birds
(they fly) inspire “why?” but friends, we must confess
when
it comes to vival, birds protect the nest
--------------------------------------------------
1.
Any
being (from ant, to hummingbird, to human) that has a sense of separate self (an ego) will look
out after itself. It will
prioritize itself and its family. It
will “protect the nest.”
2.
For
human beings, this involves survival (air, water, food),
safety/security, and the means for more survival (which I’ll call ‘thrival’). More territory, more power, and, in today’s
world, more money.
Want the real truth? Follow the
money trail.
3.
This
may seem arbitrary, but people
complain. Nowadays, a complainer
can easily get her 15 minutes of fame on television & social media. She can broadcast her complaint to the world!
a.
I’m
on a Townhome Association Board (at the moment), and we had a woman complain (on
local television) after the Board made a decision that (effectively)
was going to protect the woman’s home from falling down a hill.
b.
She
didn’t sue (yet), but any ambulance-chasing lawyer could have convinced her to
(and may still do so)!
4.
Lawmakers
make laws. Being self-serving, they make
laws that benefit themselves & their nest.
They get paid by lobbyists, who get paid by billionaires, who want to
protect their own nests.
5.
“You
don’t pay unless we win” is a common advertising phrase among savvy lawyers
who contract for the lion’s share of the winnings.
6.
Math:
if you win a million dollars, yet your case-lawyer charges you a million
dollars… uh… you might have won the case, but you didn’t, uh,
‘win.’ The lawyer won.
7.
I
served (dutifully) on a Townhome Association Board, until the “Corporate
Transparency Act” required that I submit basic information (e.g. driver’s
license info).
a.
I
(of course) asked “Why?” and then I read the document, which noted that the
government needed the information for those who made decisions that affected
re$ource$.
b.
My
military mind said: “Hmmmmm. They
want to fix responsibility. They
want to know who gets sued when there is a complaint.”
8.
In
law, a complainer (the plaintiff) brings a complaint against someone who must
then defend against said complaint: the defendant.
9.
When
I refused to comply with the Act described in # 7, above, our Management
Company was quick to point out that there is “nothing to worry about,
because Board Members are insured.”
10. Question:
How to insurance companies make $$$? By not paying, on
claims. Ask real people – after a
hurricane or other disaster. “Insurance”
is (often) a house of cards.
11. I asked a paralegal friend about
lawsuits against Homeowners Association Boards, and the possibility of getting sued as an “insured”
Board member, and she said “The Board’s insurance will appoint you a lawyer,
but you’ll still be getting sued.”
So
I thought:
“Hmmmmm,
as an unpaid, hard-working volunteer who cares about my community,
I
can be part of a Homeowner’s Board that makes a decision that could inspire
a
homeowner to file a lawsuit against the Board.
The
Board’s insurance company will appoint a lawyer, who will get paid.
What
happens when the money runs out?
What
happens when opposing lawyers do what opposing lawyers do –
which
is drag-out the case so that they make more and more and more money?
More
importantly, when the money is gone,
how
much is the Board’s insurance company’s lawyer going to care
about me?”
My deduction was clear:
If
some moron gets an intere$ted lawyer to sue the Board, and when lawyers do what
lawyers do and the money runs-out, I (as a Board Member) will be liable – even if I voted against
the decision that led to the lawsuit in the first place!
I
(of course) have refused to comply with our Management Company’s request that I
provide information as required by the Corporate Transparency Act. The Management Company has let me know that,
if I do not comply, I can no-longer serve on the Board.
Wait
a minute: If (as a volunteer who gives freely
of his hard-earned time) I refuse to put myself in a position of being sued
by a neighbor for working in the best interests of that neighbor… I will no longer
be allowed to do her the favor of serving/volunteering???
My
response: “Ok.”
___________________________________
[i] martino, j. (10.31-1.2024). birds
protect the nest. book 120: i saw it on television! © 2024
by j. martino.
*yes, this one went "off-the-rails" a tad.
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