Bloggers come to aid of World War II and Korean War vet

This story could either end in tragedy or a final triumph for an 84-year-old Army engineer who is facing eviction from his home and can’t get a whole lot of help from Freddie Mac and other lenders.

I don’t have a lot to add to what has been good coverage by Guardian of Valor and the Riverfront Times, or even the tip I received from The Vail Spot. But it is heartwarming to see that, as of this writing, the couple and their disabled daughter have been the beneficiary of well over $4,000 in contributions from common folks who cared about a stranger’s plight.

And it’s interesting to see what gets Freddie Mac to jump and ask “how high”:

“The banks really don’t respond to homeowners themselves, but they do respond to bad publicity,”  (homeowner advocate Zach) Chasnoff said.

So here’s how it works: one blogger takes up a cause, others see it and join in, and soon a good deed is performed. It looks like the Scotts will be able to save their home for at least a little longer. This is even true when the blogger who alerted me himself has suffered through a financial strain – despite his own setbacks, he’s willing to work and set things right for others.

It also points out the fact that a non-governmental safety net is possible – notice that Freddie Mac wasn’t even returning calls and bought the house at its own auction (presumably it’s a fairly well-kept home, judging by the picture.) Until his cerebral hemorrhage in 2007, now-disabled veteran Bob Scott owned a furniture store. Must have been one of the one percent, right?

We don’t need the government to perform charity and redistribute wealth, as they did to bail out these banks. People can do just fine if left to their devices.