Low-Income Housing? NIMBY!!!!!

[bobbolink]

I've been trying to get progressives interested and aware of low-income housing issues, but of course, that isn't the focus now.. it's all on the crisis of the muddleclass. Here is one more example of how we're ignored, and demeaned (ignorantly), and there are very few who will stand up for us. While there is an active peace group in this town, they don't help us with this kind of issue.

There is a group who is trying to build a low-income apartment area here, which is DESPARATELY needed. To be clear.. this will NOT help me, as it's only for young people with low-wage jobs. It's not for us disabled scum.

However, predictably, there is much uproar, and much ignorant posturing. It's time we all learn how to combat this stuff!

Here is what was said at the meeting:

“With low-income housing, you get people who are mentally unstable,” a woman said. “It makes more sense to leave them downtown where they can get the services they need.”
http://www.canyoncourier.com/cgi-bin/storyviewxqwerty.cgi?036+NewsLocal.200842-5128-036-036037.Full+NewsLocal

So, let's look closely at her thinly-veiled contempt: First, the residents will all be WORKING. They are job-holders. In fact, they are doing jobs that these elite residents DEPEND on... the wait staff of restaurants where they eat, the people who clean their up-scale homes, the people who staff their up-scale private golf clubs and physical training centers. They are the people who pamper them with massages when they are "stressed", and who clean the restrooms they use in the community when they are away from their mansions.

If she is talking about "mental illness", then the rate of mental illness for ANY worker is the same. So, there is as much "mental illness" in those mansions as there is in McDonald's.

Second, if she is mixing up workers and homeless people (and sometimes they are one and the same... more and more that is the case!), then the National Coalition For The Homeless asserts that there are 16% of homeless people who are classified as "mentally ill". That is certainly not a huge number, given that the rate for ALL the population is over 20%... from 22% to 25%. So, again, statistically there is more "mental illness" in the McMansions than there is in the homeless population.

It's time to start confronting this kind of LIE, and stop letting people fear-monger in this way.

Take away their LYING props, and make them say outright that they don't want "THOSE people" living near them. Make them show their bigotry outright.

Because that's exactly what it is... bigotry!