  
|
2012: Mitt Romney to Bulldoze His 3,009-Square-Foot
Beachfront House in La Jolla, CA
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
|
|
In 1948, Cary Grant starred in the comedy film, "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House." Vivian Lee, Melvyn Douglas, and Myrna Loy also starred in this 93-minute film.
If you recall the plot, Jim Blandings (Cary Grant), a bright account executive in the advertising business, lives with his wife, Muriel (Myrna Loy) and two daughters in a "eng" (cramped/crowded) New York apartment. After rejecting the idea of of remodeling their apartment ("dire"), Jim Blandings buys a dilapidated 200-year-old farmhouse in [fictional] Lansdale County, CT. The real estate ("grunteygns") agent used them to unload "the old Hackett Place." So, Blandings purchases the property and paid 5 times more than it's worth. His friend/lawyer chastises him for following his heart ("harts") rather than his head ("kop").
It's Murphy's Law--everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. The house is structurally unsound and has to be torn down.
The Blandings hire "arkhitekt" (architect) Simms (Reginald Denny) to design and supervise the construction. From day one, troubles beset the Blandings. Jim wonders why he wanted to live in the country.
As the film ends, we realize that some things "you do buy with your heart."
The film is timeless and will no doubt be popular for all time. The question: How can a father who earns $15,000 a year, support a wife and two daughters in the manner demonstrated in the film...and still pay income taxes?
"The fellow that owns his own home is always just coming out of a hardware store." Kin Hubbard
F-a-s-t forward to 2012. Jay Leno said, "Mitt Romney says he understands the middle class and that he knows it's not easy keeping a roof over your family's heads--as well as vacation roofs in San Diego, New Hampshire and Park City, Utah." Leno forgot to mention the fact that Romney is looking to quadruple the size of his $12 million California home in La Jolla, CA. The mansion, according to Romney, is "inadequate for his needs."
The GOP presidential "kandidat" (candidate) has filed an application with the San Diego govt. to bulldoze the 3,009-square-foot beachfront house in La Jolla and replace it with a 11,062-square-foot property. According to campaign officials, "they want to enlarge their two-bedroom home because with five married sons, and 16 grandchildren, it is inadequate for their needs." Romney bought the La Jolla property three years ago. He "wanted to be able to hear the waves."
Although Romney has refused to show us his income tax forms, he is said to be worth as much as $250 million. He is by far the wealthiest of the Republican presidential candidates.
Mr. Romney, when building your dream home in La Jolla, remember these 7 words:: Your Home Doesn't Come With A Lifeguard." Watch those grandchildren in "der yam" (the ocean).
------------------------------------------
Marjorie agrees with Angela Wood (Judaism for Today): "If you know you're going home, the journey is never too hard."
Marjorie's two favorite stories about children, homes and apartments are shown below. The first deals with a family with 5 small children and comes from Julia Sullivan of Blacksburg, VA: (Reader's Digest, Life in These United States Copyright 1996)
"Moving our family, including five small children, into a new suburban home was quite an experience. One morning I was unable to find my five-year-old's school pants amng the packing crates, so I finally sent him off in his good pants, with his promise to be careful.
Later, expecting him home from school, I heard a noise on the front stoop. I was busy feeding the baby, so I called down, 'Come on in, honey, and take your pants off.'
There was a clattering on the front porch,
and when my son did not come in after a few minutes, I went down to see where he was. Instead of my five-year-old son, I found the mail scattered all over the stoop."
---------------------------------------------
Mr. Baum was showing his friend Kipnis
through his new apartment, and Kipnis,
greatly impressed, was clucking and
marveling in the most de rigueur fashion.
"But you've seen nothing yet!" said Baum. "You should see how my aydem (son-in-law) lives! Come!"
He hurried Kipnis up the stairs, to an apartment on the floor above, and flung the door open.
"Ai-ai-ai-ai!" exclaimed Kipnis. "It's beautiful! It's magnificent! A palace...and for such a young man.....Tell me, what does your aydem do?"
"Four A's and a B-plus!" said proud Baum.
Source: "The Joys of Yiddish" by Leo
Rosten, Copyright 1968.
---------------------------------------------
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
| N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z |
| Yiddish
Stuff Jewish Humor Schmooze News More Majorie Wolfe |
Principle Jewish Stories All Things Jewish Jewish Communities of the World |