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By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 11:24 a.m. EDT, Oct 03, 2008
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich told the story of Addie Polk, a 90-year-old Akron woman who apparently shot herself as she was facing foreclosure, during the congressional bailout debate this morning..
Kucinich said he read about what happened to Polk in the Akron Beacon Journal and rushed onto the House floor to relay the story to his colleagues.
''People were stunned when they learned,'' said Kucinich, D-Cleveland. ''This is a human face for a great national tragedy.''
Kucinich said he plans to visit Polk at Akron General Medical Center, possibly this evening, and will call Fannie Mae, her mortgage company, to see if there's some way she can be helped.
''It's heartbreaking,'' he said of Polk's situation and of others who have lost or are facing the loss of their homes.
Polk, who had owned her home on La Croix Avenue for 40 years, apparently shot herself in the chest Wednesday afternoon as deputies were knocking on her door with eviction papers in hand.
Kucinich said he is frustrated that the proposed bailout doesn't provide help to people like Polk.
''It doesn't address the problem of millions of Americans on the verge of foreclosures,'' he said. ''People need to hear this story.''
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich told the story of Addie Polk, a 90-year-old Akron woman who apparently shot herself as she was facing foreclosure, during the congressional bailout debate this morning..
Kucinich said he read about what happened to Polk in the Akron Beacon Journal and rushed onto the House floor to relay the story to his colleagues.
''People were stunned when they learned,'' said Kucinich, D-Cleveland. ''This is a human face for a great national tragedy.''
Kucinich said he plans to visit Polk at Akron General Medical Center, possibly this evening, and will call Fannie Mae, her mortgage company, to see if there's some way she can be helped.
''It's heartbreaking,'' he said of Polk's situation and of others who have lost or are facing the loss of their homes.
Polk, who had owned her home on La Croix Avenue for 40 years, apparently shot herself in the chest Wednesday afternoon as deputies were knocking on her door with eviction papers in hand.
Kucinich said he is frustrated that the proposed bailout doesn't provide help to people like Polk.
''It doesn't address the problem of millions of Americans on the verge of foreclosures,'' he said. ''People need to hear this story.''
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Posted 11:28 AM, 10/03/2008
how sad. i'm sure we can expect to see this more often due to this countrys problems
Akron, OH
Posted 11:36 AM, 10/03/2008
That's my big issue with this bailout - it will do nothing for people like Mrs. Polk. I'm glad Kucinich told her story to Congress this morning, they need to hear things like that. They are so far removed from reality, they have no idea. Dennis Kucinich is not my favorite politician, but he does try to help people whenever he can.
Posted 11:45 AM, 10/03/2008
Jules I have to agree with you on that. The Government has not one clue what us normal American People are going through. I almost just lost my home, and had to work out some options with my mortgage company which is a little crazy but I am going to try it. I can not believe that everyone is going through this. What I know is that when those plans crashed and hit us hard in 2001, they really knew what they were doing because our economy and status is going to crap. This did not start until then.
Posted 11:49 AM, 10/03/2008
Tell it to Barney Frank, Dennis.
Posted 11:51 AM, 10/03/2008
No.......the bailout helps these criminals continue with their ilegal harassment to homeowners. They are never held accountable for their criminal practices. All it will do is enable them to continue it. It will not help the average american at all.
Danville, CA
Posted 12:19 PM, 10/03/2008
Yes, Kucinich is a jerk...but this very conservative Republican thinks he has a point for once in his life.
You know something funny is going on when people like Dennis Kucinich and Phil Gingrey (one of the most conservative members of the House) are voting together. It doesn't happen very often.
The bailout bill should be DEFEATED in the House then reworked to facilitate insuring the bad loans instead of just buying them out.
Akron, OH
Posted 12:31 PM, 10/03/2008
The Beacon just deleted a major section of the story as it was just 5 minutes ago. They removed the info stating the lady took out a 30-year mortgage just four years ago, at age 86, at an interest rate of 6.375, from Countrywide. The loan was for $40,000 and she took out a credit line of $11,000 the next day. The house was appraised by the county at $31,000 for the same year. These shoddy lending practices are exactly what the focus needs to be on, but biased media would rather glorify an oddball politician on the never-ending campaign trail. Who, with any ethics or caring would make a loan to an 86-year-old person, for 30 years and expect it to be paid back?? Also, who would make the loan to a person who cannot do the home maintenance and repairs needed to keep the home's value up?? This is totally shoddy lending, and somebody should have been directing this lady toward financial counseling, social services, and assisted living for her last few years.
Akron, OH
Posted 12:44 PM, 10/03/2008
QUESTION: Why not bailout Mrs. Polk and others like her? ANSWER: She is not wealthy enough to be bailed out.
AKRON, OH
Posted 01:08 PM, 10/03/2008
PRETTY INTERESTING INFO D - SO SOMEONE TELL ME - WHO'S SCAMMING WHO HERE ?
Akron, OH
Posted 01:47 PM, 10/03/2008
Well they passed it anyway. I'm so happy to help the rich people. NOT!!!!
Posted 02:01 PM, 10/03/2008
Addie Polk is the functional equivalent of those canaries miners used to determine the presence of lethal gas. When they were dying you knew damn well that the mine was filled with deadly gas. Wall Street is up to its fatheads in toxic investments and junk bonds which the political prostitutes in Congress just forced us to buy. Addie Polk, by trying to take her life, is sending America a very important message: get out of the toxic hole built by corporate greed; there's nothing but deadly forces there!
Akron, OH
Posted 02:09 PM, 10/03/2008
Why not jail the loan sharks who took advantage of a 90 year old lady who was alone?
Posted 03:00 PM, 10/03/2008
I have read everyone's comments and agree with everyone except John's,Mrs Polk was taken advantage of.
this big bail out means nothing to me it sure won't help me,now the rich will get richer and the poor will become more poor
AKRON, OH
Posted 03:00 PM, 10/03/2008
JOHN - EXACTLY
Green, OH
Posted 03:13 PM, 10/03/2008
The big bailout may indeed affect you directly. Do you know that these same banks and financial institutions also represent the credit pool for private industry and many state and local municipalities? Our regional banks get money from these big banks. If they are allowed to fail, are you sure that you would get your next paycheck or if your city would be able to pay its workers?
Posted 03:44 PM, 10/03/2008
guess my comment was too tough for you. gone just like the money....
AKRON, OH
Posted 06:01 PM, 10/03/2008
JOHN - EXACTLY - WHERE D I D THE MONEY GO ?
akron, oh
Posted 06:44 PM, 10/03/2008
Thanks John. Of course, no one wants to deal with the real story: she took out the money and did not pay it back. Period. God forbid you ask any questions that might suggest personal responsiblity on her part.
akron, oh
Posted 06:45 PM, 10/03/2008
And 'chill often' does indeed represent the average american these days when he/she asks: how is this bill going to help ME? He/she is different from the wall street types only in that he/she is probably poor and wanting a freebie.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:07 PM, 10/03/2008
Unforseen cicumstances happen to everyone, no one that has posted here knows the whole story. The lady probably took the loan to get new windows, a furnace, electricial work, plumbing, a new roof, or maybe she had to pay for a hip replacement when her insurance company wouldn't pay for it. Heck, maybe she was getting a pension from a company that has went under and all the sudden she had no income. If somethig happens and the johns and tims of this world fall on hard times, GOD FORBID if somebody helps you people out.
Posted 07:44 PM, 10/03/2008
Thanks to Dennis Kucinich her mortgage has been forgiven.
