bod + mismangement + finances = bingo

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "in defense of everything !!!":

You must be new owner or you would have received the mailing about what CCLA was requesting as the rights of property owners to have acess to. There never was a lawsuit against the Association but after years of requesting info. and the boards over the past 20 years running the community like their own little kingdom and refusing to ALLOW property owners, without having to sign 5 documents plus getting a notary to verify their signature then maybe the bod would allow you to see whatever you requested. They even asked the Attorney General to step in who informed them that the only way to force the issue was to hire a private attorney & get the courts to intervene to force them by PA. law "A right to know state" to let anyone look over the books. Enough people in the community felt that the only way to do this was to raise money to hire a lawyer which at least a third of property owners felt it was important enough to put up their money to try & get answers. Their intention has never been to sue for money, which would only be suing themselves, but since the board refused to provide answers were hoping that the courts would side with owners and & rule that they have a right to know if their money is being spent correctly or is being mismanaged. If it has cost $9,000 as Mr. Berkey states it is because they are fighting against your rights and the new lawyer they have hired is charging outrageously high fees as I have heard that CCLA has not spent even half that amount for their lawyer. Why is the President & some board members fighting so hard against CCLA what are they trying to hide? A manager gets fired after 5 years, not because he was doing a great job but because there were problems with his management, don't you think owners have a right to know if he mismanaged our funds that he had the right to sign for loans, and exhorbitant contracts and to accept bids. With so many other associations the last few years proving that money is stolen from their accounts & people going to jail that we are not entitled to the proof that our money has not also been misappropriated? Sure Mr. Berkey this summer stated that if you want to review anything he will now allow it after you request it in writing and get approval. But this is after CCLA had to hire a lawyer, but says if they want to have an accountant check the finances then they should pay the fee. Why? the responsibility is the Boards not members of the community to prove that the PM did the right thing under our employment

bod + mismanagement + finances = bingo

Anonymous to me
show details 9:29 PM (31 minutes ago)

Reply

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "in defense of everything !!!":

IN ANSWER TO WHAT A WONDERFUL JOB THE TREASURER, ED ROHS DID THIS YEAR WITH THE BUDGET THAT EVERYTHING IS LISTED, YOU ARE RIGHT, BUT NO THANKS TO HIM BUT TO THE FACT THAT FINALLY AFTER ALL THE YEARS OF THE SAME PEOPLE ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WHO 90% HAD NO BACKGROUND IN FINANCE A NEW COMMITTEE WAS FINALLY FORMED WITH ACTUAL OWNERS WHO HAD BACKGROUNDS IN FINANCE, BUDGET PREPARTION & THE FACT THAT THE NEW BOARD VOTED THAT THERE SHOULD BE MORE ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE COMMUNITY. PLUS THE FACT THAT MEMBERS OF CCLA HAVE REQUESTED TIME & TIME AGAIN FOR AN ACCOUNTING OF VARIOUS FUNCTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WERE NEVER BROKEN DOWN BEFORE AS TO COST & RETURN. SO MUCH INFO ON THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS MANY THANKS TO THE NEW MEMBERS WHO MADE SURE THEY GOT ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDED TO KNOW.
ALSO THANKS TO THOSE CCLA MEMBERS ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE WHO ALSO WORKED HARD TO GET YOU THE INFO.

PAUL KRUGMAN

OP-ED COLUMNIST
Climate of Change


By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: February 27, 2009
Elections have consequences. President Obama’s new budget represents a huge break, not just with the policies of the past eight years, but with policy trends over the past 30 years. If he can get anything like the plan he announced on Thursday through Congress, he will set America on a fundamentally new course.

The budget will, among other things, come as a huge relief to Democrats who were starting to feel a bit of postpartisan depression. The stimulus bill that Congress passed may have been too weak and too focused on tax cuts. The administration’s refusal to get tough on the banks may be deeply disappointing. But fears that Mr. Obama would sacrifice progressive priorities in his budget plans, and satisfy himself with fiddling around the edges of the tax system, have now been banished.

For this budget allocates $634 billion over the next decade for health reform. That’s not enough to pay for universal coverage, but it’s an impressive start. And Mr. Obama plans to pay for health reform, not just with higher taxes on the affluent, but by putting a halt to the creeping privatization of Medicare, eliminating overpayments to insurance companies.

On another front, it’s also heartening to see that the budget projects $645 billion in revenues from the sale of emission allowances. After years of denial and delay by its predecessor, the Obama administration is signaling that it’s ready to take on climate change.

And these new priorities are laid out in a document whose clarity and plausibility seem almost incredible to those of us who grew accustomed to reading Bush-era budgets, which insulted our intelligence on every page. This is budgeting we can believe in.

Many will ask whether Mr. Obama can actually pull off the deficit reduction he promises. Can he actually reduce the red ink from $1.75 trillion this year to less than a third as much in 2013? Yes, he can.

Right now the deficit is huge thanks to temporary factors (at least we hope they’re temporary): a severe economic slump is depressing revenues and large sums have to be allocated both to fiscal stimulus and to financial rescues.

But if and when the crisis passes, the budget picture should improve dramatically. Bear in mind that from 2005 to 2007, that is, in the three years before the crisis, the federal deficit averaged only $243 billion a year. Now, during those years, revenues were inflated, to some degree, by the housing bubble. But it’s also true that we were spending more than $100 billion a year in Iraq.

So if Mr. Obama gets us out of Iraq (without bogging us down in an equally expensive Afghan quagmire) and manages to engineer a solid economic recovery — two big ifs, to be sure — getting the deficit down to around $500 billion by 2013 shouldn’t be at all difficult.

But won’t the deficit be swollen by interest on the debt run-up over the next few years? Not as much as you might think. Interest rates on long-term government debt are less than 4 percent, so even a trillion dollars of additional debt adds less than $40 billion a year to future deficits. And those interest costs are fully reflected in the budget documents.

So we have good priorities and plausible projections. What’s not to like about this budget? Basically, the long run outlook remains worrying.

According to the Obama administration’s budget projections, the ratio of federal debt to G.D.P., a widely used measure of the government’s financial position, will soar over the next few years, then more or less stabilize. But this stability will be achieved at a debt-to-G.D.P. ratio of around 60 percent. That wouldn’t be an extremely high debt level by international standards, but it would be the deepest in debt America has been since the years immediately following World War II. And it would leave us with considerably reduced room for maneuver if another crisis comes along.

Furthermore, the Obama budget only tells us about the next 10 years. That’s an improvement on Bush-era budgets, which looked only 5 years ahead. But America’s really big fiscal problems lurk over that budget horizon: sooner or later we’re going to have to come to grips with the forces driving up long-run spending — above all, the ever-rising cost of health care.

And even if fundamental health care reform brings costs under control, I at least find it hard to see how the federal government can meet its long-term obligations without some tax increases on the middle class. Whatever politicians may say now, there’s probably a value-added tax in our future.
But I don’t blame Mr. Obama for leaving some big questions unanswered in this budget.

There’s only so much long-run thinking the political system can handle in the midst of a severe crisis; he has probably taken on all he can, for now. And this budget looks very, very good.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ DOLLARS $$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ CLICK TO ENLARGE $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

in defense of everything !!!

Anonymous to me
show details 12:03 PM (1 hour ago)

Reply

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "la lawyer - bod president":

I did read the Adventurer and thought the letters by the president were well written. The cover letter requested we come together as a Community and respect each other, something we need to do. I've not heard any situations where the board president has been screaming and demanding, again if you have specifics, let us all in on the incidents so we can address the issues. I would not have a problem writting or calling the BOD if these theatrics are going on.
The second letter should not offend the CCLA, they filed the suit. I do agree the one person should not have been singled out but I don't know who he is. A property owner or CCLA attorney? It was stated budget information is available by request. I now know the board's view and where $9,000 of our money is going but the CCLA has not made their case public so I don't know what information was request, denied and why and if their suit is justified. Bylaws were referenced that preclude property owners access of specific information and I don't have a problem with that. If you do then you need to lobby to get the rules changed.
In reading the letter from the twsp I was made aware the lawyer has been in contact with the town and the twsp is now adamant they will not consider 12' wides until the water and electrical systems are up to code. Just because 12' wides have not been approved doesn't mean the attorney has been doing nothing. Unless you have valid information the accusation is unfounded.
Where's the Money? "the answer is right in your Adventurer - duh - did you bother to read it?" The Treasurer did a great job of itemizing expenses in four spread sheets. There is also a wealth of LA budget information on the LA website. I find the information in both places very easy to read and understand and don't need a more complex explanation of our expenditures. If you feel you need a further breakdown design a format you feel is acceptable and submit it to the treasurer. An anternate format may be easier for all of us to read and understand.
There is a good way for those who feel the management is not doing a good job for the community. Consider running for the BOD and turn the negative energy into a positive contribution.

la lawyer - bod president

Anonymous to me
show details 10:51 PM (2 minutes ago)

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "COMMUNITY APATHY ????? RU1 ????":

The President Berkey has a place to answer he did right in your Adventurer -duh - did you bother to read it- he does all the talking - just like former President's by screaming & demanding his way or the highway - If he would have answered the questions of where's the money then he wouldn't or I should say we wouldn't be paying for this overpriced lawyer - Bet CCLA didn't pay nowhere near what she is costing us. How about CCLA tell us how much they paid to their lawyer. LACA's lawyer will drag this out just like she is doing with the township to make the big bucks. Do you know of any lawyers who don't. How much has she charged so far for what she has done nothing and accomplished nothing with the township? another winner like the former lawyer the old board kept paying for what 6/7 years who managed to really screw everything up. The township must be as happy as clams to see us wasting our money.

new pm

Anonymous to me
show details 3:58 PM (19 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "president low ratings???? still":


Hot topics today! The current board didn't turn "this beautiful community into a hell hole" since last summer, we've been in a downward spiral for years and anyone who has been here for a while knows that. A new PM isn't going to turn this place around overnight, it will take a year or two for him to get things on track as there are MAJOR long term projects that need attention. Overwhelming him with complaints and accusations of board members may just make him abandon ship. The new PM, who by the way has some impressive credentials, has a thin line to walk to gain the trust of property owners and the approval of board members. I believe I will give the new team (PM and BOD) some time to get used to each other's style of management, a chance to improve the community and the opprotunity to work on property owner/management relations. I'm optimistic this will be a better year at Lake Adventure.

anon -- well stated and right on the mark -- chipper

COMMUNITY APATHY ????? RU1 ????

Anonymous to me
show details 2:02 PM (53 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "president low ratings???? still":

Many complain they don't know where the money goes, well you now know where $9,000 is going. The BOD and President continually have their integrity questioned on this site yet don't have a place to respond. I try to be open minded and I'm happy to learn there are two sides to the story and the opinions on this site are not always the right ones. Our community is no different than any other with a management board. There would surely be chaos if there was no hierarchy in control. Like it or not we need management. Last election only about 20% of the owners voted suggesting apathy on our part. Blowing off steam on this site won't help unless we campaign to get the rest of the property owners interested in the future of the community.

STILL UNHAPPY IN LA !!!

Anonymous said...
The community is in disrepair and has been for years. I'm not a construction engineer but my take is the community was not constructed with the highest quality equipment to begin with. If previous boards dealt with the repairs on an ongoing basis we wouldn't be in this mess. There are a lot of vague yet serious accusations made about the current board that has been in place less than a year. What bids have been given to family and friends in this short amount of time? What loans are at the highest interest rates and for the amounts we need we can we get lower rates that will offset any penalties? What decisions have been made to benefit only a few? We need new electric and water systems, how do you suggest we pay for them if not with dues? We have a limited season for making upgrades and the whole community cannot get upgraded in 6 months especially when the park is full of people in prime construction time. The budget is online. If anyone can get better prices and bids they should run for the board on this platform or at least provide the board with that information. If you can give specifics and prove your statements we all need to be aware of this misconduct. We should then consider taking appropriate steps to impeach specific board members

AND


Anonymous said...
Could someone please list who is up for re-election, so that we know who we should NOT vote for?

Anyone planning to run for Board should start introducing themselves on this blog. Let everyone become familiar with your views on how LA should be run and what changes you would strive to make well before the coming election. The more we know about a candidate, the better the chances are that property owners will remember his/her name when they are checking off the ballot.

February 26, 2009 10:49 AM

president low ratings???? still

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "president low ratings????":


Well... someone has the b____s to stand up against the ruling few of Lake Adventure. The Board president did a fine job in the Adventurer of turning neighbor against neighbor and am glad someone, other then myself and a few others,realize what he has accomplished. To single an individual out because he would use his name to find out where the money is going is like s dictator in other countries, where is our American pride. If there are any pay-backs towards this individual does the board understand they will be liable and if not ask your great lawyer, who has done nothing for us, what she thinks. If there were not a lots of cans of worms abounding in Lake Adventure Berkey's letter will sure as hell stir up more. This boards few members that are trying to turn things around better take the prez to task before we have a revolution in the summer.The party who made the statement that it is time for new blood on the board instead of the same few hit the nail on the head!!!.... The new manager is going to have his hands full answering property owners questions this summer and can thank the board members who turned this beautiful community into a hell hole!!!!

president low ratings????

Anonymous to me
show details 11:29 PM (1 hour ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "???????":

As usual Mr. Berkey has decided that he should again incite property owner against property owner to get his own way and go the way of former board presidents who would make rules to benefit the few not the many, themselves, their friends, their family. Who cares if bids are not gotten for jobs, who cares if you don't have the right to vote on dues increases, who cares if they keep taking out mortgages at the highest rates or keep managers who ignore you the property owner asking where is the MONEY? Over 100% increase in dues in 5 years, who made money on contracts given to his friends, did he get kick backs, does the roof still leak on the clubhouse, don't you all like how wonderful the community looks. In the past this was a community that we were proud of what has happened to all the money collected where did it go. No answers from Mr.Berkey or other former board members who served for 3, 4, 5 year terms. His answer is to accuse property owners who only wanted answers to the question WHAT DID THEY DO WITH ALL THE MONEY? If answers were givin at open board meetings maybe there would not have been a need to form a committee to try & get the answers. What has happened to your right to vote on any major increase to your dues are you willing to let 7 people make the choice for you to raise the dues till you have no choice but to sell because you can no longer afford to keep your Lot? Your fellow members are only asking the questions that others are afraid to ask because then Mr Berkey can harass & incite others to do the same to you.

hydrants - bod

Anonymous to me
show details 11:55 PM (13 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "ADVENTURER":

HERE WE GO AGAIN, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER BY POINTING OUT HOW MUCH HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY GETTING RID OF THE FORMER MANAGER & HOW MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN SAVED (IF ANY) SINCE HE IS NO LONGER HERE WHY WOULD WE EXPECT THIS BOARD PRESIDENT TO BE ANY DIFFERENT THAN THE FORMER TYRANTS THAT WE ELECTED TO SERVE AFTER ALL EASIER TO PICK ON THOSE WHO HAVE WORKED HARD TO GET ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS THAT EVERY PROPERTY OWNER HAS THE RIGHT TO AND TRY AGAIN TO INCITE OWNER AGAINST OWNER - THIS WAY HE DOESN'T HAVE TO ANSWER WHY YOU DON'T HAVE TO RIGHT TO VOTE ON YOUR DUES INCREASES OR WHY THEY CAN CHARGE YOU FOR SERVICES THAT YOU ALREADY PAY FOR IN YOUR DUES LIKE SUPPLY YOU WITH WATER WHEN YOUR HYDRANT NO LONGER WORKS. LETS SEE A NEW HYDRANT COST WHAT $50/75 AND THEY WERE CHARGING UP TO $1000 TO REPLACE /MATERIAL & LABOR? ISN'T THAT WHAT YOUR DUES ARE SUPPOSED TO INCLUDE MR. PRESIDENT. OH BY THE WAY THAT IS WHAT CCLA WAS ASKING. WHERE DID THE EXTRA MONEY GO THAT WAS OVERCHARGED?


ANON -- THE COSTS FOR HYDRANT REPLACEMENT IS VERY HIGH --- I'M NOT SURE IT IS JUSTIFIED AND SHOULD BE REVIEWED BY THE ENTIRE BOD --- YES YOU ARE A MEMBER OF A COMMUNITY THAT CLAIMS TO HAVE PUBLIC UTILITIES, ELECTRIC, WATER AND SEWER ( THE SIGN OUT ON 739 SAYS SO AND THAT MUST BE GOSPEL ) AND THEREFORE THE COMMUNITY SHOULD SHOULDER THE COST OF OPERATING AND MAINTAINING THESE SYSTEMS -- YOUR DUES SHOULD COVER THIS INSTEAD OF THE WASTEFUL PROJECTS THIS BOD EMBARKS ON EVERY SEASON -- (OVERPRICED BIDS FOR LATERAL REPLACEMENTS, ELECTRICAL GRID UPGRADES AND SOON LAUNDRY FACILITIES FOR THE SATISFACTION OF A FEW NESTERS THAT ALMOST (WINK WINK) NEVER LEAVE LA, MISAPPROPRIATION AND MISMANAGEMENT OF LA ASSETS OF LABOR AND EQUIPMENT (USING THEM FOR GRAVEL WORK AMONG OTHER THINGS)

THEY'RE MANY THINGS THAT THIS BOD IS INVOLVED IN AND NOT ALL ARE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY--- NEW PEOPLE NEED TO RUN FOR BOD SEATS -- PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T SAT ON THE BOD BEFORE SO THAT NEW EYES CAN OVERSEE AND DIRECT LA AND THE NEW MANANGER-- IF NOT THIS BOD WILL CORRUPT THE NEW MANAGER BEFORE THE FIRST SEASON IS OVER!!!!!

obit updates

Anonymous said...

If the families of those people had a problem with their loved ones names being on the la website then let them say something about taking it down. Obviously the families are okay with it, so you should just get over it.

And if you actually knew any of the history of LA and were there in the good ole days, you would have known these people, because they were true community members who were there for the good of LA through good times and bad, and actually volunteered their time to make their community a better place.

Do you ppl just look for things to complain about?!?! Are you really complaining about obituaries?!? JEEZ.

anon -- if you feel the page is worthy of publishing then it should be kept timely and relevant -- annual updates are in order

ADVENTURER

I WILL PUBLISH EACH PAGE OF THE ADVENTURER -- WE START WITH ART BERGEY'S ANNUAL MESSAGE

CLICK ON PAGE TO ENLARGE

UPDATE FOR LA WEB PAGE ?

Anonymous to me
show details 4:17 PM (2 hours ago)

Reply

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "permit process":

Is a obituary page really necessary on the LA web site?

http://lakeadventure.net/obits.php

It's so stupid!!!! Does everyone really need to know who died for ever? Some of the people on the list passed on years ago.


ANON -- YOUR RIGHT THE PAGE SHOULD BE UPDATED MORE FREQUENTLY IF THIS SECTION IS NECESSARY AT ALL????

permit process

Anonymous to me
show details 9:58 AM (1 hour ago)

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "PERMIT REQUIREMENTS":

Why is the LA requiring us to have double permits?

Look at the September board meeting minutes:

"PERMITS - LACA lost money for not requiring people to file a permit for township required permits (deck,platforms,gazebos,screenhouses) with us before going to the township."

IT'S ALL ABOUT MONEY!! They just want the money that they take in from the permit process.

Just because LA issues a permit and their final inspection passes, doesn't guarantee that you are in compliance. The TOWN has the final word! What the TOWN says is what matters, not the BOD or any of their representatives. That's why people have been getting violations from the town.

This double permit practice is just another way of nickle and diming us to death.

PERMIT REQUIREMENTS

Anonymous to me
show details 8:58 PM (9 minutes ago)

Reply

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "12' wide issue":

I see under Permit Changes, we now have to go to the town for Trailer permits as well as Shed permits.

If we have to go to the Town for all these permits, why do we have to duplicate the process (and also the fees) by also having to get a permit from LA? Why can't we just provide a photocopy of the Town permit to LA for their office records? Why do we have to incur extra expenses??? There won't be any need for LA to do any inspections and it doesn't matter what LA management says, the Town has the final word when they do their own inspection upon completion of work.


ANON ---- WELL YOU BRING UP SOME INTERESTING POINTS -- COPIES OF DOCUMENTS THAT YOU SUBMIT TO DINGMAN SHOULD BE ADEQUATE FOR LA'S PURPOSES --- YES THE TOWNSHIP REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION PURPOSES SHOULD BE MORE THAN LA REQUIRES BUT LA COULD ADD SOME COMMUNITY STANDARDS THAT ARE MORE THAN REQUIRED BY THE TOWNSHIP-- STANDARDS FOR AESTHETICS, DESIGN ENHANCEMENTS, CONFORMITY REQUIREMENTS AND ETC--- I DON'T SEE THIS HAPPENING SINCE THE BOD HARDLY AGREES ON ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE OF A POSITIVE NATURE FOR THE COMMUNITY-- IT IS BEYOND THEIR PAY SCALE

12' wide issue

Anonymous to me
show details 11:54 AM (0 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "territory of la":

In regards to the letter from the town’s attorneys in the newsletter:

Exactly what was the town responding to -- just the question of permitting 12’ wides? Why didn’t the board also include the original letter from LACA’s attorney in the newsletter so that all the property owners know exactly what communication has been going on between us and the town? What are the EXACT problems that the town sees with LA’s infrastructure and property management that haven’t been or in the process of being rectified? What is the board’s next step -- nothing?

Once again, a little bit of information is thrown out us just to pacify us -– no intro, no conclusion -– just figure it out for yourself. And it took almost 3 months for that. The BOD wonders why people lash out and vent on forums such as this blog. Well, duh-h-h-!





Posted by Anonymous to LAKE ADVENTURE RV COMMUNITY BLOG OF THE POCONO MOUNTAINS PENNSYLVANIA at February 20, 2009 7:50 AM

territory of la

Anonymous to me
show details 12:30 AM (35 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "township":

Does the town pave and plow our roads? Are they maintaining our electric and water infrastructure? I believe the DEP is aware of our infrastructure and upgrade plans and we are not in violation of any ordinances. If we are, please list them, as a property owner I'd like to know what they are. Agreed, we are not a separate town and are bound by city, county and state ordinances, however we do have our own governing board with a set of bylaws enforced inhouse. We are a cooperative venture with the township but our dues pay for the upkeep of the property, we don't rely on township taxes for maintenance and upgrades as dooutside township property owners do.

township

THE TERRITORY OF LAKE ADVENTURE --- NOT !!!!!





i think that there is an impression out there that la is a territory or state all to itself and not subject to complying with the various government ordinances and laws -- IT ISN'T !!!! the township has rules, regulations and ordinances that must be complied with whether you are sunrise or la, mt. kisco or any other development or business--- the rules do apply and la needs to be in compliance with these rules as well as all state and federal statures -- we are not a private independent state --

LOOKIN 4 HELP

Anonymous to me
show details 1:43 PM (25 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "NORTHEAST RV SHOW":

Based on the letter from the township in the LA newspaper it appears the twsp is holding us hostage in order to get 12' wides approved. It looks like the ransom is a lot of ordinances to eliminate our self governing community. I'm interested in the full slide Kropf advertised in the Adventurer. Price slightly higher than regular 12' wide but may be worth it if you don't want a split living room and tv on the floor like the 8 1/2' wides. Does anyone know of anyone who bought one? I know there are a few in the community that were recently purchased

OH CANADA

PAUL KRUGMAN on finances

Op-Ed Columnist
Decade at Bernie’s
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: February 15, 2009


By now everyone knows the sad tale of Bernard Madoff’s duped investors. They looked at their statements and thought they were rich. But then, one day, they discovered to their horror that their supposed wealth was a figment of someone else’s imagination.

Unfortunately, that’s a pretty good metaphor for what happened to America as a whole in the first decade of the 21st century.

Last week the Federal Reserve released the results of the latest Survey of Consumer Finances, a triennial report on the assets and liabilities of American households. The bottom line is that there has been basically no wealth creation at all since the turn of the millennium: the net worth of the average American household, adjusted for inflation, is lower now than it was in 2001.

At one level this should come as no surprise. For most of the last decade America was a nation of borrowers and spenders, not savers. The personal savings rate dropped from 9 percent in the 1980s to 5 percent in the 1990s, to just 0.6 percent from 2005 to 2007, and household debt grew much faster than personal income. Why should we have expected our net worth to go up?

Yet until very recently Americans believed they were getting richer, because they received statements saying that their houses and stock portfolios were appreciating in value faster than their debts were increasing. And if the belief of many Americans that they could count on capital gains forever sounds naïve, it’s worth remembering just how many influential voices — notably in right-leaning publications like The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and National Review — promoted that belief, and ridiculed those who worried about low savings and high levels of debt.

Then reality struck, and it turned out that the worriers had been right all along. The surge in asset values had been an illusion — but the surge in debt had been all too real.

So now we’re in trouble — deeper trouble, I think, than most people realize even now. And I’m not just talking about the dwindling band of forecasters who still insist that the economy will snap back any day now.

For this is a broad-based mess. Everyone talks about the problems of the banks, which are indeed in even worse shape than the rest of the system. But the banks aren’t the only players with too much debt and too few assets; the same description applies to the private sector as a whole.

And as the great American economist Irving Fisher pointed out in the 1930s, the things people and companies do when they realize they have too much debt tend to be self-defeating when everyone tries to do them at the same time. Attempts to sell assets and pay off debt deepen the plunge in asset prices, further reducing net worth. Attempts to save more translate into a collapse of consumer demand, deepening the economic slump.

Are policy makers ready to do what it takes to break this vicious circle? In principle, yes. Government officials understand the issue: we need to “contain what is a very damaging and potentially deflationary spiral,” says Lawrence Summers, a top Obama economic adviser.

In practice, however, the policies currently on offer don’t look adequate to the challenge. The fiscal stimulus plan, while it will certainly help, probably won’t do more than mitigate the economic side effects of debt deflation. And the much-awaited announcement of the bank rescue plan left everyone confused rather than reassured.

There’s hope that the bank rescue will eventually turn into something stronger. It has been interesting to watch the idea of temporary bank nationalization move from the fringe to mainstream acceptance, with even Republicans like Senator Lindsey Graham conceding that it may be necessary. But even if we eventually do what’s needed on the bank front, that will solve only part of the problem.

If you want to see what it really takes to boot the economy out of a debt trap, look at the large public works program, otherwise known as World War II, that ended the Great Depression. The war didn’t just lead to full employment. It also led to rapidly rising incomes and substantial inflation, all with virtually no borrowing by the private sector. By 1945 the government’s debt had soared, but the ratio of private-sector debt to G.D.P. was only half what it had been in 1940. And this low level of private debt helped set the stage for the great postwar boom.

Since nothing like that is on the table, or seems likely to get on the table any time soon, it will take years for families and firms to work off the debt they ran up so blithely. The odds are that the legacy of our time of illusion — our decade at Bernie’s — will be a long, painful slump.

Next Article in Opinion (1 of 28) » A version of this article appeared in print on February 16, 2009, on page A23 of the New York edition.

support 4 bod president

Anonymous to me
show details 1:27 AM (46 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "???????":

you really sound like smart people.
i hope people at laca see how stupid you are.
i also hope the people of laca read the adventure
the letter from art.the pres.of the board. and realize how much money you are costing us. money that can be used in better places.
your attempt to get more votes for lowering the dues. i hope people of laca realize it is only for one year.
i think the pres of the board should be praised and instead of badmouthing use that energy to help out at laca. i don not know why anyone would want to run for the thankless job of being on the board. give these guys credit for being the people they are. caring people.

???????

Anonymous said...
we the ccla like to remain anonymous so we dont get threatened we like to be sneeky we have nothing better to do we have no life this is are life we love to hide behind are computers

February 13, 2009 8:10 AM

NORTHEAST RV SHOW

Pat Brodesky to me
show details 11:30 AM (14 hours ago) Reply


Northeast RV Show
February 13, 14, 15, 16, 2009
Rockland Community College Field House
145 College Rd, Suffern, NY 10901

Motorhomes - Travel Trailers - 5th Wheels - Popups - Camper Vans
plus Campgrounds and RV Related Services.


150 new units from 25 dealers plus over 45 RV related vendors.


www.rocklandexpo.com/northeast-rv-show-exposition.htm


We had the opportunity to go to the RV show last month in New Jersey. If you’re looking for a good deal on a travel trailer, then this is a great place to start looking.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !!

LUCKY DAY !!!!

NAME

Jane to me
show details Feb 9 (2 days ago) Reply


Hello....My husband and I bought our place at LA three years ago. I just love it there...it's my place of peace and quiet. Due to illness we haven't spent as much time there as I would like. I really hope this year will be different.
I don't claim to know what really is going on at the lake, but, here is my thought. If you are really annoyed about something and you really think something should be done about it why don't you post your name instead of anonymous?
To the BOD, I hope to meet you this year....and, if I have a complaint, I sincerely hope we would work things out.

Jane Gardella

WELCOME NEW MANAGER

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "CCLA + NEW MANAGER":

According to the BOD minutes, Mr. Warm was interviewed at the November board meeting. They list some of his experience and qualifications in the November minutes and also in the Winter/Spring issue of The Adventurer, which has been mailed out.

Mr. Warm starts his position as Property Manager in April. I think this will be a refreshing, new beginning for the association. Someone with 20 years in the military and his work experience will most likely demonstrate the dedication, work ethic, respect, intelligence and leadership that Lake Adventure needs to get back on track.

We should all welcome him with an open mind -- he's taking over a position that was left as a disaster and things can't change overnight. Let's start this spring with a fresh outlook.

Welcome aboard, Mr. Warm. The property owners look forward to working with you in making Lake Adventure the kind of community it should be and has the potential to be.

CCLA + NEW MANAGER

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "CCLA":

Since I attended every open meeting this past summer and never heard anyone being threatened I'd like to know where anon got his/her info. What I did hear was the BOD President invite the CCLA members to come to the office and request any info they wanted, within reason, and it would be supplied. So far they haven't done that. This site can be very informative, but it can also be a place for too many disgruntled people to spew their own version of what they believe to be taking place at LACA without any regard for investigating facts. Just because someone makes an accusation, doesn't necessarily mean they know what they are talking about.

another posting:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "CCLA":


For those of you who don't know..

They hired a new manager, his name is William Warms and he starts
April 1st...

Does anyone know anything about him...

CCLA

Anonymous to me
show details 5:37 PM (1 hour ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "CCLA":

Seems like a great idea to have CCLA get involved at LA. I remember at a meeting last summer some property owners threatened members of CCLA by stoning them!!!.... Wasn't there a saying about we have nothing to fear but fear itself??? No matter who comes forward something must be done about leadership at LA and if it means to introduce a "watchdog Committe" so be it. Things have been done with no body having to answer to another party so maybe this is a start and let the board ask CCLA to join them on certain issues. The rumor was these members donated money to start and hired a lawyer on their own. Now, that sure sounds like a pro-active approach to finding answers and trying to improve conditions. Bring it on!!! Have CCLA and the board have a joint meeting to find answers, I would also donate funds to that group if it would improve conditions. If the people who threatened the present members would put that anger to a popsitive angle and work to help LA it would make for a better place

CCLA

Anonymous to me
show details 1:58 AM (8 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "comment + management":

Could someone from the CCLA offer some information about the group on this blog or other ways we can find out more about the organization? I think many of us would be interested if we knew more about them: how did the group come about, their goals, membership info, when and where do they meet, are they just interested in the financial matters or every aspect of LA, etc.

Individual complaining down at the office or mailing letters to the BOD does no good – been there, done that, as I’m sure many others have also experienced. There is a power in numbers. Perhaps our concerns that are going unaddressed could be corrected best if we work together as neighbors and as an organized group to resolve these issues. Is the CCLA that kind of group?

anon -- i also would like to hear from ccla members and what their agenda encompasses--i believe that there is a need for members to interact and exchange their thoughts and concerns about la -- i think the fact that they were formed and have people interested in the goals of a group of association members indicates that they have the best intentions for la--they need to become more vocal and i invite them to contribute to this blog and share their thoughts with other members -- the more we interact and the more we develop a consensus of concerns the easier it will be to go to this bod for some face time OR ---- the more we will be able to determine which bod members need to be dropped at election time --- if not before!!!!!!

on the edge by paul krugman

Op-Ed Columnist
On the Edge
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: February 5, 2009
A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery. Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting all the old clichés about wasteful government spending and the wonders of tax cuts.

It’s as if the dismal economic failure of the last eight years never happened — yet Democrats have, incredibly, been on the defensive. Even if a major stimulus bill does pass the Senate, there’s a real risk that important parts of the original plan, especially aid to state and local governments, will have been emasculated.

Somehow, Washington has lost any sense of what’s at stake — of the reality that we may well be falling into an economic abyss, and that if we do, it will be very hard to get out again.

It’s hard to exaggerate how much economic trouble we’re in. The crisis began with housing, but the implosion of the Bush-era housing bubble has set economic dominoes falling not just in the United States, but around the world.

Consumers, their wealth decimated and their optimism shattered by collapsing home prices and a sliding stock market, have cut back their spending and sharply increased their saving — a good thing in the long run, but a huge blow to the economy right now. Developers of commercial real estate, watching rents fall and financing costs soar, are slashing their investment plans. Businesses are canceling plans to expand capacity, since they aren’t selling enough to use the capacity they have. And exports, which were one of the U.S. economy’s few areas of strength over the past couple of years, are now plunging as the financial crisis hits our trading partners.

Meanwhile, our main line of defense against recessions — the Federal Reserve’s usual ability to support the economy by cutting interest rates — has already been overrun. The Fed has cut the rates it controls basically to zero, yet the economy is still in free fall.

It’s no wonder, then, that most economic forecasts warn that in the absence of government action we’re headed for a deep, prolonged slump. Some private analysts predict double-digit unemployment. The Congressional Budget Office is slightly more sanguine, but its director, nonetheless, recently warned that “absent a change in fiscal policy ... the shortfall in the nation’s output relative to potential levels will be the largest — in duration and depth — since the Depression of the 1930s.”

Worst of all is the possibility that the economy will, as it did in the ’30s, end up stuck in a prolonged deflationary trap.

We’re already closer to outright deflation than at any point since the Great Depression. In particular, the private sector is experiencing widespread wage cuts for the first time since the 1930s, and there will be much more of that if the economy continues to weaken.

As the great American economist Irving Fisher pointed out almost 80 years ago, deflation, once started, tends to feed on itself. As dollar incomes fall in the face of a depressed economy, the burden of debt becomes harder to bear, while the expectation of further price declines discourages investment spending. These effects of deflation depress the economy further, which leads to more deflation, and so on.

And deflationary traps can go on for a long time. Japan experienced a “lost decade” of deflation and stagnation in the 1990s — and the only thing that let Japan escape from its trap was a global boom that boosted the nation’s exports. Who will rescue America from a similar trap now that the whole world is slumping at the same time?

Would the Obama economic plan, if enacted, ensure that America won’t have its own lost decade? Not necessarily: a number of economists, myself included, think the plan falls short and should be substantially bigger. But the Obama plan would certainly improve our odds. And that’s why the efforts of Republicans to make the plan smaller and less effective — to turn it into little more than another round of Bush-style tax cuts — are so destructive.

So what should Mr. Obama do? Count me among those who think that the president made a big mistake in his initial approach, that his attempts to transcend partisanship ended up empowering politicians who take their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh. What matters now, however, is what he does next.

It’s time for Mr. Obama to go on the offensive. Above all, he must not shy away from pointing out that those who stand in the way of his plan, in the name of a discredited economic philosophy, are putting the nation’s future at risk. The American economy is on the edge of catastrophe, and much of the Republican Party is trying to push it over that edge.

comment + management

Anonymous to me
show details 9:58 PM (0 minutes ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "bod + secrecy + bully + constitution == yea!!!":

I don't think this is the first time owners have been upset by the board, it's just until recently we didn't have a place to express our frustration and realize so many others felt the same way. I didn't want to be the only one to complain to the manager or BOD. Now I realize there is the CCLA and a whole group of members who want responsible leadership and accountability for our finances and why a manager was let go without a candidate for the position in the pipeline. While I'm dissatisfied with the way some things are going I still enjoy my time here with the family. My hopes are dashed for getting a 12' wide but I'm not considering selling. I'd rather try to make some sort of contribution to making the place better. This season we all need to make trips to the office and express our concern in writing and continue to pressure the BOD for tangible improvements.

comment + management

Anonymous to me
show details 7:35 PM (2 hours ago) Reply


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "no reply -- addressee unkown ???":

The BOD is not set up to handle responses to member letters regarding day to day complaints and problems. The first line of defense, i.e., the property manager, should be the one taking on that responsibility. He/she then handles it. If it's something he's not authorized to decide they then turn it over to the BOD. The BOD meets 10 days a year, what about the other 355? We need a property manager on site. There are a lot of projects on hold because there is no one at the helm. I also agree with a comment, our sister communities are thankful this isn't going on at their place. We need to have secure access to the finances and board minutes, this info is just more fodder for the twsp to use against us. They read we have a manhole problem, don't be surprised if they'll be in here doing an inspection and issuing citations for who knows what. I've not received resonses to letters I've written lately (but did when we had a PM) but have gotten relevant information when calling the Office. We owe these ladies (and gentlemen?)a lot for keeping things in order while the place is essentially unmanaged.

FLORIDA SNO BIRDS