Obama Administration Using HUD To Push For More Diverse Neighborhoods

Political Realities ^ | 08/08/13 | LD Jackson

[LD Jackson]

It seems our government will never learn their lesson. For decades, we have seen the political leaders and bureaucrats in Washington push for fair housing practices. They used the Community Reinvestment Act to do this and with each liberal President we elected, the push was intensified. Thus, we saw the housing market plunge off a cliff because so many people who couldn't afford a mortgage received one, nonetheless. Some bankers were afraid to refuse loans because of threats by groups such as ACORN. This push was the beginning of the trend that helped steer our economy into the worst recession since the Great Depression.

The Obama administration has made much of its policies to bring us out of that recession. Thus far, I would have to give them a failing grade in that effort. A recovery without jobs isn't much of a recovery. Could it be that they are really focusing on issues other than the economy? Issues that are deemed to be more important than a mere economic recovery that will help lift people out of poverty and expand the middle class? I contend that is the case. Lo, I offer you proof of just how misguided the focus of the Obama administration really is. They are about to use the Department of Housing and Urban Development as a hammer to forge our neighborhoods to their own liking.

Look around at your neighborhood. When I do that standing at my front door, I can see whites, blacks, and Hispanics. There may be some Asians living in our neighborhood, but I'm not sure. I consider ours to be a relatively diverse neighborhood. It consists of people from many walks of life, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Working from my memory, I am sure there are more whites than any other ethnicity. For the record, I have no problem with that. Nor would I have a problem if that were not the case. I am sure there are some neighborhoods that are more black than white, or more Asian or Hispanic than white or black. It's just how neighborhoods are made up. Some people just naturally gravitate to certain areas. Could it possibly be that is where they are most comfortable? Nothing wrong with that, in my opinion. The Obama administration does not feel that way, evidently. They are taking steps to make sure your neighborhood meets federal standards for diversity. Am I the only one who hates that word?

Fox News - In a move some claim is tantamount to social engineering, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is imposing a new rule that would allow the feds to track diversity in America’s neighborhoods and then push policies to change those it deems discriminatory.

The policy is called, "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing." It will require HUD to gather data on segregation and discrimination in every single neighborhood and try to remedy it.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan unveiled the federal rule at the NAACP convention in July.

"Unfortunately, in too many of our hardest hit communities, no matter how hard a child or her parents work, the life chances of that child, even her lifespan, is determined by the zip code she grows up in. This is simply wrong,” he said.

Data from this discrimination database would be used with zoning laws, housing finance policy, infrastructure planning and transportation to alleviate alleged discrimination and segregation.

Whatever happened to the ideal that Americans are a people free to come and go, to live where they choose to live? The idea that the Obama administration thinks they should force our neighborhoods to be more diverse flies in the face of that freedom. Secretary Donovan made much of the idea that the zip code in which we live determines if we rise out of poverty or not. That fallacy completely negates the idea of free will and the ability and willingness to work hard and pull ourselves up by our boot straps. In other words, it does away with the idea of individualism and attempts to group us all together by where we live and where we come from.

The new rule by HUD has been published in the Federal Register and is in the midst of a 60-day commenting period. What troubles me the most is the lack of specifics in the rule. As we are seeing with Obamacare, the rule was written so to allow a broad interpretation of what the Obama administration wants to happen. Doing so gives HUD, and any other government bureaucrat who decides they want a piece of the diversity pie, a lot of room to make it up as they go along. Given the propensity of our government to overreach its constitutional boundaries, that gives me no comfort and a fair bit of worry.

The federal government helped cause the housing market and financial crash in 2008. Both can be traced back to specific policies by government agencies who were stepping out of their comfort zone to push for policies they deemed more important than anything else. This new rule by HUD is another step in that direction. It is a direction I wish we could reverse, as what I see down the road is not pleasant.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“and then push policies to change those it deems discriminatory. “

Here is what they will do. Insist on low income housing to be built in any new development.
Just wait.

[SMARTY]

“O” is a f&^%ing moron!

• Let HIM go live in a s%$# hole once he leaves the WH.
• Let HIM buy a house and find some drug dealer/sex offender next door
• Let HIM fight with the crud neighbor who wants to blast his stereo all night and day
• Let HIM scrimp and save to get into a secure neighborhood only to have the dregs of society foisted on him

[MustKnowHistory]

HUD could also purchase existing houses in existing neighborhoods, and turn them into low income, subsidized housing.

How would you like to wake up one morning and find one of these next door.

[Chode]

so if you live in an area zoned for SINGLE FAMILY dwellings they will override it with section-8 housing?

[IamConservative]

change those it deems discriminatory

Nothing communist or fascist about that now is there? "I deem " No more rule of law. We now live under rule of deem.

[Graewoulf]

Impeachment File on Communist, Benghazi Coward “B. Hussein Obama,” formerly known as Barry Soetoro, currently a Legal Citizen of the Sovereign Nation of Indonesia.

[wrencher]

It’d be a shame if such places caught on fire while under construction..........

[Soul of the South]

HUD is a federal agency that should be on the chopping block. There is nothing in the Constitution that gives the federal government authority to be involved in the housing market. The Republican Congress should defund HUD completely as a deficit reducing action and to stop this planned social engineering.

Unfortunately, the Republican Congress chooses to continue this agency and its activities proving Republicans are complicit in furthering the progressive agenda.

[hoosiermama]

The New Orleans newspaper was doing an exposé of the HUD program in particular the 9th just before Katrina hit. Iirc most of the houses were owned by three groups using HUD money for improvement (one house in particular stands out over 300 000 collected for improvements that never happened )
They were doing a fairly competent job of tying the corruption. To the Landreau family ( Papa L had started the HUD program under Carter.and knew exactly where the loopholes were)
The houses left untouched in that ward could probably be linked to the same groups!
Program also was worked by VJ in Chicago to put large sums in her pocket. BUT that’s a much longer story!

[i_robot73]

And Congress? Another throw up the hands, shrug the shoulders, then ‘move along, nothing to see here’ moment?

The list of tyranny grows longer every day, and the spineless ones (unless they’re fighting for re-election) do nothing/go on vacation (which I guess IS better than most...at least they’re not making it WORSE. Yet).

[LS]

1) They've already done that.

2) It doesn't work. Whites and middle-class minorities just move further away, where there are virtually no zoning laws.

3) If you're a clever planner, you can stick one of these "housing areas" anywhere and surround it with non-middle class stuff. No matter what these idiots do, they CANNOT make people live next to people they don't want to live next to.

[ScottinVA]

And what do these brilliant social engineers think they’re going to do to fully built neighborhoods that are predominantly white?

[Venturer]

Whatever happened to the ideal that Americans are a people free to come and go, to live where they choose to live?
.........................................................

That died in the 50’s when blacks started block busting and realtors rolled in the dough of getting rich off the moves.

This will be the same thing. Just more shoving whites out into suburbs running away from the shadow.

[austinaero]

HUD could also purchase existing houses in existing neighborhoods, and turn them into low income, subsidized housing.

How would you like to wake up one morning and find one of these next door.

*****************
I am totally against this policy, 100%. If they go forward, one thing should be made available to homeowners..

If I own a home of X value and HUD builds a ghetto slum next to my home and the value of my home goes down when I try to sell it, HUD has to pay the difference. I know,,lots of variables in there,,but the intent is that if HUD is going to purposefully depress neighborhoods, they should be held responsible for the financial loss of the homeowners. Lord knows they’ll be taking credit for any neighborhood successes. Just a thought

[Bulwyf]

He wants more Detroits.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

ScottinVA ~:" And what do these brilliant social engineers think they’re going to do
to fully built neighborhoods that are predominantly white?

People will do what they have always done ..vote with their feet .. and move elsewhere !

[Former Proud Canadian]

I think they are providing large subsidies for rent in certain suburban neighborhoods. This has the same effect as you describe.

[rarestia]

And what do these brilliant social engineers think they’re going to do to fully built neighborhoods that are predominantly white?

Oh... they'll fix that up real nice. If the police don't patrol as much, that will increase crime in the area, in turn lowering desirability in those areas.

I'm predicting an order of magnitude more Trayvons coming up real soon.

[Mike Darancette]

I’m sure that Obama’s Chicago neighborhood will have plenty of low income living opportunities; if you count servants’ quarters.