Character Assassination? More Like the Slow Death of Character by Slovenliness and Greed

In an oddly related way to my last post, I have to ask: what the hell is the matter with people? Do they have no sense of decency and responsibility?

We have been in our house for just over three months and have had a problem with most of the major systems. I have not-so-jokingly suggested that the previous owners simply moved from room to room as things broke down, then when too many things weren't working, they decided to sell the house.

And yes, we had a home inspection, but the sheer multitude of things needing attention (and the major distractions of the need to tent the house for termites, then tent and disassemble the kitchen for mold remediation) only point out to us how much we really, really, like this house to be able to grit our teeth, shrug, and move on in anctipation of the next minor disaster.

We would be livid rather than annoyed if the previous owners hadn't shown their one spark of humanity by getting a home warranty for the house. We've called the home warranty company so many times I'm sure they look at their caller ID and think, "oh god, it's the Mellons again."

We didn't have this much trouble with either of our previous (and both much older) homes. So is it a matter of those homes being built better, or being maintained better?

Perhaps it was our fault for making assumptions. First, assuming that people living in a house on the border of an upper middle class neighborhood would have been working to "keep up with the Joneses." Second, assuming that someone who worked in the real estate industry would actually appreciate the multiple values of owning a house. Finally, assuming that other people were interested in living in a home instead of a stepping stone to the next bigger box.

It comes down to this: Own Your Shit. If something breaks, fix it. If you don't use it and don't want to fix it, get rid of it. I have my own clutter to clean up and deal with. I don't need to pay for somebody else's lazy ass ways. And if all of this is just too much for you to deal with, then do the rest of us a favor: RENT until you're mature enough to handle the responsibility.

Do I sound angry? I am, and not just for my own, selfish reasons. There are many people out there busting their asses to live the American dream, provide for their families, buy a home. Then you have people who have the means to do all of this easily and take it all for granted. Disposable income apparently means everything's disposable: houses included. I'd love for those people to spend some time in the strugglers' shoes. Maybe then they'd better appreciate what they have.

Or maybe then we'd learn that power and money don't necessarily corrupt; poor moral charater does.