Public housing?

[CHUCKLEHEAD]

The problem with public housing is that the residents are not the owners.
The people that live in the house did not earn the house, but were loaned the property from the true owners, the taxpayers. Because of this, the residents do not have the "pride of ownership" that comes with the hard work necessary. In fact, the opposite happens and the residents resent their benefactors because the very house is a constant reminder that they themselves did not earn the right to live in the house. They do not appreciate the value of the property and see no need to maintain or respect it in any way.

The result is the same whether you are talking about a studio apartment or a magnificent mansion full of priceless antiques. If the people who live there do not feel they earned the privilege, they will make this known through their actions.

The picture below illustrates the point…



The Resolute Desk was built from the timbers of the HMS Resolute
and was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes.
It is considered a national treasure and icon of the presidency.

Mr. Obama, with all due respect, get your DAM feet off our desk!

 

[Stephaniems]

Eh it's not really his so what does he care?

 

[Mac]

You spelled "damn" wrong. Are you sure you earned that keyboard and that it's not a loaner?

 

[Stephaniems]

Maybe he was cheating the system and went with a 3 letter word instead of a 4? To stay under the foul language radar lol.

 

[CHUCKLEHEAD]

You spelled "damn" wrong. Are you sure you earned that keyboard and that it's not a loaner?

That's how we Speel down here! But its ok this guy probably put his feet on the DAM desk as well?

 

[IMWylde]

What the hell are you going on about? Public Housing has nothing to do with ownership. Its rental just like thousands of other rentals out there. Looks like someone just wanted to get another idiotic piece of rhetoric out against the president, and hoped to make points with his anti government friends as well. Pretty sickening to spend time on this kind of issue when there are so many other important things to look at. It's furniture! Every scuff that man adds to it is a another 100$ or do you not understand the idea behind antiques?

 

[markarich159]

What the hell are you going on about? Public Housing has nothing to do with ownership. Its rental just like thousands of other rentals out there.

I would pay particular attention to "HOW IS RENT DETERMINED?" portion of the following HUD program protocol. That is not anything close to how "rent/mortgage" is determined for "the rest of us working folk". And it's insulting to imply that it's "just like" thousands of other rentals out there.

HUD's Public Housing Program/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

I'm all for giving someone a leg up who has fallen on hard times, but I've lived in WEST Philly for 8 years(during my college years in University City and for some time after) back in the 90's. So I've seen the effect to which the OP is referring. Houses, which 40 years ago were beautiful Victorian townhouses in the Baltimore Ave/Possum Hill HUD area, literally ripped to shreads and turned into violent ghetto's in which the most hardened criminal would be scared to walk at night. Then, literally, directly across Baltimore Ave., the exact same Victorian style houses(obviously built during the same time frame) still privately(non-HUD) owned; maintained in almost pristine condition(with immaculately trimmed little landscaping) by the "proud owners" who've actually lived there for their entire lives and had to pay the full mortgage and taxes on the property.

HUD housing projects remind me of the tenament in which, 1984 Orwell protagonist, Winston Smith lived. I hope the rest of Orwell's dystopian nightmare don't come to life as well.

 

[IMWylde]

I would pay particular attention to "HOW IS RENT DETERMINED?" portion of the following HUD program protocol. That is not anything close to how "rent/mortgage" is determined for "the rest of us working folk". And it's insulting to imply that it's "just like" thousands of other rentals out there.

HUD's Public Housing Program/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

I'm all for giving someone a leg up who has fallen on hard times, but I've lived in WEST Philly for 8 years(during my college years in University City and for some time after) back in the 90's. So I've seen the effect to which the OP is referring. Houses, which 40 years ago were beautiful Victorian townhouses in the Baltimore Ave/Possum Hill HUD area, literally ripped to shreads and turned into violent ghetto's in which the most hardened criminal would be scared to walk at night. Then, literally, directly across Baltimore Ave., the exact same Victorian style houses(obviously built during the same time frame) still privately(non-HUD) owned; maintained in almost pristine condition(with immaculately trimmed little landscaping) by the "proud owners" who've actually lived there for their entire lives and had to pay the full mortgage and taxes on the property.

HUD housing projects remind me of the tenament in which, 1984 Orwell protagonist, Winston Smith lived. I hope the rest of Orwell's dystopian nightmare don't come to life as well.

Again, what the hell are you talking about. the vast majority of HUD subsidized properties are privately owned either by individuals or by the communities in which they exist. Nearly all "project housing" is owned and maintained by the city. Think Chicago's Cabrini Green.

Most of the privately held buildings are owned by slum lords who do little or nothing to maintain their properties. They sit back and let the government pay them subsidy on inflated rents.

The folks that live there are given inferior living conditions with no real recourse. They all pay rent based on their income and expenses with the balance being subsidized by HUD. they are not OWNERS. They get no reward for keeping the buildings nice and in most cases the exterior directly reflects the interior with problems like bad heat/no heat, rodent infestation, poor wiring, dangerous construction, etc.

Now I am sure that you believe that those landlords should not be expected to keep up the properties that they are exploiting because I mean hell those poor people are getting a rent break. But its not fair to ask someone to feel proud of their place while rats bite their kids in beds at night.

So unless you have a problem differentiating Proud Owners from Screwed Renters your opinion in this is nonsensical.

West Philly has been a slum since the late 60's

 

[markarich159]

IM;
re-read your last post.

You've just proven and justified everything I and the OP have said about non-ownership leading to not caring about the space in which one lives. I'm not against poor people; the system of "public housing"/ "community housing"(in other countries it's sometimes called counsel housing) whether govn't owned or privately held with governmental subsidy-vouchers/govn't oversight-regulation is the problem.

 

[Mac]

That's how we Speel down here! But its ok this guy probably put his feet on the DAM desk as well?

I am not a huge fan of Obama but Bush was way worse. If you ask me the whole left vs right thing is a huge charade being used to distract us from the identity of our true masters, corporate america. I am not holding out a lot of hope for change. I am bracing myself and expecting the worst as I watch humanity remind me over and over why I do not have a great deal of faith in it.

 

[Steel]

Subsidizing = encouragement.

 

[Stephaniems]

Hmm I'm not sure the system is set up properly with section 8, I really think it should actually help lift people up instead of just throwing away gov't money monthly on a slum. Help the people that are working and showing they want and need the help by actually partially paying for something good, a decent place to be proud of and eventually own, by working threw programs like habitat for humanity or a similar program with non predatory mortgages.


I lived in the "projects" of Dallas most my growning up so yes I feel slum is appropriate, and coming from that I know I'd never have my kids anywhere near one.

 

[stacym]

Heck- I can't even figure out the intention of the OP. Upset that Obama worked a damn long day (as opposed to many others) and felt the need to put his feet up? Putting his feet up on the desk after a long day signified what??? Do you think it hurt the desk?

Makes me think you can't find a policy to disagree with (or it would require you to take your feet off your desk and think for a change). Disagree with a policy? Great - make it known and post ways you could have done it better. Get ...... because the president put his feet on a desk? Makes you wonder.

And people from the redneck riviera don't have to glorify stupidity and "speel" damn "dam". It's just sad to pretend it's cute. Kind of Palinesque don't you think? Wink, wink...

 

[DaveP]

Hud can be bad and I have been through one house while sitting in for my brother in law at a pre-bid meeting for a new build/renovation project. The bid was one he was interested in but had prior appointments.

This particular house was 5 years old. From the outside, it looked good. Inside, the carpet looked like it had not been vacuumed in 5 years. There were holes in the wall and it smelled like no one took a bath. It was just one. OTOH, I have a friend who rents three houses that he owns. They are in a semi-bad neighborhood and he is constantly having renters leave in the middle of the night and they take appliances with them. He has replaced hot water heaters, AC units, stoves, and anything they can steal and and haul in a pickup. And, on top of that they know how long they can go without paying the rent before they are evicted. They leave before that happens, usually.

I wouldn't want to be a landlord.

 

[stacym]

Dave - I've been a landlord several times - and you're right it's not pretty. But the time I got ripped off to the extreme? It was the bigshot driving a cadillac - throwing out tons of money, gorgeous furniture etc... He left in the middle of the night owing 3 months of back rent and lots of bills. The less fortunate people I rented to generally turned out fine. They were thrilled to have a nice house that was in good shape and didn't cost an arm and a leg. Granted, this was not section 8 housing and not in a slum. A basic small house, fairly new and in a decent neighborhood.

 

[IMWylde]

IM;
re-read your last post.

You've just proven and justified everything I and the OP have said about non-ownership leading to not caring about the space in which one lives. I'm not against poor people; the system of "public housing"/ "community housing"(in other countries it's sometimes called counsel housing) whether govn't owned or privately held with governmental subsidy-vouchers/govn't oversight-regulation is the problem.

Bull..... Millions rent, and you don't have to live in a project to have a crappy yard.

Without the public housing system we would have millions on the street or living in substandard conditions worse then what you've seen in any but the worst housing project. You have obviously never had it as rough as it gets. I've heard from people who have lived in single room hovels where the landlords force the women to prostitution to pay inflated by the week rents. Ive heard from folks who have had their doors removed when the landlords have decided they want to rent to someone else in to get their deposit money. This kind of thing is very wide spread and happens all over the world.

So sick and tired of people whining about government programs who have NEVER ONCE had to live in the kinds of conditions the American poor have to deal with EVERY DAY. I wish to god someone would give all of them their paltry tax payments back and escort them the hell out of this country. Go live in Belize or somewhere. They don't deserve to be in this great country they have no idea how small and...

WOW ran right off the page with that one. Anyway.

 

[IMWylde]

Hmm I'm not sure the system is set up properly with section 8, I really think it should actually help lift people up instead of just throwing away gov't money monthly on a slum. Help the people that are working and showing they want and need the help by actually partially paying for something good, a decent place to be proud of and eventually own, by working threw programs like habitat for humanity or a similar program with non predatory mortgages.



I lived in the "projects" of Dallas most my growning up so yes I feel slum is appropriate, and coming from that I know I'd never have my kids anywhere near one.

These days there are programs called FSS which help people make REAL change. Helps them save money for their goals, education, home ownership, etc. My wife works with these programs and their really a good deal. It's not easy for the participants but if they do the work they get the rewards.

 

[BigJimW]

Public housing = crack houses

Sorry, but this happens all the time around my parts.

 

[IMWylde]

Public housing = crack houses

Sorry, but this happens all the time around my parts.

Small minded, self important redneck.

See we can all make stereotypes.

 

[BigJimW]

Small minded, self important redneck.

See we can all make stereotypes.

Whatever you want to believe, chode.

I take it you don't live in my neighborhood. You'd sing a different tune if you did.