Legal or not, there are lines that should not be crossed and this happens to be one of them.
I first picked up the story at The Roland Blog and then at that judgmentally-racist TexasFred’s (oh yes, the TexasFred who somehow managed to get behind the involved soldiers in this incident — imagine that!) blog. To wit, from WFAA.com:
MCKINNEY – A North Texas couple is getting ready for their second deployment overseas.
They’re leaving to serve their country but instead they’ve been served with fees from their landlord.
“It’s a job, we have to do it,” said Chris Horvath.
But they’re leaving with added stress, since they’ve been in a fight with their apartment complex – McKinney’s El Lago development.
The couple, both of whom are sergeants in the Texas National Guard, are soon headed to Iraq.
The couple are being charged with up to $800 in fees and penalties for breaking their lease; but their lease is being broken because they’re both being deployed to fight for you and me. See the full discussion and unfolding story at TexasFred’s.
But my take? It’s this:
We can spend literally billions and billions of dollars to bail out negligent lenders and consumers with regard to sub-prime loans. Yet we stick the monetary shiv between the ribs and into the guts of soldiers who fight for our country? Did anyone besides me notice this wasn’t their first deployment — it is their second?
This action is just plain wrong. Period. Why can’t we give these people just a bit of a break?
BZ
I wish I could send them money to help. Maybe we all should and GET IT OUT THERE? Let people hear how people we DO care about our soldiers and shame our darned congress exactly as you have in your excellent synopsis of this whole stupid situation.
Forget subprime loans….we’re paying for ILLEGALS to have babies here..etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc
you get the picture, BZ dayum, this makes me SO MAD. Hadn’t heard about this before.
Being the *racist* that I am accused of being is almost as difficult to overcome as being the fake Vet and professional Democratic writer that Gayle STILL seems to think I am…
It really makes it tough to pick a cause that doesn’t have people from ALL races involved, ya know??
I have NO idea what color these troops are, and BZ, YOU know I don’t care, they are troops that need some help and that’s ALL that matters…
And it’s simply amazing how issues such as this bring out the REAL Conservatives and leave the fucking RINOs in the dust…
Z, online money things like that have a way of getting corrupted quite easily…
I think there’s going to be more than enough of us taking action come Monday, and before it’s over with the young soldiers will likely recoup ALL of their money and then some, from the apartments management corporation…
Something tells me this incident is growing a Life Of Its Own, and that couple will easily make up for the $800+ penalty, etc.
As well they should.
BZ
If this is the policy of the owners then this is truly wrong. I think we’ll learn alot more about this tomorrow.
I have a question and I’m asking it because I don’t know the answer.
What about car loans, mortgages, credit cards? If a person is called to active service do these obligations stop until they get back?
Is there different laws, rules for active service people then for reservist?
I would think they would and would be but I don’t know.
This action is just plain wrong. Period. Why can’t we give these people just a bit of a break?
This is one of those cases where exceptions and allowances should be made, where legality does not equate with “doing what’s right”.
The complex had no comment.
Anyone have an address? Email addie to McKinney’s El Lago Development? They should pay through the nose in reputation; publically shamed and humiliated into giving the couple a break.
Texas rental law allows for breaking the lease for a job out of state and military deployment. The land lord should be sued then SHOT.
We can’t give these guys a break because a) they are soldiers b) the probably voted for Bush though that is far from certain and c) it won’t win millions of votes for the Donks. Do what you can for them.
I have been in contact with the National Guard Bureau today, they have been made aware via email:
Iraq-bound guards penalized for breaking apartment lease
The *guards* that the URL refers to are National Guard Troops, my Son is a Guard Troop, the 256th BCT and has already been to Iraq once, this sort of thing does not seem right, can you please advise me what, if anything your Bureau can do and possibly anything I can do legally from this end??
Fred *******
aka: TexasFred
Web Master for The Texas Connection
Rowlett, TX
That is an exact copy of the email I sent to the Public Affairs Office and the PAO On-Call..
So far they have NOT responded…
This story seems to have disappeared, beside the blogs it’s gone.
It’s not even on WFAA-TV any longer.
Does anyone know what the hell happen?
At one point in time, a military member couldn’t sign a lease without a military duty clause, but I guess that is just active duty, not the guard and reserves. Still, their schmuck of a landlord should have a little sense and compassion.
VW
Well I hate to tell ya this Ranando, but I am LOOKING at the story on WFAA.com right now…
Iraq-bound guards penalized for breaking apartment lease Latest News WFAA.com
It’s not on the front page, no newspaper keeps a story from Friday on the Monday page, not one that’s this small..
It’s a sad thing, really, but it’s a local issue mostly, except for us bloggers, but it’s there…
I totally agree! I always say that I wouldn’t have a problem with taxes if ALL of it went to the military.
Sorry, I wrote more but none of it made sense.. I am having a HUGE brain fart, and it is just one of those nights where I am totally wiped out with kids and cleaning and taking care of this new house! But I am not complaining, at least we didn’t buy more than we could afford!
Fred,
I’m glad it’s still an issue but I or the attorney’s I asked to call could’nd find anything on WAFF but Fridays story, no updates.
They made the call to Anahiem as I requested and it seemed that it was taken care of, maybe not I’m just going by what they told me and they’re pretty good attoney’s.
I’m with you on this Fred, all the way. I just didn’t see any updates.
I found the Friday issue on WAFF also, just no updates.
I was just wondering what was going on.
Please remember, I sent a pretty sizable check to Blue Star Deli just to find out the next day they were closing up shop. That was money out the window and I just wanted to make sure that was not going to happen again.
I’m sure you understand.
OK, 1st, no one has asked for ANY money, and I won’t be…
2nd. I have NO control over WFAA.com OR their posting of stories, it has all but disappeared and there’s not one thing I can do about it…
The story has NOT been updated and the reporter that did the story won’t even call back…
I have contacted the National Guard Bureau and not heard DICK from them…
I can’t pull rabbits out every time man, and I have kept everyone as up to date as I am…
Fred, As I said before, I’m with you on this.
Please don’t forget that.
Where are thier elected reps? Where is the Texas Nat’l Guard? Where’s the State of Texas? Sheesh!
I’m surprised these folks haven’t been helped by their unit. Just for starters!