It’s that time of year again when your state representatives gather to figure out ways to strip you of more rights and this year is no different.  Homeowners should find the bills that have been filed in their respective states and think them through very carefully.  That is something your elected officials claim they don’t have the time for before they sponsor and vote on the bills.  Most of the laws that have been enacted have been pro association, tilting the balance away from the individual. 
 
On The Commons this week we are joined by Frank Short. Frank is a frequent guest on the show and a long time advocate for homeowner and individual rights.  Frank has been following the bills proposed in Virginia this year and gives us a run down of the bills, who sponsored them and what they mean.  For more information on what those pesky legislators are up to in VA, check out http://www.richmondsunlight.com/.  Find the bills, vote on them and comment on them. Please join us On The Commons. We’ll talk about the bills, go a little beyond the pretty words and focus on what they really mean. 

Hosted and produced by Shu Bartholomew, On The Commons is a weekly radio show dedicated to discussing the many issues surrounding mandatory homeowner associations, the fastest growing form of residential housing in the nation.
 
Conceptually communal living may sound positively Utopian.  Under ideal circumstances, in an ideal world, there may be an outside chance that association living might have a shot of working – for a brief period of time.  But as we all know, circumstances are hardly ever ideal and never for prolonged periods of time.  The architects of this newfangled housing plan obviously did not take into account human nature, greed, outside influences when they came up with the blue prints for what has become residential America.  If they thought about it at all, they did not plan for all the problems that would undermine the structural integrity of a massive housing implosion.
 
On The Commons this week we are joined by Marjorie Murray.  Marjorie is the founder and President of the California based Center for California Homeowner Association Law.   The core purpose of the Center is to protect the rights of homeowners through consumer education, training, and referral services.   The Center maintains a website that is rich with information every American property owner should have access to.   Please join us On The Commons this Saturday, We’ll talk about the programs they have, the training sessions they hold, discrimination in associations and legislation.