Quote of the Day: “When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads.” – Rep. Ron Paul
We at DownsizeDC.org believe that the federal government is way too big. By this, we don’t merely mean it’s too expensive, but also that it does too many things.
At least two Presidential candidates agree, to some extent. Rick Perry wants to abolish three of the fifteen Cabinet-level departments. Ron Paul wants to abolish five.
We would like to cut even more, beginning with departments that…
- Are not authorized in the Constitution
- Do more harm than good
Now, our target is the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which Paul would also abolish. The reasons are stated on our campaign page and in the letter below.
If you agree, please join us in telling Congress to “Bulldoze HUD.”
The hard-wired message says simply…
Please support legislation abolishing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
You may borrow from or copy these additional comments…
Nothing speaks to the failure of Big Government like federal housing policy. Since the 1930’s, federally-funded bulldozers have been used for “slum clearance” and highway projects that wiped out entire neighborhoods. Many victims of these forced removals had nowhere to go but into federally-funded housing. The result has been more poverty and injustice.
Public housing “projects” became monuments of Big Government failure, as the buildings were poorly maintained and overrun by crime. Federal “partnerships” with private developers created the kind of “waste, fraud, and abuse” that everyone would like to see eliminated from the Federal Leviathan’s budget.
But inner-city residents have not been the only victims of HUD. As the CATO Institute notes (http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb111/hb111-22.pdf) …
* Political motivation to increase homeownership led HUD regulators to pressure Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase subprime loans by ten times, and to increase the number of loans written for low-income families
* These policies helped fuel the housing bubble which culminated in the 2008 financial crisisThese unfortunate outcomes aren’t surprising. They are the logical outcome of Central Planning. HUD was ill-conceived from the start…
* The Constitution provides NO authority for Congress to establish housing policy, which is by definition a personal and local issue
* Federal funding breeds bureaucratic jobs. The resulting Red Tape squelches free-market methods of growth and revival.Each state and city has its own unique patchwork of regulations, licensing requirements, and zoning laws. In some places, these burdens are relatively light and such cities are enjoying growth. In others, they are excessive. In these cities there is high unemployment, population decline, and urban decay.
There is little the federal government can do to fix problems created by local governments, and throwing more money at the most regulated cities will only makes things worse. Instead, Congress should get out of the way…
* Abolish HUD and save almost $48 billion per year
* Remove any and all federal regulations that hobble entrepreneurship and business growth, or commercial or residential development
* Stop rewarding the states and cities with financial aid; if they want to foolishly destroy jobs and prevent growth, the consequences will help reform themA free market in housing will bring home prices and rents to affordable levels. Let’s remove all obstacles to a free market.
END LETTER
You can send your letter using DownsizeDC.org’s Educate the Powerful System.
Remember, you do not have to agree with all of DownsizeDC.org’s campaigns. But we urge you to participate when you DO agree, and to tell your like-minded friends.
Reminder: $2 contributed for every new dollar pledged, by midnight December 31, by Bill Haynes of CMI Gold & Silver
- Goal: $2,500 in new pledges
- Raised thus far: $974
- Difference needed by deadline: $1,526
More than 31,900 people subscribe to this list. About 560 are monthly pledgers. We’re looking for 102 new pledges (if the average is $15 per month). This is doable, if you join them! But…
Time is short. Please, don’t let us miss out on $4,578. Please start your monthly pledge today.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.