From: EvMick@aol.com
Date: Tue Dec 15 1998 - 12:23:54 MST
In a message dated 12/15/98 11:38:14 AM Central Standard Time, Webb_S@bls.gov
writes:
>
> A bit of an exaggeration, eh? I live in DC and work for the government.
> Trust me, most government activities have nothing to do with force.
oh? How about this...
http://www.nationalcenter.org. Reprints permitted
provided source is credited.
This Christmas will be the last Christmas Harold and
Iris Stone spend in the home in which they raised two
daughters and accumulated four decades of cherished
holiday memories. That's because the Stones will soon
be evicted, thanks to the city of Lynn, Massachusetts.
The Stones' sad story is but one example of how
government regulation can wound innocent Americans -
Americans who thought that, if they worked hard and
played by the rules, they would reap the rewards.
The Stones' tragic story began in 1985, when Harold
and Iris decided to sell the auto repair business the
couple had operated for 40 years. Their plan was
simple: by selling the business they would have the
money to pay off their mortgage, retire some business
debts and have enough left over to enjoy their golden
years.
But Lynn city officials had other plans. The city
wanted to turn their property into a condominium
development. To do so, officials coerced the Stones
into selling their business to a favored developer for
$400,000, at least $325,000 below the property's
actual value. City planners were so determined to
pressure the Stones into the unfavorable sale that
they resorted to using what the local press later
called "an illegal zoning ordinance" to scare off
potential buyers who offered higher bids. The
developer was supposed to pay the Stones full market
value, but went bankrupt soon after the purchase -
leaving the couple with nothing for retirement. They
used all of the $400,000 to pay
off their mortgage and debts.
In 1989, the Stones decided to repurchase their
property. A real estate boom was in progress, and
they hoped they could resell the property for a
significant profit. The Stones borrowed $500,000 for
the repurchase and were soon getting very attractive
offers from interested buyers. A car dealer offered
the couple $920,000, which would have been enough to
pay off the bank loan and still have plenty for
retirement.
But then the city stepped in and sabotaged the deal.
The city also sabotaged every subsequent deal the
Stones arranged. To ward off potential buyers, the
city cut off water to the Stones' buildings and
eliminated the curb cuts to make the property
inaccessible. The city argued that these tactics were
necessary to ensure that any buyers would go along
with the city's desire to convert the land to non-
industrial uses. But the city's subsequent behavior
puts this claim in doubt. Shortly after the bank
foreclosed on the Stones' business property in 1992,
the city allowed a furniture warehouse to buy the
property.
The Stones took their case to court and years of
litigation followed. Although a jury awarded the
couple $720,000 in 1995, the City of Lynn got the
decision reversed on appeal. Desperate to avoid
bankruptcy, the Stones then took their case to the
U.S. Supreme Court early this year. But the High
Court, as it must with most cases, declined to hear
the case.
The bank foreclosed on the Stones' home this summer,
and the couple is now waiting for the final order to
leave.
Iris says she and Harold are confident they can stay
in the house through the Christmas holidays, but notes
that it is not going to be a joyful occasion. The
Stones' daughters and close friends will come to
celebrate the holiday. But Iris says she doesn't have
the stamina to enjoy Christmas the way she used to.
She used to love to cook holiday dishes and bake pies.
Now, Iris says, she simply doesn't have any appetite.
She finds it hard to even sleep and often experiences
panic attacks.
"I never for a moment believed the government would
do to us what they did. I mean, this is America,"
said Iris. "You think that if you work hard, buy a
home and live a good life, you've at least earned the
right to keep it and not have your own government come
and take it away."
But there's one thing government will never be able to
take away from the Stones: the memory of 40
Christmases in their beloved home. The Stones will
never forget the look on their daughters' faces when
they got their first bicycles on Christmas Day or that
very special Christmas many years ago when Harold gave
Iris a watch with a touching card, "To the Goddess of
Beauty, here is the Goddess of Time."
With eviction imminent, this Christmas may be the one
Christmas the Stones try to forget.
# # #
To read other stories about Americans victimized by
Regulation, visit http://www.nationalcenter.org/VictimDirectory98.html.
Good thing they didn't use force huh?
EvMick...
Edinburg Tx.
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