James Brown's capeman could be out in the cold

The man who held James Brown’s cape and ran his errands for 46 years faces eviction from his home in Augusta six days before Christmas.

Daniel Ray’s home was foreclosed on and sold Dec. 4 because he was eight months behind in his mortgage payments, he said.

Mr. Ray, 72, said that after Mr. Brown died last year he had no income except for Social Security and got behind on his payments.

“Once I got behind, I couldn’t catch up,” he said. “They moved so swiftly. I was intending to get a reverse mortgage.”

Mr. Ray’s niece Georgean McConnell said she thought she had succeeded in getting Mr. Ray a home equity conversion mortgage, but there had been a “miscommunication” and the house was sold.

Ms. McConnell said she found out about Mr. Ray’s situation after checking on him and has been trying to help him, but has made little headway.

Ms. McConnell said Mr. Ray owed $18,000 on the house, which has been appraised for $150,000. He also owes about $30,000 in federal and state tax liens, she said.

Mr. Ray faces eviction in Richmond County Magistrate Court on Wednesday .

Ron Meardy, of Southeast Mortgage, who bought the house for $50,000 after Wells Fargo Mortgage foreclosed on it, said he did not know whether the transactions could be undone.

“The tax liens would have to be paid before anybody would lend them any money for a mortgage,” he said.

He said the IRS and state of Georgia have been putting tax liens on Mr. Ray’s house for  10 years.

“It’s kind of a complicated situation,” he said. “Right now, I own the house, and for it to go back in his name, I don’t know if he’d have to pay those tax liens. And I don’t know if he could get money on it for a mortgage from a lender.”

Real-estate Attorney David Wilkin said the sale can’t be undone.

“Mr. Ray, under Georgia law, is a tenant holding over, and is subject to eviction at any time,” he said. “The owner could let him stay there,” he said. “Mr. Meardy is the one holding the cards. If he wants him to go, he will have to go.”

Bigger Is Not Always Better

Do you know what's wrong with the world today?

Greed. Eight out of 10 people you see are fat, and so are their children, but the parents don't notice. They're too busy super-sizing their burgers and fries at the fast-food drive-thrus. Everybody wants more of everything. More food. More money. Bigger houses, bigger cars, bigger TVs, bigger bald heads. Breast augmentations are at their highest level since World War II. (I made that up, but I'm sure it's true.)

Greed, coupled with total government incompetence, fueled an estimated $1 billion taxpayer ripoff after the Katrina hurricane disaster. And it wasn't just the usual suspects who got fraudulent aid. It was people you wouldn't think. FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers employees, public officials (well, that's no surprise), contractors, business owners and temporary Red Cross workers.

Here in Augusta during this big Masters Week, families of patients at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital got kicked out of their hotel rooms, according to Lore Rogers, the director of burn services.

"They're there for sometimes a couple of months, and then Masters week comes and either they have to pay ... extraordinary prices or leave," said Ms. Rogers during an interview with Chronicle reporter Tom Corwin.

Willy Carroll, a corporate pilot who flew some golfers into Augusta for the tournament, reported that he decided to spend his first night in Augusta and then rent a car and drive down to the coast where he had spent time in the Marine Corps 30 years ago.

"I can truthfully say that I will never again spend a night in Augusta, Georgia," he e-mailed in response to the Golf Magazine description of the Garden City as "low rent, etc."

"The gouging is unbelievable. I paid $238 for a room on Sunday night that typically should rent for about $55. (The room was reserved in February.) I paid $150 per day for a rental car that should typically rent for about $40 per day. Both the hotel and the car rental company admitted that the charges were tied to the tournament.

"Come on over to San Antonio, where we'll treat you honestly and the same way every day of the year."

And everything is bigger in Texas.

What Am I Doing, And Why Am I Here?

Two things I was going to quit doing this year. One is walking around looking for things I already have in my hands, on my head, behind my ear or over my shoulder, like keys, glasses, pens and dish towels. That was futile. I can't stop doing it anymore than I can stop going into one room from another and then forgetting what it was I came in there for.

The other thing I made a resolution to do was to stop talking to computers like they're real people. Do you know how stupid it makes you feel to say, "Thank you," to a piece of electronic equipment? I've made progress there, but then I went into Kroger last week to pick up a few things. There was only one live cashier working, and the line had backed up past the cornflakes. I couldn't see myself standing there 30 minutes to check out. So, although I ordinarily avoid self checkouts like the plague - if you've ever been through one, you know why - I gave in and said I'd try again. Things went rather smoothly until suddenly, the computer shouted, "Do you qualify for a senior citizens discount?" Everybody stopped and stared.

"Obviously I do," I shouted. "But do we have to tell the whole world?"

The rude thing didn't even say I was well preserved.