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Democracy is not a given, even in the US (revised)
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Yes, the US is a democratic country. You can criticize the US President, but you'd better to careful when you go again your immediate boss. Don't believe me? Then, try it yourself.
This is a real story of how ordinary Americans fight for their rights, at the lowest level, namely, for their rights as condo owners.
I live in a condo in Honolulu, where the cost of owning a 2-bedroom condo can be as high as owing a mansion in New Orleans. (How do I know this? Well, a tax driver in New Orleans told me so, who used to live in Hawaii.)
There are more than 230 units in our two buildings. The cheapest is 2-bedroom with two bathrooms (and a full kitchen and a lanai). The cost? I am sure you are curious. It's selling around USD420k these days.
In the US, each condo has an association, run by owners with the assistance of a paid professional management company. Serving on the Board of the Association is a thankless job, but someone has to do it. I was told to become a board member shortly after I moved in, around 2004. I thought it might be interesting to learn something, like how Americans run their condos. I did learn a lot, and even made quite a few friends. I resigned two years ago, because I didn't feel I had time to attend the bi-monthly meetings when I planned to travel more (after my son went to college). Coincidentally, the new board president took matters into his own hands, and things started to get worse and worse.
About a year ago, a few of us, three old board members plus a new owner, decided "enough is enough." We started to meet every month or so, to plan for change. The final stroke came just before the 2012 Christmas, a notice of getting $16 million loan for repairs. We, KT HUI, started to act. We meet every weekend to plan each move thoughtfully. Our first letter to owners called for "not sending in the consent form" for the loan. Our second letter raised 13 questions about the loan. The letters I am preparing to send out tomorrow are Letter #3, which calls for voting at the upcoming Annual Meeting in person, in order to unseat the current board president.
I always enjoyed the democracy in this country, but only realized lately that one has to fight for one's rights even in a democratic country. It's pure labor to ready these letters. Luckily, every time we sent out a letter, we received some kind words from our fellow owners. Here is the latest:
"Mahalo for your hard work, persistence, diligence, etc.
I really appreciate it!"
Me, too.
https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-306792-655183.html
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