The Masthead

Tony,
How about this idea:

What if someone like you, George and any others contact the top three players in Danny’s camp and the top three in Thayer’s camp.

Draft up a short, pointed letter on the need for united action on key lobbying issues such as Dodd-Frank, MHCC or others.

Then, ask every member of each association to sign that drafted document.

By signing, we all would be agreeing for the need of unity against Dodd-Frank. We would agree not to make any effort to abolish either group.

If enough members from both groups signed, is should send a message to Thayer and Danny to put aside all differences and join forces.

After a brief explanation of Dodd-Frank, then followed by a statement like:

“I sign this petition and join in the hope with all in this industry that our two Washington lobby groups will and must join together and put aside any differences and take action to reform Dodd-Frank before it goes into effect, and harms millions of manufactured home owners and costs our Industry tens of thousands of more lost jobs and opportunities.”

Then we all sign it across the county with name address/e address and phone number so that we might could work together again as a united industry.

Someone like you, George or Spencer could put this on paper much better than I to sell the idea to everyone.

Then, that petition could be sent to every elected Rep. in Washington to show our unity.

That has potential power and would seem to make sense.

David Roden

David,
Thank you for your idea.  As you mentioned in a separate message to me, this below from George F. Allen, was his top item on his blog post this weekend:

===

I.

MHI MHARRvelous Dream! Turns out MHMSM; you know – the nearly two
year old online ezine at MHMSM.com, has a timely take on last week’s
post at this website: ‘MHI (‘My’) MHARRvelous Dream’! Like many who make
their living in one or more segments of the manufactured housing
industry, the publication believes the time has come, once again, for
the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (‘MHARR’) and
Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’) national advocacy bodies to work
together!

Once again? That’s right.

If a novice in the MHIndustry and
LLCommunity asset class, know many of us have seen these bodies ‘bury
their bloody hatchets’ in the past, to pass or fight legislation.

Think
the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000, for starters. This
time around, however, we need the ‘MHI MHARRvelous Dream’ to become
Reality on several fronts: defeat of Dodd – Frank legislation, HUD’s
full implementation of aforementioned MHIA @ 2000, even the veritable
survival of the manufactured housing industry!

For more information,
visit MHMSM.com And remember; we can either ‘hang together’ during
these trying times, or for certain, die separately. Me? I’m all for
strength in numbers.

===

I changed the spacing for ease of reading, but between the hash marks is a verbatim quotation.

All industry segments need to work together or we face extinction.  There is no such thing as production and post production(aftermarket) issues.  If there is no home sales, there is no production.  The two interests should ALWAYS be identical!!!!!!  It is juvenile, selfish and just plain ignorant to think otherwise.

Any national association worth supporting would have been working congress, lobbying for the interests of our business PRIOR to passage of these obnoxious laws.  Yelling fire after the theater has burned to the ground is useless.

The American people have spoken.  What congress has heard is that the average citizen distrusts the manufactured housing industry.  Can we really expect law makers to continue making exceptions to the laws, rules and customs that govern residential sales, in favor of a business that has the negative public profile our industry carries like a monkey on its back, and ignores?

The excess of our business in the 90′s set the stage for the current housing bust by instructing the broader housing industry how to grab for higher profits regardless of how home buyers are victimized.   The “me generation’s” root belief that greed is good, severely infected manufactured housing yet there has never been any remorse or reform from within.  

There are just not enough members of congress that our national associations can influence (buy)  who don’t fear the wrath of thier constituents if they make concessions to a gang held in such low public esteem.   

With 70% of retailers across the country evaporating the only places MH can influence legislators is in Indiana and Tennessee.  Manufactured housing is a failed endeavor.  Anyone looking towards a better future needs to move up to modular and never look back. 

Jim

Sorry, but your theater burning down
analogy does not hold up. There are many financial institutions and
their respective associations that now oppose Dodd Frank, and they
opposed it prior to passage too. So are no associations worth
supporting? My iPhone isn’t perfect, but I do not toss it out if it
has a systems glitch.

Americans speak out at the polls
nationally every two years. What they were excited about before has
since shifted again. So it goes.

I agree that there have been excesses.
But I’d also say that most of the ne’er do wells in the MH world are
gone. Most pros today know you have to take care of your customer,
or they will not remain your customer. Today, MH paper is performing
better. HUD reports very few complaints these days. Our homes are
better and continue to improve. These are a clear signs that
satisfaction is there.

It is interesting to banter with you,
but in my mind I do understand the comments of those readers who
question your being an industry professional. You seem so down on an
Industry that you say you love!

The HUD Code is worth fighting to
preserve. Why? Because it gives consumers options that no other form
of permanent housing can achieve. For those who believe in serving
the public, we can and should do that with HUD Code MHs, Mods, and
other forms of factory building.

Over-regulation is as dangerous as no
regulations. We need associations, and we need to work with them to
make the regulatory environment a good one for all concerned.

Thanks for your comment.

Tony

It is interesting to banter with you also.   I love my children but get down on them when I think the are going in the wrong direction.   You are the only one who has doubted my history.   You use it to question my sincerity each time my banter is out of harmony with yours.  Just admit, to yourself,  that there can be more than one legitimate point of view.I agree, we need associations to organize legislative and judicial efforts that favor our business goals.  The “pros” at MHI have always been mostly occupied with perpetuating their personal futures, while the MHARR has exhibited interest only in issues that effect their narrow builder constituency.  What we have, at this moment, are two national organizations that have led our business to the edge of extinction.  If our nation’s security depended on generals with the batting averages of our associations. we would probably be having this discussion in Russian. 

The future of home building is, no doubt, in factories.  It is apparent that HUD housing is in a self inflicted nose-dive.   I regret that there is not enough organization to get a firm hand on the stick.

What options that no other form of permanent housing can achieve are you talking about?   The options that HUD housing used to offer have evaporated.  The best option advantages were price, alternative financing  and mobility.  

Our pricing can no longer compete effectively.   Over the last two decades the product has been over designed to approximate the appearance of site built.  Our modern sectional homes are not  designed or built for relocation.  Our financing has become dependent on programs that were designed to serve site builders, not friendly for dealers or especially park owners.