September 23, 2011 HUD targets liberal New York enclave for social engineering Despite progressive tendencies and racial diversity, the New York suburb of Westchester â which voted heavily for President Obama in 2008 â is not safe from the administrationâs focus on social engineering. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is concerned that Westchester County is too white and even though the county is outpacing the schedule to fulfill a 2009 settlement with HUD â in which the county agreed to spend over $50 million on 750 new subsidized housing units to be provided to minorities via a lottery system (630 of which had to be built in neighborhoods with less than 3 percent African-American and 7 percent Latino populations) â HUD is ordering the county to do more. All this, even though the 2010 census indicates that Westchester is the fourth most racially diverse county in the state â tied with Manhattan. While Westchester is ahead of schedule, HUD is now ordering actions outside the original settlement: Spending nearly double the original settlement (now $94 million); mandating that 50 percent of the 750 units have 3 bedrooms; constructing the units in âabove average school districts;â ordering that local municipalities change zoning laws and âcounter community opposition;â and demanding the county investigate and regulate bank lending practices. According to the county, the HUD is overstepping its bounds and the county will fight the order. âThe federal government is trying to change the goal posts in the middle of the game. Theyâre trying to expand the terms of the settlement from a straightforward agreement to build housing into an integration order,â Jessica Proud, spokeswoman for Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, told TheDC. âThe county executive has made it clear that he will fulfill his obligation to implement the terms of the settlement, but he will stand firm against Washingtonâs overreach and will not surrender to their unreasonable demands,â she added. Astorino said that he was completely taken aback by HUDâs orders, especially considering Westchesterâs census diversity and past praise from HUD officials for the countyâs housing policies. According to Astorino, HUD is using Westchester as an example for the rest of the country. âThey are going to make Westchester the test case, and use the formula for Westchester throughout the country. They now publicly call this an integration order and not a housing settlement,â Astorino said. âAnd so this is their agenda, but I think they picked the wrong county. Weâre diverse. We do not discriminate or segregate. Weâre welcoming. And just through natural progression weâve had a major influx of African-American and Hispanics in all these communities.â Astorinoâs claims are accurate. Based on census records from 2000-2010 the population of minorities in the county has increased by 56 percent. Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/09/22/h...enclave-for-social-engineering/#ixzz1Yo4bR9FV
We've just got to get through 16 more months without hurting one another and order will be restored. The Liberal Experiment has failed and its going to be sent home to Chicago with Mr. Obama. The social engineering stuff is bad but Obamacare is literally going to get people killed waiting around for a bureaucrat to approve their treatment. Obama is in literal free-fall with the electorate and will be defeated decisively like Newt said in last nights debate.
Looks like Westchester is in danger of being criminally white. Theyd better get some color quick! Otherwise it's a 1st degree whiteness charge!
The un-elected bureaucracy has too much power. This is evident with DEC, EPA, Fannie and freddie, now HUD. No one elected these people or their policies, like a parasitic tumor that even the elected officials have trouble containing. Then they take their rats ass policies to court to have them enforced. What a waste of resources.
Could there ever be a better argument to get rid of HUD all together? First of all, it is clearly an unconstitutional exercise of federal power. There is nothing in the Constitution giving the government authority over housing. Housing is clearly a local matter. Second, the urban social engineering fantasy that underlay HUD and the disastrous urban renewal projects of the last century has clearly been proved to be misguided. Forget good intentions and trillions made by politically connected developers, these projects are a disaster. Instant slums that bring down property values and represent a foolish misuse of scare tax dollars. Is there even one candidate with the backbone to say enough already? Or is this like so many other issues? The democrats back it for votes and patronage, the republicans because their donors make a bundle off it and they are afraid of being called racists if they oppose it, so neither side is willing to do away with an expensive, failed program.