I really don’t say much on these message boards. Most of the time, I just read through the Pit to see how bad other peoples’ days are going. However, I am mad enough to throttle someone and need to vent, so I’ll do it here.
I live in a large town/small city of about 20,000 people in southeast Iowa call Burlington. The city fathers claim that Burlington is a forward-looking city working towards a progressive future. The truth is, it is a has-been of a town that missed its big chance long ago.
However, my bitch today is about how the city is handling my mother’s property. The last day of February, my mother’s house burned. She lost everything and my brother lost a good deal of his stuff. Now, by city ordinances, my mother has 90 days to clear away the debris and house if need be. Of course, less than 80 days after the fire, the city has let out a contract to demolish the house. And, according to this contract, the contractor has the rights to any possessions within the structure to be demolished.
And how did my mother find out about the city signing a contract with someone to tear down here house? When her and my brother went over there Saturday, he discovered that the doors had been kicked in and item taken. The police were called and they said that they would check into it sooner or later. My mother had to go down to city hall and ask questions. Their main defense was that they had sent a letter informing my mother that the cars on the property were a nuisance. Nothing about seeking bids to loot and tear her house down.
The City of Burlington Iowa has broken its own laws and has allowed people to go through the house and take whatever they want. And what was there? Everything that the fire didn’t destroy was in the house because the insurance company has asked that no possessions be removed until they give the O.K., which they haven’t yet.
My mother has called the insurance company about this, and they were not very happy. But, what makes things even better is the fact that the person that has this bogus contract had not only taken things from the house, but from other structures on the property, her shed, which they were not supposed to do. And the fucking pot smoking city officials say there is nothing they can do about it.
Burlington Iowa is a fucking shit hole in America and I need to get out of it!!!