Wednesday, February 20, 2013

We're All Serfs Now

Between July and December 2012 Florida's Rocket Docket, a/k/a foreclosure courts, cleared its docket of 105,200 pending foreclosure cases.  Some cases were dismissed and depending on the dismissal the banks may refile the cases.  Some however, went to auction (sale of the property,) followed by the transfer of the title to the new buyer (investor). Once the title is transferred to the new owner, it's only a matter of time before the eviction notice is slapped on the door.  The immediate result of an eviction is homelessness.  

Broward County now has a new sheriff in town.  During the campaign season, I had the opportunity to personally ask then candidate for sheriff, Scott Israel, his thoughts on evicting foreclosure victims from their homes.  His response was that his officers will be enforcing the law when they evict a homeowner as they will be carrying out the order of the Court.

Wall Street and the banks have co-opted the Administration, the judicial system and law enforcement to forcibly remove Americans from their homes, to then resell those properties to private equity firms that partner with rental management companies which then rent those homes back to Americans.  

In essence Wall Street and the "Big Five, To Big to Jail" bunch have created a not-so-new society call "Serfdom." Serfs per Wikipedia, were people "who were required to work for the Lord of the Manor (See banks) who owned the land, and in return were entitled to protection, justice and the right to exploit certain fields (think minimum wage jobs) within the manor to maintain their own subsistence. Serfs were often required not only to work on the lord's fields, but also his mines, forests and roads... serfs were bound legally, economically, and socially. Serfs formed the lowest social class of feudal society" so we once were members of  a thriving middle class, now we're serfs.

Welcome to the new America.