The quick answer is “yes”, you probably are. I know only a few housing providers who do not qualify for that description of……….being a “tightwad”.
You see, when you started your economic life, you had to scrimp and save in order to have enough money to provide housing for yourself and others. You skipped the trip to Europe that your friends were enjoying and you did not buy that new car that others spent all their money on to show off to their friends. You know all the other sacrifices we made in order to become “housing providers” so I will not enumerate them at this time.
You formed the habit of sacrifice and saving. Habits are hard to break whether they are good habits (like saving to provide housing for others) OR bad habits (which we will not mention). Therefore, you became a “tightwad”. A good one at that, but you probably did not intend for it to happen. It just happens!
Now that that’s said, the foundation is laid to examine the following facts:
Fact #1: Our wonderful elected politicians have told property owners where to go. They have proven by their votes that your property rights are to be used by them to raise their PAC money and to buy votes from tenants with their tenant welfare schemes that only you are required to pay!
Fact #2: They figure that they have discovered a new way to not only control your property, but to also make more money off you and your property.
Fact #3: They think that this new discovery can be executed through a plan to grant a monopoly to seven selected trash companies.
How Politicians Make Money Off Your Property
Fact #4: There are three ways they plan on making money off you and your property. None of this is ethical but they will get it! One way, of course, will be the donations from their new benefitting trash-collecting friends and their friends and family. These donations will go to the Mayor and City Councilmembers’ re-election campaign funds (PACs). Just like the builders pay off to get zoning changes. It’s the same old game of dirty politics – “pay to play”. In this case, there are seven trash collection companies that are going to do a whole lot of playing with your money!
Another way: The law they passed requires the seven companies to hire only union labor. The trash companies can afford this since they have a monopoly and can charge you higher fees and will no longer worry about a competitor cutting the prices they charge. (Their competitors can charge you lower prices because they have more reasonable labor expenses.) Of course, the politicians also count on the unions to donate to their PACs. Why in the world do you think they included this union requirement? Follow the money!
The third way they take your money goes into the city coffers. The seven trash companies pay a franchise fee that’s determined by 12% of what they charge you. Hmmmmm…… It seems that the more the city approves of price hikes, the more these power hungry city council members will have to spend.
Fact #5: You have one trash bin now? They can require you to have two and then charge you more for the second one! We have already heard from one apartment owner from whom this was required in addition to a large increase in monthly fees!
A Plan to Stop Those Crooked Politicians
Fact #6: We, under the leadership of David Hernandez, who AOA endorsed for Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, have a plan to stop these conniving politicians and trash collection companies. It’s going to cost you up front, but could save you money in the long run and maybe even in the first year.
The “Committee for Accountability and Good Government in Los Angeles” has been formed to sponsor a ballot initiative that will allow the other 20 or so trash collection companies that now operate in Los Angeles, to continue to compete with the “Big 7”! This initiative will put a stop to these seven companies and to City Councilmembers financially raping the owners of business properties!
In addition to using an initiative, we have already contacted an attorney to file for an injunction and hopefully could also eventually get this anti-business law repealed.
Fact #7: This solution will cost about $250,000 to $350,000 to file the lawsuit and put the initiative on the ballot. Once it is on the ballot, we have a good shot at winning because it seems that most voters (except our friendly politicians) know that monopolies are bad and unfair since it causes prices to increase and service to decrease as competition disappears. BUT we need to first get it on the ballot!
Over 62,000 valid signatures are needed and that will require hiring professionals to get the job done.
Your Help Is Needed Now!
Fact #8: It can’t be done without you! You and I need to drop our grumpy old “tightwad” attitude for just five minutes – enough time to dig deep and write a check for at least $1,000. I did it and it really didn’t hurt that much – in fact it felt kinda good! Some owners should be looking at donating $10,000. Some property management companies could really help just by asking all their clients to donate. “Dan”, says the tightwad, “That’s a lot of money!” It’s nothing compared to what you are going to pay if we do not defeat this evil law now! What is it worth to you for the “right to choose” your own vendors? One heck of a lot more than $1,000 no matter how many units you own!
Do what I did – figure how much you are paying for one year of trash collection. Donate approximately one year’s worth in order to preserve the price that you are currently paying. When we all do this we’ll be getting back ten times as much in the following years while the trash companies all compete for your business. It just could be the most productive and best investment you’ll make this year! Plus, any excess funds will be used by the “AOA Political Action Committee” to help protect other rights that might be challenged in the future.
Pay it now or pay it many times over to the trash companies later! And “no”, your membership fee of only $79 a year will not do it.
DO IT NOW!
Please do not call me six months from now and ask: “What is AOA doing about these horrendous trash fees?” Write a check now and put a big dent in that $350,000 needed to stop this monopoly in its tracks. Be generous for just five minutes and then you can go back to being that grumpy, old tightwad. You may enjoy being generous so much that you may just not want to go back to being your old self! Come on you guys, loosen those purse strings and let’s take back the “right to choose” our own trash collector instead of Big Brother making decisions for us.
AOA hopes we have your attention now that you realize why your trash collection fees could more than double unless……we all join together now to win this war!
Donate today and let’s get to work protecting our “right to choose”! Some members will remember from the seminars: “The more you give – the more you get”! Thank you for filling out the following donation form and mailing it in as soon as possible!