96 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
96 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING
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A Libertarian Outlook
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by Gerald Schneider, Ph.D.
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With housing costs so high, I am reminded of the need for
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affordable housing, especially for the poor. What we lack are
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public policies that provide affordable but sound shelter in
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honest and competent ways.
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Government money and oversight are not the answer.
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Government housing programs, in fact, are unfair, inept, and
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counterproductive. They reward government bureaucrats with high-
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salaried jobs taken from tax revenues intended for the needy, not
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the greedy. But not nearly enough of that money filters down to
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the poor to solve their housing dilemma.
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What can be done? Some suggestions follow:
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Get Government Out of Housing
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Phase out all government-owned housing, giving title to
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apartments and buildings to tenants. Allow tenants to arrange
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whatever ownership pattern they want (condominium, cooperative,
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etc.). Alert nonprofit and other private organizations that
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counsel tenants on ownership about the phase-out.
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Dissolve the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
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Development (HUD) at the same time. Ditto for local government
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housing agencies. Those expensive government bureaucracies, of
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doubtful value to begin with, would no longer be necessary.
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Millions of dollars would be saved!
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Establish Individual Ownership
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Assure "squatters" living in abandoned buildings that
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government authorities will not toss them out just for living
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there. This assurance of a "home" might even encourage squatters
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to upgrade their living quarters through "sweat equity." Self-
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pride of "ownership," even if temporary, could give new
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incentives to squatters to improve their lives, too.
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Permanent ownership by serious, long-term squatters on
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genuinely abandoned or government-owned vacated property should
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be allowed. Programs of urban and rural "homesteading" could be
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renewed and expanded.
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Relax Apartment Regulations
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Laws that restrict or restrain homeowners from creating
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apartments in underused single-family houses should be relaxed.
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Such apartments could be provided quickly at low cost in contrast
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to the time and expense for new construction. And apartments
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added in that manner require no new infrastructure of streets,
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sewers, and public amenities.
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Also, the extra income from secondary apartments in single-
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family houses could help needy homeowners become financially
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independent. The elderly, for example, may live in houses larger
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than they need because their children are gone. While the houses
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may be mortgage free, the burden of government taxes can be
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unbearable. Rental money from secondary apartments in their
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houses can make the difference.
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Properly enforced nuisance and negligence laws would resolve
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neighborhood problems, if any, that secondary apartments in
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single-family houses cause. Government licensing and approval
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laws for these secondary apartments only frighten people away
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from creating them.
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More boarding houses should be allowed by local government
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authorities. There is nothing wrong with people who have their
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own bedrooms sharing a bathroom and kitchen. Costs for such
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units would be relatively low, and, while this arrangement is not
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for everyone, it would be better than many street alternatives.
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Eliminate Zoning Obstacles
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Finally, zoning laws and building codes that make new
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housing needlessly costly should be ended. This includes
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politically determined land-use density and building height
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rules. Government should not stifle innovation for low-cost
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housing through enforcement of outmoded and rigid construction
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standards.
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Reprinted from THE WHEATON NEWS of Wheaton, Maryland, Nov.
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25, 1987. For a one year subscription to Mr. Schneider's biweekly
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"Libertarian Outlook" column, send $15 to: Gerald Schneider, 8750
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Georgia Ave., Suite 1410-B, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Copyright
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1987 Gerald Schneider, Ph.D.
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(This is the text of one of a series of eight topical Libertarian
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outreach leaflets produced by the Libertarian Party of Skagit
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County, WA. The leaflets have a panel with National LP member-
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ship information, with a space for other LP groups to stamp their
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own address and phone number. Samples and a bulk price list/
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order form are available from: Libertarian Party of Skagit
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County, P.O. Box 512, Anacortes, WA 98221.)
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