Monthly Archives: March 2023

Fighting Back

Frank Short

For those of you who have asked about the On The Commons St Patrick’s day show, you will be happy to know we are back.  I have wanted to do this show for a long time so I am particularly excited to bring it to you.

Frank Short is my guest so I know you will love it.. The reason I want to do this show is that we have heard from so many of you who have had unbelievable problems with your HOAs.  I have spent hours listening to the abuses that people have suffered and just how it has affected them.  Elderly people living on their own afraid of answering the phone or the door in case it was the HOA calling.  

Some people are even afraid of checking the. Mail in case there was yet another nasty gram from the HOA.  People shouldn’t have to live like this but HOAs have become too powerful and the governments that keep empowering them will not take steps to protect the homeowners. 

 About 30 years ago, when Frank and I first met we intended to have fun and not allow ourselves to be intimidated, scared, or abused.  We said from day one that we were going to have FUN and we did.  In this show we tell you what we did, how we reacted, and what we did.  

We had fun then and we were still laughing as we sat here working on the show and remembering the stories we tell you.  I must admit this would probably not work as well if you tried to do this alone so we suggest you find a partner.  It helps if you both have the same sense of humor, plan on having fun, and don’t let yourselves be intimidated.  We had fun but we also wanted all our neighbors to have fun and enjoy themselves.  It gave us a big kick to watch our neighbors giggle when they read some of the things we tell you about.  Good luck and please let us know what you do.  

I have some heartbreaking stories about homeowners hounded and abused by the thugs in their HOAs.  Don’t let that happen to you or your friends and neighbors.  Have FUN! And share your stories with us please.  Let us put a stop to all the abuse and take control of our neighborhoods.  By the way, we have more  stories so stay tuned.  I’d love your feedback.

Listen to Frank Short
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Fighting Back, Legislation

Martha Boneta

Martha Boneta

As I write this Louis Armstrong’s, “What a Wonderful World” is playing in the background.  I listen to the words and in my mind’s eye I see the green trees, the red roses and imagine them blooming for me and you.  I see the colors of the rainbow and the friends shaking hands, saying I love you and watching babies grow, oh, “what a wonderful world”.  Then  I have to wonder, why  we can’t keep it that way?  Why do we allow a few bad apples to ruin an otherwise wonderful world?  Is there anything we can do to prevent that? But what can one person do?

Martha Boneta joins us On The Commons.  Martha’s dream of becoming a farmer was realized when she and her family became the proud owners of Liberty Farm in her native Virginia.  However, it wasn’t long before her dream was threatened by the overreaches of the environmental commission and her time was devoted to fending off their abuses, dictates and demands. Not one to roll over, Martha fought back – and she won.  Along the way she got two bills named after her, she is also the subject of a documentary film, “Farming in Fear”, she has received numerous awards and has been named Most Amazing Woman by Country Woman’s Magazine.  We talk to Martha about fighting back and learn what we, as individuals and as a group of homeowner advocates and activists, can do to fight back, protect our rights and our homes.  With all the tools available to us we don’t have to roll over, we can fight back and then look at the skies of blue and the clouds of white and think to ourselves, “what a wonderful world”.

Listen to Martha Boneta

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