Getting Evicted in Connecticut?

I have a friend in southwest Connecticut who is on the more unfortunate side of the eviction process. After a decade of renting a home his business has hit a rocky spot and he can’t pay his rent. Naturally, his landlord has initiated the “Summary Process,” which is what they call the eviction process in CT.

I have been on the other side of this equation, i.e. the person executing the eviction, so he called me to ask what to expect. Since I was sharing my insight with him, I decided to pen this piece to share with anyone who may be experiencing this.

The primary question every one has is: How much time do I have before I’m homeless?

The answer is: It depends.

If the landlord brings his best game, and you counter with your best, but fortune goes his way (responsive/non-lazy constable/marshal, no holidays, lucky court schedule) you could be on the street within 6 weeks of not paying your rent. More realistically, you will probably have 8 weeks in the residence after your failure to pay the rent (for example: Didn’t pay rent due on 1 January—you will likely be homeless by March).

The reason for the variability:

1. Every step runs on a timeline with minimum waiting periods. Holidays and Sundays do not count in some instances, so they may extend the time.
2. The enthusiasm and diligence of your landlord and/or his attorney can make a significant difference. How quickly do they transition from one step to the next? You will understand better as I explain the process.
3. The broken CT State Marshal system will be a bane of the landlord.
4. Luck-of-the-draw. The court will assign certain dates, such as a return date or trial date. These wait periods are not strictly defined. In some cases it may be 7 days. Other times it may be 12 days. You never know.

The Summary Process – Step 1 – Notice to Quit (NQT)

It usually starts when you have been chronically late in paying your rent. Eventually your landlord loses confidence and makes the decision to terminate the business relationship. To get the ball rolling in CT the landlord must wait until you are 10 days past-due in paying your rent. So if your rent is due on the 1^st of the month, and he doesn’t have it by the 10^th of the month, here is what you can expect on the 11^th of the month: Notice to Quit (NQT).

The NQT must be formally served to you by a CT state marshal or a local constable. It will be either the official CT form (JD-HM-7: Notice to Quit Possession), or it may be simply typed out on a sheet of paper with the required information. The required information includes:

1. A demand that you leave
2. A date by which you must vacate the property
3. A reason you are being told to leave
4. An explanation that if you do not leave, then an eviction process may commence
5. A copy for every adult living in the premises

Additionally, wise landlords will include a statement like this:

“Any and all funds received will be applied to Use and Occupancy.”

Here is what this means in plain English: You are being evicted, and nothing is changing that. This decision has been in the works for a long time, and now that I have made it, there is no turning back. You can go ahead and give me money, but that is not going to stop this train from rolling down the tracks to its destination. The money you give me will not be considered late rent; it will be used to compensate me, the landlord, while you occupy my property during this process.

Don’t be surprised if your landlord tries to convince you to pay him something (anything) while this progresses. It’s your choice to make, but just understand that your payment is going to change nothing. He can promise you on the phone that your paying will make him change his mind, and you will get to stay, but that’s not true. You are getting evicted.

Regarding the reason you are being told to leave, they must be legal. The two, most common reasons are:

1. Nonpayment of rent
2. Lapse of time

If you started out with a year-long lease that transitioned into a month-to-month after a few years, you should see both reasons. Lapse of Time will be included, because they don’t want you to have the opportunity, in court, to pay arrearages and extend your stay.

The process server will either deliver the NQT to you in person, or attach it to residence’s primary entrance. That is considered a proper service. The clock has now started ticking. Actually – the clock started ticking 11 days ago when your rent was due.

This is the first instance in which a lazy landlord will work to your benefit. The soonest he can serve you is on day 11, but I know of instances where a landlord or their lawyer are not Johnny-On-The-Spot, and the NQT is not served for many days or weeks after the statutorily mandated waiting period. Their loss = your gain. They don’t get those days back.

Also, the NQT must give you 3 full days to get out. So if you are served an NQT on Monday, 1 July, you must be leave by Friday, 5 July. The 3, full days are: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Realize that the court is not even involved at this point. They have no knowledge of what is happening. When the date arrives that you were told to quit (leave), and you haven’t left, then the landlord will get the court involved.

Step 2 – Summons and Complaint

So were told to leave by a certain date, and you didn’t. Now the landlord will get the court involved, and his expenses and required effort will grow from here. He will complete two forms: (1) Summons, and (2) Complaint.

After he completes these forms, he will have to go the court house, in person, for the Housing Session. There he will present the clerk with the Summons, Complaint, the NQT, and the proof of service of the NQT. The clerk of the court enter a “return date” on the Summons. (Extremely Important) After that visit to the courthouse, he will need to get the marshal or constable to serve you – again.

On the timeline, I call this a “window.” A diligent and motivated landlord can have this done by lunchtime. I always had this wrapped up very quickly. The only issue is finding a CT State Marshal who is not on a week-long doughnut break. Yes, the CT State Marshal system is broken. I can’t imagine how a state-mandated monopoly is so unresponsive, but it is. Smart landlords use local constables, if they can find one who isn’t a hedge fund manager wanting to pretend he’s a gunslinger.

After you’re served, it’s still not over for the landlord. He then needs to return to the Housing Court location, and file all the paperwork he served you, plus the second proof of service, and write the state a check for $175 bucks. That’s no concern to you. I only mention it because it’s worth understanding that the eviction process is a real pain for the landlord, something he does not want to do, but you’ve left him no choice.

But here is your concern. You just received two items: a summons and a complaint. The summons has a return date on it. No later then 2 days after the return date you must file with the court a response to each, which is an appearance and an answer.

The summons is telling you to come to court. Your appearance form is stating that you will, indeed, be in court.

The complaint is explaining the reason for the eviction. Your answer form is a response to the allegations of the landlord. For example, did you really not pay your rent?

If you don’t get the appearance filed with the court no later then 2 days after the return date, you’re done. Your landlord will file for a default judgment for failure to appear. The court will award the judgment, because you essentially failed to show-up when summoned. So get that appearance form in, but do it on the last day possible.

Typically the delinquent renter will file the appearance and answer at the same time. But the real pros will engage in the risky, semi-nefarious tactic that I describe in the next paragraph.

You must get that appearance form in on time, but you can play a little game with the answer form. Don’t file the answer on time. This landlord will then be forced to file a Motion for Default Judgment for Failure to Plead, and he will snail-mail it to you. Essentially, you did figuratively “show up” when summoned (you filed an appearance), but you failed to respond to the accusations against you. Remaining silent is not optional unless you want to be kicked-out ASAP. Once he files that motion for default for failure to plead, you have 3 days to get your answer in. You just bought yourself 3 extra days.

Keep in mind, the US Postal Service may take 2-3 days to get this motion to you. A smart landlord will put that Motion in a blue mailbox the same day, but around 9 PM. It will be a mailbox in a different town. He will also make sure that blue mailbox has only one pick-up of the day, and it’s late in the afternoon. Basically, by the time you receive this Motion, the opportunity to respond is gone. That is not a legitimate excuse for you. Have the fax machine warmed-up and ready to go. Check online and call the clerk’s office to see if this motion has been filed. Don’t wait to receive it via the mail, because it will be too late.

Here’s an important point… Up to now, your landlord has been hustling all over the place to push this process forward, including paying process servers multiple times, paying the court, and several visits to the court. You printed out two forms, and faxed them into the clerk’s office. That is correct. You (not the landlord) don’t even have to drive to the Housing Session Courthouse. Just fax them in at the last possible hour, and give a ring to the clerk to confirm that were received. That’s the only thing you have done thus far: fill out two forms and faxed them the courthouse (10 minutes total).

I don’t know if it is fair or not, but the burden of time, effort and money is clearly placed on the shoulders of the landlord. So if you’re getting mad at your landlord for not giving you free housing, remember that he’s not having any fun either.

Step 3 – Wait for your day in court

You’ve gotten both your appearance and your answer in on time (perhaps the extended time for the answer). Both parties are now ready for their day in court, which will be about 7-10 days out.

If you haven’t paid, you’re probably going to lose. It’s almost always that simple. Their may be other factors, but I’m not going to address them here. Those factors are nuanced, and deserve a more extensive discussion.

Since you are going to lose, you don’t even need to go to court. You will lose be default. You landlord (or his attorney) does need to be there, and they better be there. Once you lose, there will be a judgment against you, and you have 5 full days to get out.

The only reason you would go to court is to try to work out some sort of stipulation (agreement) with your landlord.

If you show up to court, wait in the courtroom, and when your name is called stand up and say “ready.” The judge will instruct you and the landlord (or his attorney) to meet with a mediator. If you’re able to work out an agreement/stipulation with the landlord, the agreement will be presented to the judge, who will make the agreement a legally enforceable Court Order.

What would be a reasonable stipulation to which your landlord would agree?

Perhaps you stipulate:

• You will be able to remain in the residence for an additional two weeks
• You will permanently vacate on XYZ date
• Any and all property left behind will be considered abandoned

Why would your landlord agree to giving you an additional two weeks? That’s costing him big money! Here is why… In CT, any property you leave behind from an eviction is not abandoned. It is your property. The landlord is required, by law, to pay his money to have a marshal hire a bonded and insured moving company to professionally pack all of your stuff and ship it to a government leased storage facility. (The nightmare never seems to end for the landlord). Maybe the landlord would rather give you two weeks (costing perhaps $1,200 of lost revenue) instead of paying $3,000 (direct cash debit to his balance sheet) to carefully pack and transport your stuff.

Step 4 – Judgment

So you lost your case, either because you didn’t show up to court (default) or you showed up and were not able to convince a judge. Either way, you have a judgment against you, telling you to leave in 5 days, not counting Sundays, Holidays, and the court day. This is getting serious at this point. If you don’t have a “Plan B” for a place to live, you better figure one out post haste; you will be homeless very soon. Technically, what happens is the Court orders immediate possession to the landlord, with a 5-day stay of execution. So it is “immediate,” if “immediate” means 5 days from now (Franz Kafka, anyone?)

Step 5 – Summary Process Execution (i.e. Eviction)

5 days will pass, and you’re still in the residence. Not good. The landlord will go back to court, in person, yet again, and to get a Summary Process Execution. The landlord will then search for a working marshal, and get this served to you (yet again). At that point, you have 24 hours to leave. No joke—it’s real. No sooner than 24 hours later, the marshal/constable will return, with friends. He will have your favorite boys-in-blue with him. They will walk right into the residence, with a key or by force, and take you by the arm. They might let you grab your toothbrush on the way out. You will be physically escorted to the street and warned that if you step foot back on the property you will be arrested for trespassing. If you push things this far, you have been officially “evicted.”

As mentioned, all of your property will be professionally packed and moved to a town/city-leased storage facility. You have the opportunity to pay the town for storage and claim your property within a limited period of time. If you don’t claim your property, you’ll see it being auctioned on one of those reality TV shows.

Suggestions for Renters

This article was written with a view largely sympathetic to a delinquent renter. If you can’t pay your rent, you’re obviously in a serious rut. The Summary Process will lead to your eventual eviction, but it also provides you with time to help get your business in-order and execute a Plan B.

I suggest you not hold any ill-will towards your landlord. It’s just business. That residence is an asset of his, and he needs it to achieve his financial goals. He did not want to evict you. The process cost him 2-months of rent. It cost him multiple trips to courthouse. Multiple fun engagements with CT State Marshals. Hundreds of dollars in court fees and marshal fees. Now he has to repaint and clean the entire place, before he can even start looking for a new renter.

I strongly suggest you not do anything malicious to the property, e.g. revenge tactics like Quikrete down the drains. Not only is that ethically corrupt, it is illegal. Depending how bad the revenge is, you could be facing civil and criminal charges.

Suggestions for Landlords

As I mentioned, I’ve been on the landlord side of this equation. This has to be viewed as a violation of a contract, and nothing more. It’s not personal, although it may create a temporary hardship of decreased cash-flow.

Don’t harass the person you are kicking out. That’s a good way to get your residence “accidentally” damaged. Just leave them alone. The only time you will have to talk with them is (maybe) on the court date. If you hire a lawyer – never.

Good landlords plan to get paid rent 11 out of 12 months, because there is downtime during turnover. If you find a good tenant that stays several years, you should be storing that bonus month every year; planning for an eventual turn-over or summary process.

If you have to eventually kick-out a tenant that paid rent for 10+ years, then you are both on the losing end. That renter bought that house for you, and you didn’t even have to paint the interiors annually. Even though it ended on a down-note, you owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Should you hire a lawyer? The summary process is EASY. A lawyer will free-up your time, but realize that a lawyer will move very-slowly compared to what you want. Motions will not be filed immediately, nor will papers be served immediately, but will happen according to their convenience. If your rent is $2,400/month, each day burned by a slow lawyer is another $80 lost. Expect a lawyer to waste about 10 days via delays.

Disclaimer

Chris Sandys is a resident of Greenwich, CT, but I am not a lawyer, so this is not legal advice. It’s a practical narrative of how the legal system works from a layman’s vantage.

The Summary Process is easy. It’s not rocket science. Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, you can handle this on your own.  This was a general overview.  Different waiting periods apply depending on the reason for a NTQ and the underlying contract.  

Just arm yourself with the knowledge available here: CT Law about Landlord/Tenant Law.

As a starter, I recommend you check out:

(1) A Landlord’s Guide to the Summary Process

(2) A Tenant’s Guide to the Summary Process

Read both. It is the same information, presented from two opposing viewpoints.

 

US House Rep from Connecticut under Same-Party Pressure to Resign

Another day, another sexual harassment scandal in Washington. Our chosen leaders.

This piece caught my attention today.

Top Democrat in Connecticut Senate Calls on Elizabeth Etsy to Resign

Elizabeth Etsy is a Democrat and a US House of Representatives member representing Connecticut’s 5^th District. You probably know of this district, because located within in it is Newtown, CT (Sandy Hook). She has an impressive educational background, with a bachelor’s from Harvard and a law degree from Yale. She’s a hardcore liberal, which is a fine fit for the state of Connecticut.

And… her Chief of Staff, Tony Baker, recently resigned, with severance, and a positive recommendation and new job waiting, after being accused of sexual harassment and threats of violence (assault?) Apparently, after Representative Etsy was made aware of the alleged issues with her Chief of Staff, a full 3 months ensued before an agreed-upon resignation was accepted. In a nutshell, the issue against Ms. Etsy are the 3 months.

So the argument goes, Rep. Etsy exposed her staff to a hostile work environment for 3 months, when corrective action could have been more expeditious. Now fellow Democrats are piling-on Etsy, demanding she resign for mishandling this situation.

First, it is proper that Democrats are handling this issue. She is a Democrat, and these issues are best handled within their family. Any outside pressure, i.e. Republicans, will be dismissed as political and self-serving. So that’s fine.

Her Chief of Staff was allegedly engaged in improper, immoral, and illegal behavior. It looks like he has not been formally charged with anything, let alone convicted. In the eyes of the law, he is not guilty. Now there is the law and its rules of evidence, and then there is the internal knowledge of the happenings within her office that she and her staff know about. The later has a much less stringent bar.

Let’s also not forget that this guy is was a General Schedule employee. He was riding the Federal Gravy Train as a civil servant.

Maybe things have changed since I was last in that world (as a military officer 20 years ago), but I recall that it was not a quick nor easy task to fire a GS civil servant. That’s why these jobs are a magnet and a call for under-achievers of the world to unite. Once you’re in, it’s really hard for them to get you out. Keep in mind, Ms. Etsy is a Yale-trained lawyer, and she knows you can’t just fire a Federal Civil Servant like any other employee at will.

Is it unreasonable that once Rep Etsy became aware of these allegations, that a full, 3 months transpired before he was shown the door? Minimally, an internal investigation did need to be conducted. I could see that potentially taking two weeks. The bad news for Etsy is that the scuttlebutt, from her own and fellow Democrats, is that her Chief’s behavior was pretty much an open secret. There were shades of grey regarding just how severe the behavior was, but a general acceptance that unacceptable behavior was present.

As I type through this, analyzing and thinking as I go, I realize that is the problem for her.  Her peers are correct.  And it is a big problem. If everybody and their brother knew of this, and it was her responsibility to deal with, she did need to move more affirmatively. As we discussed, it is likely (and not even proper) that she could dismiss him on the spot. Verification of facts must occur. False allegations do happen. This is Washington, DC; politicians and staffers are practiced in lying like Marine Drill Instructors in profanity. But as Baker’s supervisor, and the lead of the entire staff, she could have directed him to work from his home.

That would have sent the following messages:

1. A serious investigation is underway, but there is presumption of innocence
2. The work environment here is safe
3. Allegations of hostile work environment are taken seriously, and even the Chief of Staff is not immune

Sadly, for Representative Etsy, she didn’t take a little bit of time to type this out the way I did. If she did, she would have known the proper course.

Today she stands defiant, as Al Franken was within the past half year before he finally conceded to resignation. She is even using a derivative of the Franken excuse, saying “I have important work to do in Congress.”

I doubt that, but I have no doubt she believes her work is important. More importantly, it is red herring; a fallacy of logic. No one is questioning the importance of her work, they are questioning her competency to provide a safe work environment. The days of Bill-Clinton-Tolerance are no longer vogue.

About the Author

Chris Sandys, being a classical liberal (libertarian), does enjoy witnessing a little Blue-on-Blue fighting. He can’t deny it. Especially when it involves CT Democrats, as he scripts this from the Nutmeg state. Being formerly involved in CT politics on a very local level, none of this surprises him.

Nugent is Correct in Sentiment, But Wrong in Reason

Today I read that Ted Nugent, the Motorcity Mad Man and avid 2^nd Amendment supporter, took a rhetorical swing at the children who have their sights on the NRA.

Parkland students have no soul

As much as I share Mr. Nugget’s fervor for fundamental human rights, he would be a more effective advocate for our cause if he practiced less inflammatory rhetoric by sticking to a rational argument. And, in a progressive spirit, he should laser-focus the blame where the blame lies.

But that’s an issue, isn’t it? What is a rational argument? Contrary to popular quip, reasonable people will not disagree. I’m a classically educated man, so I suggest we stick to the denotation of the term.

Ration = Logic = Reason

A rational person is a logical person is a reasonable person.

Logic is an axiomatic system. That means that we accept, cooperatively, a few truths, and upon those accepted truths we develop proofs of further truths using a set of acceptable rules. Does that sound a lot like high-school geometry? It should, because unlike logic, most people are taught the axiomatic system of geometry. In Euclidean Geometry there are only 6 axioms (also called postulates), and with those 6 accepted truths, we can develop innumerable theorems or proofs. In short: deductive reasoning.

In rhetorical logic, which is also a form of deductive reasoning, we often watch for the negatives that expose a faulty argument.

In the case of Ted Nugent, he strayed from logic when he stated that the children “have no soul.” By calling them soulless, he was attacking the messenger, versus the message. This is an ad hominem (against the man) faulty reason.

A better course of action for Mr. Nugent

If I could turn back time and get the ear of Mr. Nugent, I would suggest to him that he structure his argument in this way:

1. Note that the messengers are children, and as such, are purposefully denied the capability to execute important decisions regarding adults’ liberties.
2. Note now the children are mischaracterizing free speech as an evil
3. Note what really happened, i.e. what was the real failure at Parkland?

They Are Children

It is futile and silly to get into the mud with children. The children that are criticizing the NRA are finding their voice, and practicing for the age of majority. I applaud them for that. I don’t take them as a serious threat to civil liberties. They can skip school to march as much as society will permit this truancy, but they are not voters. They are stakeholders in our government, but not “shareholders.” As adults, it is our job to nurture and protect them. Adults, however, do not take directions from children.

When they reach the age of majority, and hopefully volunteer for our military to bestow civil rights on their fellow man, then they will have suffrage. Their voice will then have teeth.

Is it dangerous or misguided to listen to children on important matters, such as governance? Uhhhmmm …. Yes. It is highly ill-advised to do so.

Unless you’re trying to lead some sort of governmental overthrow via a cultural revolution. In that case, children warriors are your answer. Just ask Mao Zedong.

Mao supplied an army of children with a Little Red Book and AK-47s. He counted on their lack of wisdom, their disdain for law, and youthful idealism to do the rest. And he was successful. Successful in spreading terror, turning family members against each other, purging (summary execution) of millions of people, and killing 40 million people with state governance of agriculture. And that’s just the superficial stuff. But on the bright side, Mao did get to be “king.”

If that example is not sufficient, scan your gaze a little south to Cambodia, and consider the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge. Or, if you want something more timely, switch geographies to contemporary Africa, and consider Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Angola.

Here, in the United States, we allow children to speak, but we do not allow them to dictate policy. Nor do we use them as soldiers in cultural revolutions, not unless we are exploiting them for political reasons.

Just to be clear, because I anticipate my words being cherry-picked and misconstrued, I do embrace and support children of the United States practicing for the day when they will be adults. It is a vital part of the maturation process, and it will help ensure that a fresh crop of civic-minded leaders are on-deck. Further, and this particularly applies to the survivors of the Parkland massacre, it is part of the healing process. Our society terribly failed these citizens (more on that soon), and we owe them paths to catharsis and avenues of solace.

Is the NRA the Problem?

The NRA is nothing more than a collective voice for millions of citizens. When you attack the NRA, you are attacking the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center. You are attacking the Green Party, the Democratic and Republican Party, and The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Oh you bet – you sure are.

There is nothing wrong with questioning whether or not we have a proper moral compass within our society. I happen to think the US Constitution is very solid, minus some inexplicable jurisprudence, e.g. Griswold. But I am hard-pressed to find anyone that challenges the 1^st Amendment. It is axiomatic in our culture.

Targeting the NRA is putting a bulls-eye on our right to petition our government. The right to govern ourselves, versus being ruled by others. Ironically, the human right of the 2^nd Amendment is the stated right that offers you a solution to challenge any and all aspects of the Constitution, and that is by design, not by coincidence (just ask James Madison, he said so).

Don’t wage a proxy war against the 1^st Amendment, with another human right as a derivative, false enemy.  If you want to silence the opposition, acknowledge that as your goal. Challenge the 2^nd Amendment, if you must, but don’t challenge the authority of fellow citizens to defend their civil liberties against domestic enemies. These concepts are above most high-school students, and that is why they are such effective messengers, i.e. they speak, with full and undeniable sincerity, for those that prefer safety over liberty.

If it is not the NRA, then where does the blame lie?

This is easy.

The massacre at Parkland is 100%, undeniably a total and utter failure of The State.

We can disagree on degrees, but not on the root cause. That’s right. The blood is on the hands’ of the government.

Shortly after this terrible event happened the nation was introduced to Sheriff Scott Israel. Sheriff Israel went quickly to the offensive, pointing fingers of blame, including the NRA (of course) and politicians. He needed stricter gun laws, or else his deputies would be unable to protect the citizens. At that time I wondered to myself: Is this a sheriff grieving for the loss in his community, or is this a culpable guy putting up a proactive defense? I witnessed this play out before, very close to me in Connecticut after the Sandy Hook school shooting. While offering the benefit of the doubt, I was cautiously skeptical of the Sheriff.

The facts started to come out, and a disturbing reality with each revelation.

First we learned of the School Resource Officer (SRO). The first guy on the scene that was armed and trained and had clear orders/mandate to protect the school children, even at his own peril. He hid outside and let people die. Similar to a field mouse hiding from a hawk. Only this field mouse had a gun. He was dismissed from his job shortly thereafter, while retaining his full defined benefits plan (pension). Well, at least at the end of the night, he made it home safely to his family (sound like the credo of a particular group of agents of the state?) The true first responders, the victims, acted courageously. We learned of stories of brave and selfless teachers shielding students. That is worthy of incredible praise and admiration. Contrast that to the SRO. I can’t help but think that if this SRO were a member of the military, versus a cop, he would not be prancing away with a pension. He would be prosecuted for a capital crime under Article 99 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).  If you think a judge advocate wouldn’t do that, then you have no knowledge of a JAG.

Now this next thing really frosts my ass. This SRO now has state agents stationed around his house to protect his safety. Is this some bizarre, opposite-world going on in Broward county? (Oh no – NOT Broward county…again).   Is this a Franz Kafka story? Life imitating art? Well, if nothing else, the state apparatus does take care of their own, even when it fails the citizens. Does that make you wonder how they view you, and their mission?

Then we learned that several other deputies arrived and took-up defensive positions around the school, while students and brave teachers confronted the killer with nothing more than their flesh and life as a sacrificial shield for others. These defensive-position guys were Sheriff Israel’s men. Wow, get those guys a Medal of Honor.  They, like the SRO, were agents of the state that fled their duty. Also similar to the SRO, these deputies are lucky they are they are civilians, because here are some more Article 99s. Finally, agents of a different state entity showed up, the Coral Springs Police, and they did the right thing. They went in. Too late, but that was not their fault.  I give those brave civil servants credit for doing their duty. They were a positive outlier within the domestic police forces.

Then we learned of the warning flags. I fully realize that hindsight is always 20/20, and that it is precarious to second-guess decisions that are made in the field. I also know that state agents (the sheriff and his deputies) need to follow the laws, and can’t lock up people based on tips. However, the amount of tips was utterly staggering. Sheriff Israel concedes to at least 20 warning calls to his department. Local media quickly refuted his version of the truth, and verified at least double that number. Combined with calls to other Law Enforcement Agencies, including police and the FBI, the number explodes to 99. Let us agree to this axiom: Cops do have the authority to unilaterally confiscate your liberties in the name of public safety. They do it every day, all the time. But in the case of Parkland, they failed yet again.

So where is Sheriff Scott Israel, media personality, leader of the state actors, now that all these facts came out? He got slammed by Jake Tapper in an probing interview, and that was the start of it.

Israel has gone into hiding. A field mouse. The training and actions of his SRO is no longer a mystery to me. And it does answer my initial query: Is this a sheriff grieving for the loss in his community, or is this a culpable guy putting up a proactive defense?

Oh… yes—he is culpable. He is the state, and the state failed us.  He was the one in charge, with plenty of fingers to point at other people, after citizens were slaughtered on his watch.

Why are the child cultural-warriors so out of focus? (Answer: as explained, because they are children).

Epilogue

Ted Nugent was upset with children who want to trade safety for liberty. He needs to remember that they are children, and children want to be safe. They do not yet appreciate or understand the sliding scale of Liberty-to-Safety. He did not do the NRA any favors by name-calling victim-minors.

Children will learn, in time, or not, that the NRA is an instrument of individual citizens practicing their 1^st Amendment human right to petition their government. To attack the NRA is to attack free speech.

Majority citizens must follow the clarion calls of minor children. They are kids, for crying out loud. Don’t let children make adult decisions. Conversely, others should not exploit a child’s voice for political gain.

Culpability needs to be assigned where it so clearly lies—law enforcement agents.  The executive branch of the State.

About the Author

Chris Sandys is a libertarian and veteran in Greenwich, CT. For more about what a libertarian is, see their publication, appropriately titled: REASON.  Further, he is delighted to discuss the 2nd Amendment, but requests the courtesy that one reads Federalist No. 46 prior to that discussion.

Coincidentally, Sandys did socially know the aforementioned Jake Tapper circa 1999-2001 in the vicinity of Teattro Goldini [RIP], K Street, DC, and it’s nice to see the return of Jake’s journalistic zeal.

Do Your Own Brakes with Tools from Harbor Freight

Why?

Changing your brake pads and rotors may sound like a daunting task to someone who has never done it before, but I am here to tell you—it is easy! Like anything, be prepared for some frustration the first time you do it. There is a small learning curve, but it is not rocket science.

In this article I am not going to focus on the actual steps. There are outstanding videos and blog posts that are ubiquitous at this point. I am going to explain why this is a good idea, and show you how to do some one-stop shopping to make your new skill hyper-efficient.

Why would you want to learn this skill?

1. It is a forever-skill. Brake pads, and to a lesser degree rotors, are a constant consumable on your vehicle. As long as you own a car, which may be the rest of your life, your car will need this regular maintenance.
2. It is easy and safe. You may not be ready to replace your transmission and want to leave that to the pros. But changing pads and rotors is a cake walk. You never need to get under the car while doing this repair. Simple safety procedures will make this a very safe routine for both you and your car.
3. It will save you time. I suppose it depends where you live, but here in the New York City area, the greatest scenario is 2 hours, after I have driven to the shop. At a smaller garage, you will probably leave your vehicle and pick it up at the end of the day, or the next. Once you are practiced, front brake pad replacement will take you about 40 minutes for both sides—done! 40 minutes? You might spend 40 minutes round-trip driving to shop.
4. It will save you money. A change of brake pads costs around $150 per axle if you have a pro do it.  The most expensive brake job you will do is your first, because you have to make the capital acquisitions. The tools I am going to show you here will last an auto-owner, even a semi-pro, for their entire life. Rear brake pads can be a bit more expensive (one time), because they may need a special tool to reset the piston. The good part is, rear brake pads last a lot longer than front.
5. It will give you satisfaction. It’s pretty cool to accomplish things on your own. It makes you an independent person, and this positive life-skill will spread to other areas of your life. If you have children, they will admire you (even more), and you can teach them what it is to be a man (or an independent woman!)

Alright, so as I mentioned, this is a focus on how to set yourself up, for life, in the most efficient way possible. I am not talking cheap. You need strong tools, because the brake caliper bolts will literally shred (not figuratively, but really shred) cheap sockets. I know—I did so on first attempt at changing brakes. Apply massive torque to cheap tools, and watch the tools break. (On the positive side, it does make you feel very strong- shredding Chinese recycled metal sockets with nothing but your muscle).

Why Harbor Freight, you ask? No—I do not work for them, nor am I compensated by them. They don’t know I’m writing this article. I have bought tools from them for about 15 years, and in many areas their quality has improved to an amazing degree. Some of their tools compare to a famous brand sold solely by guys on a truck.  For the normal retail person wanting convenience, price point, and single-stop shopping, Harbor Freight is your best option. It is so good, that even if the closest Harbor Freight is a 2-hour round-trip, this is still the best choice. Alternatively, they also do have great rates on shipping.

The Basics

Here is what you need to buy to get the job done.

3 Ton Steel Jack Stands $24

Part #61196

Changing brakes will not put you under the vehicle, but a failed jack will cost you massively in auto damage. And it will traumatize you… no kidding. Use jack stands. Every smart person does. When I was young, and stupid, I did not. I got lucky. These are quality, and will minimally hold 6,000 pounds. These two stands can support the weight of a Cadillac Escalade with plenty of capacity to spare.

½ inch 25 inch Breaker Bar $13

Part #60819

At $13 this is basically free for what you get. Buy a premier brand and pay $150 for the same result. This breaker bar will attach to ½ inch sockets. When you are dealing with brakes, you might be able to get away with 3/8 inch sockets, but why put yourself through that? Use ½ inch sockets. 25 inch length will break through all your lug nuts and caliper bolts like butter. You will come to have a love affair with this tool. Breaker bars are like prison tattoos. You can’t stop with one. You will end up buying all the other breaker bar lengths and drive sizes (3/8″ and there even is a 3/4″ for crazy things like axle nuts).

Dollar per utility it is the greatest tool you will ever have. It is simply a rugged lever, one of the 6 simple machines.

½ Drive Quick Release Ratchet $14

Part #62246

Once you have the nuts broken free using the breaker bar, you are going to want a ratchet to speed through the removal. This will do the job perfectly. Could you do it with the breaker bar alone? Sure, if you were in a survival situation, and it was all you had. It will frustrate you so much that you will never do the job again. The breaker bar is too long, so it will not fully rotate in the wheel well. And it does not ratchet.

There is a similar ratchet available for only $10 (Part #66314), but I prefer the all-steel, quick release. The one with a composite handle will deteriorate over time.

13 Piece ½ Drive Metric Impact Deep Socket Set $25

Part # 69561

13 Piece ½ Drive SAE (US) Impact Deep Socket Set $25

Part #69560

Your car is either going to be set on metric or SAE, choose the appropriate. Harbor Freight put itself on the map with its Impact Sockets. There are equals, but none finer. Equals are far more expensive. I am recommending the deep sockets, because they tend to have greater utility. But, if you are willing to swap the deep aspect for a mix of SAE and Metric, and a mix of 3/8″ and 1/2″, this set of 35 impact sockets is the steal of the century at 38 bucks: Part #68011  Buy this, spray it down with WD-40, throw it in your trunk with a ratchet, and you’re ready for just about anything.

4-Inch Quick Release C-Clamp $6

Part #4137

I could suggest a non-quick-release clamp for $2 less, but that would silly. The quick release makes this job so much easier. You’ll thank me for that, because it will save you 2-3 minutes, minimally, every time you do this job for the rest of your life. This tool will press your caliper piston back into the caliper with no trouble at all.

4 Pound Fiberglass Drilling Hammer $12

Part #98258

Most brake-jobs are simply the pads. There will come a time when you have to replace the rotor. Odds are that your rotor has been rust-welded to the hub. This requires brute force. Forget the claw hammer your have in your toolbox; you need mass. Don’t be shy about knocking the rotor back to the stone age after you have removed the set-screw.  (Never, never use that set screw again.  Just don’t do it.)

There is a version with a hickory handle, for the purists, but this is a high-shock, high-vibration task.

Here is a summary of what you will need to do a brake job.

Tool	Part Number	Cost
3 Ton Steel Jack Stands	Part #61196	$24.00
½ inch 25 inch Breaker Bar	Part #60819	$13.00
½ Drive Quick Release Ratchet	Part #62246	$14.00
13 Piece ½ Drive Metric Impact Deep Socket Set	Part # 69561	$25.00
13 Piece ½ Drive SAE (US) Impact Deep Socket Set	Part #69560	$25.00
4-Inch Quick Release C-Clamp	Part #4137	$6.00
4 Pound Fiberglass Drilling Hammer	Part #98258	$12.00

Remember, for the socket set, you will need either the metric or the SAE, not both. So in other words, not 7 tools, but 6.

Total = $94

But no pays full price at Harbor Freight. You need to use one of the coupons, which are issued every month. Get on their mailing list.  They look like this:

20% off of the highest-priced item is the standard coupon, but only one coupon per visit. If you are willing to walk out to your car and back into the store, making 6 visits in a single trip to the store, you can reuse the coupon and get 20% off of your entire purchase, not just one item.

20% off of $94 = $75

$75 with 9% sales tax = $82

Total price, out the door, for tools that will last you a lifetime and allow you to do your brakes plus many other jobs is $82. That is about ½ of the cost of a single brake-pad job if you pay someone else to do it.

But, of course, when you pay a professional to do it, they provide not only the labor, but the parts. How much do brake pads cost? For most “typical” cars, the cost is about $20 per axle (set of front pads, or a set of rear pads). I just checked Rockauto for the price of front brake pads for a Porsche 911 H6. They are, with shipping and tax, $55.

So there you go. Make an investment in the core tools once, learn a valuable skill, save time and money indefinitely, and pass the tools to a friend or family member when you no longer need them. Remember, you will now own the tools and have the skill. The only future purchases are the replacement parts, which are dirt cheap when you buy them on your own without a shop’s mark-up.

Nice, but not Necessary

Now those are the basics, which will get the job accomplished easily every time. But there are a few other items that are not necessary, but you may wish to consider for the long-run. I will provide a few more ideas, and explain the benefits associated with them.

3 Ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Service Jack with Rapid Pump $98

Part #61253

 

You will notice I omitted a jack in the list of required tools. I did so, because I was describing only the necessary items you would need to acquire, and every vehicle comes with a jack. However, if you have your own garage (versus a parking garage, lot, or street parking) then a floor jack will save you massive time and effort. The jack is placed either in the front or rear center jack-point, and you lift the car once for the entire axle. This could save up to 15 minutes per brake job, which is a huge deal. It is also easier to use than the scissor jack that came with your car. You are using a long-lever handle to gain a mechanical advantage (exactly the same concept behind the breaker bar).

Lifting the car with the scissor jack is not a killer, but it is slow, tedious work. You will also have to place and lift and lower the car for each side separately. A floor jack will allow you to blast through that task.

20 Inch 4-Way Lug Wrench $11

Part #94110

Keeping with the theme of nice, but not required, and blasting through easy but repetitive tasks, I suggest a 4-way lug wrench. Again, you car came with a lug wrench (also known as a tire iron). It will work just fine, but this is a big time-saver. Once you apply the initial force to break free each lug nut, you can easily spin them off using this. (Which, by the way, if you’re having issues breaking free a lug nut that some tire-guy over-torqued with an air wrench, grab your 25 inch breaker bar. Problem solved in a few seconds.)

By spinning the nuts on and off, rather than manually rotating them, you will save around 5 minutes per brake-job. Also, keep this tool in your trunk of your car. It fits 4 different sizes of lug nuts, and is handy thing to have if you ever have the opportunity to help a person stranded with a flat tire who needs your help.

½ Drive Extendable Ratchet $18

Part #62311

I have a friend who swears by this tool. He loves it, because we can fully extend it to get the leverage (torque) of an 18 inch breaker bar, but collapse to fit easily into the wheel well to remove the caliper bolts. Plus, it is ratcheting, which makes things a lot quicker.

So why didn’t I recommend this tool as a basic must-have, instead of the breaker bar? First, the breaker bar is 25 inches of lever, versus only 18 inches here. That is a lot more torque. Secondly, this has ratchet teeth, which is a sword that cuts both ways. One one hand, it’s great to keep the socket on the nut and ratchet away. On the other hand, you may very-well break a tooth on the ratchet trying to bust free an uber-stuck bolt.

If your bolts are not over-torqued, this single tool will replace both the breaker bar (Part #60819) and the ratchet.  What you are doing here is swapping two, specialized, rugged tools for a less-rugged, more convenient, single tool.

Not At All Necessary, but what a cool thing to have!

20V Max Lithium 1.2 inch Cordless Xtreme Torque Impact Wrench Kit $260

Part #63852

Okay, this is for the person that wants to have everything, or is too frail to put their weight into a breaker bar. Alternatively, I know of some people that earn extra cash by doing simple auto maintenance for friends/family/neighbors—this would be a great investment for that person (what I will call a “semi-pro.”) The way this would be used in a brake job is to entirely replace the breaker bar and/or the lug wrench. The deep impact sockets are designed to be perfectly compatible with this electric impact wrench. (They are impact sockets and this is an impact wrench).

I have personally used every tool listed prior, but I have not used this one. I am very cautious about electric tools from Harbor Freight. Like every tool business, there is a learning curve as they move from the basics into more complex tools. (Remember the Hyundai in 1995?  What a piece of absolute junk!) I have chosen to stick with my 18 Volt Makita system, which I absolutely love. However, I am willing to concede that I may be exhibiting a bit of tool-snobbery here. I have heard a lot of good things about this Earthquake XT system, and people are typically not shy about criticizing tools that don’t cut it.  Is it a Hilti?  No, it is $260, so you don’t need a payment plan or a HELOC to buy it.

As with the breaker bar and sockets, if you are going to do it, do it right. Get the ½ inch driver impact wrench, not the 3/8 inch.  If you want to expand into 3/8 and 1/4 inch drivers later on, because they are more compact and lighter, then do so after you have the tool that will have enough power to get everything done.

So how much time would this save you? Well, once you are well-practiced, and combined with the floor jack, you’ll be timing yourself on tire changes or brake jobs, seeing how you compare to the pit crews at the Indy 500.

Epilogue

I have shown why you should want to do this, and outlined what I think is the cheapest and most effective way to outfit yourself with a great set of tools. For those that want to make the job even easier and quicker, I recommended a couple of very practical improvements to your tool kit. Not necessary, but if you are going to do any sort of regular maintenance on vehicles, they are virtual must-haves. And I even threw-in an idea for the people that taking their game to an entirely new level.

Be advised, some auto manufacturer engineers like to put their signature on simple things like brakes. This really sucks, and those guys should be tarred-and-feathered. You may need specialty tools for your particular car, but help is only a Youtube away.

What do you think of my ideas? The complaint department is open—I would love to hear from you.

About the author

Chris Sandys is a self-taught, shade tree mechanic in his spare time in Greenwich, CT. He has zero formal training in auto maintenance and construction, but learned that none of this is rocket science. He is, however, a professionally trained US Air Force survival instructor, and he applies the same rules to auto maintenance: study the problem; patiently execute a solution; don’t give up, and you will succeed.

 

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton