Travis County Tax Assessor and Collector Nelda Wells-Speers is a perfect example of doublespeak, lying and using semantics to shield the behavior she is engaged in. It is very sad that she passes the buck and tries to deny the fact that they take property and homes and engage in feudalistic behavior. And then she acts like she doesn t know what she is talking about when she uses many different terms like feudalism.
00:00:56.000You do not truly own it because you pay a yearly rent to the feudal masters.
00:01:01.000Then we'll get to a property auction approximately three and a half weeks after we did this interview with Neldawell Spears, where she passes the buck.
00:01:12.000They have auctions for lots, property, businesses, homes, you name it.
00:01:17.000On Channel 17 on Travis County Television, they show the homes that they foreclose on every year.
00:02:28.000How do you feel about making people support public schools where the test scores have dropped from number one 50 years ago to number 49th now with their property taxes?
00:03:38.000Ma'am, I'm not being sarcastic when I say this.
00:03:41.000Was Martin Luther King bad whenever he went and sat in at the lunch counters and was taken to jail and beaten because it was the law that black people couldn't use water fountains or go in and sit at lunch counters?
00:03:52.000Or what about when that one lady refused the law because she thought it was wrong and sat at the front of the bus?
00:04:36.000Stealing homes, but we do put a lien on everyone's house at the start of each year.
00:04:41.000Even before it's time to pay, they just have that threat there.
00:04:44.000They have that sheriff, that constable standing there at the ready, just like of old, just like in feudal Europe or feudal Japan or feudal China, feudal Russia.
00:07:10.000I'm sorry for trying to report the news.
00:07:14.000Pay close attention to this fellow from Parks and Recreation.
00:07:19.000We'll get to this just a little bit later.
00:07:22.000By virtue of a certain order of sale issued pursuant to a judgment by the District Court in Travis County, Texas and cause number 9208940 titled Travis County et al.
00:07:34.000and under the authority of Bruce Elfant Constable in Travis County Precinct 5 that did on June 28, 1998 at 10 a.m.
00:07:41.000levy upon the fine described property located in Travis County as the property of the judgment debtor Dena Sue Nelson Brewster et al.
00:07:48.000On said property is no no warranties expressed or implied.
00:07:51.000You buy a debtor's interest in the property as is.
00:07:54.000Bidders are further advised that the purchase of the debtor's interest in such property at this sale may not extinguish any liens or security interest on the property.
00:08:01.000You're only buying whatever interest, if any, the debtor has in the property.
00:08:05.000I know that that legalese doesn't sound very exciting, but what you have here is lots, and homes and businesses being auctioned off.
00:08:16.000In fact, the county will even send these out to you monthly if you want the listings.
00:09:10.000Now, pay close attention to that fella.
00:09:13.000Our cameraman, Mike, was busy getting interviews and talking to people during the bidding and filming the main person that was giving the bids from the Sheriff's Department.
00:09:24.000But that fellow right there from the Park Service, John Foreman, an eyewitness and one of our associates, saw him getting the bids up from the back of the crowd.
00:09:41.000Also bidding here against the property and he was armed and I don't know if that's permissible here in Travis County.
00:09:47.000I thought if you're on duty and you have a firearm, what are you doing down here bidding against citizens for the theft of these properties?
00:09:58.000You know, it just doesn't make any sense to me if a citizen is going to come down here and bid and try to get the lowest bid possible.
00:10:08.000They shouldn't have an officer of the county Bidding against him, especially if he's on duty.
00:10:13.000And we need to check into that and probably check over with the county commissioners to find out who's in charge of this and try to figure out whether or not that gentleman had any authority to bid up these properties.
00:10:27.000Like I said, maybe he was doing it as a private citizen.
00:10:30.000But if you're carrying a gun, to me, you're on duty.
00:10:34.000That was the park ranger, Mr. Nielsen.