We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, March 5, 2010

The Story So Far on the Gov’t Loan Mod Program

from Pro-Publica.
The administration’s foreclosure prevention program began operation last April.
We at ProPublica have been closely covering the problems that homeowners have encountered since the program’s launch. Delays and frustration [4] have been common: Homeowners and housing counselors frequently complain that servicers lose financial documents [5] and make mistakes [6]. Many struggling homeowners have waited several months [7] for an answer from their mortgage servicers.