Commentary from the liberterrain…
In their plan to end homelessness in Dallas, public officials are considering the age-old game of using government tax money to "solve" a problem created by government in the first place.
The Dallas Observer reports that the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (run by a "friend of Mayor Mike Rawlings") wants to build 1,800 new "permanent supportive housing" units using low-income tax credits, and/or federal tax money from HUD, and/or federally tax-funded vouchers through a public/private partnership with the Dallas Housing Authority.
Government destroyed affordable housing for the poor between 1950 and 1980, in the name of "urban renewal" and "eradicating urban blight," when federal tax dollars were used to raze whole communities that displaced thousands of poor city dwellers.
A 1996 LA Times article reported, "In the 1950s, shameful urban renewal programs destroyed four low-income apartment units for each one built." Developers then built office units, luxury apartments and shopping malls while more tax dollars went into building public housing units for the displaced poor, which later became urban ghettos themselves and were also demolished.
The article further states, "At the national level, low-income housing decreased by 90% during the 1950s."
The result was easy riches for politicians and their public/private boondoggle developer cronies and chronic homelessness for the poor.
But ask a libertarian, like Dr. Mary Ruwart, as quoted from her book Short Answers to the Tough Questions at Libertarianism.com, and you'll get even dirtier details.
"During my years as a landlady to low-income tenants, building inspectors told me to install new kitchen counters a couple of inches longer or to rebuild staircases to increase width by an inch. When I pointed out that these expensive and unnecessary changes would increase rents for the poor who lived there, one inspector replied, 'Good. We'll get these people out of our city.'"
So will Dallas be coming full circle to get "these people" back into homes through politicians and crony developers in public/private boondoggles using tax dollars, tax dollars, and more tax dollars?
A libertarian society offers a dual solution: absolute respect for property rights and low to zero taxation.
Millions of rundown low-income neighborhoods beat living on the streets any day. Those still without shelter will easily be helped by privately funded programs from charitable people whose incomes will no longer go toward feeding the corporatist public/private con games.
Meanwhile, watch your wallets, Big D.
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