The Daily Kos referred to me this week as an "an attorney and Chamber of Commerce guy who rises just an inch or two above "Some Dude" status". I gladly will accept that title but want to clarify some points.
I am proud of being a practicing lawyer in a small town. My clients are my friends, my relatives, and other folks in this little town of around 2,500 people. I see and hear their problems and struggles on a daily basis. I am their voice in the Courtroom as we work to solve these problems. This is what has also driven me to run for Congress. To be a voice for those who need Government to work for everyone; not just a special few.
For example, I have a client named Charlie who was facing foreclosure of his home. Charlie was 65 years old and had worked his entire life and like most of us, his entire wealth was in the value of his home. He was proud of his place and wanted to live there forever. He didn't owe much until he had a sickness spell and got behind. He borrowed some more money to catch up his bills and do some repairs. Then after he retired he made ends meet with a part-time job and social security. His health deteriorated again and he lost his part-time job. He fell behind again and the housing market crashed. He owed $125,000 on a home that was suddenly worth maybe $70,000. He could borrow and he couldn't sell the home to clear his debt. The mortgage company wouldn't negotiate in good faith to keep him in his home. Why should they? They had just received $700 Billion in government funds because they were "too big to fail". But what about Charlie?
There was no incentive for the Bank to keep Charlie in his home. They are insulated against taking a loss. They just want to take the loan off the books, sell the house for what they can get (but not to Charlie), and keep making a profit. Charlie would then be liable for the difference and be forced into Bankruptcy Court. The Sheriff Sale was set for next month.
We send tons of money to Wall Street and big corporations and wait for it to trickle down to Main Street. It never trickled down to Charlie. Yeah I was the President of the local Chamber of Commerce. It was a title that paid nothing and gave me the opportunity to serve bean soup at the annual Navy Bean Festival. I work to help business develop in my community because that's the way that small towns operate, but I was raised on Main Street not Wall Street. I care about folks like Charlie because that's what matters.... and oh ... today we resolved his case and got him a little something to restart his life without the worry of a huge judgment hanging over his head. But there's a lot of "Charlies" out there with no one to speak up for them. Foreclosures are an epidemic is this country. Not everyone has a lobbyist or organizations to look out for them. They just disappear into the background when we talk about national policy.
That's why I decided to make this run. It's an uphill battle but this is one dude that's willing to put up a fight.
Lane Siekman
www.laneforcongress.com