Elderly Couple Evicted, Thrown Out On The Street, For Failing To Pay Property Taxes On Their HomeBy Claire Bernish According to the Portland Press Herald, in December 2015, the town of Albion moved to foreclose on the rundown camp of National Guard and Marine veteran Richard Sukeforth and his wife, Leonette, when taxes went unpaid. Then, the town put the couples home up for auction it sold for just $6,500 and the new owner, Jason Marks, kicked the two 80-year-olds to the curb last week. LePage is irate and wants to ensure this can never happen again. Hes living in poverty, he said of Richard in an interview with the Morning Sentinel. Now, were throwing him out on the street. Thats just awful. Im livid about it, LePage asserted of the legal but seemingly unscrupulous eviction, and I think we have to have laws to protect our most vulnerable. LePage appealed to nonprofit Pine Tree Legal an advocacy group providing free legal advice for Maine residents with limited income but, it turns out, the eviction followed the letter of the law. As the Sentinelreports, LePage said he thinks it is immoral that a veteran and his sick, bedridden wife, who are at the end of their lives, were kicked out of their home and he is going to fight to ensure the practice is prohibited in the future. As he explained in the interview, Im going to ask for an ombudsman to mediate disputes between communities and taxpayers, not just elderly. I want to change the foreclosure law as it relates to poverty, and one of the things I want to do is force them (communities) to sell property at market value and any revenues above taxes and revenue and foreclosure fees go back to the original owner. Typically, Maine communities work with disadvantaged citizens to solve tax difficulties through tax abatement and reverse mortgages, for example in order to avoid evictions like the Sukeforths experienced. As mayor of Waterville, LePage explained of his position prior to becoming governor of Maine, whenever we had an issue of poverty, we never threw people out. While the town of Albion indeed followed the law, as far as morals are concerned, LePage remarked, What they did is unbelievable. Its just not the way its done. Before the Sukeforths were evicted from their property, located on Lovejoy Pond, Leonette a retired nurse with diabetes had been confined to a hospital bed under doctors orders. Now, the elderly pair has been forced to live with daughter, Yvette Ingalls, in a trailer park in Holden, where a nurse attends Leonette on a daily basis. According to the Sentinel, daughter-in-law Rachel Sukeforth and son Rick had to essentially rescue the ailing couple in the middle of a snowstorm on the night the new owner kicked them off the property. Theyve had to temporarily house the couples beloved Jack Russell terrier and black cat since the trailer park does not allow dogs. Richard questions the morality of the eviction, telling the outlet in a phone interview, That deal was very underhanded. I dont care what anybody says. It werent right. They came down and evicted us when my wife was right in a hospital bed. Were both 80 years old, so they done it and got away with it and theyre happy. An attorney for LePage attempted to negotiate with Marks, the new owner, but was told it would have to take place in his own lawyers office with his attorney present. LePage says he prefers to combat corruption as directly as possible, and did not want attorneys involved in such a discussion. I never meet with lawyers, he explained, adding hed planned to ask Marks to allow the Sukeforths to live out their lives on the property theyd inhabited for over three decades. When I ask for a meeting, its me, alone. When I go after corruption, I go after corruption head-on. I dont need any help. Marks agreed to allow the Sukeforths to continue to reside at the camp as long as they paid rent but says they never did. He explained he had no choice but to force them out, and is being unfairly portrayed as the bad guy in this controversy. Town officials stand by the eviction saying they attempted to work with Richard for several years and that the back taxes were minimal. Albion Selectwoman Beverly Bradstreet owed $4,000 in property taxes for the dilapidated building and the land more accurately described as a camp. Its three years before we foreclose, and we paid his taxes, like two different years to avoid foreclosure, Bradstreet told the Sentinel, but then he just let it go. He knew that we were going to do it. He would come in the Town Office, but he did not pay. I dont know why. He just waited until it was too late. We foreclosed last December, 2015. We gave him six months to still pay it off and he made no effort to pay it off. He didnt try, and there were other people in town that could use some help, too. While that seems a justifiable reason for the town to act, Rachel says no one in the Sukeforth family was aware her father-in-law who has begun to suffer from dementia had failed to pay. In fact, when asked, the veteran had affirmed hed visited the Town Office and paid the bill. A notice printed in a local paper announcing the auction of the property first alerted family members to the dubious situation. As soon as we found this out, we called the Town Office, Rachel told the Sentinel. My husband and siblings and our neighbor all tried to pay the taxes up to date, and they refused payment. This wasnt sitting well with any one of us. Every town has the right to refuse payment, but can also accept the payment as well. When we tried to pay selectmen, they said when an auction is posted in the newspaper, they can no longer accept payment, but that wasnt true. That refusal to accept payment from other parties doesnt sit well with the family and concerned neighbors nor does it with the governor. Its never too late until the deed transfers, and the deed had not transferred, said LePage, who has even offered to take the couples dog, Pee-wee, if they are unable to have the canine designated as a service animal to allow the dog to reside the trailer park. Richard Sukeforth said he and his wife receive $1,252 a month in Social Security payments. He worked in construction during the summer for many years, operated a snowplow for the Maine Turnpike in winter and later worked for Bath Iron Works until he was injured when he fell off a crane boom in 1982, he said, the Sentinel reports. Neighbors, family, and friends took umbrage at the seemingly callous eviction of such a frail and kind family from the property they loved particularly given Richards mental state and that several people tried in vain to make good on the taxes owed. He is a vet. Theres just so many reasons this shouldnt be able to happen, said part-time neighbor MaryAnn Sawlan-Neiman, who alerted the governor to the tragic situation after exhausting all other options. Every day, he would come down, stay a couple of hours, and Id go to his house, Sawlan-Neiman said of Richard. We just became really good friends. Another neighbor told me in July they were going to foreclose for taxes. I went to the town hall and I said, What does he owe? Ill pay for it right now. But by that time, Albion officials said, the public announcement meant the tax bill could not be addressed by anyone and the town refused to work with even Governor LePage, himself, to halt the eviction. Its just devastating for them, lamented Sawlan-Neiman of the Sukeforths, adding, of Richard, Hes just like a lost man now. And there you have it. A couple, who owed no one anything, had their home stolen from them by government because they failed to pay the state an extortion fee for their right to live and we still call this placethe Land of the Free. Claire Bernish writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared. The ownership of land in this country is an yuuge issue. Americans should not have to rent their homes from the govt. Its their land and should be held fee-simple (I believe that is the legal term). Absolutely! Housing is a human right. This land belongs to us ALL not the banks, not the state. If anything it is the banks and the state who are violating the law of sovereignty. The land belongs to whoever bought it, not the State. Housing isnt a right but a necessity. Necessities arent rights. Individuals, not the collective, are responsible for themselves. Life is hard but no one is a slave that must be forced to support others. Charity is also a blessing. IMO, and many people do not get this, but charities or charity is a sign of unwillingless of a government with its politicians of course, to put a decent infrastructure into a country. In this case, it already must have been impossible to kick them from their property. But the politicians are lax, lamenting, lazy, receiving too much money at the end of the month and too much expense money. Dont get your first point. Be succinct. Fed govt has no authority to create welfare, that was left to the States or the people. Whats your point? The politicians, the servants of the People, have to convert the wishes of the people, into decent laws so in this case prevent older people to be kicked out of their house. Calm down, couldnt understand your first point. The States have the duty to do whatever the people of that State have given it the authority to do. Each State is different. The issue as hand is the manner in which real property is owned in this country. All property should be held in fee-simple form which would prevent any authority from touching your land since it would be yours and only yours. The fact that today, govts can confiscate your land because you didnt pay property tax indicates that its not really your land, we rent it from the govt. Thats a problem. The Land America has been stolen from the American people by the Banksters about one hundred years ago. The legal thieves made us all pay taxes. Why? To make the Banksters richer again and again for lending our money to us, to the state or to federal government. Their properties now has an estimate value of 500 Trillion dollars. Your moneys included. Correct. And to make it worse, after the 1933 Bankruptcy, our govt created a financial state of emergency that still exists to this day. In that deal they pledged us, as collateral, to the bankers. True an elected president sold the entire American population out for a lousy $3 MILLION DOLLARS, Woodrow Wilson sold the Rothschild/Rockerfeller/ Royal Dutch Shell Bilderberg group. control of all US legal tender for 100 years. The deal was declared illegal in a J F Kennedy executive Order 11110 in 1962 . He declared the feds legal tender USD illegal and issued a Kennedy silver dollar, as a debt free official legal US Currency , he also handed all us currency control to Congress. This left all USA debt as an obligation of the privately owned federal fractional reserve banking group who had already stole trillions from US citizens. The E/O has been altered but has never been rescinded because of fear created by the Feds assassination of John F Kennedy. However a copy of the original executive Order still exists. there is no statute of limitations on murder. Sleep well mr bush. Its already illegal, direct taxes are illegal. People only pay them so they wont be tossed out in the street. Direct taxes are not illegal under the constitution, but those collected DO have to be apportioned equally across the entire jurisdiction, be it a state, or a collection of all the states. This is why the 16th Amendment includes the words without regard to apportionment. Too many of us are taxed beyond what we can bear. IRS is a privat company. I agree taxes are illegal, but because Congress added unconstitutional amendments to the constitution, in an attempt to make it appear legal. Which in and of itself is illegal. Pay it or lose your place it live is pretty extreme IMHO. Also, property taxes are immoral as it forces people into slavery to pay them. We own our home, and the land it is oncome to take it by forcewe will happily entertain a real gun fight! Sorry to let you know Patriot, but IMO your America has been stolen by the Banksters about onehundredandfifty years ago. Round 1867. Now America is the property of The Banksters. The federal Government let them take the Land. You may ask the pope in the Vatican, the queen of England and The City of London. They know all about it. Slaves dont really own land and can be kicked off unless they pay rent (taxes). Fee-simple titles are bs. We need the return of alloidal titles. Too bad every state in the union refuses to issue them anymore. As the EMPLOYER OF THE STATE, IT IS UP TO THE PEOPLE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPENSTOP ASKING AND BEGGINGDO IT, TAKE ACTION..FORCE THEM TO WORK FOR USOR HANG THEM WHEN THEY DO NOT! They cannot do that!. They do not own the Land anymore. The Banksters are the owners! AMERICAN PATRIOT is right. Can someone set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for them? They need a GimmePage set upfor a new home. Yes, the crowdfunding schemes will work for this kind of matter, but isnt it a bit too late. I cannot understand how the governor didnt know about this when it was happening, and what good is his promotional bellyaching now that this family is living on the sidewalk? The governor is a blahblahblah politician. LePage keeps yammering on and on about the morality of it all, and what a tragedy it is. But he never questions the need for a property tax itself. This should be a lesson for all: You never really own anything, especially something of significant value, so long as greedy governments and banks are in cahoots to ensure you are beholden to them for all the days of your life. LePage is a hypocrite. The people responsible for this need to be killed. Go kill the ones that made the law of property taxes. Put the axe to the root. I feel nothing but pure hatred for the people that did this to this couple. And they let the migrants flood our country and pay for their every need. Yes, hundreds of billions spent to ensure that all the millions of illegals and refugees have warm and wonderful homes, cars, free education, free medical and free food, but not $5 to help pay for a veterans food or taxes. Well, for the past 8 years, its been President Obama ensuring that this corruption continue despite the hundreds of millions spent on the salaries of government employees working for DHS and US Immigration and Border. When your elected officials are using your Taxpayer dollars to fund their illegal schemes, what are you going to do? We MUST stand united and shoot these tyrants dead! This is how Trump dealt with people in his career, literally. Now many in the USA think he is good enough to be the Prez. I paid off my mortgage this year. I was talking to one of my friends about this and he asked how it feels to own my home. I said I feel great about it as I no longer have to give interest payments to the bank, but if you want to know who owns your home, stop paying taxes on it. Youll eventually find out you no longer own it. I realize there are many community services that taxes pay for and the money for them needs to come from somewhere, but when the poor cannot afford property taxes they will not be allowed to own property. I know this not the best thing for many people to do, but maybe these people should have looked into a reverse mortgage. Taxation on sales, taxation on rent, taxation on EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE TAXED is how we live today.EVERYTHING IS TAXED, BY FORCE OR THREAT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST USSo it is time to EXECUTE THOSE THAT ARE A THREAT TO OUR LIVES! BS! Mr. Boompi. Already forgot the time you had to pay your mortgage? Well bejesus Fing cripes! Does this city not have a provision for putting a lien on the property for back taxes like most governments!? This legalized theft would be impossible under a biblical government of, by, and for God established upon His unchanging moral law, including His property statutes. This is instead a direct consequence of Amendment 5: The Fifth Amendment concludes with the provisions that no one shall be deprived of property without due process of law and private property [shall not] be taken for public use without just compensation. Because this provision allows the government to legally steal private citizens lands, these assurances are a cover for theft. Because of Amendment 5s promise of just compensation, most people do not even think to ask whose due process of law is going to be employed and whether the governments confiscation of private lands for public use is ethical or whether governments should own property at all For more, see online Chapter 14 Amendment 5: Constitutional vs. Biblical Judicial Protection of Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective. Click on my name, then our website. Go to our Online Books page, click on the top entry, and scroll down to Chapter 14. Then find out how much you REALLY know about the Constitution as The US has separation of church and state as a matter of law. Be grateful. What if the dominating religion was Islam, and we were all subjected to Sharia Law? Yeah, I bet the Sukeforths are real thankful. Furthermore, separation of religion from government is a impossibility. All legislation represents someones morality (or, more often than not, immorality) and their morality represents their god and their religion. Also, had the 18th-century founders not replaced the First Commandment with the First Amendment there wouldnt be any Muslims in America to contend with. CLUE: There were no openly practicing Muslims, no Mosques, no Sharia, and no Islamic Religious Freedom and Christian Liberty are not the same thing. They are, in fact, When the 18th-century founders replaced the First Commandment (found intact in some Its one thing to allow for individual freedom of conscience and private choice of gods, something impossible to legislate for or against. Its another matter altogether for government to enable any and all religions to proliferate through the land and evangelize [Y]e shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves. For thou shall worship no other god: for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou go a whoring after their gods. (Exodus 34:13-15). For more, see blog article National Religious Freedom Day aka Celebrating the Founders Violation of the First Commandment. Click on my name, then our website. Go to our Blog and search on title. Your current president is working hard on it to make US Islamic. May your God bless America and its people. You are gonna need it and stop sleepwalking. Thanks, like a significant minority in the US, I am very much aware of the problem and the duplicity and fraud of President Obama and his Muslim administration. The numbers are actually far larger than you mention. 90% of the problems in the US today are due to the heinous refugee, illegals and immigrant issues which have occurred over the past 8 years. In part the fast food industry and meat processing industry would prefer to work with migrants and illegals, so they are behind the Latinex problem. Obama is a Muslim and he is not an American born individual. He is a Communist looking to destroy the US and establish Sharia law, especially for homosexuals and LGBT individuals. While I have no problem with homosexuals and other trans gender individuals, the problem is that Obama hates straights. I am not sleep walking. If you dont have $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ then you are useless to anyone that has the job of collecting it. Time to SHOOT THE TAX COLLECTORS..JOB DONE! For your information, IRS is a private company. What is taxation? What is paying for services rendered? Taxation is an extension of the scarcity economy. Taxation is at the core of the slave economy. Hordes of simple minded little bureaucrats are conscripted into a ruthless, well designed system to make sure each and every slave is relieved of the remainder of their finances. Taxation is a ruthless parasitic operation enforced through a militaristic system. Paying for services rendered?..I will pay for the services I want. Security, education, health, etc. TAX REVOLT TIME!! When you buy your home/property, you pay taxes on it. Its unconstitutional to be forced to pay taxes every year until you die. In my county in Ohio you get a homestead exemption on your home or real estate if you are over 65. You get a $20,000 exemption for real estate taxes. Why doesnt that county in Maine do the same for old folks? Makes no sense that they dont do this. Because they didnt care until they got bad press. TAXATION IS THEFT, NOT the tired EXCUSE of paying our fair shareFAIR SHARE OF WHAT?? HOW IS IT LEGAL TO FORCE TAX DEBT WITHOUT A VOTE BY THE PEOPLE? WHEWN DID EVERY DAMN THING IN THIS NATION FALL TO BEING ABOUT THE DAMN TAX? WHO gets to determine what MY FAIR SHARE IS, and WHY?? EXECUTE THESE TRAITORS BEFORE WE ARE ALL TURNED INTO SLAVES TO THE GOD DAMNED STATE!! INVADE OUR HOMES WITH INTENT TO TAKE WHAT IS OURSYOU WILL GET SHOT!! EMPLOYEES HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHTSNO POWER, and are PROPERTY of the people that pay your salariesYOU ARE NOT EVEN PROTECTED AS A CITIZENEMPLOYEES ARE NON-LIVING BEINGS! NO MORE BOWING DOWN TO TYRANTS WITH TITLESELIMINATE THEM! IRS is a privat company. They have IMO no rights to take moneys from the people. This is just sickening. Here in Vancouver, BC, many Elderly People have had to sell their Homes because they are on fixed income and their property assessments have gone through the roof. Somebody that paid, say $30,000 in the Fifties or early Sixties, now have their property assessed at a Million $$$ or more. They are are considered Millionaires, I guess. This is due to the incredible building that is going on, much of it Asian (mostly Chinese) investments. They have to sell or go under and another Home gets levelled. They cant pass it on to their Children. They have to move into an Apartment or something. A subtle way to grab Property and I loathe it. Johnny, it is all Agenda 21 and lately it got a subproject called Agenda 2030. The Banksters are in a hurry. They want the globe with all on and in it, ASAP. By the way, Happy New Year and take care of your health if you are living near The Pacific Ocean. Thank you very much and back atchya! Yes I do live in Vancouver BC, but I dont think Ill be eating much Seafood from the Pacific. It doesnt matter. Im 62 yrs young and am still roofing so Im up on da roof when I work. I dont work in the rain, so maybe I havent inhaled too much Radioactive particulates. Its just as dangerous Inland, we in North America are all getting the gift from Fukushima. I dont know how much Hope I have left for this World run by Psychopathic Criminals and demented Satan/Lucifarian Worshipers, but if Trump and Putin get together, maybe we can defeat or stall whatever the basturds have in mind. I noticed Obama used the Yes we can thingy in his last, pathetic speech. I now realize that is his way of saying Thank you Satan, which is what comes out in reverse speech with this guy. THIS IS WAR!!!! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c583ce404f2a141d8644c18c47af6663b387a95394b699dfa01d8026afa8accd.jpg Since I am a Conspiracy Theorist, and now that fake news is so popular, I am adding my own crap into the pile. Proof that Donald Trump is actually White Soul Singer, Wayne Cochrane. Spread it around, heh-heh! Cheers! The government can take private property only by eminent domain but must pay full price. Sir, you are a very wise, disciplined and very free person. 