the east. We have our car packed up and ready to leave. We are nowhere near being wealthy. In fact, we are far from it. The property value you speak of is a fact. We had zero idea when we bought our home it would more than double in value in just 5 years. Even so, we can't move anyplace else here and afford the property taxes on a new home that is as nice as the one we have. We may move out of San Diego when my husband retires in 18 months or we may have our home burn to the ground.

I lost everything in a wildfire in N. CA almost 20 years ago. I still am not over losing every single family photograph and the countless pieces of Ca Pottery I had collected for the 10 years prior. Not to mention every stick of furniture I owned and every fork, spoon, knife and everything I loved in my kitchen. I lost art work and books and cameras and collections that included original letters from soldiers of the civil war and so on. I was happy to be able to say that i was alive. I was not happy to say that i lost a lifetime of "things" I really cared about.

I am grateful for what I have. My family and my home. We have worked hard to have this. But if it makes some people happy to accuse me of being evil for what they THINK I have.. so be it.

[Gelliebeans]

134. I sent you a pm

:hug:

[ContraBass Black]

137. What's your evacuation path?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

201. We go to the south about one mile as the crow flies and about 2 via the road.

we are okay today.

thanks for asking.

[Beausoir]

139. That looks like a river of molten lava. Stay safe.

[Kajsa]

208. Stay safe, Gilligan.

My brother was evacuated from both his apartment and his work site in
Rancho Bernardo, yesterday.

We are awaiting word on whether he has a home or worksite to go back to
tomorrow.

:hug:

[bridgit]

144. people are stupid end of message...

[bluestateguy]

147. Agreed

The house I grew up in is probably a million dollar property now. My parents bought it for $35,000 in 1972. The moved in 1997 before the real estate market really orgasmed, but still made out very well.

[earth mom]

153. I bet most DUers feel sorry for those in harms way.

I lived in Southern California for 33 years of my life and what it morphed into is the major reason I left.


However, I wouldn't wish what's happening on anybody. NO ONE deserves this!!!

Sending good vibes to those who are facing those fires!

:grouphug:

[Redstone]

158. Oh yes, MOST DUers absolutely feel that way, as this thread shows.

But some just don't seem to understand the concept of compassion.

Redstone

[earth mom]

216. I don't know which thread you are talking about. I haven't had a chance to figure it out. nt

[treestar]

157. We don't know them personally

So we don't know about them.

They don't know us personally, and we don't expect them to worry about our problems, either.

[brentspeak]

159. Many of the "jealous" posters are turning out to be RW trolls posing as liberals

Chimpy McCokespoon got tombstoned, and I suspect they'll be quite a few more sharing his plot in the graveyard.

[Kajsa]

211. I agree.

Even so, it's hard to imagine anyone, even Freepers, sneering
at other people's loss and devastation.


;(

[tomreedtoon]

238. But not all.

Some of us are just ordinary folk who have been beaten down by the rich and powerful. As I attempted to tell Redstone, a man who won't listen, most of the people on DU don't own houses and never will. When we lose our jobs in the coming depression, we will be lucky to have cardboard boxes to live in.

For some reason, people think that because our overlords are the rich and powerful...and somebody who has even a $150K house is RICH today...means we must worship them. I don't and won't. And when anything bad happens to them I can't even fake the tears.

That makes me as Republican as my mother who had to be screwed by her bosses to keep her lousy secretary job during the 1929 depression. I don't even have that option available to me.

[Dorian Gray]

160. Wow........

I've stayed out of the California threads after seeing something that was slightly disturbing to me yesterday in this regard. I have a really hard time believing that people are so nasty about people's suffering right now. But, you have it exactly right. EVEN IF we were to criticize those with MILLIONS of dollars, there are many people who don't have that money who have lived in their homes for years and years who are affected by this. And of course, I wouldn't even criticize a millionaire who is about to (or already has) lost their home in such a tragic way.

[AngryAmish]

163. I think someone needs a hug.

[kineneb]

191. and another hug from a NorCal friend as well

we understand
take care
my blessings on you and yours
om

[mondo joe]

166. Well done, Redstone. K&R.

[tsuki]

170. I object because it is the Republicans reason to ignore the human

tragedy, like they did in NOLA. Blame the victims, preach hate, bigotry and generally poison the American Spirit. Save your tax dollars for important things like illegal wars that give you joy. Thank you, Republicans. You have killed what made America great.

Am I getting to cynical??

[knitter4democracy]

171. I was thinking that, too.

Both sides of my family are in California, and I know the housing prices there are crazy. Small ranch homes go for a million there, so people need to stop acting like it's only the movie stars in trouble. People are in trouble and getting evacuated and are losing everything. I know my cousins rent because they can't afford to buy, and they rent those kinds of houses. Are they worse somehow and not deserving of empathy just because the house they used to rent is probably burnt to the ground now?

[Romulox]

173. If we had a more developed dialogue about economic/social justice, then we could discuss this

more rationally.

I don't take glee in the destruction in SoCal, but I will point out that Detroit is the poorest city in the country. I haven't noticed much outreach from SoCal to Detroit lately, which goes to show you that compassion is frequently quite selective.

[mondo joe]

175. What form of "outreach" from SoCal to Detroit would impress you?

[Midlodemocrat]

176. Dude, you rock. Series.

[Romulox]

177. Well, an outpouring of "compassion", for one...Mutuality is the basis for all relationships.

The larger point is that social darwinism is simply the flip side of economic darwinism.

[mondo joe]

178. How would you measure that outpouring of compassion?

?

[Romulox]

182. The OP seemed to be proposing some sort of metric for just that purpose...nt

[mondo joe]

183. You referenced YOUR measure of outpouring of support. What's YOUR metric?

"I haven't noticed much outreach from SoCal to Detroit lately, which goes to show you that compassion is frequently quite selective."

How do you measure it?

[Romulox]

185. This is a pointless line of inquiry. You're looking for a sparring partner now, not a discussion.

I stated quite clearly that the real issue was social and economic justice, not whether one has displayed the correct volume of crocodile tears.

I sense you are just looking for someone to vent at. No thanks. :hi:

[mondo joe]

192. If you're unable to support your claims, and consider requests to do so

to be "sparring" you might be better off not making them.

[Romulox]

197. Sorry, I'm under no obligations to respond to your demands...besides they were disingenuous...nt

[LanternWaste]

187. Which certainly in no way justifies the continuance of that

"which goes to show you that compassion is frequently quite selective."

Which certainly in no way justifies the continuance of that, right?

As a matter of fact, maybe this would be the perfect time time to begin the practice of non-selective sympathy, and outreach and simply extends our hearts to those in need... without qualifiers, justifications or extemporaneous sermons.

[Midlodemocrat]

174. I love you, Redstone. You rock.

:thumbsup:

[MsKandice01]

180. Thank you, Redstone...

I hadn't seen this kind of attitude until I read this thread and, honestly, I am completely astonished. Just blown away. And I know PLENTY of non-rich people who live in the San Diego area. There are a lot of military and ex-military who live there and they are far from wealthy. There are also some very poor areas of San Diego. Ignorance and sanctimony make a horrible combination.

[Blue Diadem]

181. The news media adds to it.

I've heard on the news so many times the value of the homes..and I wonder why they keep mentioning it. Just this morning I saw some news twit who showed a burned vehicle and then said yes..that's a BMW totally destroyed.

Why do they keep bringing up the value of the properties/possessions? I've only noticed it with California and not in other disasters/states. I can't help but wonder if it's an attempt to further divide people, because there are always people who will somehow feel resentment when it comes to money.

Thanks for saying what needed to be said Redstone. A home is a home no matter where it's located or what it's worth.

[NorthernSpy]

188. during Katrina, the reporters kept screaming things like, "It's just like the third world!"

And, "it's hard to believe that this is part of America!"


:eyes:


Some of their current commentary on the fires in Southern California may be kind of a flip-side to that, I guess.

[Blue Diadem]

194. What's with the eye roll?

It's sad when people bicker about who is better equipped monetarily to afford devastation, or that people with "more" somehow deserve it.

[NorthernSpy]

207. well, what do you think I mean?

I paraphrased the dumb-as-dirt things the media said about impoverished Katrina victims, and then I rolled my eyes.

And then I related the coverage of that disaster to the coverage of this current disaster.


I think maybe I was commenting on the quality of media coverage. Which would indicate that I was actually agreeing with you.

[Blue Diadem]

214. Sorry, it was hard to tell.

I thought you were agreeing but then I took the icon to go with your last sentence where it seemed you were uncertain with may be, kind of, and I guess. My mistake..sorry.

[flvegan]

190. Ego is the devil in us all. Controlling it is up to us. Well said, sir.

:thumbsup:

[Raejeanowl]

193. Plain Ol' Ugly Envy

Satisfies some LOSERS (entirely too gleefully) that the laws of karmic misfortune are not stacked against them, but impartially invoked.

Maybe by some twisted logic they think they deserve the "luck" the others had previously, and will receive it themselves eventually?

I'll tell you, Redstone...they say you find out who your true friends are when you're doing poorly? You're also able to weed out a few more when you're doing particularly well.

[Naturyl]

245. Wow... nice post

"Envy" and "losers." Yeah, that speaks for itself.

[Kajsa]

198. Thank you, Redstone. Most " million dollar houses" here

would cost $200,000.to $300,000. in many other states.

The land here is insanely overpriced and inflated.

A modest three bedroom house costs close to or at 1 mill.

:pals:

[mondo joe]

206. My neighbor's very elderly parents live in CA in the same shack of a house

they bought when they were young. They have no advanced degrees, and the best job either of them ever had was as a butcher. But their house is now valued at over $1mil.

People's ignorance is amazing.

[NewJeffCT]

209. I hear you on property values

A while back here on DU, there was a thread about how in some posh towns here in Connecticut, people were buying old homes and tearing them down and replacing them with mega mansions that basically destroyed the character of the neighborhood (imagine a 3 story 10,000 foot mansion in between 2 1,000 square foot ranches built in the 1950s, with each property having less than half an acre of land)

There was a picture of the two homes, and somebody responded that they thought the ranch house should be condemned based on its looks. So, I responded to him that in Weston, CT that 50 or 60 year old ranch home that you think should be condemned is probably worth at least $750,000...

[Redstone]

217. The teardown threshold in my town is now about $750K. Hey, I guess, since we're RICH here

in Conecticut, every single one of use, we deserve to have a fire or a hurricane of our own.

Because we're rich fucks, aren't we?

Redstone

[TwilightZone]

203. Egocentrism is a wonderful thing.

Some people simply cannot see beyond their own personal worldviews.

The bottom line is that these are *homes* that are burning to the ground. What they cost or who lives there is irrelevant. The fire doesn't care. What is relevant is that those homes contained their owners' lives, experiences, memories, and personal belongings.

[Homer Wells]

210. Kicked and RECOMMENDED

[IronLionZion]

215. It takes a true asshole to enjoy someone else's suffering no matter the reason

Hang in there Redstone. Nobody deserves to lose their home no matter their financial situation or whatever. Remember that there are people here who are pulling for you.

Hope for the best and plan for the worst.

[Redstone]

218. Thank you, but I'm not in California. I was sympathizing with those who do.

There are a number of DUers affected...not that my sympathy is limited to DUers.

Redstone

[neutron]

220. thoughts from an apartment dweller

I know I should be more sympathetic that I am.

We worked our asses off all our lives too, and we live in a stinking cramped apartment
in a NY borough.
The rich have hogged up all the housing worth having here and are hoarding it as investment.

I look at this and think wow there are people who can actually afford a good life.

Were they doing anything to change laws to offset global warming?

As soon as the flames are out, they'll spend some of their wads and have their McMansion duplicated in no time flat.

I'd feel a lot more sympathy if these were poor housing projects.

I don't know. The rich can have everything that I can't, but they can't whine when I don't
feel empathy.

[Garbo 2004]

226. Trailer parks and apartment buildings have also been hit by the fires....

The area covered by the various fires is vast, including to the Mexico border and beyond, covering rural areas, towns and not just posh neighborhoods you may see on TV. About a million people have been evacuated, and you think all those people are "rich," no working class people who work at ordinary jobs, no retirees on social security, no renters, no poor folks.

That's as ignorant an assumption as if someone were to assume that everyone who lives in the NY metro area must be rich and lives in a penthouse.

[Redstone]

227. It still astonishes me how many people just don't get it.

Redstone

[Raine]

229. We all hear that rent in NY is very expensive

so if you are able to pay rent on an apartment there that must mean that you are very rich yourself. :sarcasm:

[Raine]

221. Thanks for your post

my parents bought their house in 1954 for twelve thousands dollars and they extended themselves to get it. Now this house is worth close to a million but it's nothing more than a 3 bedroom CA style ranch tract home, they certainly are NOT rich!

[neutron]

223. stop the sprawl, already

This is a good time to put a halt to urban sprawl that is eating up natural
vegetation and wildlife habitat.

Californians should start consolidating living spaces into highrises. The rich
can have the choice penthouses and fancy terraces. It's a fine way to live and
it is less destructive to the environment.

Plus they can build protective moat around the building.

Without a doubt clearing open land for housing is having an effect on
global warming.

The government should buy up all of the burnt lots, and build these
people one really nice apartment building.

[mdmc]

225. Us in the ghetto feel their pain...

[nadinbrzezinski]

230. You do know many of those houses

were NOT a million bucks when they were bought

I am amazed how people are missing the obvious... if we want to change the country everybody is needed

[Mike03]

234. Thanks for making this point

It was not so long ago I was struggling to support me, my dog and my cat in a North Hollywood apartment.

Good liberals struggle in Southern California too! I guess some people don't understand. One reason they probably struggle is because they give away more than is prudent to give away.

[Raine]

235. I'm throughly disgusted

with the insensitivity I find here directed toward other people's pain. Some of this crap is what I would expect to see on a freeper site not among the so-called liberal "bleeding hearts" that supposedly inhabit the DU. :-(

[nadinbrzezinski]

236. It happens every time

damn we have a bunch of useful idiots

Here is my take on this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2129252

[Raine]

237. Good take on it

:thumbsup: I agree.

[Raine]

233. You don't have to feel

their pain...just don't make fun of it. x(

[mdmc]

247. That wasn't schtick

I do feel their pain.

[Mike03]

232. I'm so glad a few people are making these sane, sensible,

realistic posts.

Thank you for saying this. Not so long ago I was in the same boat, and so many close friends of mine who are just barely making ends meet or are struggling are in these fire areas. People seem incredibly insensitive to what is happening in Southern California, falling prey to stereotypes just as ludicrous as those that surrounded New Orleans. It's embarrassing to see them on a site like this, which I usually associate with high intelligence and ingenuity, as well as tolerance.

[Naturyl]

239. Ah, promoting Repuke values, eh?

The word WORKED just had to be in capitals, eh? Nice assumptions about poverty.

Another example of how having too much money can ruin a person.

[Naturyl]

240. Oh, by the way...

Even if I got one of the houses you are accusing people of being "jealous of" for FREE, I'd sell it, buy something modest that reflects progressive values, and make a large donation to charity.

[nadinbrzezinski]

242. Problem is that your progressive house in cali goes

for quite a bit of money

The average SMALL one room 500 foot condo is close to 300, 000

The Average house is close to 700,000

And higher.

Not that you'd know that

Blame the speculators

But that is the damn truth

Not that you'd know the truth even if it hit you in the face.

[Cobalt-60]

244. At California prices, my single wide is a million dollar house

Did anyone notice how ignorant that freeper that was so gleeful at the thought that people who hated america were being burned out of their homes.
That's how it looks when someone rejoices that moderately wealthy people got burned out.
Our enemies are the Junta and their masters , not a few lucky suckers with big houses in the hills.

[NaturalHigh]

248. We got a lot of shitheel comments on DU when Oklahoma had wildfires last year.

A lot of "progressives" turn into plain old assholes when they perceive that you don't fall into lockstep with their way of thinking.

Personally, I don't care if the fire victims live in million-dollar homes or hovels. I have deep sympathy for anyone who loses their homes.