Who Caused The Current Eviction Crisis In Postville? Evictions Loom, Part 2

Details:

I spoke Friday afternoon with people closely involved in Postville rental housing, including Trevor Siebert, who owns his own properties and now manages properties for Nevel and Ron Wahls – about 160 to 180 units in total – along with another landlord and a senior state official..

Briefly, here is the chronology that leads up to where Postville finds itself today:

1. In the aftermath of the Agriprocessors bankruptcy and closure, the state gave Postville a $698,000 aid package. The money was slated for use primarily for rental and energy assistance.

2. Each individual renter or household had to be approved for the aid.

3. The rent and other assistance, if approved, would then be paid to the landlord or utility – but those first payments would come 4 to 6 weeks after the initial application and screening of each individual renter.

4. In return, landlords agreed to stop evictions and, in some cases, even took in new non-paying tenants at the request of Northeast Iowa Community Action, with the program's initial screening and approval letter as collateral for rent.

5. However, one landlord appeared to be trying to price-gouge. This caused the state and related agencies to reassess aid.

6. That reassessment led to a change in the rental assistance program. Rather than paying close to market rates for rentals, the program would now pay Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rates. In many cases, this means landlords would be getting 1/3 less than promised a month ago when they accepted renters under that aid and called off evictions.

7. This caused landlords – primarily Trevor Siebert, Nevel and Ron Wahls – to pull out of the program entirely.

8. I'm told by multiple sources that local banks, including Citizens and Freedom, that are the mortgage holders for many of these properties, urged landlords to pull out of the program and close up their properties. Why? Because the cost of keeping them open is not that much different than closing them up – especially when damage to units caused by non-paying tenants is taken into account.

9. Another factor that pushed landlords and the banks to walk out of the rent assistance program is the lag time between a tenant's "acceptance" into the program and the actual funds reaching the landlord. If a tenant is "accepted" into the program, he can still be dropped later, before the first money has reached the landlord. This means a landlord can find himself with an "accepted" tenant, find out 4 weeks later that that "acceptance" has been revoked because the tenant was just called back to work or the assessment criteria changed, and be left with a tenant who still has no money and cannot yet pay rent.

10. If that tenant stays in the unit and if the job at Agriprocessors continues, that tenant may have enough money to begin paying rent a month or more down the line. That means the renter will be at least two months behind after paying one month's rent – and that doesn't take into account what he owed from before that.

11. Landlords fear many of these renters, stuck in that situation, will move out in the middle of the night and move into another landlord's unit – leaving the original landlord without any money he is owed.

12. The landlords (and, in effect, the banks) agreed to accept rental assistance in leu of evicting delinquent tenants. That agreement called for a specific amount of money per unit.

13. After those agreements were made, the state unilaterally reduced that amount of money, cutting it by as much as 1/3. And now the state is surprised by the evictions that again loom over Postville.

Before going further, we need to look at actual costs for the landlords.

(For the purposes of this post, we are not discussing the so-called "dormitory style housing," in which workers paid more than $200 per month for a mattress on the floor in a small unkept house shared with 7 to 10 other "dormitory-style" renters. There is no question that arrangement was overpriced and exploitative.)

1. Much of Postville's rental stock is overpriced.

2. Some of that overpricing comes from competition between landlords, primarily GAL and Nevel, in acquiring new properties.

3. Bidding wars between GAL and Nevel – usually, it seems, instigated by Nevel and its owner, Rabbi Sholom M. Rubashkin – drove up the price of units as did the housing bubble.

4. Other landlords faced higher prices when acquiring new units, even if those landlords did not participate in bidding wars.

5. More expensive units have higher mortgages.

6. Higher mortgages mean higher rents.

7. Landlords often have a mix of properties, some they have owned for a longer period of time than others. In the same way, they have a mix of mortgages, some higher than others.

8. Two seemingly identical homes on seemingly identical blocks owned and leased out by the same landlord can have very different mortgage costs, one having a monthly payment in the $450 range and the other in the $650 range.

9. Landlords also must carry and pay for insurance on each property, and pay property and other taxes.

10. Landlords also (at lest in theory) need to maintain their units.

Faced with the problem of at least one price-gouging landlord, the state should have looked at each unit's mortgage, taxes and insurance, added a fixed amount for property management over that, and set each unit's reimbursement rate.

Instead, the state reneged on its original promises and tried to get landlords to take HUD rates, 1/3 less than what landlords originally were promised.

What the state did was impose a one-size-fits-all solution to a XXXL problem – the solution looks good on paper, but it just doesn't fit in real life.

As a result, Trevor Siebert told me he and the property owners he manages properties for "have no interest" in participating in the state's aid program.

Siebert has at least one eviction scheduled for Monday, and there may be more in the near future.

GAL Investments has 3 evictions scheduled each day next week, starting Monday the 29th, with more to come in the near future.

So, faced with looming evictions known to it on December 22, what did the City of Postville (the mayor and the city administrator) do?

Not much, other than allegedly make an offer to GAL Investments: keep the tenants in their homes and the city will cut off water. That way, the mayor allegedly said, GAL would not have to pay water bills incurred by nonpaying tenants.

And what about the government-sponsored relief center operating out of Turner Hall?

1. Iowa Legal Aid tried to stop the evictions. It failed.

2. Iowa's Department of Economic Development was asked for help. It had none to provide.

3. The coordinator of efforts at Turner Hall was unable to do much of anything. Why? It seems anything she wants to do has to be first approved by the county and the city.

Friday afternoon I called Ralph Rosenberg, the state's point man for Postville and told him about the looming evictions. Rosenberg was aware that a landlord had been accused of price-gouging, and thought state and other agencies were responding to that.

Did he know evictions were starting Monday morning? No.

Rosenberg quickly hung up the phone to try to stop the evictions. (As of early this evening, it seems he has not been successful.)

After hanging up with Rosenberg, I called Jeff Abbas at Postville Radio – the man who more than any other person held Postville together during the recent crisis and whose all-volunteer team arranged housing and food for hundreds devastated by Agriprocessors' collapse.

Jeff I and spoken earlier in the week about the pending evictions. I called him to update him.

We spent a few minutes looking at the numbers: 40 to 50 homeless people by the end of this coming week, with the potential for hundreds more by late January.

We spoke about shelter options and daily hot food for those evicted, and made tentative plans. (Unfortunately, Jeff and a few close volunteers bear the brunt of all this. I'm not in or geographically close to Postville.)

Right now, Postville has plenty of food. What it needs is money – money to do in some form what government cannot seem to do in any.

You can send checks to either of the following:

Agri Workers Relief Fund
(at Citizen’s Bank, Postville)
c/o St. Paul Lutheran Church
116 E. Military Road
Postville, Iowa 52162

St. Bridget’s Hispanic Ministry
P.O. Box 369
Postville, Iowa 52162

The worker's relief fund will be the most germane to this current crisis.

St. Bridget's is still caring for many illegal workers who are in legal limbo, waiting to testify at the Agriprocessors trials.

So, which landlord is suspected of price-gouging and of precipitating the current crisis?

Multiple sources tell me that landlord is GAL Investments.

Previous Post.

Comments

[Curious Postville Native]

I firmly believe everything that needed to be done-has been done. Greed CAN NOT be rewarded. The only avenue I will encourage, is for people to follow the example of the Palauan people who have found a new source of income--elsewhere. Unfortunately, the truth is, this community will never heal with this magnitude of neediness looming over our head.

[justice seeker]

Landlords can't withstand mortgage payments without renters, so "closing them up is senseless". The advice of the bank is non-sensical, delinquent loans on rental units will quickly be classified as non-performing assets and foreclosure will follow. It wouldn't suprise me if these landlords were already in default. After all there don't seem to be to many upstanding business men involved in this mess. Once "evicted" who will rent the units...no one...the banks will not and cannot give the landlords mortgage forgiveness until Agriprocessors gets back on its feet...maybe...someday...The eviction deal is another scam on behalf of the landlords to try and squeeze exorbitant rents out of the taxpayers using the ex-agri workers as pawns. As a tax payer of Iowa, if we are going to give them rental assistance we ought to do it in another location and let these landlords sink in their own greed and stink. Normally your reporting is good, but they conned you on this one.

[Shmarya]

The advice of the bank is non-sensical

No, it is not.

If I take the program's money, I'm short about $350 per month, PLUS any damage done by the tenant. And I have to keep that tenant in the unit for perhaps two more months, meaning I lose that each of those two months.

I may be better off not renting the unit, tuning the heat way down, shutting off the water and waiting for either a better deal from the state or a new tenant.

[Shmarya]

Again, if the mortgage is $625, and the state says the rent is only $425, the state forces me to lose $200, plus insurance, etc.

It means the state is making me subsidize the state's "aid."

[Curious Postville Native]

[We spoke about shelter options and daily hot food for those evicted, and made tentative plans. (Unfortunately, Jeff and a few close volunteers bear the brunt of all this. I'm not in or geographically close to Postville.)]

Shmarya or Jeff:

OM_,

Are you talking about this time . . .or last time?

[Shmarya]

Are you talking about this time . . .or last time?

Both.

would they be evicting tenants who have children in school, bringing in ? thousand in funding each to the school district? I feel bad that more replacement workers since May 12th did not take the offer to work in Marshalltown, Long Prairie or elsewhere. Don't know if some did not have the funds to relocate. Yes it might be a lot longer wait to get their missed weeks of pay but they would have gotten a much more secure job. After all the math work making months of donations to Postville, (checking account would have cleared by $20 one time if all checks had been cashed), I'm really sick of how people in positions of power treat ones who are vulnerable.

[FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican]

Wow! This sounds like a lot of stories my barber tells me about his father's days as a slumlord in Brooklyn. I'm surprised he hasn't cut my ear off yet when I would laugh at his stories about the dealings between the slumlords and the NYC Welfare Department.

But this is not a laughing matter. Its cold in Iowa in December. The NYC Welfare Dept. usually paid over market rate because only certain landlords in the Welfare Industry would put up with all the paperwork, third party payers, and slow payments. Now, the people running this housing program in Postville have a already-funded grant to administer. Either they have proof positive they are being price gouged, or they have nails in their head. Do they know that no "agri-landlord" can make money on the HUD rate? Did they liberately pick that number to start a rumble and to have CBS News come to town to photograph people freezing in the snow?

I read a lot of previous blog entries here, and, from that, believe GAL is in financial trouble. What some may say is price gouging may be the bare minimum GAL needs to forestall foreclosure. The devil is in the numbers.

So, everyone is between a rock and a hard place. The banks. The landlords. The grant administrators. The tenants.

Assume a tornado wiped out all of the agri-landlords' units. What other options are there for the grant administrators to house people?

[Curious Postville Native]

I inquired at mass today, at St. Bridget's, as to whether those awaiting trial were among the renters who are subject to being evicted. They are not.

The Catholic Church is in tending to their needs (rental agreements).

It is time for the unemployed to move on, secure stable employment and, ultimately, settle into decent housing accommodations.

[neighbor girl]

Does Ron Wahls still own the apartments east of Postville? I thought he sold them to Nevel.

If I donate money to one of the funds you listed, won't it go into the pockets of GAL or Nevel?

Is Nevel part of the Agriprocessors bankruptcy?

[Shmarya]

f I donate money to one of the funds you listed, won't it go into the pockets of GAL or Nevel?

Yup. You're right. I'll bet GAL or Nevel might get rental income.

It's better to let tenants be evicted and freeze on the streets. [end sarcasm]

[state of disgust]

Shmarya said...
"Again, if the mortgage is $625, and the state says the rent is only $425, the state forces me to lose $200, plus insurance, etc."

As with mortgages in other parts of the country it is time for landlords in Postville to renegotiate their credit arrangements with those banks holding notes. Banks will have to take less in profit and longer payback periods in order to guarantee their clients will stay in business and not default. Who do they think will buy these properites and at what price?Bank failure to renogotiate mortgages would seem to show a lack of civic responsiblity and failure to act as good corporate citizens. This could be cause for revocation of the banks charter.
If there are no consequences for people's actions (greed), do not expect a change in behavior.

reading this article posted reminded me of the Minneapolis Sunday front page news article headed "There's something bad about this town.". Hopefully JBS (Swift) and others are still hiring, although the chance to be given a week's stay in a hotel and $500 to help with rental unit deposit, costs may not come again.

[GAL investment]

"So, which landlord is suspected of price-gouging and of precipitating the current crisis?

Multiple sources tell me that landlord is GAL Investments."

WE in Gal investment will open any of our leases to any one that want to see it

for the 101 time our rent are
$475 for 2 bed apt
$575 for 3 bed apt
the most we ask for rent is $775 for 4 bedroom house
any one know better post a lease and please let us all see that what I am telling you is not the right rent amount

[Just a Goy]

I'm sorry GAL, I can't by your excuses. You bilked the government and your tenants... The truth be told, when you face the courts. You, of all people, will have your day.

The emergency aide was set and established. To have the audacity demand more from tenants is/was inexcusable. It was you who brought the house of cards down upon yourself. STOP defending the indefensible.

You want to come clean...?

Post ALL NOTARIZED, to Shmarya/FM:

1.) All Leases

2.) All head counts, per-property, per-day.

3.) All income, per-property, per-day.

4.) All expenses, per-property, per-day.

5.) All your accounting (your books - the real ones, not the cooked).

6.) Are you denying you rented per-person, not per-house?

7.) Do you deny you charged more than the fair market value?

8.) Do you deny you had employees check's garnished via Rubashkin AND the court assigned trustee, Sarachek?

9.) Did you charge more or less for Jews v Gentiles?

10.) Did you take seconds' out on property to aquire more?

11.) Did you over-leverage yourself and passed on the expenses to your tenants?

12.) Did you take water/utility deposits per-unit and/or per-tenant (be very specific) and NOT pay utilities.

13.) Did you or did you NOT fail to maintain properties in a nominal manner?

14.) Did tenants have to maintain their own properties, even when damage was evident prior to acquisition?

Waiting for your response...

[GAL investment]

TO:Just a Goy

you are welcome to come to my office and i will give you all the info that you ask for

on one condition thet you post what you find

when are you coming ?

[GAL investment]

TO:Just a Goy

what ? you are not coming ?

[Just a Goy]

GAL Investment,

I do appreciate your offer. Understand, this isn't a which hunt, only a fact finding mission...

Please stand by for a response... I must coordinate these actions.

I do appreciate your offer and apparent sincerity...

[GAL investment]

thank you for your respond
but for you to know it my not be a which hunt
but it sure feels like one

I will be a happy man if someone will come and look at GAL company and get the truth to the people

please come

[Just a Goy]

GAL Investments,

After much postulating...

My physical location is considerable from yours. It wouldn't be reasonable for me to travel such a distance, at this time, nor do I present myself as an accountant. It would take a professional many hours to come to a conclusive conclusion, based on materials available/presented.

I still have questions...

I would ask of you to make the same offer you have extended to me, to the State of Iowa, and Federal authorities.

Perhaps then you could receive reasonable compensation for your mortgages - actual costs, in respect to emergency funding.

Would you be willing to extend the offer as recommended?

[Just a Goy]

BTW: I misspelled 'witch,' which can be used as a noun - depicting a female (no disrespect intended) thought to have magic powers, or verb - to cast upon a spell, or being evil.

'Which' is an interrogative pronoun & adjective - asking for information, or a relative pronoun or adjective - when used to reefer to something previously mentioned, when introducing a clause, providing further information.

My apologies...

[GAL investment]

if you have any one you trust i will pay for is time send him in

[Just a Goy]

GAL Investments,

I believe you to be earnest in vindicating yourself.

I also understand you've lost considerable funds in the last 7 months (perhaps longer) due to the Agri/Rubashkin debacle...

Please, allow me sometime to look into options and check with my peers...

Most Sincerely - שלום־עליכם,

JAG

[Concerned for the Postville area..]

I still do not understand why the government is helping a landlord?? Can anyone please tell me this?? I was under the impression this money was to go to displaced workers with no money coming in. While is a greedy landlord(s) get any piece of this pot?? $445 to $775 is a REDICULOUS AMOUNT OF RENT for Postville in the 1st place. I don't believe Decorah even charges these prices!! Look at the difference in income and establishments offered at both these places. I have NO sympathy for landlords who bought all of these rentals at prices obviously they couldn't afford and neither should anyone else. BAD MANAGEMENT!! Shed your tears somewhere else because nobody cares!! If they are getting any money it's a dirty shame!! No one is making up my difference I lost in my 401K this year! If I make too many purchases and can't pay for them, well I loose them and so should they. Most of these rental properties should be bulldozed down or they should be paying occupants just to stay in the termite infested dumps so the pipes don't freeze!!

[neighbor girl]

KWWL-TV from Waterloo, Iowa, had a piece on the 5 o'clock news showing a group of Postville protestors in front of the Dubuque Jail. They were protesting discrimination against Jewish defendants shown by the courts.

This is a good ploy to divert the attention of the real issues of all the legitimate charges filed against workers and management. This has nothing to do with discrimination against Jewish defendents, but it makes good publicity. People of all cultures need to fess up to their crimes and take responsibility instead of blaming religion. Wouldn't our legal system be a farce if every criminal played this hand of cards! It makes me sick!! Nobody is above the law no matter what your religion!

[FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican]

Thanks neighbor girl.
KWWL-TV now has the video of the protest report posted on its web site (don't know how long it will left up). You have to go to their Video Page,
http://www.kwwl.com/Global/category.asp?C=130142&nav=menu82_6
then look for a video that reads Dubuque Protestors 1 minute 50 seconds. Click on the link for a commercial, then the video. It may scroll further down in coming days.

[nachos]

JAG:

I hate to have to come to Gal's defense here, but if the rents he posted are accurate, then they are reasonable. In addition, some of the questions that you asked are really nobody's business in the scheme of things.

Now Gal has thrown down the gauntlet and maybe somebody should take him up on his offer. If he is sincere, then we need to back off, if he isn't then his own words will hang him.

Please don't attack me for coming to his defense. I am definitely someone that can't be accused of defending the situation in Postville.

[xxx]

Give me a break. I have recently heard that one house in Postville was rented to Palau citizens for 12 hours/day - yes they had to share their mattress with someone else for half the day. And that was for $100/week! Don't kid yourself, they don't rent by the month but by the mattress. And at $375/month for 12 or so people in a house - you can figure that yourself. I don't feel sorry for the landlords AT ALL. This has to come to an end - PEOPLE - JUST MOVE ON! We can't support you forever! But why should you move on - Postville is the only place in the US dumb enough to keep it up for 7 months.

[FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican]

The Welfare Department arrangements I am aware of has the agency paying the entire amount of the rent for the tenant to the landlord. The tenant is not required to put up any money. That would be classified as a rent subsidy.

If a Welfare Department paid a landlord directly to house a tenant, and the landlord went to the tenant for a supplement, its lawsuit time.

[Concerned for the Postville area..]

xxx
If what you say is true, and I believe you, that is totally SICK!!!!

[Just a Goy]

Nachos,

You're just adding reality to the equation... I actually don't know what to think at this point... but your posturing and defense of GAL Investments is appropriate, at this juncture - there are no winners insight, anywhere.

My question, were the houses rented as units or per-tenant? My understanding, rentals, in many aspects, were primarily based on per-tenant occupancy.

Now, as we can see, mentioned above (xxx), there's the assertion they've been 'hot bedding' tenants (12&12), in some cases, doubling the rental's capacity and income.

If GAL Investments did rent, in earnest, and did not exceed what he has stated, it's in line with the local market, AND he is entitled to make a fair and reasonable profit. But what if GAL Investments subcontracted via Agri/Rubashkin or some other go between...? Where does responsibility end...?

I'm looking at varying aspects, here...

My understanding, there are/were three or more competing property management companies who offered rentals... Agri/Rubashkin was clearly a participant and gained monetarily through these transactions/processes/procedures, in some way, shape or form.

I'm clearly reading differing accounts, and truly concerned with Agri/Rubashkin complicity, as well as others.

The deeper we dig, the more we find.

I agree these people should move on, BUT there are mitigating circumstances here; some are employed, some are not allowed to depart as the FEDs and local authorities are investigating them, and others just don't have the means to move on...

Its a bloody mess...

[Gal investment ltd]

to: xxx and anyone else

you are all invited to come to my office come in please one of you come in .

on one condition that you post what you find.

"I have recently heard that one house in Postville was rented to Palau citizens for 12 hours/day - yes they had to share their mattress with someone else for half the day. And that was for $100/week! Don't kid yourself, they don't rent by the month but by the mattress"

WHERE IS THIS HOUSE GIVE ME AN ADDRESS I IMPLORE YOU LET ALL TO SEE THAT I AM POSTING FALSE INFO BECAUSE ONE OF US IS A LIAR AND IT IS NOT ME
SO AGAIN I IMPLORE YOU GIVE ME AN ADDRESS OR BE A MEN AND SAY THE TRUTH IT WILL SET YOU FREE

WE AT GAL INVESTMENT ARE PROUD OF OUR RENTAL UNIT OF OUR PRICES AND OUR SERVICE

WE STARTED IN POSTVILLE AGAINST BIG BOYS NEVEL SMALL GAY AGAINST BIG AGRI AND WE DID IT ("2. Some of that overpricing comes from competition between landlords, primarily GAL and Nevel, in acquiring new properties. 3. Bidding wars between GAL and Nevel – usually, it seems, instigated by Nevel.") WE BUILD A BUSINESS against all possibilities AND WE ARE NOT ashamed DOING SO

GO BACK AND LOOK WAY YOU DON'T LIKE US IS IT JEALOUSY ? IF IT IS JEALOUSY CANT HELP YOU
IF IT IS NOT THEN GIVE ME proof, confirmation, evidence NOT STORIES NOT STORIES AND I WILL FACE IT ONE BY ONE COME ON XXX COME ON YOU OR ANYBODY ELSE FOR THAT METTER I AM tired OF LEIS GIVE ME SOME REAL FACTS OR STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING THERE IS A G-D AND HE SEE WHAT WE RE ALL DOING ,IF YOU ARE NOT CORRECT THING WAHT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME AND MY COMPANY ?

THANK YOU GAL INVESTMENT

[nachos]

Hey Gal!

Remember, I defended you!!! Does this mean you will invite me over for some cholent? lol

[nachos]

Hey Gal,

Remeber, I defended you!!! Does this mean that I get invited over fopr some cholent? lol!!

[nachos]

JAG:

This is definitely a mess!! I don't know what the solution is. In the end, you will just have to accept that G-d is in control and the innocent will be judged not guilty and the guilty will fry.

As far as XXX, I do agree with him that it is time for the people that are not bound to Postville because of legal entaglements to leave.

For those that do not have to stay for legal reasons, it is time for them to move on before the town develops compassion fatigue.

The distant promise of a job sometime in the future is not a reason to stay.

Agri may have done some bad stuff, but they also did some good stuff.
( I know I will get flamed for that statement.)

[nachos]

P.S. For the amount of legal bills that are currently being wrung up, I think it would have been cheaper to hire the UAW to cut and package the meat. At $80 an hour, it would have still been cheaper per worker!!!

[State of Postville 2]

nachos -

There has been a prevailing attitude exhibited by Agri through this whole fiasco - they would rather spend exorbitant amounts of money defending their position than admit they were wrong or broke the law.

Another question: why is the Jewish community here bending over backwards to do everything they can to show support for Sholom while completely ignoring the troubles being suffered by Gabay and GAL investments? Isn't he a prominent Jewish businessman, too?

One of the things that would make this plant attractive to a buyer is a stable work force. We damned sure don't have that now. Perhaps the Jewish community under the leadership of Tamar Dickel should be rallying to help Gabay, in turn helping the community keep a stable work force available for the plant and its new owners.

[nachos]

State of Postville 2:

I agree with you on all counts. The arrogance just kills me!

[State of Postville III]

Where were these people and their religious beliefs when the Agri workers were being clearly abused. The Jewish workers knew it was happening and did nothing about it. This posturing that the Jews are being discriminated against is clearly a ploy to gain their way. Postville natives know how this works. GAL may be just a businessman trying to do business legally etc., but the bottum line is he did NOT HAVE to overspend and try to own every house in town. The evicted people are not required to live in Postville there are other towns 10 or 8 miles away. The illegals all drive without licences and insurance for years. Take the difference in rent and buy a car. Parkersburg the town hit by a devastating tornado brought food, clothes etc. to help. People have to decide their future and get on with it. GAL's financial advisor certainly didn't do his job when he didn't put the brakes on his buying houses. He out bid everyone including people who wanted to become part of the Postville community. Sorry Charlie enough sob stories.

[State of Postville 2]

SOP III -

Do you think maybe Gabay's financial advisor(s) might have been the local bankers?

And how do you think they reacted when they saw (potentially) millions of dollars coming their way through home loans on the inflated prices Sholom and Gabay were creating for themselves?

One would have to believe our local lenders were "laughing all the way to the bank."

[Concerned for the Postville area..]

State of Postville III,
I thank you for your insight. You have written the truth and everyone within distance knows this. I wish the rest of the world knew the truth as we have seen it unfolding for years.

[GAL investment]

"Hey Gal!

Remember, I defended you!!! Does this mean you will invite me over for some cholent? lol"

when are you coming

[nachos]

Dear Gal:

Thank you for your invitation. You actually do know me as a casual visitor to Shul. Unfortunately, I can't accept because I think my visiting priviledges have been revoked!!

Can I meet you in a clandestine place for a plate of cholent? lol

[Yochanan Lavie]

Gal: I live on the east coast. Can you Fed-Ex me my chulent?