GREED,GREED,GREED! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU ARE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT OF THE JDM. THIS MOVEMENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BAILING OUT BANKS OR EVEN BAILING OUT THE RICH. NOT A SINGLE DOLLAR DONATED GOES TO THE BANK IT GOES TO THE NHS, WHICH IN RETURN GOES TO THOSE THAT NEED HELP, SO THEY DON'T LOSE THEIR HOMES. THE JDM ASKED IF YOU ARE FINANCIALLY ABLE AND ARE PAYING YOUR OWN BILLS ON TIME TO DONATE $10 TO YOUR NEIGHBOR. YOUR NEIGHBOR MIGHT BE THE FAMILY DOWN THE BLOCK THAT MIGHT HAVE LOST A SPOUSE, PARENT OR EVEN JOB. IF YOU KNEW YOU WERE HELPING A FAMILY IN NEED, WHY WOULD'T YOU DONATE? WHY CRITICIZE SOMEONE THAT IS TRYING TO DO ALITTLE GOOD IN THE WORLD? I THINK PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN THE REAL REASON WE ARE ALL HERE " THE GRACE OF GOD"

I believe in helping people as much as i can but , you can bet i won't just waste $10.00 on someone i don't know . To many people working the systems now a days . The banks are gonna make out on these deals one way or another , have been for years . They don't need any help either . It all boils down to greed not need !

Right on Loveisgood! If you could afford to buy a home in the first place you don't need help as much as all the homeless in our town do. Just an example, my hubby works at a church and there is a homeless man who sleeps under a pine tree on church grounds. Do you think that church would help this man? Hell no! Pretty sad, huh?

Why not get the bank to match the $ 10.00 a month so they don't have to be bailed out again . This is nuts . There are people staving and lining up at food banks and you want people who are already dealing with hard times to give $ 10.00 to help the banks ? I will help the people in my community or my neighors and faimly but not a stranger i don't know . To many scam artists out there . I will do nothing to help the biggest rip off people which is any and all local bankers !

If you go from being a home owner straight to being homeless I guess you are doing something wrong!!! It takes longer than that. These families probably once rented from a slumlord (who lives in a $500,000 house) here in Janesburg then couldn't pay $700 a month for an insect and rodent infested apartment. Then they go to Echo or Salvation Army or House of Mercy, then after their mandatory "stay" of 7 days are put out on the street. So, still my vote is if you give $10 to anything, it should be the homeless.

Hell no.

Ok...I'll bite..I think that's why they want people to give the $$ in the first place ....So we can stop people from becoming homeless ???

I have a wonderful idea! Why doesn't each individual in this "grassroots" organization give $10 a month til the end of 2010 to a homeless individual or family? That would be a nice gesture, wouldn't it? Okay, I am waiting.........which person on here is going to say something sarcastic about this one?

I didn't buy an extravagant house, and I didn't sign up for an adjustable rate mortgage. In fact, the mortgage on my $84,000 house is less than what I'd pay to rent an apartment in Janesville. But without a "real job" it's very hard to meet all the financial obligations involved in home-ownership.
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I lost my full-time (great pay & benefits) job a couple years ago, and haven't been able to find another. I currently have two, part-time jobs and am working harder than I have at any other time in my life trying to make ends meet. Unfortunately the jobs I have now only pay about half of $23/hour I was making before and "getting enough hours" is a constant battle.
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To add insult to injury, I supposedly owe the Government thousands of dollars in penalties for cashing in my retirement funds trying to stay afloat.
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Personally, I'd rather have one decent job than one years, or even 10 years worth of $10 handouts. If you know anyone that's hiring, please let me know!

Some make more sense than others..But if you watch the foreclosures in the paper most homes are in the 70,000.-100,000.This may or may not be families living about their means...or could it just be they wanted the American dream in the good years and now with the way jobs and the economy has taken a dump they can't make their payments on UEC ??? Watch the "short sales" and you also will see homes that are selling less than the owners owe.I find it disheartening the banks will not work with homeowners but will sell at a lost.When that happens the houses around them also go down in value.

Pack:

I agree.. times are very tough. People who should be helped are those who have lived reasonably within their means and for reasons beyond their control have fallen on hard times. Half million dollar homes don't count in my book.

Realitybites has the right idea and has made the most significant point here.

I'm sympathetic with those here who speak about their own need. It's true that the municipalities keep on increasing our taxes -- often in the form of fees for improvements, in the form of new increases in our real estate appraisal (even when the market is down), and in the form of various fees for services. It's time for the municipalities to tighten their belts and do more for the citizens who have paid taxes all these years. And, by the way, the federal government could find more than a trillion dollars to banks and financial institutions, who are now giving billions in compensation to their execs, but they can't find anything for the homeowner. So the same banks that got our money are foreclosing on the citizenry?! Way to go!

Don't live beyond your means. Period. If you can no longer make payments on your bills then you need to take action. Move out of your $350k house and move into something more reasonable like a $125k house. Sell that boat. Sell that pair of Harleys that only gets used 5 months a year in Wisconsin. Sell the jet-skis. Stop paying $150 a month for TV and put up an antenna. Get rid of the Blackberry phone. Quit smoking. Sell that Rolex in your watch collection. Stop paying $40 a week to get your nails done.

Until you do these things why should ANYBODY have a bit of sympothy for you?

It does sound like this would be a scam, and it sounds like you would be helping every person that lived beyond their means- HOWEVER, this article does not give the movement justice. I recommend going to another one of their informational meetings- it makes more sense coming from Mike than being retold by a reporter. It does make you want to help make a difference in the community.. and it is not all about stabilizing your homes value... it is deeper than that.

I want to help the person with the 590,000k home. It's so sad to see these poor people struggle. What was the donation website again?

We have NOT lived outside our means and we still struggle each month to get by. Yeah, right. I am just gonna start handing over money to everybody who thinks they need it. Where is the list where I can sign up? This is the most insane idea I have ever heard. Times are tough for everybody, not just the ones who bought $400,000.00 homes.

While it may be a good idea, in this economy (especially Rock County), good luck with that. I for one would be stockpiling anything I made 'just in case'. Take care of your own before any other.

Ha... Are you flippin serious? Spend 170 bucks a year to "stabilize" home prices?

Sounds like John Doe has a nice scam started to me. What is the criteria for assistance? Do they have to be half million dollar houses or will the assistance go to those that have a meadian priced house(around 120 gs). You sold half million dollar houses and the buyers couldn't get refinanced because you oversold them on the value for their investment! Why should anyone feel sorry for someone who purchases a house FOUR TIMES the average value of a house in Rock County? NOT! Hit the road and go find some other sucker for a handout for the rich.

Sorry Janesvillean--I completely disagree with your assessment of this issue. Whether it was ignorance or greed fueling their decision making process, these people have to take responsibility for their obligations. We are bombarded by "get rich quick schemes" every day--common sense prevails in these situations--it should have prevailed when signing your name on something as important as a mortgage. There is nothing ambiguous about the term "adjustable rate mortgage"--surprise, surprise--it can adjust!!!! Banks shouldn't have to be made to absorb the losses of these people through modifications in the bankruptcy laws either. That's absolutely ridiculous. Did people at the beginning of the bubble have to give the banks any profit they made on the homes outside of the terms of the mortgage? I don't think so. Basically letting these people out of their obligations would be rewarding greed and/or stupidity. That's not good policy! If they can't afford it, the houses should go back to the bank and the people should have to rent until they are in a position to have another go at it again--hopefully more responsibly the next time around.....

916WI, it was only a little more than a year ago that the local Realtors took down the billboard around here that said "Home values rise 10% every year!" People were lied to by professionals who at *best* innocently went along with a bubble mindset and told people who had no experience with mortgages or home values that they would be able to refinance in a year or two, no problem, because the equity would magically appear even if they were paying negative option on their mortgage.
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At the least there needs to be more consumer protection in the mortgage market, and ultimately mortgage cramdowns on primary residences should be permitted in bankruptcy, even if there are conditions.
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I don't agree with this group's approach but maybe they will raise around 5% of their goal and be able to help a few people.

Cut out the middle man...just send the ten bucks to me.

I'm sorry--I just don't feel much compassion for anyone that either lived outside of their means or used their home as a line of credit. The examples given just strengthen that line of thought. Spending a half a million dollars on a home in rock county one year and having your hand out for assistance the following? Come on.....Seriously? I was approved for much more than I spent on my current house--I simply didn't want to take on the debt and traded square footage for security....and I am so glad I made that decision. The people that didn't should stop blaming the banks, take responsibility for their poor decisions and learn from their mistakes......