Obama-nation! Elderly Couple Tossed Out Of Home They’ve Owned For 40 Years Because Of “Shutdown”

[Rapunzel]

http://weaselzippers.us/2013/10/06/obama-nation-elderly-couple-tossed-out-of-home-theyve-owned-for-40-years-because-of-shutdown/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Obama-nation! Elderly Couple Tossed Out Of Home They’ve Owned For 40 Years Because Of “Shutdown”

They weren’t even able to grab Ralph’s pants.

    Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) — The government shutdown is being felt close to home for some locals. They say they’re being forced out of private homes on Lake Mead because they sit on federal land.

    Joyce Spencer is 77-years-old and her husband Ralph is 80. They’ve been spending most of their time in the family ice cream store since going home isn’t an option.

    The Spencers never expected to be forced out of their Lake Mead home, which they’ve owned since the 70s, but on Thursday, a park ranger said they had 24 hours to get out.

    “I had to go to town today and buy Ralph undershirts and jeans because I forgot his pants,” Joyce Spencer told Action News.

    The Stewart’s Point home sits on federal land, so even though the Spencers own their cabin outright, they’re not allowed in until the government reopens.

    Park officials said property owners can visit only to retrieve belongings; they sent Action News a statement which reads in part, “Unfortunately overnight stays are not permitted until a budget is passed and the park can reopen.”

    Joyce Spencer said she’s alright in the meantime, staying with nearby family, but the move was a lot to handle as a senior citizen.

    “I had to be sure and get his walker and his scooter that he has to go in,” Spencer said. “We’re not hurt in any way except it might cost me if I have to go buy more pants.”

    The Lake Mead properties are considered vacation homes; one of the lease requirements to own a plot is people must have an alternative residence.

    Regardless, the Spencers said it’s their property and they should be allowed in, shutdown or not.

By the way, when I went looking for a picture of Lake Mead for this story, I clicked on the link for Lake Mead and got a National Parks Service Notice that the site wasn’t in operation because of the shutdown. But they are still paying to host the site, having a notice as opposed to normal operations, so it saves them no money at all.

[Rapunzel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mraFgiulo7k

[Cincinnatus]

Here's some food for thought.

Evict Obama’s mother-in-law from the White House?

The idea sounds harsh to me. But, as  Michael Rubin notes:

The news is full of stories of private residences on public land being shut down because of the government shutdown.  Here, for example, is a story regarding an elderly couple temporarily evicted form a cabin they own on federal land. And [the federal government] is also  turning people away from privately-run inns on federal land.

Why then, Rubin asks, should Marian Robinson, President Obama’s mother-in-law, continue to reside in the White House, a federally-owned business on federal land? Indeed, Rubin wonders whether “the president and his immediate family [should] vacate his federally-provided residence for the duration of the shutdown.”

There’s no denying that the president is an essential federal employee, but it may not be essential that he occupy the White House at all times. In fact, he doesn’t, and neither does his family. And it certainly isn’t essential that his mother-in-law live there.

Personally, I’m fine with Mrs. Robinson residing at the White House, along with the First Family, during the partial shutdown. But the feds should think again about evicting the aging and elderly from private buildings and businesses that may sit on federal land but do not require federal services.

Isn't equal application of the law for all Americans a good thing?

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/10/evict-obamas-mother-in-law-from-the-white-house.php