Affordable Housing?
I just noticed a TV news report that housing starts are on the decline and that the price of new homes is down to $268,000. I wonder how many Americans can afford that tab and what the minimum cost of buying a home is these days?
One summer long ago I had the pleasure of building small affordable houses in New Britain, Connecticut -- the same summer I was loaned out to a blaster for several weeks and learned how to blow things up and, thus, am worried at the prospect of terrorist attacks in NYC, which is totally unprepared to defend itself or tell its citizens what they should do in the light of even the most minimal disaster scenario.
Back to building. Such jobs were what we college students did in those days, as the pay of blue collar workers was substantial enough to buy the small, but snug houses that we were building. I made sure that we did things right -- properly ditching around basements so that water would not build up there and seep into furnace and recreation areas. These houses were priced so that an average worker on his salary could afford them along with a car to commute wherever to work.
Now such amenities lie beyond the scope or interest of builders, politicians, or others who might want to provide for those in the lower 50% of income levels in the U.S. We hear much about ownership out there. I am dubious. I know the scene here in NYC where the great bulk of people are forced to rent -- or homeless -- and buying into a co-op or whatever is increasingly becoming the privilege of our millionaires -- I am on a co-op board and know whereof I speak.
In contrast we partially support two families scraping by in the North East Kingdom of Vermont by keeping going at a loss a two family house there which fell our way several decades ago. We have not raised rents since then (although the taxes and other expenses mount), because to do so would be to make homeless two families who are hard pressed to make ends meet now.
I cringe at the two level society that we are creating. In our once old-time comfortable run down building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan I now meet routinely nannies in our elevators en route in and out to their jobs or to our laundry room. I notice many a guy out there on the subway with one or more little ones -- obviously the breadwinner is the wife in minority families these days, caring for someone else's children, ringing up sales at a minimum wage at a cash register, or hopefully sometimes with some sort of more comfortable and rewarding job.
American democracy? Tyranny of a majority -- or of our oligarchy?
One summer long ago I had the pleasure of building small affordable houses in New Britain, Connecticut -- the same summer I was loaned out to a blaster for several weeks and learned how to blow things up and, thus, am worried at the prospect of terrorist attacks in NYC, which is totally unprepared to defend itself or tell its citizens what they should do in the light of even the most minimal disaster scenario.
Back to building. Such jobs were what we college students did in those days, as the pay of blue collar workers was substantial enough to buy the small, but snug houses that we were building. I made sure that we did things right -- properly ditching around basements so that water would not build up there and seep into furnace and recreation areas. These houses were priced so that an average worker on his salary could afford them along with a car to commute wherever to work.
Now such amenities lie beyond the scope or interest of builders, politicians, or others who might want to provide for those in the lower 50% of income levels in the U.S. We hear much about ownership out there. I am dubious. I know the scene here in NYC where the great bulk of people are forced to rent -- or homeless -- and buying into a co-op or whatever is increasingly becoming the privilege of our millionaires -- I am on a co-op board and know whereof I speak.
In contrast we partially support two families scraping by in the North East Kingdom of Vermont by keeping going at a loss a two family house there which fell our way several decades ago. We have not raised rents since then (although the taxes and other expenses mount), because to do so would be to make homeless two families who are hard pressed to make ends meet now.
I cringe at the two level society that we are creating. In our once old-time comfortable run down building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan I now meet routinely nannies in our elevators en route in and out to their jobs or to our laundry room. I notice many a guy out there on the subway with one or more little ones -- obviously the breadwinner is the wife in minority families these days, caring for someone else's children, ringing up sales at a minimum wage at a cash register, or hopefully sometimes with some sort of more comfortable and rewarding job.
American democracy? Tyranny of a majority -- or of our oligarchy?
posted by Ed Kent at 4:32 PM
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