Many years ago (in the mid-60's), the City of Pittsburgh condemned (in the legal sense of the word) a large tract of land in the City's biggest "slum" (the Hill District), and built a beautiful sports arena with an innovative retractable roof, and abundant parking. Although some people were displaced by the condemnation of the land, they were not living there because it was a desirable (at the time) place to live, but rather because the housing was dirt-cheap and it was all they could afford.
Fast forward 40 years or so and by the nature of such things, the beautiful arena is deemed "obsolete" because it doesn't have enough outrageously expensive seats to satisfy the owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins. So they tear it down and build a new arena across the street. But they remain the owners of the land, and with such a large tract of land now available right near the downtown area, it becomes a BIG DEAL to plan the development in such a way as to promote the best interests of not only the Penguins, but also the City.
Downtown Pittsburgh has lately become a place where people WANT TO LIVE. Developers are building apartments and condos rapidly and they are all selling out before the paint is dry on their antiseptic interior walls. Some of them are commanding very high prices (for Pittsburgh, which is a traditionally low-cost market), but all of them are commanding prices that would be out of the question for someone earning less than, say, $80 grand. Let's say a couple thousand a month for a nice one-bedroom apartment. Half a million for a nice 2BR condo.
But those of you who do not live in a cave somewhere know what comes next. Black "leaders" from the Hill District are "demanding" that the development plans provide for "low income housing."
Putting it bluntly, the demand is this: Even though the market value of housing at this location will be quite "high," and the people who live in the vicinity would otherwise be paying dearly for the privilege, they would like some government agency or instrumentality to subsidize a number of apartments so that people WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE THERE can actually live there.
The words, "low income housing" roll so easily off the tongue that people fail to see how preposterous the whole concept is. Some people who live there will pay dearly, and others will only have to pay a fraction of the cost, because........
Why? Their ancestors might have been slaves in South Carolina? They have a nice tan? They have been unsuccessful at the financial game of life?
What justifies this shit? Really. On what basis do we, the taxpayers, have to subsidize the rent of people who can't afford to live in this desirable location. Hell, I couldn't afford to live there! It is nonsense, on steroids.
Fast forward 40 years or so and by the nature of such things, the beautiful arena is deemed "obsolete" because it doesn't have enough outrageously expensive seats to satisfy the owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins. So they tear it down and build a new arena across the street. But they remain the owners of the land, and with such a large tract of land now available right near the downtown area, it becomes a BIG DEAL to plan the development in such a way as to promote the best interests of not only the Penguins, but also the City.
Downtown Pittsburgh has lately become a place where people WANT TO LIVE. Developers are building apartments and condos rapidly and they are all selling out before the paint is dry on their antiseptic interior walls. Some of them are commanding very high prices (for Pittsburgh, which is a traditionally low-cost market), but all of them are commanding prices that would be out of the question for someone earning less than, say, $80 grand. Let's say a couple thousand a month for a nice one-bedroom apartment. Half a million for a nice 2BR condo.
But those of you who do not live in a cave somewhere know what comes next. Black "leaders" from the Hill District are "demanding" that the development plans provide for "low income housing."
Putting it bluntly, the demand is this: Even though the market value of housing at this location will be quite "high," and the people who live in the vicinity would otherwise be paying dearly for the privilege, they would like some government agency or instrumentality to subsidize a number of apartments so that people WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE THERE can actually live there.
The words, "low income housing" roll so easily off the tongue that people fail to see how preposterous the whole concept is. Some people who live there will pay dearly, and others will only have to pay a fraction of the cost, because........
Why? Their ancestors might have been slaves in South Carolina? They have a nice tan? They have been unsuccessful at the financial game of life?
What justifies this shit? Really. On what basis do we, the taxpayers, have to subsidize the rent of people who can't afford to live in this desirable location. Hell, I couldn't afford to live there! It is nonsense, on steroids.
