Bulldozing Cities Idea Gains Traction in Obama Administration

A Semi-News/Semi-Satire from AzConservative ^ | 13 June 2009 | John Semmens

[Tai_Chung]

Someone has been playing too much SimCity.

[FReepaholic]

...“The idea is that rather than continuing to waste society’s resources maintaining unnecessary housing, we demolish the surplus units and move people closer together to gain economies of scale...

What if they don't want to move closer together? Who decides what housing is "unnecessary"?

[rockinqsranch]

Thanks for that John. Enjoyed your presentation as usual.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Just don’t move all those urbs to my back yard!

[SWAMPSNIPER]

They’re too close together already, maybe if they spread them out it would slow down the breeding rate!

[John Semmens]

ping

[Dallas59]

Charlie to destroy the evidence?

[SteamShovel]

What if they don't want to move closer together? Who decides what housing is "unnecessary"?

What if it's private property, as in houses people own and don't want bulldozed?

"Urban planners" aren't God, and don't have the right to just impose their will.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Hippie Break!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwUJH70ubM

[cradle of freedom]

This Donovan person is a screwball. I think what was just described is quite similar to the housing accommodations in the Soviet Union. This is typical control-freak elitism of the left. They will tell you how to live, while they will have the nice home and a second house at the beach.

As for the other part of the article, it sounds reasonable to knock down older rundown housing as it would improve the city. It is true that cities today are competing with the suburbs which did not even exist before the existence and popularity of the automobile. Since there is not a great demand for housing in the cities, it is good for the cities to demolish the worst housing and open up those areas for parking, selling the empty lots to neighbors would let them enjoy larger yards etc. Small parks and parking garages would also benefit the neighborhoods.

[eyedigress]

The military figured it out. Just a matter of time for the Ovillian.

[berdie]

later

[cradle of freedom]

They should not be allowed to bulldoze houses that the owners want to keep but in many cities there are abandoned housing and slum housing that are a blight to the neighborhood. There are also many unscrupulous landlords who have property in the poorer areas but do not keep up their property and do not pay taxes, ie Tony Rezco in Chicago.

[tbw2]

Could these idiots use the Kelo decision to justify tearing down half the houses to for everyone to move into the other half - destroying tax revenue but increasing “efficiency”?

[PubliusMM]

So, now some 0bamunist gasbag has decided that the gubmint should decide who lives where and under what conditions? Communal dining, bathroom and recreational facilities? No thanks.

You can keep your marxist BS. I’ll take my freedom...

It’s time to take back the country.

[autumnraine]

“The Secretary suggested that “a college dormitory style configuration would be the most efficient housing arrangement. Sleeping quarters could certainly be individualized. But dining, bathroom, and recreation facilities could be shared.”

So my kid can’t go into the kitchen to make a sandwich without supervision because of fear of some lunatic sharing my ‘space’ will harm them?

The government has lost it’s everloving mind.

[y6162]

“Someone has been playing too much SimCity.”

Can you believe these people?

Americans want to prosper and this is what they have to offer?

Hokey smokes...After the counter revolution, a right winger will be a mayor of even DC.

Of course there will be a lot less lefties...

[arthurus]

I would bet that suburbs with a few foreclosed houses in them are the target here. The left hates "sprawl." and has always dreamed of putting the masses in high rise towers to be surrounded by parkland. We have such projects already, and they are known as "Projects." The parkland is unusable to the residents because it is the turf of gangs and gangs control the housing itself. Hussein wants this for all of us. People herded into these mass pens are ever so much easier to control.

[arthurus]

In the theology of the left, humanity is God and the Left is God’s brain. They feel they can and should do anything at all for the greater good of the brain.