Send In The UN!

Dear Jim Bob,

I just heard that the United Nations is going to investigate what they describe as  the US Housing Crisis.  What’s this about Jim Bob?

Curious in Cleveland

Dear Curious,

I looked into this and discovered you are correct!  Evidently the UN (located in New York City) is dispatching a person they identified as Raquel Rolnik, the “UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing” to investigate the housing situation in New York City and other American cities.

I learned that Ms. Rolnik is an architect from Brazil and made her name there as an Urban Planner.  I am sharing a video at the end of this post wherein Ms Rolnik expresses her opinion that affordable housing is a right.  When you see Ms. Rolnik all of this will become very clear to you. 

I also learned that one of the groups helping Ms. Rolnik with her NYC investigation is an outfit called FUREE (Families United For Racial and Economic Equality).  If you’ve never heard of FUREE, just think of them as a little ACORN.  One of the main concerns of FUREE is combating something called “gentrification.”   Now, what is gentrification you ask?  I’ll make it easy for you.  Have you ever seen a slum area that is blighted, riddled with crime and generally unsafe?  Then, have you ever seen a bunch of business people come in and buy up all that dangerous real estate and clean up the area?  They tear down the worst, repair the salvagable parts and make the area nice and safe --  to the extent that people who actually work move back into the area and it once again becomes a thriving community. 

We used to call this process Urban Renewal and it was considered a good thing.  Today, it is called “gentrification” and is considered evil!  Why?  Because when an area undergoes ‘gentrification’ property values go up and rents increase.  The destitute, unemployed people who formerly lived in the area can no longer afford to live there and are displaced.

Since the UN Special Rapporteur, Ms. Rolnik considers affordable housing a “right”, and is being led around by the FUREE group, we will no doubt hear more about this in the days ahead.  The big question is this:  What will the UN do when it finishes their investigation?  My guess is that they will send a big report to President Obama and his ACORN roots/genes will come to life in sympathy.  A logical Obama solution will be to introduce some good legislation that will force developers and others who produce “gentrification” to rent their properties at depressed rates to accomodate the rights of the displaced. 

HEY!  Isn’t this the same approach that caused the home loan mortgage crisis that tanked our economy?  I just love liberals, don’t you?

Video of UN Special Rapporteur, Raquel Rolnik