Government to sell FEMA trailers to Katrina victims for $1 or $5

KHOU ^ | Wednesday, June 3, 2009 | KHOU.com staff report

[Vendome]

The Obama administration on Wednesday will announce plans to sell about 1,800 trailers to families displaced by Hurricane Katrina who are living in government housing, The Washington Post reports.

[Vendome]

Selling a trailer for $1 or $5? The government is not very smart about profit. In fact, they are pretty good at losing money and now they want to be in car business with Government Motors?

"Flintstone! You're Fired!!!"

[stuartcr]

Probably cheaper in the long run, then the continued upkeep and responsibility, plus it helps people out.

[1010RD]

Katrina victims? How about victims of the welfare syndicate?

[raptor29]

This is all just a prelude to when the commie takes a good portion of all the foreclosed homes (taken back by banks the Administration now owns and controls) and ‘sells’ them to blacks and other minorities for absurdly low prices. Just get ready, it’s coming to a neighborhood near you.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I disagree. The trailers will become drug houses or deteriorate, and these folks will “demand” that government provide them real houses.

[Malone LaVeigh]

The $5.00 trailers are the ones with the better view.

[tioga]

what a hoot! love the trailers......

[stuartcr]

OK

[tioga]

condo trailers

[devane617]

I say make it even easier—give the trailers to them. Makes it cheaper for taxpayers.

[RDasher]

Probably cheaper in the long run, then the continued upkeep and responsibility, plus it helps people out.

It does not help the people at all. Once they own it, they won't be able to maintain them. The units will be trashed, and so it goes with government programs. Good intentions just don't work.

[hoosierham]

I love that picture!

You realize that was actually a lot of work getting all those trailers like that.And it resembles some of the futuristic apartment designs I've seen.

[babyfreep]

Katrina “victims”....these folks were “victims” long before Katrina.

[Iron Munro]

More stealth reparations.

[Vendome]

I was thinking that but my business mind just says this is wrong. A trailer worth thousands and you sell it for, not a pittance, but as a way to eliminate it as a bad asset on your books.

Really, these people can afford big screen TV’s and fantastic stereo systems but, they are given a free home?

Absurd!

[stuartcr]

If you say so, of course.

[stuartcr]

Why not use a different mind?

[Vendome]

you musta been waitin’ for my post. That is priceless. Ooops!

[RazzPutin]

$1 maybe. But $5? No way.
I’ll wait for prices to come down.

[Corin Stormhands]

The reality is that after five years, those trailers just aren’t worth much. And stuart is right that it’s probably cheaper in the long run than trying to collect and rehabilitate the trailers.

Yes, there are thousands of scam artists and welfare professionals. But there are also legitimate victims as well.

Last spring I spent a week down there helping to renovate the home of a retired pastor. His house was under 9 ft. of water for a week. He’d been assured the levy next to him would “never” break. He’s back in his home now. But it took over four years to make that happen. He lived out front in a FEMA trailer while he did most of the work himself.

And he’d tell you that yes the scam artists are there. But he’d also tell you there’s plenty of blame to go around to just about everyone involved.