GOP candidates shy away from Nevada housing crisis

[FreakinDJ]

Las Vegas -- As Joseph and Christina Hetherton listened to Newt Gingrich speak this week at the Las Vegas factory where Joseph was laid off last summer, they thought about how their home could go into foreclosure at the end of the month - and how nothing they've heard from presidential candidates in town for today's Nevada GOP caucus sounds like it would help.

Not only do the Hethertons have to come up with $1,429 in three weeks, they also need $175 by then for insulin to help treat Christina's diabetes. Neither of them has health insurance.

If Christina, who works at a bakery, hadn't hit lucky $3 pulls on the slots twice in the past few months, they would have been in peril sooner. This week, their daughter in nursing school took a second job because her husband lost his construction job.

Their story is typical in Nevada, which has the nation's highest unemployment and foreclosure rates, and where 58 percent of the homes are underwater - worth less than what the lender is owed. Nationally, 22 percent of homes are underwater.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/03/MN3N1N2TB2.DTL#ixzz1lQpOEixB

edit - to add photo - "I like pictures"

[bulloney]

1. GOP candidates shy away from it because if flies in the face of their alternative universe.

They still want you to believe that Reagan ended the Cold War, didn't raise taxes, balanced the budget, shrank the size of government and personified conservative family values.

[gopiscrap]

2. Chickenshits them and their big business banking asshole friends caused it

they ought to address it...specially that smarmy, arrogant, plastic bastard Willard

[Boombaby]

6. Yes

But we both know, neither he nor they will speak a word.

[mike_c]

3. and yet they'll continue voting for republicans....

Stoopid never rests.

[JohnnyRingo]

4. I imagine Nevada wants the federal government to step in.

While their Republican statehouse screams for the same government to get out of their way.

I've heard a plethora of Nevada Republicans go on TV this week to cry about how tough things are in their state because of the Obama White House. Runaway unemployment and a lack of state funds have devastated Nevada they claim, and only a tax cutting Republican can help.

Will Nevada ever come to realize that the total absence of a state tax there and ass kissing cuts to billionaires in Las Vegas are not creating any freaking jobs!!!

I thought maybe they're just deaf instead of stupid, so I had to yell.

[CAPHAVOC]

8. The few at the top with all the dough.

Not enough people have the money. They can only spend so much on themselves. It stifles the economy. Never have so few screwed so many, or something like that.

[Ferretherder]

11. I believe the 'Churchill reworking' of your quote would be...

...never have so few owed so much to so many.

[Nevernose]

9. We're ranked as the stupidest state in the Union

We're never going to realize anything, and instead we'll keep on being the teenage pregnancy, high school drop out, murder rate, meth use capital of America. We really are ranked as dumbest in the nation *sigh*

[JohnnyRingo]

10. Don't beat yourself up

Every state has them these days.

I can relate because I live in Ohio, but I'm just glad we don't have a TV show called "Toledo 911".

[lonestarnot]

5. They wouldn't want anyone discussing their profit margins.

[hourglass1]

7. Mintt ®money

clearly said the answer is to let all these foreclosures proceed, allowing entrepreneurs (1%ers) to stimulate the economy by purchasing these homes at fire-sale prices ... rents may even fall a bit ... so the 1% need to own more of everything so that the 99% will have employment - very clear .... what isn't clear is why this unfortunate couple thinks they are republicans ... stupid just never relents ...