> Liens get ignored. > Should the other members just suck it up forever?

Until the house is sold or refinanced. Yes, the HOA has to wait, but can eventually get its money with interest.

That can be years, and that prevents the money from going into interest based accounts which pays for regular, surprise, and longer term maintenance.

And when the building's (that you share with the deadbeats) roof leaks and there isn't the money to repair that shared resource, that's just tough luck?

An HOA isn't just about neighborhoods of freestanding houses, it's also about multi unit buildings.